STEELHEAD and American River Flows thoughts and NEAR, long term schedule

[STEELIES/26c3]

Lots of folks freaking out about the high flows and 'wasted' water and destruction of redds/salmon eggs...

A sustained high flow is EXACTLY what our river needs.

In the last 10-15 years, and especially the last 5 years of drought, have you never wondered why the once fertile and semi-crowded spawning beds downriver in places like; Sunrise, Rossmoor Bar, Ancil Hoffman, Goethe, Gristmill, Watt.. .have been bereft of all but a few spawning salmon?

Back in the day, you could hardly stand the smell or make it out to your favorite bar to fish steelhead in December.

We all know that available water and ocean conditions play a large role but another major contributor is the lack of spawning gravel.

No matter how much DWR, USFWS, CDFW add gravel to the river as they have done over the last several years... it does little to help spawning fish when there are not significant flows to scour and re-channelize the river bottom and wash away all the fine sediment which has settled in the nooks and crannies of potential spawning gravel.

Add to that, greater temperatures causing increased algal blooms and more duck weed, hyacinth, hydrilla and other aquatic plants which grow, die, decompose and further reduce habitat for would-be spawning salmon.

Gravel is great but just adding it to the river does nothing. It is not gravel salmon lay their eggs in... it is the spaces between it.

OK enough babble but these sustained flows of 25-35-K could be EXACTLY what we need (coupled with a few good wet years...) to at least help the American River to once again contribute a percentage of salmon viability.

As far as those complaining about how the flows are going to wipe out the naturally-spawned, AR salmon... there is no science proving that flash floods or sustained high flows negatively affect developing salmon eggs. And besides, due to the dam/loss of upriver habitat... and the factors mentioned above... what little in-river reproduction took place on the AR this year will likely not affect the return we see in 2019/2020 any greater or lesser because of the current high flows.

Yesterday when a friend asked about AR flows... I had guessed 10,000 by Xmas and 5-6,000 by the opener on January 1st. Turns out I was purdy dam close~;) <*((SEE BELOW))><

The good news for fisherman is that the river will drop to fishable soon and will remain high enough in January to guarantee that the lining bastards won't catch 'em and legit' steelheaders will~:)

Date / Time REL SCH
12/14/2016 09:00 7000 cfs
12/14/2016 10:00 8000 cfs
12/14/2016 11:00 10000 cfs
12/14/2016 14:00 12500 cfs
12/14/2016 15:00 15000 cfs
12/15/2016 09:00 20000 cfs
12/15/2016 10:00 25000 cfs
12/15/2016 11:00 30000 cfs
12/15/2016 12:00 35000 cfs
12/16/2016 12:00 30000 cfs
12/19/2016 08:00 25000 cfs
12/20/2016 08:00 20000 cfs
12/21/2016 08:00 18650 cfs
12/21/2016 10:00 17300 cfs
12/21/2016 12:00 16000 cfs
12/22/2016 08:00 15000 cfs
12/22/2016 10:00 14000 cfs
12/22/2016 12:00 13000 cfs
12/23/2016 08:00 12300 cfs
12/23/2016 10:00 11600 cfs
12/23/2016 12:00 11000 cfs
12/24/2016 08:00 10500 cfs
12/24/2016 10:00 10000 cfs
12/24/2016 12:00 9500 cfs
12/25/2016 08:00 9100 cfs
12/25/2016 10:00 8700 cfs
12/25/2016 12:00 8300 cfs
12/26/2016 08:00 7950 cfs
12/26/2016 10:00 7600 cfs
12/26/2016 12:00 7300 cfs
12/27/2016 08:00 7000 cfs
12/27/2016 10:00 6700 cfs
12/27/2016 12:00 6400 cfs

[Mark Kranhold]

Agree Mark!! And flush those restoration projects away. One of the first ones they did below the PCA bridge didn't even work! After more research they found there was not enough O2 coming up from the river bed for spawning habitat. 12-29-16 cfs is going to be 5000

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Yes,

Besides blocking the spawning migration, all the dams restrict the big wild winter/spring flushing flows and gravel movement down the drainage too.

[Darian]

I'm curious.... Seems like all of the valley rivers below dams are scoured with very high flows creating a flat, featureless highway until the currents slowly return some structure to the bottom. But, even after this restructuring has occurred, the size gravel is uniform. Is that uniformity healthy spawning gravel?? In most of the older volumes of Salmon/Steelhead publications I've read, the size of spawning gravels seemed to be larger and more coarse than what I've seen used, recently. Is that observation valid???

