Fishing Report Provided by E.B. Duggan  -  “D” Fishing Guide  -  (530) 629-3554  -  yen2fish@yahoo.com

Trinity River Fishing Report – February 5, 2012 PDF  | Print |  E-mail
Visitor Info - Fishing Report
Sunday, 05 February 2012 00:00

I hope you all mailed in your Salmon & Steelhead Report cards because it is crunch time for the DFG and their preliminary reports of possible ocean abundance. You may ask “what is that?” Ocean abundance is what the estimated amount of harvestable salmon that are predicted to be in the ocean will be. This is where the beginning of how many salmon are going to be available to harvest in Cal., Org. and Wash. It also will be the determinate of how many salmon will be able to be harvested for Tribal fisheries, Ocean Commercial fishing, Ocean Sport fishing and last of all, In-River Sport fishing. So you see those report cards are important along with the other data DFG collects from the rivers. If you want to fish for salmon in 2012 you have to help the DFG and the Pacific Fisheries Management Council (PFMC) with this data. The closer to accurate numbers that can be reached the better these organizations can come to providing us with a fishing season. 


I am truly sorry that we were NOT able to meet with the Hoopa Tribal Council, or their designated representatives to agree to some type of fishing on the reservation for the late winter steelhead fishing season. I honestly do not know what the hang-up could be but I am trying to meet with some one of authority of the Hoopa Tribal Council to see if there could be any solution to this problem. In talking with many guides and fishermen from all over who fish or have fished on the reservation my group has accumulated several good recommendations that would help solve this problem and allow for fishing the reservation.
It is time for Trinity River Water Flow meetings to determine spring water flows. It is also time for preliminary meetings for fishing regulations for 2012 so be ready to send in your comments to the Fish &Game Commission or the PFMC so we have some input to what the limits and regulations will be.    

Trinity River Hatchery Counts:
 
The Trinity River Hatchery is still seeing steelhead come into the hatchery. Fall totals at TRH for Fall Chinook salmon, 15,733, 2011 totals, 22,314, 2010 totals, and 1,908. Total to date for Coho salmon for 2011 is 4,784, 2010 totals, 4,215. Steelhead to date for 2011 is 2,603, total 2010, 2,037. Remember that the Coho salmon and steelhead are still coming into the lower part of the river. 
 
 
Fishing:
 
This past week I have been able to travel upriver to see river conditions. I was surprised to see how well the river is clearing and dropping into good fishing conditions. From above Indian Creek down to Junction City the river is in very good condition and is fishable. For the few that are going out you can count on hookups. The closer to the hatchery you fish the more hatchery steelies y0ou can hook into. As you come down below Junction City you will catch more native fish. Most steelhead are 4 – 8lbs with some up to 10-11lbs. Hardware is doing good but night crawlers or roe seems to be a little bit better. As you come down river the water starts to get a little wild and you have to stay into the willows. The river around Del Loma starts to color up some until you get to the South Fork and then you pickup a lot of slate from the South Fork. Willow Creek the river is high but if you are careful you can pick some good spots you can successfully fish from the bank. Below Kimtu you can drift a boat and the river has good color but some what high. Some places you might want to try would be at the mouths of incoming creeks.
 
 
Trinity River flows and Conditions:
 
Trinity Lake is 33ft (1ft decrease) below the over flow and at 79.3% of capacity (0.3% increase) of capacity at 11:00am today.
 
Trinity River: Inflow to Trinity Lake is 1,041cfs. Trinity Dam releases are 489cfs to Lewiston Lake with 177cfs going to Whiskeytown Lake.
 
Lewiston Dam releases are 302cfs, water temps 42, air is 40. Limekiln Gulch is 5ft at 394cfs. Douglas City is 6.1ft at 460fs, water temps are 40.5, air 38. Junction City is1.8ft at 560cfs. Helena is 10ft at 721cfs, water is 41.1. Cedar Flat is 4.7ft at 1,340cfs, Willow Creek estimate is 1,849cfs, water at 41, air at 45. Hoopa is 15.1ft at 4,320cfs, water temps 41.5 degrees. Mouth of the Trinity is 11.2Kcfs.
 
Klamath River Releases: Iron Gate Dam is releasing 1,010cfs. Seiad Valley is 3.3ft at 2,140cfs. Happy Camp is 2,5641cfs. Somes Bar is 5,260cfs. Orleans is 6.79ft at 6,900cfs. Klamath at 101 is 12.8ft at 14.9Kcfs water temp at 43.2 degrees.
 
Temperatures in the valley last week were 55/31 degrees with 0.75 inches of rain, total to date 36.15 inches. The weather next week in the valley is predicted to be 59/32 degrees, Mon-cloudy, Tue-chance of rain, Wed-Thu-Fri-overcast      Sat-possible showers-Sun-showers. There is some snow on the ground on Buckhorn pass and down to Douglas City
< Prev   Next >
 

Willow Creek Chamber Of Commerce
PO Box 704, Willow Creek, California 95573   Phone: (800) 628-5156 or (530) 629-2693   Email: info@willowcreekchamber.com

Copyright © 2001-2009 Willow Creek Chamber of Commerce. All rights reserved.
Webdesign and Maintenance by Daniel Seguin, information Technology Consultant