DGIF Sample - Smith River 6-19-18

[Al]

I have debated posting this here - but one of the reasons DGIF lets me tag along is that I help them get the word out to the fishing public so here goes.


As part of the DGIF Complementary Work Force (CWF) I was invited to accompany DGIF fisheries biologists as they conducted a raft sample of a section of the Smith River on Tuesday, June 19, 2018. The generation flows have been such that it has been difficult to sample the upper river the past two years.  The annual wading large sampling party gatherings which are costly and require a lot of coordination have been nonexistent. With the recently acquired raft Region 2 has been able do quick samples that require fewer biologists and less planning.  Tuesdays sampling was our first look at the section of river flowing through the town of Bassett and a little beyond using this method.




We put in at noontime but the actual launch was about 45 minutes later after we had "set the shuttle" at our planned takeout point 7 1/2 miles downstream.  By then the full force of the generation flow, which raised the water about 3 feet and increased the velocity to about 550cfs,  reached us. Two biologists operate the raft (one rows and controls the electronic shocking probes while the other braces on a bar and nets fish).  We followed in "chase vessels" – a canoe paddled by a 3rd biologist  filled with ice filled cooler, supplies and a kayak containing your humble scribe who takes photos and assists wherever needed.






Many folks think we are shocking and collecting all the fish as we pass over them. Nothing could be further from the truth. The probes on the raft only cover 6-8 feet of the water.  There is a cone of current that extents further out but it is not enough to "belly up" a fish - this particular set up only sends effective current down about 6 feet. Many of the fish feel the first tingle and swim out of the way – others come to the top but are missed by the net handler because the raft is moving right along.  Fish that are missed soon recover and go about their business probably thinking "what the heck was that?" Probably only 10% feel the current and less than 5% are collected for evaluation.




This particular method of sampling follows a computer model that uses number of minutes times number of fish collected. Because the Smith is so prolific and our net handler was so quick we often filled the cooler to capacity before the allotted time. So as to not stress the fish who were competing for a limited amount of oxygen we pulled over early. Each fish is identified by species and measured and then returned to the river. A few from each "run" pay the ultimate sacrifice so they can be aged and their stomach contents analyzed. 





We picked up a lot of rainbow trout which are stocked during "stocking season" (Oct – Jun) – some were real nice. We also collected a few brook trout that also started out life in the hatchery and came to the Smith via the stocking truck. All were measured and returned to river to await some lucky angler.




"Hot spotters" who try to analyze my photos to figure out were we were collecting these fish should have not trouble figuring this day's run out.




And so it went for 7 1/2 miles. There were a couple of rapids and drops that put this novice kayaker's heart up in his throat but I didn't tip over which is a good thing. I will say this about kayaking – unless you have a 'wet suit" it is a warm weather sport because you're going to get wet from the splash.




Big fish of the day which begs the question – how does a fish get this big when all the other fish in this particular section are only averaging 9 -12 inches. The obvious answer is that he is eating a lot of those smaller fish. Maybe he is like the class bully – he's aggressive and gets to the food early which helps him grow.  A little luck helped him not get caught and until he grew out of the 10-24 inch slot limit he was protected.  At his current size the average fisherman is not going to be able land him on conventional spinning or fly rod gear.



We had a long day. The sun was sitting when we pulled into our predetermined "take out point".  Thankfully DGIF has some strong 4WD vehicles because the average fisherman would not have been able to pull out of this improvised ramp.  Everything is quickly put in it's place – these  guys have a system and it's best to just get out of the way.  For them it is off to a local hotel, clean up and quick meal and off  to bed. Tomorrow will be another long day – remember those fish who make the ultimate sacrifice in the name of science – well there is still a lot of work to be done.





Another reason I get invited is I own a little "get away" property back in the woods  less than a mile from the fishery. It is a perfect spot to "work up fish" – level ground, electricity, running water, bathroom and all the comforts of home. Best of all it is away from public view. Some folks take offense at the idea of taking a few fish even if it is to help the fishery. I used to take offense as well but a respected biolicgist changed that when he said, "Al you should fall in love with the fishery and not an individual fish" -  the more I've worked with them the more I understood.



The day before, a predetermined number of trout from each run were bagged and placed on ice with each section clearly identifiied. These fish were laid out in an assembly line process where each was once again mearued before being decapitated to extract the otoliths or ear bones. There are two otolith behind the gills of each fish which resemble a very small piece of rice. These are placed in a small envelope for later observation under a microscope to determine age – they show rings similar to a tree.




The fish is than splint open and the stomach contents analyzed – yes, it gets messy.  First impressions are that the fish are eating well. What is particularly gratifying is that during previous year samplings we did not find much evidence of food other than insects and midges – this situation seems to have changed. It may be that the 2 year period of continuous flows while the made repairs at Philpott Dam have been good for the fishery.



Here is a sample of what we found – top to bottom
Stones – every other fish had stones which they had ingested it the process of feeding off the bottom – many also exhibited inflamed vent holes where they had strained to expel the stones (Maybe a lure or fly that looked like a tube of Preparation H would work) Winking smile
Forage or bait fish (we didn't find a lot but probably because they digest very quickly)
Crane fly lava
Hellgrammite
Beetle
Mayfly
Crayfish (Lots of them observed)
Crayfish claw – lots of them. Our thinking is the fish are trying to dislodge a crawfish from under a rock and ends up with just the claw.
Lots of digested insect matter (not shown)
Lots of vegetation debris (not shown)
Off to left side – a rubber egg on a hook.



We will continue to collect data through out the summer.  All of the data collected is meticulously recorded and eventually entered into a computer program. George Palmer, the DGIF Fisheries Biologist will evaluate the results and give the public a "Health of the Smith River Fishery" at the SRTU meeting on December 7, 2018.

[jwgnc]

Fascinating.   Thank you Sir

[Dee-Vo]

This is interesting. Thanks for the write up!

[Stone-Man]

Thanks Al -- interesting for sure.
I did a sample netting with TWRA on Watauga Lake for Lake Trout a few years back and it was done just like your guys "worked" them up. I did get to take home a 17 lb lake trout for the dinner table 

  JT

[croaker]

Grand report and photos sir!

Great insight into the behind the scene work 
that goes into looking after our fisheries...

[Onslow]

I've sacrificed some browns.  Most have had large minnows/horny heads in their stomachs, some of which were around 6" in length.  The crawdad 411 is interesting.

[Fishbug]

Thanks for the post Al!

I look forward to this each year. Always thought there has to be giant browns like that in there. Have had run ins w large fish or "stick fish" that didn't quite feel like a stick. Id love to know what type of water he was holding in, but you prob don't want to advertise. I hope his friends are just as elusive as he is and others are encouraged to eat some MEAT.  Would be tragic if anyone took a fish like that from the river.

If they ever need more help sampling let me know.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Mudwall Gatewood 3.0]

Thanks for the Smith report.

"Crayfish claw – lots of them. Our thinking is the fish are trying to dislodge a crawfish from under a rock and ends up with just the claw."

My guess would be since the crawdads back out of trouble, the fish are short-striking their target and end up with a claw or two.

[Al]

If they ever need more help sampling let me know.

If they decide to do the massive wading style sample later this summer I will let everyone know dates and times.

FYI I helped them again yesterday. Will try to get info with photos out before the end of day. Not as many fish and no giant monsters but was encouraged to see fish we marked a few years back had doubled or tripled in size. Hardly any of the fish we shocked up yesterday could have been legally harvested - only saw one or two less then 10 inches and none over 24 - vast majority fell within the 10-24 inch protected slot.