by Joe DuPont
Hi everybody.
It is time for my weekly spring Chinook Salmon update (5/30/2023). So, let’s get right to it.
RUN UPDATE
The migration of Idaho-bound spring Chinook Salmon past Bonneville Dam is about complete. Over the past few days (since 5/27/2023), very few spring Chinook Salmon destined for the Clearwater or Rapid River fisheries have passed over Bonneville Dam. From here on out, the vast majority of fish passing over Bonneville Dam will be Idaho or upper Columbia River summer run fish.
To date (March 15 through May 29), the total count for adult Chinook Salmon at Bonneville Dam is 107,196 fish. This would rank as the fifth best when compared to the previous 10 years (see figure below).
PIT tag estimates of spring Chinook Salmon that have passed over Bonneville Dam are summarized in the Table below. This table has been updated so it now captures the most recent data (through 5/29/23) used to estimate our harvest shares. This table shows that the Clearwater River return’s harvest share is projected to be 3,132 adult fish (darker peach row), the Rapid River return's harvest share (darker blue row) is projected to be 1,531 fish, and Hells Canyon’s (green row) is projected to be 295 fish. These harvest shares all are down slightly from what we estimated last week.
TRIBAL NETTING
The Nez Perce Tribe has authorized 10 gill net permits on the Clearwater River. For those of you who were surprised to see gill nets on the water, I urge you to read this article I previously wrote (Tribal and sport anglers fishing together). It is important to remember that the Tribe is entitled to the same harvest share as sport anglers are. Using gill nets does not change how many fish the Tribe can catch; it is just their hope this technique will improve their ability to achieve their harvest share. Right now, the Tribe is exploring the best locations and techniques to fish with gill nets and drift nets. So, don’t be surprised if you see nets show up in different areas. To date, the Tribe has only gill netted about 20 fish in the lower Clearwater River – far from some of the rumors going around.
It was brought to my attention that some anglers were sleeping on their boats in the lower Clearwater River to reserve their fishing location. There is no law that prevents this unless the boat is anchored in the shipping lane. However, it is important to realize that night is when the Tribe does much of their netting. Sometimes they will put in a net at dusk and pull it before dawn, and you wouldn’t even know they were there. So, please give them this time to conduct their fishery without further complications. After all, we don’t really give them a chance in the daytime when conditions are like they were this past weekend (see picture below).
FISHERIES
Based on PIT tag detections at Bonneville and Lower Granite dams, about 60% of the spring Chinook destined for the Clearwater and Rapid River fisheries are still yet to arrive in Idaho. Fish passage is improving through the Snake River dams, so expect fishing to improve in the near future.
Clearwater River Basin Fishery
Last week we estimated that 265 adult Chinook Salmon were harvested in the Clearwater River basin (see Table below). Most of these fish were caught in the lower Clearwater, although we observed the first fish being caught in the North Fork. Catch rates were about average (20 hrs/fish) in the lower Clearwater and a little on the slow side in the North Fork at 30 hrs/fish. We are not approaching any of our harvest allocations goals (see blue section in table below), so all reaches will remain open for at least another week.
Right now, flows in the lower Clearwater (at Spalding) are at about 27,000 cfs (40,000 cfs if average for this time of year) and are forecasted to slowly drop over the next week. What this means is that when the Chinook Salmon reach the Clearwater River, they are going to migrate faster and more off of shore than anglers are typically used to. Fish have already shown up at Kooskia hatchery, and I suspect it won't take long for fishing around Dworshak to get good.
Rapid River Run Fishery
We finally observed the first Chinook Salmon being harvested in the lower Salmon River (see table below). There weren’t a lot of people fishing, but those we interviewed had good catch rates (< 10 hrs/fish). Flows dropped more than expected last week (below 50,000 cfs) which allowed fish to escape past the Slide Rapid. Flows are expected to come up for a few days and then drop down to below 40,000 by this weekend. When this happens, expect fishing to get good in the lower Salmon River. Unfortunately, because the Rapid River fish have been delayed at the Slide Rapid, many of the Sawtooth fish have caught up. As such, don’t expect the fishery below Hammer Creek (section 1) to stay open very long.
Hells Canyon Fishery
We estimated that 24 adult Chinook Salmon were harvested below Hells Canyon Dam last week which brings the season total to 28 fish. Catch rates were 18 hrs/fish. Fishing should continue to improve for the next couple of weeks, then we plan to start trapping on June 12. That means if you like to fish below Hells Canyon Dam, your best opportunities to catch fish will be over the next two weeks.
That is all I have for you this week.
Good luck fishing.