Those Dam Counts!!!

Each year, around this time, the boys in the shop begin watching the fish counts over the Columbia and Snake River dams.

Right now there seems to be a lull in the return run of steelhead for the Snake, Ronde, and Clearwater River. Fish counts have dropped from the thousands into the hundreds over most dams. Right now there are thousands of fish tucked into cooler tributaries and The Hanford Reach, trying to avoid warm water.

Soon the fish will turn around and start to head up the Snake River and we will begin to see thousands of steelhead a day returning to their spawning grounds.

Studying the runs for several years I always notice two big pushes of fish. The second push usually happens a little over two weeks after the first.

The daily topic at the shop is whether or not to head down to the Clearwater to try and catch what few fish are around. I always tell people it is worth it. With the Clearwater River temps around 50-52 degrees @ 11,000 cfs, any fish coming up the Snake will love ducking out of the 70 degree Snake and into cooler water.

The season will soon be upon us, so don’t be afraid to get down there for some casting practice. Who knows, you might be lucky enough to hook one.