Sandy fishing report

Mr4am · 10-07-2001, 04:08 PM

Fished OxBow Park on Thursday. Caught about a twelve pound Steelhead. He was a dark hatchery fish so I let him go. I got him with my side planer and a silver plug running it in some fast water. I was hoping for a Nook or Coho, but no luck. [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img]
Also saw some more dead Salmon. One of the fish I saw had to be only 24 hours old and it was a bright fish. I talk to some fish and wild life guys that were flouting down the river. (They were looking for Salmon spawning beds and taking scale samples from dead fish). They didn't have a clue about the dead fish. One of the guys told me they were just spawned out.(not). Perhaps they will see something in the scale samples.?

ampersat · 10-08-2001, 06:20 AM

i was up at oxbow around gordon creek for a while yesterday as well. saw all the dead fish. can't say as i've seen that kind of thing before. what struck me was that most of the fish had their tails cut off about two inches up from where the fin ends. one fish had its upper head chopped out. looked like the cockpit on a glider. what's up with that? i was thinking that maybe they were taking samples to see why they died but who knows.

jet · 10-08-2001, 06:27 AM

something sounds fishey.

Guys just happen to be taking samples??????

Jet~~~

STGRule · 10-08-2001, 07:26 AM

Spawning ground survey crews. They cut the tail off to make sure they don't count it the next time. Top of head removed to retrieve coded wire tags.

Mr4am · 10-08-2001, 02:21 PM

Yes , Keith its me. How have you been doing?
I've been fishing all over the place sense I last fished with you. I've hit the Alsea and had a little luck.I was thinking of heading down to fish the Rogue River for a couple of days but...Mmmm...it might rain. So I'll probably hit the Clack. on Wednesday and the Nehalem on Thrusday and Friday.
I've been looking for a ride out in a boat in one of the Bays, but haven't seen any postings. [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img]
Don

FM2 · 10-08-2001, 11:16 PM

Mr4am, is that you Don?

David Johnson · 10-10-2001, 09:17 AM

Yes,

When I worked for ODFW I drifted the Sandy in a small pram and we took spawning ground sevays and did just as STGRule stated.

FM2 · 10-10-2001, 10:02 AM

Hi Don, nice to see you on the board. You have alot of great info to share.

Let's try and hookup sometime soon, I have access to over a mile of private fishing water on eagle creek, What do you say ! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

sandi · 10-10-2001, 07:52 PM

I was on the river Monday and saw a couple dozen dead fish too. Didn't think anything of it accept there were alot of fish - more than I have ever seen on the Sandy, all chinook. I noticed too that most - 90% - were dead hens and full of eggs still. Some had been cut open and eggs removed others were still fat with eggs. I cut a few open to make sure they weren't just bloated from decay. Sure enough they had full skeins, still intact, not loose at all. Even saw a near dead hen in the riffles, again, not a spawner. Doesn't even appear they attempted to spawn as their fins were still in good condition. Something strange going on. One local I talked with said a kill something similar to this occured on the Trask a few years back. Called it nitrogen narcosous (sp). Sounded like what happens at dams though. Any other thoughts or theories?

10-10-2001, 09:30 PM

Hey this is some scarry **** , Im truly concernd about whats happening in the sandy. This isnt normal. I would like to hear some more theories on what this "die-off" of unspawned fish could be related to.

friendly fisherman

Mike H · 10-10-2001, 10:01 PM

I suggest someone contact the EPA. Maybe they'd be interested in following up on this case.

stlhdr1 · 10-11-2001, 12:06 AM

Funny thing that you guys had posted about this because James and I saw the same thing on the lower EF of the lewis this afternoon. About 8 dead fish in which half were bright and the others certainly had not spawned but had color half chinook and half hatchery stray silvers from the NF of the lewis. Could it be the warm water? Perhaps the terrorists and ANTHRAX? [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] It's got me a bit worried, in all my years of fishing I've never seen such a thing. I know the river is running extremely low and perhaps with the warmer water there is not enough oxygen being produced to support all the fish.. Someone's got to know, all the money we spend on our fishery systems let's get some answers..
Keith

brushpuppy · 10-11-2001, 07:59 AM

related encounter ?
Spent a morning on the trask, just above the hatchery, during first week of Oct. and witnessed a die-off of chrome bright chinook that I had attributed to oxygen starvation (Too many fish, too little river. My God, the Trask was LOW!). While there were some dark Coho paired off in the riffles they were not affected. Encountered enough footprints to know the locals were targeting these fish before they expired. Any of you readers part of that group ? Any insight ?
Side Note... Multitudes of Chinook and Coho were schooled at the hatchery outlet plume (which gets a decent O/2 supply from the fish ladder) and they seemed quite vigorous.

BUGLEMAN · 10-11-2001, 08:55 AM

Just as some of the eggs and smolt don't make it, some of the adults don't either. I wouldn't worry too much about it IMO. I notice some do have slit bellies. Was that before or after they died?

stlhdr1 · 10-11-2001, 11:18 PM

All the fish on the lower EF of the lewis were clean fish and no slits, I just wish we had a true answer. It's got to have something to do with the lack of oxygen.
Keith