By Liz Perkin Native Fish Society The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has recently released their proposed changes to the Fish and Aquatic Life Uses of Oregon’s waterbodies. Some systems will be getting more stringent protections as a result of these changes, such as the Cow Creek on the South Umpqua. In very few cases, however, the recommendations would actually relax water quality standards.
The watersheds we are most concerned about loosening standards are in the Crooked River and Trout Creek, both east-side tributaries of the Deschutes River, which are proposed to move from a maximum allowable pH of 8.5 to a more alkaline 9.0. This move is concerning because higher pH is often caused by the increased nutrients from intense agricultural practices. DEQ is proposing an “action” pH value of 8.7, which, if exceeded in more than 25% of measurements between June and September, would then be investigated to determine if the cause of those measurements are natural or anthropogenic.
DEQ is justifying this change on the basis that the underlying geology of the Crooked River and Trout Creek watersheds is more similar to that of the John Day River, which has a set acceptable pH range of 6.5-9.0. However, the rest of the Deschutes watershed has a pH standard of 6.5-8.5, given that most of the Deschutes originates in the Cascades. Raising the pH maximum in the Crooked River and Trout Creek will effectively split the Deschutes watershed and potentially negatively affect water quality in the lower Deschutes.
Our concern is that by relaxing the pH standard, particularly in the Crooked River, where nutrients are already an issue, DEQ is making it more likely that water quality violations will go unaddressed for longer. This could potentially result in even higher pH values in the lower Deschutes, where elevated pH values are already a concern to fish health.
Native Fish Society will be urging DEQ to keep the pH standards in the Crooked River and Trout Creek at their current levels, and we encourage others to voice their concerns about this change as well.
CLACKAMAS, Ore.—Oregon and Washington fishery managers recently finalized seasons and regulations for 2023 Columbia River summer and fall recreational salmon and steelhead fisheries. Detailed regulations are available at https://www.dfw.state.or.us/fish/OSCRP/CRM/index.asp (see Summer and Fall Columbia River Recreational Fishery Regulations)
Forecasts for summer and fall Chinook, sockeye, and coho will allow opportunity for anglers to target these fish. However, added protections are necessary for ESA-listed Lower Columbia River (LCR) fall Chinook and summer steelhead.
The forecast for summer Chinook is 85,400 adult fish, which is larger than last year’s actual return, and the forecast for sockeye is 234,500 fish, which is higher than last year’s forecast but significantly less than last year’s record return. For the summer season, retention of adult hatchery Chinook, hatchery steelhead, and sockeye will open June 16 and is expected to continue through July 31 from the Astoria-Megler Bridge upstream to the Highway 395 Bridge in Pasco, WA. The bag limit is two adult salmonids, but only one may be a hatchery steelhead, and all sockeye are considered adults.
This year’s adult fall Chinook forecast of 554,000 fish is smaller than last year’s actual return. The 2023 Columbia River coho return is forecasted at 595,300 adults, which is similar to last year’s actual return. Chinook and coho retention seasons start Aug. 1 and vary by river section. This year’s regulations include additional measures, such as mark-selective (adipose fin-clipped only) retention rules for Chinook in the Buoy 10 fishery and salmonid angling closures upstream of west Puget Island when Chinook retention is prohibited. These are intended to help manage fishery impacts to ESA-listed stocks and to increase the stability of the planned season structure.
If accurate, the preseason forecast of 67,800 fish would be the lowest return for upriver summer steelhead since counting started at Bonneville Dam in 1938. In recognition of the expected low abundance, anglers will see extremely conservative retention regulations again in 2023, similar to recent years. Hatchery steelhead retention will be allowed June 16 to July 31 from the Astoria-Megler Bridge upstream to The Dalles Dam and June 16 through Aug. 31 from The Dalles Dam upstream to the Highway 395 Bridge in Pasco, WA with a reduced bag limit of one fish. After retention of summer steelhead closes in each area, it is expected to remain closed through at least the end of the year.
