I read in the Tri-Citys Hearld that there may be a Springer opening on the Snake, the article said possibly around lewiston. Has anyone heard anything to that effect? I checked the WDFW's website but saw nothing.

The Clearwater opened up today. Had a guy come in and load up on Kwikies for over there.

Called WDFG today, and after 4 transfers I got an actual answer about a Chinook season on the Snake. I was told a season had been proposed from somewhere around Little Goose to Clarkston with a May first opener. The decision was to be made sometime this week. Got my fingers crossed!

Saw an article about Idaho having a season on the clearwater for springs. Projecting about 50k fish for there. Didn't catch when but was on the idaho fish and game website I think but might have been in the Statesman.

B.A., it says you live in a Ford? (Homeport in profile). That leads to the question of how you pronounce your moniker. Ah, is it Bellingha mangler or Bellingham angler? OK, that was lame, sorry. ... The Clearwater R. is gorgeous and undoubtedly will be great to fish for spring kings, as it is for the big Dworshak strain steelhead. What I know would be awesome is opening the mainstem Salmon R. for springers! I figure they will have a season on the Little Salmon R. up near Riggins again, but unlike those other two the lower to mid sections of the Salmon are in an awesome scenic roadless area. Jetsled up or float down into "paradise"! And there should be a lot of hatchery springers going to the upper river to the Stanley basin hatchery near the foothills of the Sawtooth mountains. I've seen them up there in the ponds after swimming over 900 miles, and still in fairly good condition. Let us know if they have a finclip season there too. And would it be a June peak for that fishing, or do they scoot up there fast enough for a May peak? Lots of big trout and sturgeon up in there too. That would be as special of a wilderness fishing trip as going most anywhere you could in AK or BC! Someone 'sign me up' for that.

RT

The main salmon is open from Riggens to hammer creek for springs. The upper and lower sections are not going to open. This is the first year that the main salmon has been open in I can't remember how many years. The little salmon has had short seasons the last few years. Total combat fishing as its pretty much just a creek with a hatchery on it. The clearwater is also open. The main snake will not open ( at least thats what I have heard) Don't be bummed about that however because you get to pound on them all the way up the columbia...Having fished in Idaho my whole life, this will be the first year that we load up the boats and actually go salmon fishing. A couple of questions that I would like to ask you washington/ oregon guys-

1> Do salmon use the same travel lanes and holding areas as steelhead in the same river.

2> Can the same methods be used to catch them

On another note thats not good... The jet boat races were held in Riggins this weekend. A driver from Salem oregon was killed. Very sad deal. This is a very small tight group of guys who do this very dangerous sport. We would like to express our simpathy to all the family and freinds.

I was over in Lewiston this weekend and counted about 100 boats for the Salmon opener on the Clearwater this last Saturday. I didn't bring my boat so I didn't fish but heard some good reports. Plenty of room for all. Didn't look very crowded out their. I stopped in at Blacksheep sporting goods to pick up some sturgeon gear and some other goodies that I have never seen over here and the place was packed. you could tell most people over their don't have any idea how to catch these guys judging by the gear everyone was buying. They did have k-13s though in Orange and chartreuse herringbone with a yellow tail. Most people were passing on the K-13's for deep diving hotlips plugs and wiggle warts in every color of the rainbow. Saw lots of others buying jigs and small corkies also. Looked like most were fishing for them like they do steelhead. I wonder how dark these fish are after they have traveled 600 miles of river.

hey rt, do you fish up in idaho much? i lived in orofino for 9 years and got to do alot of fishing up in that area and i agree with ya that it is a awesome area, but anyways to answer quickfish's answer ie: do the fish still look good when they get that far up river, well i caught a steelie one time that had the sea lice still on it and it was still perty bright..i havent seen that to be the norm tho, here in a few weeks im gonna head over to orofino and fish some of the springers, i will have a pontoon then and i plan to drop anchor and "pull plugs" so to speak, throw out a mg wart and let it do its work, anyone dont this with a pontoon and had results? speaking of anchors, rt, what would be the ideal anchor weight etc.. thanks for any info...**berkley boy**

It's amazing how perspectives differ from here and rivers near the more populated areas. The locals are really grumbling about how crowded the Clearwater is, but it's nothing compared to what you'd see on the Wind, below Bonneville or some weekends on the Hoh.

