STEAMBOAT FISHWATCH 2018 UPDATE FOR SEPTEMBER 10.09.18
Edward Kikumoto
ANECDOTAL & HEARSAY RECOLLECTIONS
A CHANGE IN THE WEATHER AND THE IMMINENT END OF FIRE SEASON!
The last week of September brought a change in the weather, with overcast skies and occasional light showers, which brought at least some moisture to the very dry forest of the Umpqua National Forest. And late in the evening of September 29 it rained hard at the Big Bend Pool for 1-1/2 hours, and intermittently for the rest of the night. It was the first good soaking of the season, and if it continues to rain as forecast, signals the end of the fire season. The next morning Steamboat Creek was up 8 to 10 inches and was tea colored with visibility at 3 to 4 feet. Again, a minor difference but noteworthy as the first change to a very long dry spell.
Poaching and unlawful activity at the Big Bend Pool.
None in my presence or reported to me.
Fish counts.
The last official count was on August 29, when the ODFW diver counted 225 steelhead, with an additional 11 fish in pools below Reynold’s Creek. My estimate at the end of September is 250 fish. There are no chinook in the pool. There are two hatchery fish that I have observed and possibly a couple of more.
Stream flows.
Stream flow remains low – in the high 20s (cubic feet per second) and is 65% of normal for this time of year.
The gauge measuring the stream flow for Steamboat Creek is at the Canton Creek Campground, which is only 1-mile from Steamboat Creek’s confluence with the North Umpqua River. Canton Creek, a major tributary to Steamboat Creek, is above the gauge, which means it is measuring the combined flows from two canyons. The Big Bend Pool is 10-miles further up Steamboat Creek. Therefore, the stream flows will only give you a general sense of conditions in the Steamboat Creek watershed, and a comparison to historical averages, which may affect the steelhead in the Big Bend Pool.
Water temperatures.
In the last week of August the daytime temperatures stayed in the 80s and nighttime temperatures were in the 50s. The result was a drop in stream temperatures by 10- degrees, which dropped the water temperature in the pool into the mid 50s. September has been even cooler and the pool temperatures have dropped into the low 50s. The temperature of Big Bend Creek where it flows into Steamboat Creek, and is the reason the pool stays cold through the hot summer months, has been averaging 48oF.
On September 6 ODFW lifted the 2 PM fishing closure in the fly water of the North Umpqua River, in part because of the cooler weather and cooler long term forecast.
With the cooler water temperatures and less extreme temperature variations in the pool the fish are no longer bunching up at the top of the pool. Early in September they still tended to split into an upper and lower pod. As the month progressed the separation between the two pods became less obvious. By the end of the month the fish were stretched out almost seamlessly although separations would still occur. The fish were also holding much higher in the water column and any sudden movement by them would disturb the surface of the water. They are also much more still throughout the day with far less jumping and flashing. Movement to the surface is more of a swirl now than the more classic head and tail rise, and is done more slowly. No more big leaps or early evening tail slapping.
Visitors to the Pool.
My estimate for the number of visitors to the pool is 381 for the month. There were 101 visitors (43, 19, 39) over the 3-day Labor Day weekend. My weekday average was 8.25 visitors a day for the 19 weekdays in September.
Observations.
On September 3rd at 12:39 I observed the steelhead go into a bona fide daisy chain at the bottom far side of the pool. This is the first time I have seen the fish do this [this season]. All the steelhead in the pool were in the daisy chain, including the fish that were holding at the front of the outcropping. Even when the ODFW diver was in the pool the fish did not daisy chain but rather “huddled” in the lower far corner. The fish stayed in the daisy chain for approximately 30-minutes. There were no observable signs of a threat to the fish. One can only assume that they sensed something (olfactory) in the water from upstream.
A daisy chain is when the fish get into a tight circle that looks like a donut. The fish slowly circle counterclockwise. This may be considered a high stress reaction.
Osprey and bald eagle sightings are down. A blue heron is a frequent visitor. One beaver has been a resident this month and makes a regular trip up and down the pool every evening at dusk.
DOCUMENTATION
• Daisy chain video.
