This weekend we were on the South Fork of the American River for a camping/river rafting trip. I went out in the morning and scouted the river looking for deep runs, boulders, submerged logs etc. I went back to have breakfast and eventually went back to actually fish about an hour and a half later. In that 90 minutes or so the river raised up close to 2 feet. The places where I was walking ankle deep was now almost waist deep.
The river changes because they release more water from the dam in the morning for the rafters. By 7pm the river is back down.
I was just wondering how that constant rising and lowering of the water level affects the fishing on a river.
What you are describing is a tailwater fishery, there are many across the country that are famous for the quality of the fishery. I fish the Chattahoochee River, which south of Lake Lanier is a tailwater fishery for almost 30 miles until it is blocked by another dam. The Hooch isn’t know for producing huge fish but with the help of our DNR’s stock is is a good quality fishery. I know of no one who fishes the river when the water is up due to a release and there is a phone number you call to find out when they will generate and release water. When the water is down, the fish bite as well as fish anywhere else I suppose, then sometime they don’t bite worth a darn. That’s why we still call it fishing, not catching.
The below attached link will give you an idea of the extensive effects of daily rises and lowering of the river levels below a tail water fishery. Needless to say the effects on the fishery, insect life and other “critters” that live in and near the river are pretty drastic. A search for Smith River and Virginia Tech Study will turn up several other links. What used to be a tremendous fishery has declined dramatically over the years and this study was designed to answer questions about those rapid rises and lowering of the river. The final report should be quite lengthy.
Researchers to release findings on Smith River Project | Virginia…](http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2004/08/2004-383.html)www.vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2004/08/2004-383.html
Aug 30, 2004 ? Researchers from the Virginia Tech Department of Fisheries and … from the five-year study of the Smith River entitled: "Influences of Fluctuating …
Uncle Jesse,
on our tailwater, the raising of the water level turns the trout off, when its down they feed in a normal pattern and all is well.
your mileage may vary
The water rises so much here I don’t know of anyone who tries to fish then, certainly no one wades for miles, there is a shoals about 30 miles south of where I fish that maybe fishable but I don’t think it is. A river acquaintence native to area, told me before they built the dam back in the '50’s the river ran even higher than the release levels, but was a warm water fishery at the time.
Not sure this would apply to trout in a tailwater with the regular fluctuations that you describe, but there seems to be a longstanding belief that it’s not worth fishing when the river is rising. Fishing when it is falling is generally considered a good thing.
Not being aware of the longstanding belief at the time, I went out and fished the South Fork of the Snake when it was rising noticeably for a number of days, and did quite well. When I mentioned that to one of the most accomplished fly anglers in SE Idaho, he mentioned the longstanding belief, and then he decided to give fishing on the rising river a go. I think he gave up the longstanding belief.
On freestones, during runoff, there are daily fluctuations, and probably more pronounced on some systems than you are describing. The fish still have to eat, whether the water is rising or falling, and you can still catch them if you go deal with what is in front of you. My bet is that those fish are quite accustomed to those regular, if somewhat dramatic ( to you ) fluctuations, and just keep on keeping on.
This is what happens when the Corp of Engineers screw up on the release of water from a reservoir. A lake with an average depth of 27 ft. became a creek within 24 hrs. A lady kayaker was almost sucked throught the dam downstream according to the newspaper article. It will be interesting to see what happen to the fish in the lake, it was popular with several carp fishermen and contain a variety of fish from yellow perch to bluegills and other sunfish.
I’m fortunate to live near two tailwater fisheries. Beaver & Tablerock dams offer very good fishing. You HAVE TO PAY ATTENTION!! When the water starts to rise, get out of the river on the same side as your car. As far as the fishing…if you can find a safe place to fish it’s not too bad. Lotts of ‘stuff’ is sent to the fish & fish being fish, they eat it.
