2020 brings in a new year, a new fishing season and possibly some new regulations. The one thing we all need to do is turn in our steelhead report cards and salmon harvest cards. These are important items for the coming fishing season. For one thing it helps in determining what the quotas will be for the coming seasons. There is a new easy way to send in our steelhead Report Card electronically; www.dfg.ca.gov/steelheadcard . I’m sorry I don’t have the electronic address for the salmon Harvest Card, but you can send it in by mail or possibly find the electronical address on the bottom of your card.
Don’t forget, it is a new year and you need a new fishing license. The proposed “Year-Round” regulation is under study and not in affect yet, so please don’t get caught trying to use last year’s fishing license thinking it was good for one year from purchase.
The weather has really been playing heck with the fishing this past week. It has rained and snowed most of the week and the rives have been up and down all week. Right now, the Trinity is starting to drop and turning a “pea green” which means that it is starting to clear up some. There are some scattered shows predicted for next week but no major storms. This past storm did the Trinity some good as it helped to flush out the river. I just hope it did not destroy the Redds that we in the river. Although there were quit a few Redds reported down in the Hoopa area below the Hoopa weir. With the high water it could possibly wash out those Redds.
Don’t forget the new “Online location will be at: Archive reports, www.norcalfishreports.com/news/archive.php?author_id=945 ; later or new reports will now be at www.norcalfishreports.com/spots/1896/trinity-river—willow-creek-weir,php .
For all of you that do follow my reports, please book mark your computers so that you can keep up with the Trinity River Fishing Reports. I thank you all for your loyalty.
Trinity River Hatchery: Julian week 23 ending Jan. 14; Fall Chinook, 0-jacks, 0-adults, total 0, season total 1,586, combined total 6,064; Coho, 0-jacks, 0-adults, total 0, season total 649; steelhead, 8, total 8 ,season total 64.
Fishing: The Trinity River is blown out on the lower end and high on the upper sections but is dropping at the present time. The upper sections could be fishable down to Evans Bar if we don’t have a heavy rain in the next week. Those that were fishing the upper section of the Trinity were using flies, beads, streamers and small plugs. Quite a spread for choices but bank fishers usually like plugs, spinners or bait. The South Fork is not fishable dur to the slides up in Hyampom and Coon Creek. Whatever slide is bleeding into the river the most determine what color the river will be. Right now the Willow Creek section is too high and dirty to fish but that doesn’t mean the fish are not heading up river.
Upper Klamath fish video counts: Julian week 2 ending Jan. 14, Bogus Creek, Chinook salmon 0, total 974; Coho 0, total 56; Scott River, Chinook salmon 0, total 1,565, Coho 0, total 369; Shasta River, Chinook salmon 0, total 5,867, Coho 0, total 66.
Mid-Klamath: The Klamath at Weitchpec is flowing about 7,720cfs. The Klamath is going up and down as each storm comes in and subsides. Just about any fishing right now would be above I-5 in the Hornbook to dam section. The best person to contact for fishing up in that area would be Scott Caldwell through SC Guide Service.
Lake Conditions: Whiskeytown is 86% of capacity (a decrease of 0%) with inflows of 310cfs and releasing 340cfs on to Keswick and the Sacramento River. Shasta Lake is 74% of capacity (an increase of 1% plus 4ft) with inflows of 6,241cfs and releasing 4,494cfs into Keswick. Keswick is 85% (an increase of 2%) with inflows of 8,454cfs and releasing 5,004cfs into the Sacramento river. Oroville Lake is 60% of capacity (an increase of 1% plus 3ft) with inflows of 3,050cfs with releases of 2,601cfs into the Feather River. Folsom Lake is 49% of capacity (a decrease of 1% minus 2ft) with inflows of 1,696cfs with releases of 1,961cfs into the American river.
Trinity Lake: The lake is 32ft below the overflow (an increase of 0ft) and 80% of capacity (an increase of 0%) and inflows of 490cfs and releasing 418cfs into Lewiston Lake with 72cfs being diverted to Whiskeytown Lake and on to Keswick Power Plant, which is releasing 5,004cfs into the Sacramento River.
Trinity River flows and conditions: Lewiston Dam is 99% of capacity (an increase of 9%) and water releases are 299cfs with water temperatures of 432.4 degrees, as of 11:00pm today Sunday January 19,2020. Limekiln Gulch is 4.75ft at 343cfs. Douglas City is 6.43ft and flows of 402cfs. with air temps of 37 and water temperatures of 41.7 degrees. Junction City is 1.98ft at 455cfs. Helena is 8.75ft at 574cfs with water temps of 41.4 degrees. Cedar Flat (Burnt Ranch) is 3.72ft at 935cfs. South Fork of the Trinity near Hyampom is 3.62ft at 593cfs. Willow Creek is estimated at 1,583cfs and air is 43 degrees and water at 42 degrees. Hoopa is 14.30ft at 3,07cfs and water is 43.2 degrees. Water flows at the mouth of the Trinity River at the Klamath are estimated to be 7,720cfs.
Klamath River flows and conditions: Iron Gate is releasing 998cfs. Seiad Valley is 2.60ft at 1,546cfs. Happy Camp is estimated at 1,758cfs, Somes Bar is estimated to be 3,606cfs, and the Salmon River is 3.09ft at 907cfs. Orleans is 4.51ft at 4,561cfs, the Klamath River at Terwer Creek is N/Aft at N/A cfs and water temps are N/A degrees. Flows for the Smith River at Jedia Smith are 11.69ft with flows of 9,925cfs. and flows at Dr. Fine Bridge are 17.88ft at N/A cfs.
Temperatures in the Valley last week had a high of 47 and a low of 34. Rain for the week was 5.32in with a water year to date of 30.64 inches, with snow in willow Creek, snow of 1.45in. in the valley to date. Forecasts for next week are for temperatures in the highs of 62 and lows of 41 with some rain and scattered showers during the first part of the week and with light rain predicted for Monday and Tuesday. The Highways are clear of snow but there is some snow along the roadsides. If you plan to try and come up you might want to check for road conditions before you travel.
