Eastwood Elementary Students Release Steelhead They Helped Raise
Awesome day today with the Eastwood kids releasing the Steelhead they helped raise! Such a wonderful program! https://youtu.be/12pqe_sEinY?si=DPuic97IIJQPxVmV
Public group
First Spring Chinook Salmon Passes Through Winchester Dam For 2024 Season
The first Spring Chinook Salmon of the season passed over the Winchester Dam today at 7:50pm! In 2023, the first Spring Chinook Salmon didn't pass over the Winchester Dam until April 16th at 1:27 pm. Photos: 1 - The moment the Spring Chinook quickly passed through the Winchester Dam. 2 - Better screen shot of the Spring Chinook when it first arrived about an hr and a half before it passed through. 3 - Screen shot of the first Spring Chinook that passed over the Winchester Dam in 2023
"Spring" "Time" "March" Predictions
Time marches forward into spring of 2024. It is time for the annual UmpquaFish.com predictions for springtime viewing of our LiveCam. The next few weeks is usually when over 25% of the winter steelhead population will continue their forward migration to their spawning homewaters destination in the North Umpqua. Our first prediction is the count will reach over 6000 fish and could end up being the highest return in the past few years. Secondly, the first "spring chinook" will be seen in the viewing window in the next couple weeks. Be looking for this leader of many more of this species to follow when the water temperature nears the 50-degree mark. You could be eligible for a prize from the Derby when you send in a time-stamped photo from the live-streaming video. The third prediction is guaranteed to happen this weekend..the clock on the wall will return to "realtime" for about 6 months and we will thankfully receive fewer questions about if the fish see the time is off by an hour as s...
Brrrrrr
The steelhead migration is in a "cold water" delay until further notice and the temperature starts to increase a few degrees.
Over 4,000 and still counting
Umpquafish.com has been very busy with over 4,000 winter steelhead counted migrating upstream in the North Umpqua River. We will continue tallying each one for as long as these beautiful fish keep heading towards their spawning streams. Thank you for watching our LiveCam Video.
More Winter Steelhead to Watch For in the Next Couple Months
By mid-February the North Umpqua winter steelhead returns are about 30% (one-third) of the total year's estimated runsize through April 30th. This percent does vary based on the timing of the migration over the five-month period due to flows, temperatures, accuracy of estimates, and other factors. Based on the Derby's video actual counts, the update-to-date numbers suggest the wild fish total count will most likely be in the range of 7500-10,500 compared to the recent 10-year period of roughly 9,000 total and significantly higher than the past 3-year average of just over 5,000 wild fish.
Updated Winter Steelhead Count, Sportsman's & Outdoor Recreation Show This Weekend
As of February 6th at midnight, 2,285 Winter Steelhead have passed over the Winchester Dam. Join us at the annual Sportsmen’s & Outdoor Recreation Show, happening February 9 - 11, 2024, at the Douglas Fairgrounds! This event is a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts, featuring a wide array of exhibits and activities related to fishing, hunting, camping, boating, RVing, ATVing, cycling, kayaking, hiking, climbing, scuba diving, and much more. Show Hours: Friday: Noon - 9 p.m. Saturday: 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. Sunday: 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Admission: Adults: $8.00, or $6.00 with a $2.00 off Bi-Ma...
Temperature has Effect on Winter Steelhead Migration Behavior
River water temperature had dropped and slowed the steelhead migration the past few days. Now it is increasing especially in the afternoons so watch for more fish moving upstream
Final 2024 Derby Fishing Tallies
Our final tallies. Congrats not only to our winners but to ALL the teams, guides, sponsors, donors, volunteers, and auction attendees who contribute to our events so we can continue raising money for fishery and wildlife enhancement, restoration projects, & education programs in the Umpqua Basin 🌲
2024 Derby Video
Here is our 2024 Derby video! This is the video shown last night at the derby banquet. It shows highlights from the student day up Rock Creek, kids day at Cooper Creek, the oyster bar and crab feed as well as action shots from this year's fishing derby on both the North and South Umpqua Rivers! Video by Elijah Finlay - additional footage: Bob Ferguson and Jeff McEnroe. https://youtu.be/dqUwXjAp-Dk
2024 Derby Fish Numbers
Here is the breakdown of all the winter steelhead caught during the 2024 fish derby. The 2-day fishing derby was excellent this year. 40 derby guides provided 80 anglers both days with a great opportunity to enjoy the winter steelhead fishing for hatchery and wild steelhead On the North Umpqua, 185 wild, 0 hatchery - 185 total On the South Umpqua, 40 wild, 61 hatchery - 101 total On the Main Umpqua, 71 wild, 0 hatchery - 71 total Total fish caught: 296 wild winter steelhead 61 hatchery winter steelhead 357 total winter steelhead
2024 Umpqua Fishery Enhancement Derby Kids at Cooper Creek Reservoir
It was another great day yesterday at the annual Umpqua Fishery Enhancement Derby Kids Day out at Cooper Creek Reservoir! The 5th-grade students from Eastwood Elementary School had a blast! Big thank you to all the people and local organizations who worked together to make this event happen!
