February was one of the driest months on record for Oregon and the effects can really be seen in our rivers. Here is a graph from the USGS site showing current levels. I have regularly looked at this site for many years and never seen so much red. Even the Deschutes is below the 10th percentile of normal flows! Our local snowpack is now 82% of normal and Central Oregon is currently classified as being in a moderate drought. None of this is good news for fish.

Today I returned from a fishing trip to Cuba put together by Flywater Travel.  This trip did not live up to my hopes but the Zapata peninsula certainly has the potential to be a premier fly fishing destination.  It is a huge area of flats, channels, mangrove forests, and small islands.  There are abundant bonefish, baby tarpon, some permit, and many other species including barracuda, jacks, snapper, snook, etc.  In the right conditions, at the right time of year, I am certain the fishing could be excellent.  The accommodations, food, and staff were pleasant and professional.
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I am a member of the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife’s Restoration & Enhancement Board.  A small portion of every commercial and recreational fishing license is set aside to spend on projects approved by the R&E board.  This volunteer position has been a wonderful experience and a great way to help direct projects in ways I believe will benefit anglers all over the state.  Our meeting last week was in Salem where we had the opportunity to speak with top leadership and get an overview of ODFW’s strategic plan.  I know that ODFW has a mixed reputation but I believe they are doing a good job given available resources, their broad mandate, and mixed constituencies.  I was also encouraged by the vision they laid out for the future.Read More »

…from Los Barriles, Baja California Sur, Mexico. My first fish of the new decade. The dorado is tonight’s dinner, the skipjack was released to live another day. I’d rather be steelhead fishing but this is not a bad replacement. Pretty fun on a 10wt rod.

The Association of NW Steelheaders has an article in their December newsletter stating that Willamette River steelhead have significantly increased in numbers since ODFW “removed” (killed) 33 California sea lions that were living in and near the Willamette Falls fish ladder.  The sea lions were eating about 25% of the total adult steelhead run, now down to an estimated 9%.  While steelhead populations continue to be under serious pressure, California sea lion populations are robust, perhaps at all time highs.

I am a member of the ODFW Restoration & Enhancement Board.  Most anglers don’t know this, but a small portion of every license is set aside to be spent by the R&E board on projects that benefit anglers.  We help fund docks, ramps, habitat restoration projects, dam removal, invasive species control, etc.  This short video from Central Oregon Daily features yours truly.

The September issue of The Osprey is out.  I’ve written about this publication in the past.  It is an excellent, if technical, source of articles on the status of steelhead and salmon in the Pacific NW.  This issue is the usual mix of mostly bad but some good news, including the dramatic improvements in the Rogue River after removal of a number of dams (thank you WaterWatch).  I encourage you to take a look and donate to this cash-strapped publication.

I have been a frequent critic of the US Fish & Wildlife Service over the past few years, and will continue to be if the HCP is not improved, but they did something good this past week.  As I posted here, the Bureau of Reclamation had planned to stop all flows out of  Crane Prairie Reservoir in the upper Deschutes on October 30, draining it dry down to  Wickiup Reservoir.  USFWS got them to keep a flow of 20 cfs to provide some minimal protection for endangered species.  This will also protect fish like the one in the photo above that was caught in that reach.  Of course, this begs the question, why did the BoR plan to drain it dry in the first place?

 

The Bureau of Reclamation plans to stop all water flowing out of Crane Prairie Reservoir for up to 8 hours later this month, tentatively on October 30th, de-watering the Deschutes River for about 1.5 miles down to Wickiup Reservoir.  This is to perform an inspection of the dam.  It  will also kill a section of the river that is important for spawning and holds some nice fish.  See the photo above of my friend Jake with a nice brown trout from this stretch.Read More »

George Wuerthner is one of the most interesting ecologists and activists I have met, and certainly the most prolific writer.  He has written dozens of books and many more articles on wildfire, predators, and the environmental impact of ranching, along with water and fishery issues.  His views are often controversial, especially regarding fire, but compelling when carefully considered.  In short, George believes that forest thinning does not help catastrophic wildfire control.  He argues we should focus on creating fire resistant buildings, establishing defensible borders, and leaving forests alone.  The explanation for this is beyond the scope of this post, but here’s a video he sent me on the beneficial nature of fire in stream and river systems.  It’s worth a quick view.

Oregon Public Broadcasting reported yesterday that another warm water “blob” is forming off the Pacific Coast.  This blob is likely to be as large as the last one which collapsed much of the food web that many cold water marine species rely on.  “Scientists expect the heat wave to hurt salmon populations and the fisheries that depend on them.”  Of course, chinook salmon and steelhead have not recovered from the last blob and returns this year in the Columbia basin (including the Deschutes) are at perilously low levels.

While the operation of the hydro power dams on the Columbia and Snake Rivers is not directly a Central Oregon issue, it certainly impacts us as anglers.  Below is a good overview of something I’m sure you have heard about before, upper Columbia basin salmon (and steelhead) are on the path to extinction.  Lesser known is that the Bonneville Power Administration is going broke.Read More »

I am a member of the ODFW Restoration & Enhancement Board.  You may not be aware of this, but a portion of every fishing license is directed to the R&E board where we decide how to spend it.  About half the funds are earmarked for the repair of ODFW fish hatcheries and the rest toward improving fishing opportunities.  This could be anything from boat ramps and docks, to dam removal, to habitat projects, to invasive species removal, some basic science, etc.  It’s a very interesting board to sit on with some great tours of projects all over the state.  Our next meeting is in Bend on September 6th with a tour on September 5th.  Both are open to the public.