QwikSticks, give yourself a star for being observant: most people around here fish for chinook EXACTLY like they do steelhead. Same water, same gear. That's probably why Idaho Fish and Game's creel survey showed the weekend average at 25 hours per fish.

So far as the shape of the fish, there is no such thing as a chromer around here. While female steelhead generally don't get too colored, the males are quite red from December on. From what I hear the chinook are in fine shape -- not dime bright like you see on the lower Columbia, but not black as a tire either.

My information is second hand, though. Haven't been out yet -- waiting for the crowds to subside.

bb, I have only fished a few times in Idaho - more in Montana where my roots are (well they have been replanted and stuck pretty firm in the NW; but I love Montana and Idaho's beauty and fish!). As for anchoring a cataraft on a big river like the Clearwater I would think a 20 lb. pyramid to be best - I use a 15 lb. on smaller Oregon coastal rivers. However, you are at risk of getting that 20 lb. anchor stuck in some big rocks and possbly pulling your cat right under the surface, where you have to scramble to cut your rope (have a leather sheathed knife covered on your belt). If you anchor in less fast and less boulder strewn sections you should be alright. As for jetsleding the main Salmon you had better know it well and you a large 22' or 24' inboard high sided V-sled. There is some big challenging water on those stretches of river there! ... For fishing springers up there I suggest you guys using steelhead techs to start fishing larger egg clusters thru the big deep holes. And anchor or backtroll Mag Warts and backbouncing or Jet Planer diving scented or baitfish filet wrapped K-14 or 15 silver with charturse nose or tail Kwikfish in the deeper slots and pools. Also try floatfishing the large egg clusters right near bottom in the snaggy slower pools instead of backbouncing or driftfishing them. Good luck out there guys. And I actually hope us Oregon and Washington guys stay away and let you guys have at it - we have plenty of opps closer to home for springers. We can come up and sightsee and trout fish those awesome scnenic areas during the summer tourist season. Take care. - RT

[ 04-24-2001: Message edited by: RT ]

I have floated the clearwater a few times for steelhead, and its an easy row from Orofino down, Ancoring isn't to bad but their are a few places that are nice plug slots for rowing, but it is just to fast for even my 20 pound anchor to hold for very long without the boat deciding it wants to start whipping around. I don't classify the clearwater as a beutifull river from Orofino down because the busy Highway right along the edge of the river, really kinda ruins it for me. Above orofino the road is not as busy but the water gets a lot more technical and scenic. If it were me I would use the Cat to move from spot to spot and throw eggs or shrimp with big Spin Glos. If you don't have a boat, the Clearwater has bank access all up and down it.

RT & Qwik: Thanks for the consideration, but like us coming over to O & W, you are all welcome, just like we want to be when we visit your fishin holes. If we can help you with river info or fishing info, etc,..just e-mail or post. Be careful of the water levels as they are quite different (although not so much this extremely low water year) from fall flows. The stretch below Orofino can be very fast and thus dangereous in late spring....likewise the Salmon River Between Riggins and Hammer Creek (the open area..& they are beginning to catch a handful there)has a handful of ramps that allow you to access stretches between big white water. Be careful anchoring in fast water...they do it on the Clearwater, but not much on the Salmon River as there is not much room for baot traffic, if you do such. Ple'ase remember that, as noted, we don't have the crowds you have, so please don't fish as close without asking the team next to you and understand that this is a difference to be enjoyed and respected.
Also, our condolansces to the Oregon family who lost their Jet Boat Racer on the Salmon last weekend. It is a dangerous endeavor, and will always have some personal tragedy attached to it at times. The Canadians also left sunk one the day before the accident.
I don't know for certain, but have heard that there is an open fishery on the Snake above the Imnaha River beginning at Dug Bar for chinook, also. Good luck and thanks for all the info.