Steelhead are moving again
The winter steelhead paused their migration during the recent high water conditions, and now are starting to move upstream again. Check in for our fish counts to be updated soon
Steelhead Arrive at Eastwood Elementary School
"Steelhead have arrived!!! Mr. Pope’s 5th grade class helped welcome and move our Steelhead. These fish will live on campus until March. Each class will have an opportunity to help feed and study our fishy friends. Thank you to Umpqua Fishery Enhancement Derby, ODFW and Roseburg Public Schools for making this happen!"
Total Fish Counts: October - December 2023
The total fish numbers for October 1 - to December 31, 2023, are actual counts of different species recorded by the Umpqua Fishery Enhancement Derby 24/7 live-stream video. There were 8,108 fish that passed upstream through the fishway at Winchester Dam. In December, 482 winter steelhead and 102 coho salmon were counted. The total coho count is 7,053 during this period with only a couple more weeks in January for the 2023 brood year. The North Umpqua winter steelhead return for 2023-2024 is off to a good start with the recent warmer water temperatures with 105 fish counted on December 31st. To date, 10 winter steelhead have been fin-clipped and counted as hatchery fish.
New Fish Count on LiveFeed Video
Fish counts are now on our LiveCam Video. The Umpqua Fishery Enhancement Derby will provide winter steelhead counts on a "Ticker Tape" that will be updated along with posts on our website and Facebook page.
Updated Fish Counts: Saturday, December 23rd
Dateline: 11:00 AM. Saturday, December 23rd. Last 7 days there were 113 unmarked winter steelhead and 4 finclipped steelhead counted through midnight December 22nd. Four late arriving coho salmon also migrated passed through the fishway. Peak hours for fish watching were from noon to 5 PM. Clear and colder temperatures slow the fish movement upstream during the winter months.
Actual Total Fish Counts and Hourly Migration Behavior since October 2023
The actual fish counts based on accurate input from our Derby's live-streaming video are now updated for the period October 1st to December 15th, 2023. There were 7704 total fish that migrated upstream during this period. This count included summer steelhead, winter steelhead (wild and hatchery), fall chinook (adults and jacks), coho (adults and jacks), cutthroat trout, and largescale suckers. Coho counts were the highest with 4570 fish during October, 2381 fish in November, and 95 for the December 1-15 period. The total coho count is 7046 to date. Fall chinook actual fish counts were ...
Umpqua Fish Derby Launches Fish Count Updates Utilizing Locally Built Software
The Umpqua Fish Derby is excited to begin reporting regular updates of actual fish counts from our live-streaming FishCam at Winchester Dam. Our local volunteer project team (Tracker LLC) has developed innovative software to increase the efficiency and accuracy of the fish counting process. The software also provides interesting information about fish behavior related to species migration patterns related to time of day, river flows and temperatures. We appreciate all of the continued support and gracious donations that allow us to develop and improve this one-of-a-kind public viewing opportu...
2023 Umpqua Fall Chinook Project Gardiner Reedsport Winchester Bay STEP Program
The Gardiner Reedsport Winchester Bay STEP project volunteers just finished up with spawning the 2023 fall chinook broodstock to collect several thousand eggs at their hatchery facility on STEP Creek. This year's successful egg take will be hatched and reared over the next several months and released as 100,000 pre-smolts and 70,000 smolts into the lower Umpqua estuary in 2024. Umpqua Fishery Enhancement Derby is proud to support this project that helps provide valuable fishing opportunities for the local communities over the years! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2b_NL3F2_Dw