DIGGIN' IN: The Gienger Report
With the exception of the month of December, we are still waiting for much of our winter rain. During several weeks in December, salmon were able to spawn in the upper parts of the Mateel watersheds. January 07 was one of the driest on record. February brought more precipitation, both rain and snow, that raised the rivers--accommodating spawning for steelhead. Intense cold periods in February eased into a mild and warm early March, almost hot in places--coming in like a lamb rather than a lion. I'm hoping for abundant spring rains, on into May and June, to tide the watersheds' fish and people over to the fall rains. (read more)


THE Gienger REPORT...Diggin' In
Responding to the Winter Rains (read more)


THE Gienger REPORT...Diggin' In
As of mid-March, it's been a fairly mild winter on the North Coast--in contrast to the extremely high rainfall and resulting damage in Southern California. Significant rains generally came late. An early December storm raised the water, but in the Mattole and elsewhere, it wasn't enough or prolonged enough to get significant numbers of spawning salmon into the prime headwaters spawning areas. A set of storms at the end of December and early January enabled significant numbers of salmon to reach the more stable spawning areas high in the watershed. Not one of the storms was overwhelming, but an inch per day for clusters of days was enough (read more)


THE Gienger REPORT...Diggin' In
October brought several good early storms that raised water flows enough to ease stress on juvenile steelhead and salmon in their stream and river habitat. Flows had become discontinuous in many areas. Hopefully storms will start arriving regularly to raise flows to successful levels for spawning in November and December. (read more)


The Richard Gienger Report...Diggin' In
Spring is upon us. Some good rains came in February followed by record-breaking heat and no rain for much of March. Some nice showers and seasonable temperatures returned as March blended into April. There have been reports of some pretty good runs of chinook and Coho Salmon in the Mattole and the South Fork Eel this winter of 2003-2004. I videotaped Coho moving high up in the headwaters of the Mattole and spawning in the headwaters of a South Fork Eel tributary, almost up to the last ridge before the ocean. While trying to avoid stepping in a Coho redd (nest) in a three-foot wide tributary of the Mattole, I almost stepped on a steelhead. Love those wintertime thrills. (read more)


The Gienger Report...Diggin In
As October moves quickly to November, the benefits of the wet April are very evident. Most stream reaches that were bone dry at the end of summer last year, still have water this year -- even flowing water. This may enable greater survival of juvenile salmon and steelhead from last winter's modest-sized runs. The returning runs from 2002-2003 might end up to be as good as the returning runs from 2001-2002, in which spawning adults were much more plentiful. (read more)


THE Gienger REPORT...Diggin' In
We move into summer with the luxury of a very wet April behind us. The record rains of December were followed by drier months until the April rains brought us back into winter. The large sliding areas north of Confusion Hill reactivated, delaying traffic and making each drive on Highway 101 between Leggett and Piercy a potential adventure. (read more)


THE Gienger REPORT...Diggin' In
The perspective from this past rainy season in February is quite different from the perspective in July of the same year. What was a pretty mild winter on the North Coast turned into a rainy season that extended into May and the middle of June, with those late rains often coming close to or topping season storm highs. I haven't heard anyone dispute the common observation by North Coast regulars that they've never seen the South Fork Eel River run this high in June and July. Canoe, kayaks, and rafts are seen in abundance. (read more)