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ENLARGE
Denis Peirce
The Department of Water Resources (DWR) completed the annual coho (silver salmon) plant in Lake Oroville last week.
This year's plant totaled 256,542 silvers averaging 3.3 fish per pound. This translates into salmon 9 to 10 inches long. It required 45 truckloads to move the quarter million fish from the rearing facilities up to the various launch ramps at the lake.
I spoke yesterday with Eric See, a biologist with the DWR. He explained to me that this year the planting date was moved up into October from the normal November date. The fish plants are scheduled based on the lake surface temperatures dropping to 62 degrees. The rainstorm in early October dropped the water temperature a month ahead of schedule.
See said that he, “Wants the fish out of the hatchery as soon as practical to save on feed costs and because fish in confined spaces always run the risk of disease.”
Based on prior years' growth rates, See expects the fish to be 12 to 13 inches in January and 18 inches by June of 2010. There should be individuals reaching 5 pounds and 20-plus inches a year from now. The prolific pond smelt population in the lake is the food source that drives this rapid growth rate. Another factor is the coho's propensity to bite anything that moves and will fit in their mouths. These are very aggressive fish when it comes to feeding. Oroville bass anglers will be complaining that the small silvers are hard to get away from while targeting bass.
The cohos migrate quickly. Within 10 days from planting, the first of these fish have moved from either the dam launch ramp or the Bidwell ramp up into the Middle Fork Arm of the lake. The majority still are close to the ramps but it will not be long before they are throughout the lake. If you want to locate them in a month or so, concentrate on incoming creeks or rivers.
This year's plant of fish started out as eggs air freighted in from Washington State last January. They were raised in the Feather River Hatchery exclusively until June. In June, they are divided up between the Feather River Hatchery and a satellite rearing facility west of the Thermolito After Bay along side Highway 99.
The secondary fish rearing raceways at the “Thermolito Annex” were built in the 1980s. There was a problem of water leaking through the west dike of the After Bay. A pump station was built to prevent flooding along Hwy 99. The water was a consistent 60 to 62 degrees and a secondary fish raising unit was built in conjunction with the pumping facility. It was originally constructed with Chinook salmon in mind. The king salmon are sent to the salt in May so there is room to move in the silvers for rearing from June until the fall planting in the lake. The water temp at the Annex determines the planting temperature at the lake. The water temp at the main hatchery runs generally in the mid to high 50s.
The 2008 coho plant was a disappointment. The water supply to the hatchery developed a major problem requiring the facility be dried up for two months. The decision was made to plant the cohos in the spring when the temps were correct. This placed 4-inch cohos in with the voracious spotted bass. The spots are not confined to shore structure like largemouth bass. They are originally a river fish and will inhabit the open water of a lake if that is where the food is found. The lack of a good coho fishery in 2009 is blamed on the spotted bass.
There was another poor coho year in 2005. This was caused by the 2004 eggs not passing DF&G inspection for disease contamination. That year fish were trucked in from Washington State but in small numbers due to the cost involved.
When everything goes well, Lake Oroville produces a top quality coho salmon fishery. The peak fishing is during the summer and early fall when the fish are up to 18 inches. Put it on your to do list for 2010.
Current fishing reports
Bill McCrea fished the Trinity River for steelhead Friday and Saturday. He hooked four and landed two, fishing between Junction City and Del Loma. He took fish on Silver Hilton and Jumbo John flies. He reports very crowded conditions. There are a lot of anglers fishing the Trinity. There are fish in the system but the mouth of the Klamath has been closed a lot during the last month. I expect a big push of salmon and steelhead to come into the system with any storms in the near future.
Pyramid Lake, Nevada is fishing well for boat anglers. The fish tend to be out beyond the range of shorebased anglers. Crowley and Lower Twin Lake report good brown trout fishing in the Eastern Sierra. The boat launch ramp is currently being dredged at Spaulding on Eagle Lake. The fishing slowed a bit with the warm weather but this week looks to be much cooler.
Brett Brady (Bare Bones Guide Service) came in fifth place at the Shasta Lake Trout Derby in a field of 140. The trout were feeding on shad. He had good results on blue and chrome colored lures trolled close to shore. He described the same pattern as Ed Everhart saw while bass fishing Collins and Berryessa recently. Predator fish have the schools of baitfish trapped in coves. This seems to be a consistent pattern for foothill lakes in October.
Denis Peirce writes a weekly fishing column for The Union and is host of “The KNCO Fishing & Outdoor Report,” which airs 6-7 p.m. Fridays and 5-6 a.m. Saturdays on 830-AM radio. Contact him via e-mail at dpeirce@theunion.com.
