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[Dave]

Buck and I made our first trip counting spawning steelhead in the upper Chilliwack this morning.  This is our fourth year of observations; our methodology is simple in that we count the same areas weekly, on approximately the same date, each year.  Over time (firebird suggests 40 years!) we hope we will be able to identify trends and at the very least, peak spawning times at the 4 sites.   These counts are not meant as a population estimate.
Today is the earliest we have started and that was brought home by the fact only one fish was observed, that at the outlet of Chilliwack Lake. Conditions at the lake were poor for viewing, as was the newly augmented gravel pad below the Third (Middle Creek) bridge.  One redd, possibly two, were seen in Centennial Channel and we passed on Angel Wing channel this trip.
The water level in Centennial is very low so next week we will probably suggest to Chilliwack River hatchery staff more flow is allowed through this magnificent spawning/rearing area.
More next week.

[chris gadsden]

Good work Dave and Buck.

[Dave]

Buck, KP and I made our second trip up river this morning counting steelhead. First stop was the outlet of Chilliwack Lake, where 3 were observed, all staging. Conditions were excellent for seeing all of the spawning area this trip, and it was empty.  For perspective, on this approximate date in 2013 we saw 20.  Next site was Centennial Channel …  water was very low and no fish or redds  were seen. On this approximate date in 2011 we saw 15; in 2012 we saw 7, and in 2013 we saw 3. We have asked Chilliwack River hatchery staff to increase flows in this channel asap.
Water conditions were poor at the Middle Creek bridge so no observations were attempted, and Angel Wing was not walked. Of interest, about 40 clipped steelhead are now in the overflow channel at the hatchery, most of which appeared to average about 6-7 lbs, considerably smaller than normal.

[firebird]

Did you take any water temps Dave? Would be interesting to compare to 2013 temps.

[Dave]

I know, I know ... should have but didn't.  Next and all other trips will do

[firebird]

There was talk of a late bump of small fish a couple of weeks ago ... supposedly a lot in the 4-5lb range. I seem to recall a discussion earlier in the season about the huge hatchery fish that were being caught. I guess it all evens out over the long run 

[Easywater]

Should there even be any steelhead fishing with such miserable numbers?

Is this fishery managed in this way or is it a free-for-all because it is a provincial jurisdiction?

[Dave]

Should there even be any steelhead fishing with such miserable numbers?

Is this fishery managed in this way or is it a free-for-all because it is a provincial jurisdiction?

I know the numbers seem very poor but it is still relatively early.  I suggest the next 2-3 counts will shed more light on this issue, especially if more flow has been added to Centennial Channel, as we requested.

[Dave]

Buck and I made our third trip into the upper river this morning.  As usual the first stop was the outlet of Chilliwack Lake where today we 7 fish, all staging.  Water temperature was 8° C.  In 2013 on April 24 we saw 20.  Signs of angling were obvious and it became plain how vulnerable these fish could be to poachers when Buck threw two nickels in the river and both were chased by steelhead.
Next stop was Centennial Channel where the water flow had been increased.  Here we saw 1 steelhead and 1 trout of about 3 lbs, but not together.  No redds.  In past years on the approximate date we saw 15 (2011), 7 (2012), and 3 (2013).  Water here was 5° C.   No fish were seen in Angel Wing Channel, and 5 were observed holding under the Middle Creek Bridge.  Last year at this approximate date we saw 4.   Conditions for observations, at all sites, were excellent.  Of interest, the largest fish we saw today was of average size, while all the others were definitely smaller than in past years.

[Silex-user]

Thanks Dave and Buck for the reports. Its good know how the wild stocks are doing.



Silex-user

[Dave]

Buck, KP and I completed our 4th check of spawners this morning, and as we expected, numbers improved. At Chilliwack Lake we counted 14, most of which were on gravel and paired off.  Several trout were among them.  In 2012 on May 3 we saw 14; in 2013 on May 2 we saw 35.  Water temperature was 7° C; conditions for observations were not optimum but acceptable enough to make us believe we saw most of what was available.
Centennial channel had 13 fish, mostly singles with a few pairs.  No redds were observed making us suspect these fish had just entered the channel.
 Angel wing channel had 2 redds, while the holding pool below the Middle Creek bridge had 2 steelhead.  The water was high but clear but it’s likely we did not see all fish that were at this site.
We are still seeing abnormally small fish … looks strange to see a 5lb’er paired with a fish 3 times that size.

[Bavarian Raven]

Cool. I hope you are recording all of this in an excel sheet, etc, as scientifically as possible. Would be neat for some grad student to use your work and "go on with it" so to speak

[Dave]

We three are on that BR … a spreadsheet has been designed by my buddy Dan, aka Everyday, from this forum.  Rodney has agreed to provide a link to this when we decide how we want the data edited and presented.
Buck, KP, and I plan on continuing this as long as we are able, but there are several other sections of the upper river that should be checked to add to this file; some are hard to access (most likely why we still have wild steelhead in this system), but for sure it would be great if others could carry this on in future years.

[Dave]

Buck and I did our weekly steelhead count this morning, and it was dismal.

The outlet of Chilliwack Lake had 10 fish, 5 of which were spawning.  In 2012 at this approximate date we saw 30; in 2013 we saw 21, and, in 2006, 80 were observed ( B.Usher, personal communication) Conditions for observations were good; water temp was 10° C.  Several 2-3 lb trout and a few whitefish were seen as well.
We were expecting good things at Centennial channel this week but were disappointed – only 4 fish.  Water temperature was 9° C. Last week this site had 13 fish which had not started spawning so we were surprised to see very little gravel movement and only one or two redds.  It seems last week's fish either swam right on through the channel, or turned around and swam back out.  They most certainly did not spawn on this superb gravel.  Possibly related, we did see signs that anglers had been fishing in Centennial, and there is active logging in the area and the channel often times is very close to the road and it's loaded logging trucks.  We have commented in the past how wary and how easily spooked these fish are in this channel.  In all previous years we have seen many redds and gravel movement at this site.  For a numbers perspective, in 2011 we saw 32; in 2012 we saw 7, and in 2013 we saw 18. In 2006, 49 were observed (Usher).
We could not count fish from the Middle Creek Bridge due to a highway crew doing maintenance, and time did not permit the walking of Angel wing; that I will do tomorrow and report back.
As usual, most of the fish we did see were smaller than normal but all appeared in excellent condition.   

[chris gadsden]

Buck and I did our weekly steelhead count this morning, and it was dismal.

Hoping they have not contacted a communicable disease.