I don’t have any first hand info, and I’d like to know as well. I have some time off this week and might drive up and check it out, so if I do I’ll post a report. Flows have actually subsided a bit with the cooler weather so I was thinking they may be moving faster. I would assume the bulk of the run is 2 weeks or so away though.
I bet you could find a couple. It is supposed to start raining again by the end of the week and maybe the flows will come up a little. I am hoping the big bulk is 2 weeks away to be honest. I don’t think I’m going to get a shot until the 2nd full week in June. Hopefully you bring back a good report if you give it a go.
I was up over the weekend in riggins putting the camper up there. Flows definitely dropped a lot. Main was still pea soup, hopefully it keeps going down so fish will move. 10 or so caught at the confluence talking to the fishermen there and F&G. Few on the little river. Lot of hours went into those few though lol. I agree, seems like main run will be a week to 2 weeks away. I’d like to hear how many we’re caught in the hammer creek section, that will tell how long we have.
Thank you for the update. I am hoping it is 2 weeks away for my own selfish reasons. I just want to have a shot at them. =) I guess they still have only received one wild fish as of yesterday at Rapid River. I bet they start trickling in here pretty soon. Were there a lot of people yet fishing near Riggins?
lets just say they were killing them at Hammer creek… how long would it take until they hit the confluence, rapid river, etc.?
In my experience I’d say 3 to 5 days. But don’t quote me on that. I feel like some years they just stop moving, and some years they are there the next day.
And Steelie, there were around 15 guys fishing the main below the confluence. 10 or so boats, and a big group of people just waiting below rapid river for the run to arrive. Maybe 15 people total actually fishing the little river.
How the fishing on the clearwater? Anyone heard any reports?
The lower sections and the North Fork have apparently been fishing pretty good. If you would like to fish the Northfork below Dwarshak you better hurry. It appears they are closing it after the weekend because the will be reaching their shares.
I am still trying to figure out how they get the harvest share numbers. In the past the harvest share on say the Rapid River has been the total number of fish - 5% for mortality in the river, -2000 for the broodstock and then the remainder are cut in half for sport and tribal.
By my calculations if conservatively 12,389 fish are destined for rapid river you would take 5% away from that and get 11,769 fish. Take 2000 away from that and you get 9769 fish. You divide that number in half for both sport and tribal share you get 4884 fish for the sport harvest share.
The harvest share right now on the Rapid River (Not counting fish headed up river from Rapid River) is 3404. Am I missing something? Because if the formula is the same we are missing 1480 from our harvest share. Does that go and add on to the tribal amount to give them 6364 fish? I am sure there are reasons behind it, but I just don’t know what the plan is with the other 2960 excess fish.
Any insight would be helpful. Either way, there are some fish to catch and there is not many things better than getting your butt kicked by a Chinook.
Broodstock goal for Rapid River is 2400 fish.
You might be right Ratfink. I have seen both. Even if it is 2400 there would only be 200 less for both sport and tribal. It still would be 2500 fish or so that I can’t find.
12389X.95 for 5% river mortality=11,769-2400 for broodstock=9369 Harvestable fish. Take that divided by 2 and we should be sitting at 4684 fish roughly.
It just isn’t adding up with the 3404 alotted Harvestable share on the Rapid River escapement alone. Conservatively, there are probably 12,389 fish and if you double 3404 to 6808 and add another 2400 on to that you get 9208 fish. I am not arguing with the harvest share, I am just curious how that number is determined and where the excess fish are going. It was determined the way I outlined it the last couple years.
Steelie30, I think I can answer your question and clarify some slight mis-information provided by RatFink. The brood needs at Rapid River are 2,400 but only 2,000 are captured at Rapid River, the other 400 come from Hells Canyon Trap on the Snake River.
You’re also applying an incorrect conversion rate estimate to the 12,389 fish headed for Rapid River. 12,389 is the estimate at Bonneville Dam, and a 70% conversion rate is applied to that number which is the estimated loss and harvest that occurs between Bonneville Dam and Idaho. So if you do the math…((12,389 x 0.70) - 2,000)/2=3,336 for the harvest share. Hope this clears up the confusion
That makes complete sense. I may have been using the conversion from Lower Granite instead of Bonneville. I forgot to take in account the fisheries of Drano Lake and others above Bonneville.
Thanks for clearing that up for me, I have been stewing on that and that makes sense now.
Either way, any Chinook fishery makes me happy. I just hope things align and I get a chance at them soon.
I guess we appreciate the extra 68 fish then =)
Any word on how the fishing has been on the Clearwater or Salmon?
Four of us,fished the,Clearwater for 13 hours a couple weeks ago just below orofino and only caught 2 then I went on vacation… I’m looking to go out again anyone have any idea where the fish will be at this time never fished above the bridge at orofino and I’m guessing the salmon are much farther up the river at this point
Well that was quick! It’s almost game over on the Salmon River. Looks like Memorial weekend was the time to be on the water. Great water conditions.
Looks like the Clearwater will still have some options upstream. Maybe the South Fork of the Clearwater will turn on quickly.
After reading the newsletter from the fish and game we all need to mind our P’s and Q’s a little better. Most people are really good about cleaning up their trash and excess line etc. Apparently there was a lot of disrespect of the private property in the fisheries and certain landowners have nearly had enough. It would be devastating to see access shut down in a lot of areas that we have grown accustomed to fishing at. Next time we are all on the river, maybe take an extra bag and do a little sweep of the area and make it cleaner for the next person. It would be sad to not be able to have that access that we are lucky enough to use.
Yes. I always do that.
Last time I was at Brownlee I spent a few minutes just running around and scooping up floating trash with my net before I left. I had a garbage bag full in no time.
Can you really call yourself a sportsman if you don’t leave the area better than you found it? IMHO, no.