This year's plant totaled 256,542 silvers averaging 3.3 fish per pound. This translates into salmon 9 to 10 inches long. It required 45 truckloads to move the quarter million fish from the rearing facilities up to the various launch ramps at the lake.
I spoke yesterday with Eric See, a biologist with the DWR. He explained to me that this year the planting date was moved up into October from the normal November date. The fish plants are scheduled based on the lake surface temperatures dropping to 62 degrees. The rainstorm in early October dropped the water temperature a month ahead of schedule.
See said that he, “Wants the fish out of the hatchery as soon as practical to save on feed costs and because fish in confined spaces always run the risk of disease.”
Based on prior years' growth rates, See expects the fish to be 12 to 13 inches in January and 18 inches by June of 2010. There should be individuals reaching 5 pounds and 20-plus inches a year from now. The prolific pond smelt population in the lake is the food source that drives this rapid growth rate. Another factor is the coho's propensity to bite anything that moves and will fit in their mouths. These are very aggressive fish when it comes to feeding. Oroville bass anglers will be complaining that the small silvers are hard to get away from while targeting bass.
The cohos migrate quickly. Within 10 days from planting, the first of these fish have moved from either the dam launch ramp or the Bidwell ramp up into the Middle Fork Arm of the lake. The majority still are close to the ramps but it will not be long before they are throughout the lake. If you want to locate them in a month or so, concentrate on incoming creeks or rivers.
This year's plant of fish started out as eggs air freighted in from Washington State last January. They were raised in the Feather River Hatchery exclusively until June. In June, they are divided up between the Feather River Hatchery and a satellite rearing facility west of the Thermolito After Bay along side Highway 99.
The secondary fish rearing raceways at the “Thermolito Annex” were built in the 1980s. There was a problem of water leaking through the west dike of the After Bay. A pump station was built to prevent flooding along Hwy 99. The water was a consistent 60 to 62 degrees and a secondary fish raising unit was built in conjunction with the pumping facility. It was originally constructed with Chinook salmon in mind. The king salmon are sent to the salt in May so there is room to move in the silvers for rearing from June until the fall planting in the lake. The water temp at the Annex determines the planting temperature at the lake. The water temp at the main hatchery runs generally in the mid to high 50s.
The 2008 coho plant was a disappointment. The water supply to the hatchery developed a major problem requiring the facility be dried up for two months. The decision was made to plant the cohos in the spring when the temps were correct. This placed 4-inch cohos in with the voracious spotted bass. The spots are not confined to shore structure like largemouth bass. They are originally a river fish and will inhabit the open water of a lake if that is where the food is found. The lack of a good coho fishery in 2009 is blamed on the spotted bass.
There was another poor coho year in 2005. This was caused by the 2004 eggs not passing DF&G inspection for disease contamination. That year fish were trucked in from Washington State but in small numbers due to the cost involved.
When everything goes well, Lake Oroville produces a top quality coho salmon fishery. The peak fishing is during the summer and early fall when the fish are up to 18 inches. Put it on your to do list for 2010.
Current fishing reports
Bill McCrea fished the Trinity River for steelhead Friday and Saturday. He hooked four and landed two, fishing between Junction City and Del Loma. He took fish on Silver Hilton and Jumbo John flies. He reports very crowded conditions. There are a lot of anglers fishing the Trinity. There are fish in the system but the mouth of the Klamath has been closed a lot during the last month. I expect a big push of salmon and steelhead to come into the system with any storms in the near future.
Pyramid Lake, Nevada is fishing well for boat anglers. The fish tend to be out beyond the range of shorebased anglers. Crowley and Lower Twin Lake report good brown trout fishing in the Eastern Sierra. The boat launch ramp is currently being dredged at Spaulding on Eagle Lake. The fishing slowed a bit with the warm weather but this week looks to be much cooler.
Brett Brady (Bare Bones Guide Service) came in fifth place at the Shasta Lake Trout Derby in a field of 140. The trout were feeding on shad. He had good results on blue and chrome colored lures trolled close to shore. He described the same pattern as Ed Everhart saw while bass fishing Collins and Berryessa recently. Predator fish have the schools of baitfish trapped in coves. This seems to be a consistent pattern for foothill lakes in October.
Denis Peirce writes a weekly fishing column for The Union and is host of “The KNCO Fishing & Outdoor Report,” which airs 6-7 p.m. Fridays and 5-6 a.m. Saturdays on 830-AM radio. Contact him via e-mail at dpeirce@theunion.com.
