STEAMBOAT FISHWATCH 2018 UPDATE FOR OCTOBER
11.03.18
Edward Kikumoto
ANECDOTAL & HEARSAY RECOLLECTIONS
October is general “gun” hunting season in these woods for deer and elk so most of the folks running around are hunters.
And the rain has finally arrived with as many rain days as sunny ones.
The number of visitors to the pool is going down as the “season” winds down.
Poaching and unlawful activity at the Big Bend Pool.
None in my presence or reported to me.
Fish counts.
With the rains, cooler temperatures, and an average rise in water level of a foot, the fish have slowly begun to move out of the pool. From a season high of 250 fish in September, by the end of the month there were approximately 100 to 125.
Stream flows.
Stream flows are rising with the rain. At the beginning of the month the Canton Creek gauge was showing 36.5 cfs (cubic feet per second), the historical median for that day being 45.0 cfs. At the end of the month it was at 119 cfs, with a historical median of 123 cfs. At its highest during the month Steamboat Creek was up about 1-1/2 feet and didn’t remain there very long after the rain stopped. There still hasn’t been enough rain to totally saturate the ground. Visibility through the water is between 2 to 4 feet.
Water temperatures.
Big Bend Creek is coming into Steamboat Creek at 47oF. With the cold water and a foot rise in water levels the remaining fish are holding at the bottom of the pool all the way back to the lower gravel bar. Daytime temperatures were in the low 80s and 70s and nighttime temperatures in the low 50s and high 40s, helping to keep the creek cold.
Visitors to the Pool.
My estimate for the number of visitors to the pool is 136 for the month. There were 67 visitors on the 4 weekends. My weekday average was 3 visitors a day for the 23 weekdays in September with many days that saw no one come to visit the pool.
Observations.
It looks like the beaver has left the pool. I didn’t see an osprey or bald eagle all month. A blue heron has been a loud and frequent visitor. One visitor asked if there was a dog barking nearby when the blue heron was disturbed downstream from us and was squawking. It shortly thereafter flew upstream over the pool. Still waiting on the Chanterelles to pop up…at least that’s what I’ve been hearing from folks.