“The summer steelhead forecast this year, especially for B-Index steelhead destined for the Clearwater and Salmon rivers in Idaho, is bleak and I’d encourage everyone to do what they can to avoid them once the area-specific retention seasons close,” said Tucker Jones, ODFW Ocean Salmon and Columbia River Program Manager. (For more information on summer steelhead returns and management in the Columbia River Basin visit https://myodfw.com/articles/steelhead-management-columbia-snake-river-basins )
Protective regulations will also include Thermal Angling Sanctuaries in Eagle Creek, Herman Creek, and the Deschutes River as well as in the Columbia River near the mouths of these tributaries (see the website for maps and detailed descriptions of these sanctuary areas).
Join us Saturday, June 24th, as Native Fish Society hosts our Second Annual Umpqua Bass Bash! This event will help remove Smallmouth Bass from the river and bring awareness to the problems this invasive fish species causes for native fish and the Umpqua River.
This event will include a fun day full of fishing for Smallmouth Bass, as well as camp education regarding native fish species, including the harmful effects Smallmouth Bass and other invasive species cause. There will be fishing, camping, raffle & prizes, food prepared by The Royal Coachmen – and more!
Overnight camping is included, or you’re welcome just to join us for the day and dinner festivities! Please register and let us know if you will be joining us so we can get a good count on attendees for food, beverages, and camping.
Mark your calendars for June 24th, and stay tuned for more exciting details to come soon!
If you have any questions or want to learn more about this event, please contact our NFS Southern Oregon Coordinator Kirk Blaine at kirk@nativefishsociety.org today!
Pacific City has been on my radar for a quite sometime. Pacific City has one of the most unique reef systems in the world. The waters offer an opportunity to chase rockfish, lingcod, salmon, and tuna all on the fly. Rockfish and Ling cod are especially difficult to find in a depth where fly fishing is doable, and Pacific City one of the few places you can do so.
My good buddy Kolter makes a annual Oregon visit and we decided to embark on a fishing adventure from a Pacific City Dory. We met Captain Marty Wiseheart at 6am at the Pelican Pub, signed waivers, and went over dory procedures.
We launched the boat from the beach and headed toward the monolith called Haystack Rock. Immediately we see rockfish surfacing for crab spawn emerging from the depths. Poppers should not have been left at home that day. With that being said, we set out to absolutely hammer the rockfish on clouser style patterns and a fly I call the shuttle cock. It was 4 hours of rockfish mayhem. 10wt rods were bent! At times the 10wt was very appropriate for the larger rockfish and ling cod.
This was one of the most unforgettable fishing experiences I have had in my entire life and would love to share this experience with anyone who loves fly fishing and eating delicious rockfish.
Contact the Caddis Fly Shop to get the information, flies, rods, reels, lines, and clothing. The Pacific City season has just begun and runs until mid September so get out there sometime this summer and you will have a blast!! Cheers everybody Alex Swartz
Come by for Caddis Fly, Howler Bros Happy Hour! Great new stock of Howler Bros apparel for Spring/Summer. Special deals include: .50cents off flies, 10% off leaders, lines, tippets and sunglasses. Free Coldfire Brew on Tap! Special pricing Happy Hour 3-5pm only.
When: Wednesday May 10th 2023 – 3-5pm
Where: The Caddis fly Angling Shop – 168 West 6th ave, Eugene OR 97401
Runoff and rain have bumped flows in our local rivers; high water calls for a different approach to spring fishing. The good news is both the Mckenzie and the Willamette rivers are dropping and should be in better shape as the flows come down. Warmer days and nights have helped kickstart our early season hatches and dry fishing can be good. March Browns and Baetis are trailing off and Grannom Caddis have taken the stage as our primary hatch currently. Large Salmonflies are making their way to the banks. Salmonflies and smaller leftover Skwala size stoneflies can be found in the bankside foliage. Fish are looking up with more bugs on the surface making dry fly fishing good, especially during a hatch. Nymphing will be most productive when there aren’t bugs coming off the surface; if you like streamer fishing, you should make use of the high flows while they last. The streamer bite can be especially good when water is high like this. Look for fish holding along the banks, and in softer water when fishing these higher flows.
An adult Grannom Caddis.
Our recent warm weather has shifted the Grannom or “Mother’s Day” Caddis hatch into full swing. As the season progresses, you will see fewer March Browns and Blue Winged Olives. Late morning to early afternoon you will see small, dark size 14-16 Grannom caddis emerging; this is often accompanied by some rising fish. There also may or may not be some March Browns or small Baetis sprinkled in with the Grannom hatch. Salmonfly nymphs, adults, and their shucks are littered along the riverbank. Having a variety of flies will help to key in on what the fish are taking.
