Bill Kiene semi-retired
08-04-2014, 02:09 PM
TRINITY RIVER FISHING REPORT –August 3, 2014
by E. B. Duggan, “D” Fishing Guide
NO WATER FOR THE TRINIYY! This is a travesty. The Bureau of Reclamation News Release stated that BOR will not release water from the Trinity “only unless an emergency arises”. They also stated they “needed the cool water to send down the Sacrament for endangered species (Chinook salmon). Water Right Order 95-05 states that water from one watershed cannot be used to cool water in another watershed and that is exactly what BOR is doing with the Trinity water when it ships water over to Whiskeytown and into the Sacramento. I guess laws do not apply to government agencies only to us fishermen. All last week 3,000cfs was being diverted to Whiskeytown while only 450cfs went to the Trinity River. That means the Trinity River is allotted 15% while the Sacramento River gets 85% of the water being released from Trinity Lake. I guess Trinity Coho salmon are not as important as Chinook salmon. If that is the case why is “Trinity River Coho” salmon listed as endangered species? NOAA has yet to answer that question when fishing organizations have requested selected harvesting of hatchery raised Coho salmon to help relive spawning presser on spawning native salmon. It appears that endangered species is being used for a cover up for getting water to corporate farms who provide large donations to campaign funds. I did say “Corporate Farms” and not farmers as the family farmer is under the same kinds of pressure as fishermen are when it comes to water for crops or fish.
At 36% of capacity the “cold water pool” in Trinity Lake is depleting fast and if there is NO major storms this winter Trinity Lake could be in a world of hurt because there will be NO COLD WATER POOL to draw from next year for either the Trinity or the Sacramento Rivers.
Temperatures are reaching into the high 70’s on the Trinity and Lower Klamath (today 79.4 in Hoopa) and science keeps telling us that salmon and smolt will die once the water temperatures reach 76-78 degrees. If this is true fishing for this year is going to be very tough both on the Klamath and the trinity!
I guess what I am asking that all of my readers write to their Congressmen and Senators to please help save the fish but don’t kill the family farmers.
Junction City Weir Count: for the week of Jul 29; Spring Chinook, adults – 9, season total - 798; 2013 this date, 813 adults. The peak of the Spring Chinook Run is over. The highest week was Jun 25 – Jul 1 when 234 went through the Junction City Weir. We now have to look to Sept. 1 for the Fall Chinook salmon opening on the Trinity and Upper Klamath. Will there be any fish available? will be the BIG question.
Fishing: The past week the Trinity Valley has seen nothing but 100 plus degrees although the weatherman has continually said that we are only seeing 89-90 degrees. My front porch has not been less than 100 degrees except at night. If this keeps up we will be catching “Boiled Salmon”. The water temperature for the Trinity River has been; Lewiston releases 51.9, Helena 62.8, Hoopa 79.4, Weitchpec 78.3 Turwer on the Klamath 77.4. Water temperatures are an important part of the migration of salmon and the survival of the out migration of smolt. The warm/hot water is great for swimming and rafters but hell on fish! Up river there are still a few spring salmon that are not dark but most are catch and release. Grays Falls still has some cool water and the fish are holding up there are not as dark but they are not biting once the sun gets down on the water. Remember the Grays/Burnt Ranch Falls area closes to fishing Sunday August 31. In talking with some of my contacts up river most have changed over to the Sac for salmon fishing. The Trinity has not seen very many summer steelhead yet but from what I have heard they are on their way as some are being caught at the mouth and around Weitchpec. The Trinity and Upper Klamath will open for fall salmon fishing Sept. 1st.
Klamath: The Klamath around Weitchpec has been having some luck with half-pounders and early small adult summer steelies. I didn’t get a report from my buddy at E Ne Nuck this week nor my contacts above Orleans. Could be because it is just too hot to fish right now. The Klamath is closed to the taking of salmon from Weitchpec to Iron Gate until Sept. 1st. Fishing for trout above Happy camp should start to pick up in the very near future. Look for temperature drops around the I-5 corridor and you should be spot on. Don’t forget the tribal ceremonies will start around Labor Day so be aware that there will be some river closures during the ceremonies. I do not have dates yet but if and when I do get them I will let you know.
