MORE WATER STORAGE?
On February 10th Senator Feinstein introduced a water bill that would provide $1.3 billion for long term-water storage, desalinization and recycling. The bill would authorize $600 million for CALFED water storage projects. It would allow increase water storage in reservoirs such as Shasta, Temperance Flat, Los Vaqueros and others. This could be good for extra water storage for when there are other droughts but most of all it could possibly allow capture of rain runoff in southern California to help recharge underground aquifers’ there by allowing for extra pumping during years when the state is having dry water years. I still see a need to reevaluate the use of water in the state because most of the water use today was designed for when the state population was 16 million people whereas the population in the state is now 40 million. Fish need water as well as farmers need water to grow food.

Most of the rivers in the north were just coming into good fishable conditions when this last storm hit us and blew out most of the north coast fishing. The good thing is that some of the rivers are already coming back into fishable conditions and more fresh fish came in with the high waters. The Eel, Mad and the Trinity all received fresh winter run steelhead which will allow for some good fishing. This last week the rivers started clearing as the rains stopped. The Mad is still a little muddy as I suppose is the Eel. As for the Trinity the upper portions of the river are fishable and the lower sections are becoming fishable as I write this report.

Trinity River Hatchery: TRH counts for fall run Salmon: Chinook salmon total 5,342; Coho salmon total 3,024. The week of Feb.18, 2016; Steelhead this week, 79 for a season total of 3,262.

Fishing: The Lower Trinity from the South Fork down is bleeding slate green mud from the Coon Creek slide below Hyampom on the South Fork. Up river it is a nice steelhead green just a little high. Del Loma is fishable from the bank in fact a nice adult winter run Iron Head was caught & released behind the Del Loma RV & campground Saturday. I didn’t get the name of the angler but I understand he really had a fight on his hands. Further on up the river the fishing is starting to pick up in the Junction City / Pigeon Point area as more fresh steelies move up the river. The top end of the Trinity below Old Lewiston Bridge fishing has been somewhat slow but with fresh fish going up the river it should start to improve.

Mid Klamath: the Mid-Klamath from I-5 down the river flows are on the high side with Seiad Valley being over 5,000cfsgh and Orleans at 14.6Kcfs I don’t think the Mid-Klamath will be fishable for another couple of weeks. The Lower Klamath is out of the question for fishing at least for another week or more.

Reservoir Conditions: Whiskeytown is 86% of capacity, inflow is 509cfs, releases are 450cfs; Shasta is 58% of capacity (plus 5ft.), inflows re 12.6Kcfs, releases are 2,982cfs; Keswick is 90% of capacity and inflow is 3,400cfs and releasing 3,055cfs; Lake Orville is 65% of capacity (plus 2ft); inflow is 7,472cfs, and releases are 447cfs. Lake Folsom is 65% of capacity (plus 2ft.), inflow is 4,191cfs and releases are 3,310cfs.

Trinity Lake: The Lake is 47ft (an increase of 99ft.) below the overflow and 33% of capacity (2% increase) Inflow to Trinity Lake is 4,097cfs and the Trinity Dam is releasing 334cfs to Lewiston Lake with 188cfs going to Whiskeytown Lake and on to the Keswick Power Plant with 2,982cfs being released to the Sacramento River.

Trinity River Flows and Conditions:
Lewiston Dam releases are 321cfs, water temps are 451and air is N/A degrees at 11:00a.m. today. Limekiln Gulch is 4.9ft at 422cfs, water temps are 44 and air is 40; Douglas City is 6.5ft at 595cfs, water temps of 44.2 and air is 41. Junction City is 2.9ft at 798cfs. Helena is 10.3ft at 1,070cfs with water temps of 44.4. Cedar Flat is 6.2ft at 2,360cfs. Willow Creek is estimated at 4,35040s, air is 49, and water 44.6, Hoopa is 17.4ft at 7,750cfs, water temps of 49.5. Flows at the mouth of the Trinity at Klamath are estimated to be 19.7Kcfs. Klamath: Iron Gate Dam releases are 1,700cfs. Seiad Valley is 5.8ft at 5,080cfs. Happy Camp is estimated at 5,860cfs. Somes Bar is estimated at 11.1Kcfs. Orleans is 10ft. at 14.6Kcfs. Klamath at Terwer Creek is 10.1ft at 27.8Kcfs and water temperatures of 45.8 degrees. Flows at Smith River, Dr. Fine Bridge are 10.1ft at 6,130cfs. Temperatures in the Valley last week were 64/41 degrees with 2.9 inches of rain with a season total of 51.7in of rain and 1.35in. of snow. Temperatures in the valley next week are expected to be 70/40 degrees, with some rain Friday evening and showers Saturday morning. There is also a chance of shows Monday after the weekend. These storms are predicted to be light with not a lot of rain and could possibly bring in some more fresh winter steelhead. That could equate to some “GOOD FISH’EN”!

Good Fish’en and Good Luck but remember; “Keep your tip up with a tight line lands fish.”

Websites: www.MyOutdoorBuddy.com,
www.Willowcreekchamber.com,
from Willow Creek, CA Phone 530-629-3554,
E-mail yen2fish@yahoo.com