Salmonfly mid-molt. Salmonfly adult drying its new wings.
Often like during the March Brown hatch, swinging wet flies during a Grannom hatch can be, and often is more, deadly than fishing dries. Whether you’re doing this for mayflies or caddis, a similar “indicator-less” nymph rig will do the trick. The first fly on the end of your leader will be some sort of beaded nymph, the second fly will be some sort of unweighted soft hackle tagged off the back of your heavy nymph. A cast upstream and some upstream mends will allow your heavy nymph to pull your soft hackle deep. As the fly swings towards you downstream you will often get an eat as it pulls tight. You can add very small strips if you’d like, or slowly lift the rod tip where you suspect a fish is holding to make it look like your flies are emerging right for the surface. Some great flies for swinging during a March Brown hatch are: Beadhead March Brown Emerger #12-14 & March Brown Wet Fly #12-14. These are killer options currently for swinging during a Grannom hatch: Spectre Soft Hackle Olive #12-14, Simple Olive Soft Hackle #12-16, Sparkle Caddis Pupa Olive #14-16.
Fully molted Salmonfly Adult.
Swinging streamers can entice big, explosive eats during this high water. Swinging flies through riffles into the seam and softer water can be deadly given the shape of our rivers. If you find a pool or eddy, erratically stripping streamer through that calmer water is great also. Here are some great streamers to throw right now if you like streamer fishing: Tungsten Thin Mint#8-10, Jr. Sculpzilla #8, Conehead Kiwi Muddler #8.
There are still fish to be caught in high water. Look for fish pushed up on the banks and find them holding in calm water. Have fun out there, and use caution wading in the swift water!
The video above shows gives an aerial view of Phase 1 of the Finn Rock Reach restoration. As you drive up 126 past the Finn Rock Boat Launch what was a single channel is now an abundance of channels, log jams and mini pools specifically designed for salmonids. At the end of the video the drone is looking at the area that will become “phase 2”. If you are interested in the process see details below on a meeting.
From McKenzie River Trust: With Finn Rock Reach Phase 2 of restoration planned for this summer, MRT and our restoration partners are hosting a presentation and community conversation:Thursday, May 4th – 630p at the McKenzie School in Blue River.
Restoration Partners Representing: McKenzie Watershed Council, U.S. Forest Service & McKenzie River Trust
The McKenzie and Willamette river remain high but water temps are moving up and a variety of hatches are occurring daily. Fish are keen to eat stonefly nymphs, March Brown Nymphs, Pheasant Tail Nymphs and more. Getting your fly down in the “slower” zones is the key. Yesterday there were a good number of salmon fly adults emerging and we had quite a few fish take a look at the large Chubby Chernobyl dry. Grannom Caddis, March Browns and Blue Winged Olives were also visible most of the day.
This summer steelhead raced up above Leaburg dam and ate a size #12 jigged pheasant tail dropper nymph yesterday.
The water is big and super cold, there is a lot woody debris in the river due to the Holiday Farm fire, be careful out there.
In this video Simon demonstrates how to tie an effective golden stonefly nymph. This pattern does not employ a heavy bead, rather it’s on the “lighter” side by design. Lighter facilitates the “tumble” stonefly nymphs often go through in high water and as they make their way towards shore in order to become adults. The pattern uses a really stout new hook from Ahrex, the HR416 Anadromous Nymph Hook is perfect for trout nymphs, trout streamers, bass flies, steelhead nymphs and more. It has a nice shank length, heavy wire and lethal sharpness. Dirty bug yarn and Straggle String from Semper Fli help create a realistic and easy to form body and thorax. Enjoy!
In this video, Greg ties a Morris May BWO emerger fly pattern using CDC as a wing instead of deer or elk hair which makes the fly pattern ride lower in the water where fish are more likely to strike.
Anglers have limited options for clear water in the Willamette Valley at present. It seems that low level snow and the past 3 months of rain are draining out into the rivers and tributaries, causing water levels to rise in a big way. Anglers will want to focus on the Middle Fork of the Willamette as it leaves Hills Creek Dam and before the North Forth of the Middle Fork enters. March Brown hatches have been consistent between 12:30 and 2pm. Nymphing with rubber legged stoneflies with smaller nymphs like Hogan’s Clinger, Weiss Possum Anchor, and Croston’s Full Metal Jacket.
