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Chuck
Yes, the bugs in the Spokane River have been effected by the Cd,
Zn and Pb
from mining operations in Idaho. However the river is very
much alive!
There are populations of caddis, midge and mayflies in the
downriver section
(Riverside State Park) that I like to fish. I've
spent quite a bit of time
on the river this year (30+ days) and have seen
hatches of all three at
various times. Most recently BWOs.
A
report published last year on the ecological risk analysis of elevated
metal
concentrations in the river included a study of macroinvertebrates
done by
the USGS. In 1999, they found all three groups in the 37 mile
stretch
studied from Post Falls Dam to Seven Mile. Data collected
indicated caddis
were dominant in most sections of the river with the highest
percentages
upstream. However, a better balance of bugs occurred
farther downriver
as metal concentrations decreased.
You're right
about the effect of clean water inflow on the Spokane. Water
quality
starts improving in the Trentwood Area (due to aquifer recharge) and
so does
the percentages between insect groups. Unfortunately, no
stoneflies
were found in any of the samples taken for the study. Hope
this helps.
Don
(Spokane)
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, November 18, 2001 10:08
AM
Subject: Re: Advice on fishing the
Spokane river
Dave,
How goes it? We are hanging in there and
enjoying the nice weather
here, finally. We had an extended period of rain
and winds that kept
everyone in and the fishing down. As for your
Spokane question: What I
would do is go check the hatch charts down
at the shop. Look in the
little white book called Hatches for Western
Rivers or something like
that? And look at the charts for the Clark Fork,
etc that are in the
book case. From these sources, all the rivers in
any given vicinity
will have equitable hatches except for where certain
insects have been
killed out due to water pollution, etc.
That
brings me to the Spokane. Last time I looked at the
scientific
research that was done on the river, from Long Lake to Post
Falls, the
mayflys are gone--due to the heavy metal pollution from
above Couer
d'Alene. The Stonesflies are gone and most of the midges
are history
leaving just certain of the Caddis family who are more
resistant to this
type of pollution.
Of course things may have
changed since then or the researchers may have
missed a small area of
mayfly or stone activity that's sheltered due to
spring or creek inflow etc
which allows it to get enough pure water to
exist. Earlier I asked
Don, or perhaps another on the board, where they
were seeing the BWO's
which is the Blue Winged Olive, a mayfly but he
declined to
reply.
My interest in that was to try and figure out what may be
happening
with the river. (I was heavily involved with conservation groups
and
served on a number of state and local environmental boards/etc for
many
years and the Spokane and it's tributaries was and is my pet
river) (
just a few: Trout Unlimited Spokane Chapter Board of
Directors, Hangman
Creek Technical Advisory Board, Upper Columbia RC
& D, coordinator for
the Upper Columbia Basin, International
Conference, State Inland Sport
Fishery Advisory Board, State level TU Vice
Pres for Eastern Washington
--and many of these were for several years
ending in 99 when we moved
here.
Another who may have info is Jim at
the shop. Among the hat's he wears
he's the Eastern Washington top dog for
DOT environmental division and I
strongly suspect he knows what is
currently happening with the river.
Another would be Dave James,
works for Avista who is integraly involved
with the river and flows(his
number is at the Shop) and when you talk
with him ask for Gary's number at
the State Environmental Protection
building up on Wellsley (another enviro
type who's a trout angler also.
Anyway, this might begin to give you a
picture of the river and hatch
activity. Larry's, from the shop, son also
does a lot of time on the
river so ask Larry what he's finding these
days.
Anyway, have fun figuring this one out but with the cooler
months, as
the fishes metabolism drops, they feed less and less on a lot of
food
sources they'd take normally. What they will often respond to
during
this period is something big, slow and ugly. Big because they
are
looking for concentrated food sources, slow because they themselves
have
slowed down and Ugly (ugly to trout???) or something else that
triggers
a strike to kill response.
On another note - it's the late
fall period and there's possibly
spawning activity going on for the Brook,
Brown and Bull Trout in the
river. if that's the case, they'd be in the
upriver stretches below the
falls and the males especially are pugnacious
and will hit brighter
streamers, etc. Once the spawn starts, fish below the
redds for Trout of
different species who'll be feeding on egg patterns.
There are King
Salmon in the river, Rainbows, etc and others that are
Spring spawners
and who'll be feeding on eggs that are dislodged and
floating
downstream.
Have fun fishing the Spokane and we'll see you
back that way next year
or down here if you get the chance.
Good
Fishing
Chuck S
Fishing
East Central Florida - Flyfishing
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