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Well the first DFG meetings of the year on the preliminary counts for salmon numbers will be held in Santa Rosa Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2012 at the Sonoma County Water Agency, 404 Aviation Blvd. 9:00am to 2:30pm fisheries. These numbers will be preliminary and will give everyone an idea of what will be used for diving up the harvestable salmon. The next meeting will be the PFMC & DFG meetings in March to set quotas for Washington, Oregon, Calif. Ocean Commercial, Ocean Sport and In-River Sport fishing quotas. The March DFG meeting will be in Eureka and should hopefully hear about possible Trinity River Coho Salmon fishing. For years the Trinity River Hatchery has been producing and releasing 500,000 Coho Salmon. The returns to TRH over the last 12 years have been any where from 18,000 plus to the low of 3,800. Some of these salmon are being harvested up in Oregon and that brings me to the conclusion that there could be some type of Coho fishery on the Trinity River. Other wise why are we producing so many Coho salmon? I have asked this question many times and at many hearings and have yet been given a straight answer. The common answer is that Coho salmon are a threatened species but on the Trinity we have an over abundance.
The first meeting of the Trinity River Water Flow workgroup will be held at the TRRP office conference room in Weaverville on Feb. 21, 2012, 9 AM to 4 PM. The public hearing will be held March 12, 9am to 4pm at the Weaverville Golf Course Conference Room. The TAMWG will hear these proposals March 22 and make any recommendations for this spring water releases. If you have any concern I recommend that you ark your calendar so you can speak up at the public hearings.
Trinity River Hatchery Counts:
The Trinity River Hatchery counts are still being conducted at the hatchery for Coho and steelhead and I must say they are really looking good. Fall totals at TRH for Fall Chinook salmon, 15,733, season totals 22,314. 2010 totals, 11,908. Total to date for Coho salmon for 2011 is 4,784, 2010 totals, 4,431. Steelhead to date for 2011 is 4,002, total 2010, 2,037. Remember that the Coho salmon and steelhead are still coming into the Trinity and are spawning in the Upper River and tributaries.
Fishing:
The upper sections of the Trinity are producing both hatchery and native steelhead. The river up there is in very good fishing condition and most drifters are to hook into 3-5 fish per trip. Douglas City to Junction City is also producing some very good fishing action. As the river drops fishing around Del Loma will pick up because the fresh fish that came into Willow Creek last week will be showing up there. This past week I have seen a lot of fishing pressure down a Kimtu beach as both drifters and bank fishermen have been vying for a chance to hook a winter run steelie. Most bank fishers are using bait, night crawlers or roe. I have even seen a drift boat down below Big Rock fishing but I don’t know where they pull out because Hoopa Reservation is still closed to river access for non-tribal members.
Trinity River flows and Conditions:
Trinity Lake is 31.2ft (1.2ft decrease) below the over flow and at 80.2% of capacity (1.2% increase) of capacity at 11:00am today.
Trinity River: Inflow to Trinity Lake is 1,466cfs. Trinity Dam releases are 1,480cfs to Lewiston Lake with 1,173cfs going to Whiskeytown Lake. I was unable to bring up my CDEC flow charts form the internet today so I had to use USGS instead.
Lewiston Dam releases are 307cfs, water temps ??, air is ??. Limekiln Gulch is 0ft at 000cfs. Douglas City is 6.2ft at 482fs, water temps are 00, air ??. Junction City is1.8ft at 576cfs. Helena is 10ft at 717cfs, water is 00. Cedar Flat is 4.8ft at 1,390cfs, Willow Creek estimate is 1,825cfs, water at ??, air at 46. Hoopa is 14.8ft at 3,830cfs, water temps 46.6 degrees. Mouth of the Trinity is 10.1Kcfs.
Klamath River Releases: Iron Gate Dam is releasing 1,000cfs. Seiad Valley is 3.2ft at 2,070cfs. Happy Camp is 2,5401cfs. Somes Bar is 4,800cfs. Orleans is 6.4ft at 6,320cfs. Klamath at 101 is 12.3ft at 13Kcfs water temp at 47.2 degrees. Temperatures in the valley last week were 64/36 degrees with 1 inch of rain, total to date 37.15 inches.
The weather next week in the valley is predicted to be 56/27 degrees, Mon-rain, Tue-partly cloudy, Wed-sun-T-partly cloudy- Sat-Sun- M- showers up and down the valley. We could possibly have a little snow this Monday so you might want to check the weather before you head up. |
