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Author Topic: 2016 upper Chilliwack River steelhead enumerations  (Read 12483 times)

Twitchy

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Re: 2016 upper Chilliwack River steelhead enumerations
« Reply #15 on: April 28, 2016, 06:27:48 AM »

I got more wild bucks in the latter part of the season, 90% does early in the season, all 4 of my hatch fish this year were female.
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Dave

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Re: 2016 upper Chilliwack River steelhead enumerations
« Reply #16 on: May 04, 2016, 12:33:53 PM »

Buck and I completed our 5th count this morning; Emma stayed home today.  We were excited as earlier in the week I received a report from a man who on Monday, May 2 saw app 30 fish, all on the gravel exactly where we have observed fish in the past. As you can imagine we were disappointed to find only 12 fish there today, but having said that, adds credence to our theory that these fish spawn and leave the system quickly, very quickly.  On previous approximate dates: 2012-14; 2013-35; 2014-14; 2015-16.  In 2006 another creditable observer saw 80.  Water temperature here was 10°C

Centennial Channel had 1 small, lonely fish. On previous approximate dates: 2011- 20; 2012- 9; 2013-9;2014-13;2015-4  Water temperature here was 8.0° C

The Middle creek bridge was also disappointing as it held just 1 fish.  A bonus to the day was seeing 6 deer.
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Dave

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Re: 2016 upper Chilliwack River steelhead enumerations
« Reply #17 on: May 11, 2016, 12:19:13 PM »

Buck, emmathedog and I completed our count this morning, with very disappointing results.  Chilliwack Lake had nothing; on similar dates: 2012 - 30, 2013 - 21,2014 - 10, 2015 - 15.  Water temperature was 11°C

Centennial Channel had one fish that was acting abnormally, perhaps a fish migrating out.  On similar dates: 2011-32, 2012 - 7, 2013 -18, 2014 - 4, 2015 - 2.   Water temperature was again 11° C.  No fish were seen at the Middle Creek bridge.

As stated, very disappointing.
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Dave

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Re: 2016 upper Chilliwack River steelhead enumerations
« Reply #18 on: May 11, 2016, 03:39:19 PM »

Everything seems to be getting earlier; the first ones we observed this season were the earliest since we started. I will have another look next week ...
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banx

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Re: 2016 upper Chilliwack River steelhead enumerations
« Reply #19 on: May 11, 2016, 03:52:52 PM »

if next year is in the cards, maybe start a few weeks earlier?

would be interesting if the salmon followed suit.
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Dave

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Re: 2016 upper Chilliwack River steelhead enumerations
« Reply #20 on: May 11, 2016, 04:00:06 PM »

if next year is in the cards, maybe start a few weeks earlier?
Already planning that banx ;)
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dnibbles

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Re: 2016 upper Chilliwack River steelhead enumerations
« Reply #21 on: May 13, 2016, 07:44:48 PM »

It's an early year, I don't think (hope) an early end is necessarily too alarming.

Nice work again this year Dave and Pete. Couldn't drag KP out with ya this year hey?
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Dave

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Re: 2016 upper Chilliwack River steelhead enumerations
« Reply #22 on: May 14, 2016, 09:45:48 AM »

KP has gone into hiding, lol!
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Dave

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Re: 2016 upper Chilliwack River steelhead enumerations
« Reply #23 on: May 17, 2016, 01:55:19 PM »

When it comes to things fishy, Buck is usually right :D  He told me last week it was over for upper river spawners but looking at past data I needed to have one last look.  Accompanying Emmathedog and I was our Supervisor, Arleen, my wife.  As our good friend KP says, zero is a number, and an important one at that.  And zero is what we saw at all 3 sites. On past app. dates at Chilliwack Lake: 2013 - 31, 2014-10, 2015 - 1
On past app dates at Centennial Channel: 2011 - 19, 2012 - 4, 2013 -18. There were no new gravel disturbances at Centennial, and recently dug redds are now covered over in periphyton.   A few positives from this year ... we did confirm our suspicions regarding how long fish take to spawn (a few days at most), we now pretty much know where new gravel should be placed, and, we believe the fish we see in the upper river are the earliest fish to enter the system, that is, those in November and perhaps into January.

Now an effort needs to be made to determine where the later run wild fish spawn ... perhaps some from this forum would be interested in starting a search next season ...
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TheLostSockeye

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Re: 2016 upper Chilliwack River steelhead enumerations
« Reply #24 on: May 17, 2016, 04:35:49 PM »

When it comes to things fishy, Buck is usually right :D  He told me last week it was over for upper river spawners but looking at past data I needed to have one last look.  Accompanying Emmathedog and I was our Supervisor, Arleen, my wife.  As our good friend KP says, zero is a number, and an important one at that.  And zero is what we saw at all 3 sites. On past app. dates at Chilliwack Lake: 2013 - 31, 2014-10, 2015 - 1
On past app dates at Centennial Channel: 2011 - 19, 2012 - 4, 2013 -18. There were no new gravel disturbances at Centennial, and recently dug redds are now covered over in periphyton.   A few positives from this year ... we did confirm our suspicions regarding how long fish take to spawn (a few days at most), we now pretty much know where new gravel should be placed, and, we believe the fish we see in the upper river are the earliest fish to enter the system, that is, those in November and perhaps into January.

Now an effort needs to be made to determine where the later run wild fish spawn ... perhaps some from this forum would be interested in starting a search next season ...

I saw around 15 steelhead spawning in a certain creek a few weeks ago on the Vedder. I'm not sure of the significance of this but I figured it couldn't hurt to say something.
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Dave

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Re: 2016 upper Chilliwack River steelhead enumerations
« Reply #25 on: May 18, 2016, 09:32:53 AM »

Which creek?
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TheLostSockeye

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Re: 2016 upper Chilliwack River steelhead enumerations
« Reply #26 on: May 19, 2016, 08:20:17 PM »

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