May 3, 2004

North Santiam River Report

Steelhead and salmon are counted in both the North and South Santiam Rivers as they come upstream. In the North Santiam, they are counted twice: at Bennett Dams (at Stayton Island) and also at Minto Dam, between Packsaddle and Detroit. Minto Dam is the upstream point of fish migration, and it is about 25 miles upstream from Bennett Dams. Bennet Dams are about 30 miles upstream from the Willamette River. The counts will tell us where the fish are and how fast they are moving upstream, so we can fish the most probable locations. The fish numbers from Bennett Dams are posted on the internet, so we can get good information easily. Fish counts at Willamette Falls are also available, so we can keep track of the fish numbers in most river sections.

Willamette Falls counts have been very high early this season. Well over 10,000 winter steelhead are in the system, and most of them are in the upper river. Most of them have spawned already, but there are a few prime winter native fish left in the system. Something over 6,000 summer steelhead have been counted so far, but many came up prior to the start of the counting. Big numbers of summer fish started coming upriver in early April, and some have arrived at both Bennett and Foster. Because the water is warmer in the South Santiam, fish go there first, and numbers are a little better around Sweet Home and Lebanon than they are around Stayton and above. However, the river level is higher on the South Santiam at present, so it is easier to fish the North Santiam. As the North Santiam warms up a couple of degrees, the steelhead will go above Bennett Dams in big numbers.

Chinook have started to arrive at both Foster and Bennett. This is the first of the salmon for both rivers, and fishing for them will be very intense for a couple of months. More salmon have been seen than caught in the last couple of weeks, and fishing success is sure to follow shortly.

Steelheaders, River Guides, and the Watershed Council sponsor “Learn the River” trips on the North Santiam, and the last trip was from Mehama to Stayton on May 1. Quite a few boats participated, and we spent some time dropping the boats over the diversion dam. In half an hour, we saw two Chinook jumping near the fish ladder. In a week or two, there will be dozens jumping there.

Plans are underway for the fish ladder to be replaced at Upper Bennett Dam this summer. The work will start in the river around July 15, so there will be substantial activity around the boat slide. A temporary fish ladder will be erected while the present one is being replaced by a greatly improved model. The boat slide may also be improved.

Scott Haugen will be the program for the Steelheaders meeting at the Salem Library on May 19. Scott will show a slide presentation and sell and autograph his five books. The river trip from Fishermen’s Bend to Mehama will be discussed.

May 22 is the Down By The Riverside SOLV clean-up day, and activities will occur at Minto Park, Green’s Bridge, Stayton Bridge, North Santiam State Park, and Mill City parks. Volunteer help with the clean-ups will be greatly appreciated. There will be a riverside fishing clinic and hot dog barbecue at Minto Park for any volunteers. The events start in the mid-morning on location.

June 5 is the date for the Fishermen’s Bend to Mehama “Learn the River” trip. This section has many tricky rapids and many of them require prior knowledge for safe passage. The river section upstream (Packsaddle down) has even larger tricky rapids, so the June 5 trip is ideal for intermediate skill boaters to become familiar with this delightful section of the North Santiam.

This week, the best fish numbers are still around Green’s Bridge, Shelburn, and Stayton. They will move upstream soon.

Detroit Lake is only four feet below full summer level. Snow is melting, and a little rain is forecast. May often gets substantial rainstorms, and river level depends upon that. The level usually stabilizes in early June, and more advance planning may be done. For the next month, we need to check conditions often.

With about 1500 cubic feet per second flow coming out of Detroit Dams, the Mehama gauge is about 4 feet depth. That flow provides lots of current but covers many of the shallow gravel bars. Medium sized lures are called for. The river clarity is good.

Adam Kusler caught his first steelhead on a fly at Fishermen’s Bend last week. This is early in the season for that, and most of the fish are still in the lower river. It is a good sign of things to come. Congratulations on a great, jumping fish!

Bill Sanderson

Thank you for the great information!