Also, it seems that placement of some large boulders and other type structures at strategic points would contribute to creating cooler water temps and resting places for fish. Yet there aren't too many of those in the lower American. Maybe that's as a result of flood control efforts???

[Chukwithak]

Keep talking Steelies. This January will make my first full year chasing and swinging for Steelhead. It's been a great learning experience but there's so much change and so much to learn with the different runs/seasons/flows that I need all of the blabbing I can get. Even the littlest things like the fact of the sediment you mentioned. To us newer guys it helps. Until this thread, I thought the sediment helped the eggs because it would be easier for the salmon to move around and place the eggs within. What seems like blabbing is one mans growth. I've been staring at the flows all day and waiting to get to see if I could beat Bill to the punch lol. I know what the river looks like and fishes likes at 750 cfs - 3k cfs, how is 6k for wading?

Charlie

[Mark Kranhold]

Darian, large boulder placement ...I like that! Thats exactly what needs to be done to break up the American freeway! Mankind making spawning habitat, Mother Nature knows best! Altering a stream bed and recreating is riscky business! Charlie, 6000 is fishable. Be careful out there but no real reason to wade deep. Fish the edges and current seams behind logs , willows , homeless camps, this is where the fish will be, staying out of the heavy water/current.

[Darian]

"....,homeless camps,...." :D:D:D:D:D

[STEELIES/26c3]

Fish the edges and current seams behind logs , willows , homeless camps, this is where the fish will be, staying out of the heavy water/current.


"....,homeless camps,...." :D:D:D:D:D

+1 :mad::p:cool:

[STEELIES/26c3]

I'm curious.... Seems like all of the valley rivers below dams are scoured with very high flows creating a flat, featureless highway until the currents slowly return some structure to the bottom. But, even after this restructuring has occurred, the size gravel is uniform. Is that uniformity healthy spawning gravel?? In most of the older volumes of Salmon/Steelhead publications I've read, the size of spawning gravels seemed to be larger and more coarse than what I've seen used, recently. Is that observation valid???

Also, it seems that placement of some large boulders and other type structures at strategic points would contribute to creating cooler water temps and resting places for fish. Yet there aren't too many of those in the lower American. Maybe that's as a result of flood control efforts???

Darian/Kran/et al~

I am hopeful that this year may be different...

In 2011, the flows reached 40,000 BUT only lasted 1.5 days if memory serves correctly. And relatively quickly thereafter, dropped back down to average levels (1,500-2,000) This year, flows reached 35k but have maintained for 6 days and will now GRADUALLY drop from 24k to 5k.

I think part of this is consideration for the fisheries on BOR and DWR's part as to do so is less stressful for fish in general and helps to prevent any early eyed-out salmon from getting stranded.

The longer period of high flows should have a greater effect on scouring the river bottom than the flows from 2011 did and since there won't be the sudden decrease in flows, the gravel should get better distributed throughout the river.

In a realistic sense... none of this is enough to restore a self-sustaining, natural population of steelhead in the AR, but I am hopeful that the spawning gravel added to the river (COUPLED WITH THE GREAT FLUSH OF 2016!) will at least return SOME natural production and in future years, the downriver fishing should improve to at least what it was before the drought... and maybe even to the level of productivity say 20 years ago.

I agree that the river needs some large boulders and trees, side channels, berms and embankment cuts as without those types of structures, the spawning gravel added to the river is rather useless (especially in low flows) and it merely becomes a more conducive place to line, sight fish, snag salmon and steelhead.

I bet there were few very large boulders in the AR traditionally due to the elevation at which our river sits. Most large rock in rivers comes from terrestrial (landslides) rather than hydraulic deposition hence why the Sierras are loaded with boulders and the valley rivers are not. Still, since we must deal in our current reality and with what we DO HAVE to work with... I think larger rocks introduced to the AR would definitely be of tremendous benefit. My friends and I have suggested to CDFW to place staggered, large boulders in all of the long, gravel restoration projects not only to provide better habitat, shade, protection for spawning and developing fish but also to discourage people from fishing said areas. This is a whole topic unto itself and there are many opinions on it so I don't want to delve too deep here. Let me just say that in a spot where there is a graphical, interpretive panel/sign explaining the delicate nature of the spawning beds and asking folks not to disturb the redds below... it makes absolutely NO sense to state that and then allow flossers to fish that structure-less swath of gravel and line spawning fish off their redds in October (salmon) and again from January through March (salmon and steelhead). A few strategically-placed boulders would take care of the problem.