Trinity Lake: The Lake is 133ft (a change of 5ft) below the over flow and 36.1% of capacity (1.7% decrease) at 12:00pm today. Inflow to the lake is 106cfs and Trinity Dam is releasing 3,276cfs into Lewiston Lake with 2,818cfs going to Whiskeytown Lake and then on to the Sacramento River through Keswick Power plant.
Trinity River Flows and Conditions: Lewiston Dam releases are 458cfs, water temps are 51.9 and air is 81 degrees. Limekiln Gulch is 5ft at 442cfs; Douglas City is 6.2ft at 462cfs, water temps of 57.3 and air is 94. Junction City is 2.1ft at 640cfs. Helena is 8.7ft at 450cfs with water temps of 62.8. Cedar Flat is 2.7ft at 495cfs. Willow Creek is estimated at 508cfs, air is 86, and water 71.
Hoopa is 11.6ft at 676cfs, water temps 79.4. Flows at the mouth of the Trinity at the Klamath are 1,816cfs and water temps are 78. The coolest time of day in this area is around 10 o’clock in the morning. At Weitchpec Bridge water temps are 78.2 and water temps at Tully Creek on the Klamath are 79 degrees.
Klamath: Iron Gate Dam releases are 885cfs. Seiad Valley is 1.9ft at 941cfs. Happy Camp estimated at 517cfs. Somes Bar is estimated at 1,013cfs. Orleans is 2.4ft at 1,140cfs. Klamath at 101 Turwar Creek is 7.8ft at 2,000cfs and water temps of 77.4 degrees. Smith River is 5ft at 3307cfs.
Temperatures in the Valley last week were 105/58 degrees with no rain, total rain to date 36.55 inches of rain and 2.5in of snow for the season. Temperatures in the Valley next week are expected to be 89/51 degrees but look for temps of around 100 for the weekend. Mon, partly cloudy; Tue, pm showers; Wed, partly cloudy; Thu-Fri-Sat-Sun-Mon; sunny.
Fish’en and Good Luck but remember; “Keep your tip up with a tight line lands fish.”
Websites: www.MyOutdoorBuddy.com, www.Willowcreekchamber.com,
from Willow Creek, CA Phone 530-629-3554, E-mail yen2fish@yahoo.com
by E. B. Duggan, “D” Fishing Guide
NO WATER FOR THE TRINIYY! This is a travesty. The Bureau of Reclamation News Release stated that BOR will not release water from the Trinity “only unless an emergency arises”. They also stated they “needed the cool water to send down the Sacrament for endangered species (Chinook salmon). Water Right Order 95-05 states that water from one watershed cannot be used to cool water in another watershed and that is exactly what BOR is doing with the Trinity water when it ships water over to Whiskeytown and into the Sacramento. I guess laws do not apply to government agencies only to us fishermen. All last week 3,000cfs was being diverted to Whiskeytown while only 450cfs went to the Trinity River. That means the Trinity River is allotted 15% while the Sacramento River gets 85% of the water being released from Trinity Lake. I guess Trinity Coho salmon are not as important as Chinook salmon. If that is the case why is “Trinity River Coho” salmon listed as endangered species? NOAA has yet to answer that question when fishing organizations have requested selected harvesting of hatchery raised Coho salmon to help relive spawning presser on spawning native salmon. It appears that endangered species is being used for a cover up for getting water to corporate farms who provide large donations to campaign funds. I did say “Corporate Farms” and not farmers as the family farmer is under the same kinds of pressure as fishermen are when it comes to water for crops or fish.
At 36% of capacity the “cold water pool” in Trinity Lake is depleting fast and if there is NO major storms this winter Trinity Lake could be in a world of hurt because there will be NO COLD WATER POOL to draw from next year for either the Trinity or the Sacramento Rivers.
Temperatures are reaching into the high 70’s on the Trinity and Lower Klamath (today 79.4 in Hoopa) and science keeps telling us that salmon and smolt will die once the water temperatures reach 76-78 degrees. If this is true fishing for this year is going to be very tough both on the Klamath and the trinity!
I guess what I am asking that all of my readers write to their Congressmen and Senators to please help save the fish but don’t kill the family farmers.
