Clearwater steelhead return off to surprising start
Aug. 18—Something unusual appears to be happening with Idaho-bound steelhead and, if it holds, it's a good thing.
In their preseason forecast, fisheries managers expected the Snake River summer run would be dismal. The earlier returning A-run would be poor, according to the prediction, but the B-run would approach the worst ever recorded and could prompt fishing restrictions.
Those forecasts are compiled over the winter, long before the fish enter the mouth of the Columbia River and start pushing inland. In July, when A-run fish started arriving at Bonneville Dam on the Columbia, they showed some life and continue to do so. Granted, the numbers are low, well below goals and far short of more robust returns a decade ago. But they are better than some of the poor returns posted between 2017 and 2021.
Now the B-run fish are showing up. Those bound for the Clearwater River also are defying poor expectations — by a lot.
"We are not certain at this point if the run is just really early or the run is going to be pretty good," said Joe DuPont, regional fisheries manager for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game at Lewiston. "As far as PIT-tagged fish over Bonneville (Dam), we are seeing as many as we ever have since PIT tags have been in place."
The Passive Integrated Transponder tags are implanted in a percentage of hatchery fish as juveniles and allow fisheries managers to track them on their journeys to and from the ocean. DuPont said his preseason forecast called for a return of 8,000 to 9,000 steelhead bound for hatcheries on the Clearwater River this year. Through Tuesday, PIT tags would indicate 2,500 Clearwater River-bound steelhead have passed the dam. Based on historic run timing, only about 3% of the Clearwater run should have made it to Bonneville as of Tuesday.
"It's got our attention. We were expecting doom and gloom," DuPont said. "We are not ready to claim victory because it is so unexpected."
It is very early in the run and DuPont said a few more weeks of data should paint a more detailed picture. But he said it appears their worst fears may be unwarranted.
"Unless something bizarre happens, we are going to have enough fish for a fishery and no restrictions," he said.
Fall chinook on the menu
The harvest season for fall chinook opens in Washington and Idaho today. The daily bag limit will be the same as it has been in the recent past — three adult fish per day, no limit on jacks and anglers can keep chinook with or without intact adipose fins.
Becky Johnson, production director of the Nez Perce Tribe's Department of Fisheries Resources Management, said the forecast calls for a return of about 30,000 fall chinook to the Snake River. That includes an estimate of 6,150 fish that were hatched in the wild.
"It's similar to what we have seen the last five years," she said.
DuPont said there are not a lot of fall chinook above Bonneville Dam quite yet but that doesn't mean fishing won't be good. He noted the earliest returning chinook tend to be larger than those that follow.
"Typically what we see is a day or two of pretty good fishing and then it drops off before larger numbers start moving (upriver)."
Barker may be contacted at ebarker@lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2273. Follow him on Twitter @ezebarker.