Relative to this topic is the CDFW and other resource agency exploration of finding a new brood stock more consistent with the American River and its once-prevalent Central Valley Strain of steelhead... I spoke with Dennis Lee today about the concerns I had with the Coleman Hatchery Steelhead Strain (introduced from Nimbus Hatchery to the AR in 2015). I'm waiting for a final email from him before I share the info on this page.

I'll post it up in a new thread as time allows.

Merry Christmas/Happy New Year~ ><((((*>

[John Sv]

Love these discussions and info. Thanks!!!

[Mark Kranhold]

I'll bet there was more structure of clay heads back in the day though, which much has been filled in nowadays! Yes there has been talk of introducing a different strain steelhead for some years now, let's hope it happens ! Love when those Colman strains stray:cool:

[STEELIES/26c3]

Yep, clay heads for sure... unfortunately though, it seems like places where they occur, gravel is absent. I have mixed feelings about introducing new and improved strains to the AR. It seems that the winter Eel R fish are the only ones which took in 60 years of trial and error.

On one hand, I appreciate a summer run fish (Coleman) and the opportunity it offers us anglers particularly in Sept-Nov.
BUT, I would not trade them for the bigger, Eel R fish we can catch from Nov-March and even into April/June on a good year.

The biggest challenge with introducing a summer run strain of steelhead to the AR is the obvious lack of natural spawning habitat. CDFW is NOT naively thinking that they can add a few gravel projects to the river and pour in some Coleman-strain fish (raised at Nimbus) and VOILA! create a healthy, self-sustaining fishery...

As long as the Nimbus Dam is present and water continues to flow south for commercial purposes, that is not even a possibility. A summer run's ability to survive requires; greater flows, colder water, tributaries (like Battle Creek on the Sac R.) and with the relatively short, low-flow, warm and otherwise-compromised American River, a naturally-sustained summer run of ANY subspecies of steelhead is impractical.

The Coleman strain experiment from 2015 was an attempt to explore the possibility of a replacement HATCHERY BROOD STOCK at the Nimbus Hatchery, NOT a naturally (in-river) spawning fish. The limiting factor is getting the adults to return to the hatchery ladder WHEN RIPE and in significant numbers to allow for egg and milt harvest and ample reproduction.

I know the 'powers that be' are concerned about potential interbreeding between Coleman stock steelhead (from Nimbus) and central valley and other NATURALLY-OCCURING fish in the American and other rivers and that is why they are being euthanized at the Nimbus Hatchery Fish Ladder.

I need to have two very distinct questions answered on the topic and when I get those answers, I will post up a more complete analysis of what the study involves and the hows and whys surrounding its implementation.

M

[hwchubb]

Mark,

I would appreciate hearing more details on the Colman summer run experiment - the first I'd heard of it.

What will be interesting is what the steelhead run develops I to once the season opens. I've been watching the returns for the last 20 years, and usually the hatchery raceways are 50/50 salmon/ steelhead by mid-December, and virtually all steelhead by Christmas. This season, I haven't seen a single steelhead yet. This isn't scientific, just my observations stopping by the hatchery once or twice a week in November and December, but this year has been completely outside what I've seen in the past.

[JasonB]

I'm curious.... Seems like all of the valley rivers below dams are scoured with very high flows creating a flat, featureless highway until the currents slowly return some structure to the bottom. But, even after this restructuring has occurred, the size gravel is uniform. Is that uniformity healthy spawning gravel?? In most of the older volumes of Salmon/Steelhead publications I've read, the size of spawning gravels seemed to be larger and more coarse than what I've seen used, recently. Is that observation valid???

Also, it seems that placement of some large boulders and other type structures at strategic points would contribute to creating cooler water temps and resting places for fish. Yet there aren't too many of those in the lower American. Maybe that's as a result of flood control efforts???

Darian,
Actually I think that all the valley rivers below those dams do NOT get the high scouring flows that they would in a normal dynamic stream. Keep in mind that those are quite massive drainage basins, so historic pre-dam flows would fairly regularly exceed our current flow patterns. The lack of features are somewhat related to the dams themselves, but these high(er) flows really are a good thing and a small step in the right direction.
JB

[EricO]

Good discussion. I just gotta add, those Coleman strain half pounders
kick some serious butt. Hooked into a couple each with Jeff F this summer
on a float. Thick and strong!

Wish it was like this every year on the A. Seemed like it was 8-10 yrs ago.

Couple pics from this summer.


Eric