The ODFW Commission oversees the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife and sets policies and regulations.  A majority of the Commission is new this year and for the first time in decades a Central Oregon resident is a member.  I had the pleasure to spend an hour with Mark Labhart yesterday and found him to be quite informed about statewide fishing.  Mark has an impressive background in public service, recently relocated from Tillamook to Sisters, and is eager to dive in to learn local issues.  I’m looking forward to working with and learning from him.

 

David Moskowitz of The Conservation Angler sent me this report on current run counts.  It’s only two pages and worth reading.  As of August 15, the numbers are even worse than the very low pre-season forecast.  Only 40,080 total steelhead (wild and hatchery) passed through Bonneville Dam from July 1 through August 15.  That’s 27.1% of the past 10 year average.  It’s important to note that the 10 year average is low to begin with as the past 10 years have seen declining runs.  It’s only 19.4% of the best ten year average since counts started.  As I wrote here, we anglers have to question targeting these fish at all given the path to extinction they could be on.

David Moskowitz, the Executive Director of The Conservation Angler, is a frequent but welcome critic of my work.  Today we spoke about my post yesterday stating that fishing for steelhead is now a moral issue.  He was largely in agreement and wanted me to be aware that the closure was in response to public testimony he made at the August 2nd ODFW Commission meeting.  You can see his testimony here (go to 1:40 in the video).  It does seem that this was not an issue being considered prior to Dave’s testimony.  It’s an interesting interaction and I am happy to give credit where it is due.  Dave agreed that summer steelhead on the Rogue seem to be doing fine but wanted to point out that summer steelhead on the Umpqua are not.  He is absolutely correct on that point.  I only fish the winter run which is doing fine but was not clear about that in my prior post.

ODFW has closed the bottom 3/4 mile of the Deschutes River to all fishing starting today through September 15.  “The closure is to protect wild summer steelhead and follows several other regulatory steps ODFW and WDFW have taken to protect wild steelhead this year. Returns of ESA-listed wild Snake River steelhead this year are forecasted to be similar to the extremely poor return of 2017, and there are ongoing concerns about the potential effects of angling on wild steelhead that may gather in cooler water near tributary mouths like the Deschutes.”Read More »

That’s the title of a short article in The Atlantic magazine.  It’s a short read.  Among other things, chemicals are disrupting salmon migrations.  Of course, this impacts humans as well.  Here’s an excerpt:

Waterways can contain traces of many drugs—among them antifungals, antimicrobials, and antibacterials, as well as ones for pain, fertility, mood, sleeplessness, and neurodegenerative diseases. If current trends persist, scientists estimate, the volume of pharmaceuticals diffusing into fresh water could increase by two-thirds by 2050.

I just heard from Brett Hodgson, ODFW district fish biologist, that they were able to capture about 600 bass in Davis Lake this week. Bass are invasive at Davis so an attempt is made annually to capture and move them to other locations. This year’s bass were mostly moved to Prineville Reservoir but also to Bend’s Pine Nursery, Prineville’s Youth Pond, and Redmond’s Fireman’s Pond.

Last month a team of scientists from the US Fish & Wildlife Service and the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife released a report on redband trout genetics in the Deschutes River below Wickiup Reservoir down to Steelhead Falls.  As you would expect, they found pockets of fairly distinct genetics in various reaches bordered by falls and dams, near the few still viable spawning beds, and in tributaries like the Little Deschutes. They also found evidence of breeding between wild populations and hatchery fish.  I called Erik Moberly, Assistant Deschutes District Fish Biologist, for some more background information and had an interesting conversation.Read More »

Before the local trout fishing season gets into full swing I headed out for a little saltwater fly fishing.  After catching a bunch of bone fish like this…

…I switched over to blue fin trevally for a little more excitement.

This was not the biggest, but I could get my camera out of my pack for a photo.  (It swam away just fine.)  The big trigger fish and giant trevally’s were even more fun, but the most impressive was this 5′ barracuda.

Talk about teeth!  Wow.  A fun diversion before salmon fly season gets going.  The sad part was seeing all the coral reefs that had recently died from bleaching.

The Oregonian is running a multipart series called Polluted by Money which examines the incredibly corrosive effect money has on Oregon.  We all know this, but this series is simply jaw dropping in its examination of how bad the problem is, especially when it comes to the environment.  Far from being green, we are now one of the least environmentally progressive states in the county, “a laughingstock” with “no enforcement”.  The series simply has to be read by anyone who is concerned about water quality, quantity, fishing, or the future of our state.Read More »

The Oregon legislature is working on its next budget and a set of “policy options packages” is being debated that are important for healthy rivers & wildlife.  They need your help to be adopted.

ODFW’s (Fish & Wildlife) POP 123 would fund forecasts for river flow needs.  OWRD’s (Water Resources) POP 102 would fund studies of existing ground water.  OWRD’s POP 108 would fund measurement of groundwater use.  Yes, this implies that the state does not currently know how much water we need in most rivers for healthy ecosystems, how much water is currently in aquifers that feed those rivers, or how much is being taken out by groundwater pumping.  Absurd, isn’t it?Read More »

I recently finished reading “The Compleat Angler” by Izaak Walton, who has  been called the Father of Fly Fishing.  First published in England in 1653, with revised editions until 1676, reading The Compleat Angler was a slog at best.  Written near the time of Shakespeare, but without the Bard’s skill, it deserves its modern reputation as tedious.  That being said, it was absolutely fascinating to read how much was known about angling 366 years ago.Read More »

This is not a fishing blog, but every now and then I will post something along those lines.  For a few years now I have been chasing bull trout on Lake Billy Chinook using fly gear.  It’s challenging but can be rewarding.  Above is a photo of one of my sons with a nice bull trout.  There are a lot of variables at play, but it looks like we could have a good and early season.  Here’s what I have been looking at. Read More »