As temperatures warm anglers will see more caddis and stonefly adults so it’s a good idea to have some Brown Elk Hair Caddis, Golden Stone Adults, and even a few Green Caddis.
According to the Deschutes Steelhead Fishery Framework that ODFW developed last year, the summer steelhead season will open on the Deschutes because the number of wild adult steelhead passing Sherars Falls was over 625 fish. However, because there is expected to be fewer than 9,900 wild fish over Bonneville between July 1–July 31, the season will likely close on August 15. It is also expected that fewer than 23,100 wild steelhead passing Bonneville between July 1–August 31, so it is unlikely the season will re-open once it’s closed.
The John Day fishing framework uses the number of only wild A-index summer steelhead passing Bonneville as a guideline to open the season or not. Under this framework, if fewer than 20,000 wild A-index fish pass Bonneville, the season on the John Day won’t open. Given this requirement and the poor outlook, it is unlikely there will be any summer steelhead season on the John Day this year.
Acting as responsible stewards
Currently, the state of summer steelhead in the mid-Columbia River is looking dire. Returns have been down since 2016 (see graph below). We question the wisdom of the current Deschutes framework defaulting to an open season if the previous year’s run was high enough. Last year’s run was just large enough to allow angling, but was by no means the “return” to abundance as some advertised. ODFW’s argument is that few anglers tend to target steelhead early in the season, so they expect the effects of having a season that starts open to be minimal. But if anglers know that it is highly likely the season will close on August 15, isn’t it possible that some may change their habits to take advantage of the time it is open? In addition, the highest temperatures in the Deschutes are typically in June, July, and August. During those months, the max temperatures at Moody often surpass 68F, a point when mortality from catch and release angling greatly increases for steelhead.
Hopefully, the forecast will turn out to be low and we’ll see decent numbers of summer steelhead returning to the Deschutes and John Day this year. But until we have a better idea of what the run is going to look like, we hope that anglers will refrain from targeting steelhead, even if the season is open. And if the run is better than expected, we urge anglers to pay attention to water temperature, and not fish when it’s over 68F.
Looking to the future
So how do we move forward from where we are now to a place of greater abundance? The first thing we need to do is look at what is driving the current dismal returns. Given the patterns of steelhead declines throughout their range, and understanding where they move in the ocean, it is highly likely that climate change, primarily through increasing ocean temperatures, is the biggest factor driving declines. Anyone who is serious about protecting steelhead has to be pushing for major action to be taken on climate change. Contact your representatives and tell them this is a major issue for you. Reduce the flights you take. Here are other steps you can take to reduce your personal carbon footprint.
There are some steps we can take to offset the effects of climate change in freshwater ecosystems. Summer steelhead in basins with relatively intact, high quality habitat are still doing fairly well. We are partnering with Trout Unlimited in the lower Deschutes to locate restoration sites in the mainstem and key tributaries that are likely to provide the greatest return on investment to increase steelhead numbers. The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs has been carrying out habitat restoration throughout the John Day basin, but we also need to push for increased environmental flows. Extreme low flows in late summer have unfortunately come to characterize the John Day and are a likely driver behind the “overshoot”–the tendency of John Day steelhead to keep swimming upstream past the McNary Dam–that reduces the number of steelhead surviving to spawn in the John Day.
We wish the news for Columbia River summer steelhead was better, but we’re committed to work hard with our supporters and our partners to bring these amazing fish back to sustainable numbers.
Kara Anlauf-Dunn of ODFW will be giving a presentation of her work examining native fish response to heat. It should be a good way to prepare yourself for responsible angling as we enter the summer trout season and increasing temperatures.
Where: Ninkasi’s Better Living Room, 155 Blair Blvd, Eugene, OR 97402
In this video, Greg ties a Peacock CDC Caddis fly pattern that is a variation of an elk hair caddis. The use of peacock and CDC gives this fly movement and shine that’ll catch the fish’s attention. Fish them as a traditional dry fly up current or skate them across and down current. A deadly pattern that can be tied in different sizes and colors (elk hair, thread, wire).