Junction City Weir Count: for the week of Jul 29; Spring Chinook, adults – 9, season total - 798; 2013 this date, 813 adults. The peak of the Spring Chinook Run is over. The highest week was Jun 25 – Jul 1 when 234 went through the Junction City Weir. We now have to look to Sept. 1 for the Fall Chinook salmon opening on the Trinity and Upper Klamath. Will there be any fish available? will be the BIG question.
Fishing: The past week the Trinity Valley has seen nothing but 100 plus degrees although the weatherman has continually said that we are only seeing 89-90 degrees. My front porch has not been less than 100 degrees except at night. If this keeps up we will be catching “Boiled Salmon”. The water temperature for the Trinity River has been; Lewiston releases 51.9, Helena 62.8, Hoopa 79.4, Weitchpec 78.3 Turwer on the Klamath 77.4. Water temperatures are an important part of the migration of salmon and the survival of the out migration of smolt. The warm/hot water is great for swimming and rafters but hell on fish! Up river there are still a few spring salmon that are not dark but most are catch and release. Grays Falls still has some cool water and the fish are holding up there are not as dark but they are not biting once the sun gets down on the water. Remember the Grays/Burnt Ranch Falls area closes to fishing Sunday August 31. In talking with some of my contacts up river most have changed over to the Sac for salmon fishing. The Trinity has not seen very many summer steelhead yet but from what I have heard they are on their way as some are being caught at the mouth and around Weitchpec. The Trinity and Upper Klamath will open for fall salmon fishing Sept. 1st.
Klamath: The Klamath around Weitchpec has been having some luck with half-pounders and early small adult summer steelies. I didn’t get a report from my buddy at E Ne Nuck this week nor my contacts above Orleans. Could be because it is just too hot to fish right now. The Klamath is closed to the taking of salmon from Weitchpec to Iron Gate until Sept. 1st. Fishing for trout above Happy camp should start to pick up in the very near future. Look for temperature drops around the I-5 corridor and you should be spot on. Don’t forget the tribal ceremonies will start around Labor Day so be aware that there will be some river closures during the ceremonies. I do not have dates yet but if and when I do get them I will let you know.
Trinity Lake: The Lake is 133ft (a change of 5ft) below the over flow and 36.1% of capacity (1.7% decrease) at 12:00pm today. Inflow to the lake is 106cfs and Trinity Dam is releasing 3,276cfs into Lewiston Lake with 2,818cfs going to Whiskeytown Lake and then on to the Sacramento River through Keswick Power plant.
Trinity River Flows and Conditions: Lewiston Dam releases are 458cfs, water temps are 51.9 and air is 81 degrees. Limekiln Gulch is 5ft at 442cfs; Douglas City is 6.2ft at 462cfs, water temps of 57.3 and air is 94. Junction City is 2.1ft at 640cfs. Helena is 8.7ft at 450cfs with water temps of 62.8. Cedar Flat is 2.7ft at 495cfs. Willow Creek is estimated at 508cfs, air is 86, and water 71.
Hoopa is 11.6ft at 676cfs, water temps 79.4. Flows at the mouth of the Trinity at the Klamath are 1,816cfs and water temps are 78. The coolest time of day in this area is around 10 o’clock in the morning. At Weitchpec Bridge water temps are 78.2 and water temps at Tully Creek on the Klamath are 79 degrees.
Klamath: Iron Gate Dam releases are 885cfs. Seiad Valley is 1.9ft at 941cfs. Happy Camp estimated at 517cfs. Somes Bar is estimated at 1,013cfs. Orleans is 2.4ft at 1,140cfs. Klamath at 101 Turwar Creek is 7.8ft at 2,000cfs and water temps of 77.4 degrees. Smith River is 5ft at 3307cfs.
Temperatures in the Valley last week were 105/58 degrees with no rain, total rain to date 36.55 inches of rain and 2.5in of snow for the season. Temperatures in the Valley next week are expected to be 89/51 degrees but look for temps of around 100 for the weekend. Mon, partly cloudy; Tue, pm showers; Wed, partly cloudy; Thu-Fri-Sat-Sun-Mon; sunny.
Fish’en and Good Luck but remember; “Keep your tip up with a tight line lands fish.”
Websites: www.MyOutdoorBuddy.com, www.Willowcreekchamber.com,
from Willow Creek, CA Phone 530-629-3554, E-mail yen2fish@yahoo.com