NORCAL FRESH REPORTS

TRINITY RIVER salmon still trickling in, fishing effort switching to steelhead BY JIM JONES/WON Staff WriterPublished: Nov 02, 2009

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JUNCTION CITY—Nights are  getting cooler along the Trinity River, and, while salmon continued to trickle upstream, fishing for them continued to be tough, and more and more anglers have been switching their efforts and tackle to steelhead.   Steve Huber of Steve Huber’s Guide Service said his clients were hooking four to seven fish per trip.  Steve Mackey of Merced was the “hot stick” for Huber last week, catching  two nice adult salmon and a 9-pound  steelhead.   He’s been hooking salmon on a sardine-wrapped K-15 Kwikfish in the early a.m., then switching to roe and small plugs for the steelhead.  He said there are quite a few salmon on their beds, and cautioned anglers to leave them to spawn in peace.   He also said that he’s been seeing quite a few silver salmon in the Trinity. Dave Jacobs of Professional Guide Service said his fishing success last week ranged from a low of one steelhead and one salmon to better days when the take was three or four salmon. Sal Man continued to catch a few salmon on roe and a Quickey, but he, too, has been catching more and more steelhead, both on roe as well as on small plugs like Brad’s Wigglers and Hot Shots.  Two of the more productive spots were Cable Rock and Pigeon Point.   Over on the Klamath River, Phil Desautels of Smiling Salmon Guide Service said that salmon fishing on the upper Klamath is about finished, but going out with a bang.   “I fished Tommy Paschal and John Uresh from Guerneville, and in three days of fishing they hooked 64 and landed 51,” Desautels said.   “The fishing on the first day was the best, and the numbers dropped every day. We saw more and more fish every day staging below Iron Gate Hatchery."  He said more and more steelhead are showing up by the day at the upper end of the Klamath. According to Ed Duggan of “D” Guide Service, Iron Gate Hatchery has met it’s egg quota so it is now culling eggs to insure broad distribution between early and late fish.   TRINITY RIVER Indian netting—a threat to salmon survival? BY JIM JONES/WON Staff Writer HOOPA—In depth research and interviews by this reporter now show that yes, indeed, Indian netting between the Yurok and Hoopa tribes are having a huge impact on salmon runs in the Trinity and Klamath rivers…and not much can be done about it without cooperation between—and within—the tribes. Recreational anglers on the Trinity River have been experiencing a poor season of fall Chinook salmon fishing on the Trinity River again this year, some saying it’s even worse than last year, which was a real downer.   What makes the poor fishing so disappointing is the wide disparity between the numbers predicted by fisheries’ experts before the fall run got underway, resulting in generous take limit regulations.  While a few fingers are being pointed at fisheries’ biologists responsible for making the estimates and setting in-river take regulations, most recreational anglers are laying the blame on heavy Indian netting.   Robert F. Jones wrote the following over 30 years ago in an article which appeared on June 4, 1979 in Sports Illustrated: “The issues involved in the conflict are so deep-rooted and complex as to require a latter-day Solomon to resolve them.”   Indeed.   The Trinity and Klamath rivers’ salmon and steelhead have undergone multiple assaults over the years, and somehow have hung on. There even have been some glimmers of hope for recovery with the successful campaign—led by the Yurok and Hoopa tribe--to allow more water to remain in the Trinity River rather than being pumped over Buckhorn Summit and dumped into the Sacramento River to grow cotton and alfalfa in the San Joaquin Valley, as had been done for the nearly four decades since Trinity and Lewiston dams have been completed.   However, the millions of taxpayer dollars paid annually for restoration efforts and hatchery production are in danger of being all for naught given the intense Indian fishing  pressure.   As Jones stated, it’s a complex and deep-rooted problem, but it’s far worse than what was written over 30 years ago, and potentially intractable. There is much more to be uncovered to the story, additional parties to talk to, but it’s clear that the Trinity River salmon run is at risk, perhaps the Klamath run as well.  And, even if they do survive, it’s becoming clear  that the intent to share the take equally between Native Americans and recreational anglers, granted by Federal fishery managers, has not been occurring.  And is not going to happen in the future unless there are changes in salmon resource management, and a willingness by the tribes to take on the challenge of self-regulation. There’s the rub.  It’s clear in talking with the Indian representatives, that they are genuinely serious about maintaining the salmon runs. But… 1. The Indian tribes of the Klamath and Trinity rivers are sovereign nations, and multiple court decisions have affirmed that Indians can catch salmon in any fashion they deem suitable.  Get used to it. 2. The number of Indian nets and fishing pressure increased dramatically this year.  Many of the nets put into use this year were purchased under the Federal Stimulus funds—tax dollars. 3. The Indian allocation—this year 32,000 fall salmon (the other 32,000 was allocated to the recreational fishery) is divided 80:20 between the Yurok and Hoopa tribes. But, according to Mike Orcutt who is in charge of fisheries for the Hoopa tribe, while it is allocated 20 percent of the Indian allotment, the actual split in the past has been closer to 90:10, Yurok:Hoopa, and there is now concerted effort on the part of the Hoopa to “catch their fair share.” Orcutt acknowledged the long-standing and continuing difficulty of the Yurok and Hoopa tribes to work collaboratively to the benefit of the fishery.  4. The Indians have been given the right of self-enforcement of laws.  Within the Hoopa tribe, the agency responsible for enforcing fishing rules within the tribe is separate from the fisheries agency.  Tribal families have rights to fish in specific sections of the river within the reservation.  Orcutt acknowledged that he has to deal with accusations by families that other families are, for example, “blocking the river” with their nets, thereby preventing the upstream families from getting their “fair” share.  Clearly, given the poor economic conditions under which many of the residents live, it is understandable that coming down hard on poaching might meet with pushback by both residents and tribal hierarchy.    Orcutt said that the tribe had not yet reached its allocation of salmon as of last Thursday. Anecdotal observations by Trinity River guides regarding poor fishing success and  large numbers of nets either drying or being fished correlate with the above.     None of the above is particularly encouraging, and a solution which will benefit both salmon and recreational anglers  is not obvious. Theoretically, the folks footing the bill should have some leverage.  So, should NOAA and the PFMC.  This writer was unable to talk with the  agencies last week, nor the Congressmen representing the districts in which the tribes reside.  Even though the tribes are sovereign nations, the programs and hatcheries supporting the salmon fishery are supported by tax dollars. More to come.   Meanwhile, there are some salmon getting upstream, although not many are being caught.   DFG, which runs the Trinity River Hatchery for the US Bureau of Reclamation, spawned its first batch of fall run Chinook last week, a little over 300 fish, an “average” number.    And, guides such as Steve Huber and Dave Jacobs were catching a few salmon and a few more steelhead around Junction City.  With the fall run subsiding soon, increasing attention is being given to steelhead by anglers.   And, most nets should be coming out of the water.  Stay tuned…