Salmon continue to enter Trinity River Hatchery at the slow pace CDFW biologists were anticipating for this season. While both Chinook and coho salmon numbers are significantly down from last season, the number of hatchery steelhead showing has improved.
The hatchery has trapped a total of 1,126 fall-run Chinooks to date, a total of 982 adults and 144 grilse. That is less than half of the 2,476 Chinooks trapped to date in 2015.
The coho count is only 91, including 65 adults and 26 grilse, to date. That compares to 1,574 coho total to date in 2015.
The steelhead count is 381 to date. That compares to 283 to date in 2015.
The Willow Creek Weir counted 452 Chinooks this season, compared to 711 fish at the same time last year. The coho salmon numbers were only 2 total, compared to 454 in 2015.
The steelhead counts were 523 total, compared to 1,122 in 2015. However, the CDFW staff hasn’t been able to count fish because of river conditions since October 14.
Steelhead fishing remains tough. “There’s no one section of river that’s particularly productive and no one thing that’s working better than another,” said Tim Brady of Trinity Outdoors in Weaverville.