Flooding. Bugs/salmon/crawdads damage, what else?

[Jennie@ifish]

I can't believe we are still up and running on ifish! It's really rockin and rollin here, and we still have electricity! Amazing!
At dinner, a bug landed on my placemat. They always come out, due to the increase in temperature today.
We began a discussion on the damage these floods do, not only to the fish, but the bug hatches, and consequently, the fish.
The 96 floods really damaged the salmon run for the next 4 and 5 year returns.
What about the bugs?
What about crawdads? Supposedly, the crawdad population was hurt due to the 96 floods, also.
We spoke about the difference between Eastern Oregon rivers and our coastal rivers. The fact that our floods damage the bug hatches, by churning the eggs that are buried in the gravel.
It is very interesting to me, all that goes on, and makes me realize the many facets that contribute to a healthy run.
Where can I read more about all this?
Jen

[Roeboat]

I've heard the doomsdayers here in WA many times over the years when the floods come...but overall I really believe the fish survive mother natures' big tests much better than they survive the heavily netted rivers during low water years. And as for crawdads...I don't know how many have observed this...but they can be found crawling from gravel parking lots 100 feet from the rivers to the water. It almost seems as if the flood waters causes long lost eggs to hatch or something. I obviously know nothing about the life cycle of crawdads but have certainly seen them in the strangest places(in huge numbers) during flood years. I once saw the Blue Creek parking lot by the Cowlitz River alive with the little brown buggers and people wandering all around not even noticing what they were walking on.

[24 on/ 48 off]

Jennie,

I wonder about what happens as a result of flooding. I have only one observation to make, and that is in respect to crawdads/crayfish.

We bought our cabin at The Narrows in 1976. As a youngster, I would spend hours with my brother swimming and snorkeling in the Wilson, catching crawdads all day. At night, we would toss in our trap and pull it out a few hours later with 20-30 crustaceans in it.

Today, that same few hours, in the same spot may produce one or two crawdads.

Something has changed. It may have had much to do with the flood in Februray, 1996. I believe that the turbulent, raging waters scoured out the bottom and took most of the eggs with it. (Ask the folks around the DQ in Tillamook- they ended up with much of the bottom sludge.)

Yup, flooding is part of the ecosystem. For better or worse, we have it.

--spud-- :smile:

[Pete]

There's some good research and writing on the effects of floods on aquatic habitat and the fish that inhabit them.

In 1996, a warm rain on the Cascades brought the Deschutes up from it usual winter level of about 5200 cfs to 78000 cfs ... it was a biggie ... Read about it here.

More stuff:
Flooding on the Oregon Coast

[24 on/ 48 off]

Yep-

I drove out to take a look at the Deschutes during the flood. It was incredible! We had to hike in from the mouth on the railroad tracks.

That flood also created the monstrous "washout" rapids. One heck of a hole!

--spud-- :smile:

[WaterDog]

All this rain is very welcome in my nieghborhood. My stretch of the Willamette needs high water to flush things out and turn the bottom over. The low water conditions made last years springer season a bust due to algae. This year is looking good so far. I can hardly wait. :smile:

[WildHawg]

I've been through 2 biggies in the same year on 2 different rivers. February of 96 I lived on the Mckenzie. We had large #'s of fish in our yard left high and dry when the flood receded--mostly whitefish and sculpin, but some dandy trout as well. Interstingly, at least a dozen Giant Pacific Salamanders (aka Hellbenders)were also left high and dry. A few crawdads, but not many.

On the Umpqua (November 96), found dying salmon and a steelhead, along with many smolt trapped or high and dry. Very few crawdads, as the smallmouth bass have nearly driven them to extinction already. The Umpqua was FULL of them when I was a kid.

Hold tight sister!! This too shall pass.

[hawgcatcher]

The rivers do seem to scour out the bottoms with the floods, but things do come back. One of the worst years for floods was 1964 when just about every river in the state flooded. The John Day washed out the bridge on I84 out and nearly every road in or out of the state was flooded. This was due to a big snow and then a fast warm rain and very high freezing level. Christmas that year was one that a lot of people stayed home.

Anyway, the rivers were left with big changes and critters were gone from the bottoms. But they came back and in many instances, were better for it. Fishing got better and the crawfish and bugs came back. You had to learn new holes and tactics, but we caught fish and the fish had food.

It is kinda like when a forest fire clears an area. Within a few years things can improve. Looks like the devil though.

Hopefully we will not have to worry about the fish loosing out. I would like to think that we will have another great year in four years.

[Captn]

Lets see, the 96 flood and all of the damage to the fish runs. It is 2001 (still) and that is about 5 year later, and we have just had the best salmon return in so many areas that it is reaching historical porportions. Now what was the problem?