The Steelhead Angler

The good the bad and the uglyWell the good news for chinook salmon anglers here in Idaho is the resent cold spell is beginning to have a positive effect on the river flows as most rivers here in Idaho are starting to drop back to almost fishable levels.

The Little Salmon River which was running at 5,600 cfs as dropped back to 3,200 cfs and although the Main Salmon has not done as well has dropped from 92,000 cfs to 65,000 which is still way above the normal flow of around 40,000 cfs for this time of year. The Clearwater is dropping but it is even slower in coming down then the Main Salmon.

The bad thing about this is that the cooler temperatures which help to drop the rivers has also dropped the river temperatures which is slowing the migration of the salmon and this is through out the entire river system from Bonneville Dam too the hatcheries. I’m hoping that when the temps stabilize or start to rise back up we will see a surge in their migration.

Now for the ugly part while the rivers have started to drop they are still very brown in color and this makes things even more difficult for the angler as salmon seem to strike out of a natural instinct and not because the are feeding, if they are not able to see your hook then you do not trigger their instinct to strike.

There are some tricks you can use to help in these conditions like using scents, or a lure set up that will make some type of noise or vibration. They help but when the salmon go into a holding pattern there is no sure fire way of hooking into one except for being persistent and keeping something out in the river and hope that one will swim into your offering.

Don’t despair things will pick up and when they do we should have some pretty fair fishing at least it will be better then we have had in the last couple of years.

Steelhead Gear.Com   http://www.steelhead-gear.com/

Pacific salmon are in the genus Oncorhynchus, which contains several individual species Chinook, Coho, and Steelhead are probably the most popular. Unlike the Atlantic salmon, Pacific salmon only spawn once before they die. These salmon may swim hundreds, even thousands, of miles to get back to the stream where they hatched. However, only a small percentage of salmon survive to reach their natural stream or spawning grounds. It has been estimated that today around 80% for the juvenile salmon or smolt as they are called will never survive their trip to the ocean. In the Northwest salmon normally have seasons from spring through fall this season depend entirely on the expected return numbers today.

Pacific salmon connect headwaters to the high seas, from Japan to California. The larges of these salmon are known as Chinook or King Salmon, they average 10 to 20 pounds in size, but 30 to 50 pounds is not unusual and there are occasions where they will reach nearly 100 pounds. Pacific salmon are represented by seven different species, these seven salmon species have life histories that are unique, multifaceted and vary widely within and between species.

Dams have stopped many runs from having access to the oceans where they once traveled. These areas which are scattered throughout the northwest now have what are called landlocked salmon since they mature for three years in freshwater and return to the river to spawn and die.

Pacific salmon is also farmed, but due to political reasons on a very small scale over all.

Managing salmon in the Pacific Northwest is a complex endeavor, bringing up a wide range of political, economic, legal and social issues. The cultural issues of salmon management shouldn’t be overlooked, as salmon fishing has been and continues to be a way of life for many families throughout the west. Managers need to know where their stocks move, how long they stay in different areas, and how ocean conditions affect growth and mortality. The eventual expansion of pilot studies into a full out program to reintroduce salmon back into river systems, combined with archival tagging studies, will allow scientists and managers to monitor salmon movements and habitat usage along coastal North America, from California to the Aleutian Islands, year-round. Knowing when and how salmon move, feed, and migrate will be the key to their survival if we are going to save these magnificent and mystical fish.

Salmon Gear

There appears to be even more good news for salmon fishermen here in Idaho. Along with the Chinook salmon return numbers showing a vast improvement over the last several years the number of jacks that are returning to Idaho are also u; this is good news for two reasons. 

1. Having a good number of jack salmon return is a good sign that the numbers of  adult chinook salmon that will return the following year will also be good
2. This year anglers will be able to keep two jack salmon a day without them having to be counted against your season limit of 40 salmon. And the size of the jack salmon has been increased from a fish measuring less then 20″ to one which measures less then 24″. 

The weather and river flows has been playing a large role in the amount of Salmon crossing Bonneville dam during the last week one day the numbers are over 9,00 and the next day they may be down to 2,500 only to bounce back up the next day. I guess as long as the numbers stay up we can keep smiling though. 

So far I do not believe the total numbers are as good as every one was hoping but we need to remember that the run started three weeks later then normal too. 

I will continue to watch the numbers over the next several weeks and keep you informed so far thing are looking good for the Idaho salmon angler though and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this will continue.

By: RR Smith
Salmon Steeelhead And Trout