hi qwiksticks, how often do you fish over near orofino..? im not gonna be fishing the main river, but from dworshak dam down to like the poleyard hole, and im hoping to stop by near the hatchery side and load up on lost plugs that the bridge fisherman have lost, that is if the flows arent to fast. does anyone know if the kalama is putting out any fish? rt, where is the best place to get a pyramid anchor for a nice price thanks.. **BERKLEY BOY**

Berkley I use to fish it a lot when I lived over in Lewiston and Pullman. Now I only get to fish it in December for about a week when I go see my Parents, In the summer I only fish sturgeon on the Snake when I am over visiting and sometimes drag my boat over to do that. Snake is a little scary in a driftboat just because of the sheer power of the water when it gets moving fast, Almost had to change my shorts after I caught the edge of an Eddy last year coming out of a rapid. The water flows pretty good under that bridge when they are running the turbines. Not sure their is any water behind the damn this year though so maybe its just a creek right now.

Check out http://www.wa.gov/wdfw/do/newreal/apr2601a.htm

The Snake is open May 1st through May 31st, 2 fish limit (hatchery only). The open area is from Texas Rapids (above the mouth of the Tucannon) to Red Wolf Bridge in Clarkston.

Happy Springer fishing!
-Mark.

Good to see you posting over here 212. We can sure use someone with your knowledge of big jetboats - just no 500+ post threads I hope . And thanks for the info guys. I don't know who has the best prices on the prymid anchors bb, so I suggest just calling around to compare. Good luck.

RT

'Doomsday Clock' Speeds Up For Snake River Chinook


April 25, 2001

By KOMO Staff & News Services

GRANTS PASS, ORE. - A closer look at the Doomsday Clock for wild chinook salmon in the Snake River offers even less time to reverse the trend toward extinction, according to a study done for a national conservation group.

Unless dramatic steps are taken to reverse the trend, wild spring/summer chinook in the Snake will effectively be extinct by the year 2016, a year earlier than predicted two years ago, the study for Trout Unlimited said.

Titled "The Doomsday Clock 2001: an update on the status and projected time to extinction for Snake River wild spring/summer chinook stocks," the study was being released Wednesday in Portland.

'Really In Trouble'

"The message is these fish are really in trouble," said Jeff Curtis, Western conservation director for Trout Unlimited. "We've got to make the hard decisions now. We can't come up with a plan that says we play around the edges for the next eight or 10 years and see where we are."

Curtis was referring to the National Marine Fisheries Service plan for restoring Columbia Basin salmon, which stops short of calling for breaching four dams on the lower Snake in Eastern Washington, while relying heavily on improving survival of young fish before they migrate to the ocean.

The Fisheries Service plans to reassess the question of dam breaching again in five years. A study by Fisheries scientists published in the journal Science suggested that improved survival of young salmon would do more to restore populations than dam breaching.

The Energy Crunch

Meanwhile, a federal mandate to spill extra water over Columbia Basin hydroelectric dams to help young salmon migrate to the ocean has been suspended so that more water can be devoted to producing electricity to meet the demands of an energy crunch in drought conditions.

The risk of extinction could be lessened if the same ocean conditions that have produced strong returns of hatchery chinook to the Columbia River continue, and the drought gripping the region this year is reversed, the study said.

"The burden or risk continues to be on the species, and the burden of risk is an issue to be addressed not by models but by decision makers," the study said.

40 Years Of Salmon Counts

The study was done by Gretchen R. Oosterhout of Decision Matrix, Inc., a specialist in risk assessment.

Based on more than 40 years of salmon counts, the study predicts the weakest runs, located in Marsh Creek and the Imnaha River, will be functionally extinct by the year 2007, while the strongest, in Poverty Flat, can hold out until 2033.

The mean year for extinction for all runs is calculated to be 2016. The overall probability of functional extinction within 24 years was calculated at 66.8 percent.