Brown Trout

A few years back, the Idaho Dept. of Fish and Game conducted an open house in Hailey, ID. One of the topics on the agenda was to pass out a questionaire to the public on Brown trout populating Silver Creek.

 I attended this meeting and filled out the questionnaire along with many other anglers.The Fish & Game were considering opening up a catch & kill season on Brown Trout. As I recall, the consensus was that the majority of anglers were in favor of the Brown Trout fishery in Silver Creek. Subsequently the F&G did not implement new regulation changes.

As the story goes, Jack Hemingway introduced or helped introduced Brown Trout to Silver Creek when he was one of the Fish and Game Commissioners for Idaho.  Kudos to Jack for his foresight in enhancing the trout fishery in Silver Creek! Silver Creek has a fantastic Brown Trout and Rainbow fishery. Its my opinion that the Brown Trout fishery represents the trophy fishery in Silver Creek.

Now, where was the pressure coming from to remove or try and change fishing regulations (harvesting Brown trout) on Silver Creek? I recently asked this question to Mr. Dave Parrish with the IDFG. At the time of the public open house at the Community Campus in Hailey, Dave was the regional director for Region 4 within the IDFG.

Here was Mr. Parrish response:
 

Just to give you some history, TNC came to us saying, antidotally, that brown trout were dominating the fishery within the Conservancy.  They wanted us to physically remove brown trout to restore rainbow trout as the dominate fish through the area.  Rather than us electrofish or trapping browns and moving them – which would be labor intensive, risk spread of diseases, and not cost effective, we proposed limited harvest of brown trout.  Frankly, we suspected there wouldn’t be much public support for the concept, but we wanted to gauge the public’s concern for the rainbow/brown trout fishery on Silver Creek and share the information with TNC.

Why would TNC want the IDFG to remove Brown Trout from Silver Creek? I had not noticed any sort of domination of one trout species over the other in my 33 years of fishing/guiding on Silver Creek. I've always caught far more Rainbows than Brown Trout.

                                                               A large bar of Gold

Today, I  was reviewing  permitting applications for the new irrigation dam that Purdy is currently installing in Kilpatrick Pond. With the new dam is a fish ladder component. The design calls for a check structure or gate at the top of the dam. This gate is being constructed per the TNCs request to block any invasive species or Brown Trout from migrating upstream. 

TNC has not elaborated on what invasive species they are concerned about moving over this dam. They have stated in meetings that they want to block Brown Trout from moving upstream, especially during the spawning season in the fall. 

I personally do not want a landowner along Silver Creek to try and manage the fishery. We have a very competent F&G state department to do that for us. If TNC has control over the Purdy dam fish ladder gate, then effectively they are managing the fishery. This is not right.

TNC obviously still wants to have Rainbow Trout as the dominate trout species in Silver Creek. I have heard comments from their staff that the rainbows are more closely related to the native species that populated Silver Creek originally. What was the original trout species in Silver Creek? Was it a Red Band trout? Cuttroat? I'm not sure if anyone knows the definitive answer to this question. One things for sure, the Rainbow Trout that populate Silver Creek are descendents of planted trout, probably Rainbows from Northern California. 

Both Brown trout and Rainbows were introduced to Silver Creek.....

 

 

Disasterous Draining of Kilpatrick Pond

VIDEO LINK:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1j-fZyl38JY

I was able to attend all of the meetings with the Blaine County Commissioners concerning the stream alteration permit application for the Kilpatrick Pond area of Silver Creek by landowner Purdy and The Nature Conservancy.  Purdy's proposal was to build a temporary coffer dam across a portion of Silver Creek and divert all of the stream into an irrigation ditch. This would de-water and dry up the lower section of the pond, so that the heavy equipment could then build a new island, fill in the banks to narrow the stream, and build a new dam. Upstream of this coffer dam, water levels were to stay at a sustainable level. This was to mitigate downstream sediment transport.

The Purdy proposal was to only de-water that section of Silver Creek downstream from the temporary coffer dam, which is the construction area.

This has not happened. Other methods were used in order to divert Silver Creek into the temporary ditch lined with plastic. Unfortunately, this alternative method de-watered all of Kilpatrick Pond at once, including upstream to Kilpatrick Bridge and beyond. In fact, it has de-watered the float tube area upstream of Kilpatrick Bridge for approximately  four hundred yards. It has also drastically lowered the stream levels through the S- Bends and, more importantly, almost dried up the Lower Slough. This is a natural spring fed slough that connects to Silver Creek.  I walked the Lower Slough today and found many large trout stranded in a few deeper pockets. It appears that they will not be able to migrate back into Silver Creek. Unless there is a fish salvage conducted by the State of Idaho Fish & Game, no doubt these trout will perish.

                                                                     Lower slough

                 
                        Downstream of Kilpatrick Bridge, sediment flowing downstream. 

Because the coffer dam was not used to keep pond water levels stable while diverting Silver Creek, massive amounts of sediment have now flowed downstream. This is due to a sudden water level drop through the entire Kilpatrick Pond and bridge area, both up and downstream. The small channel that is left has carved tons of sediment out and has moved it downstream of Kilpatrick pond. The water velocity in the left over channel is fast and it continues to carve out more sediment and deepen a channel as long as the water is being diverted into the irrigation ditch. These flows could continue for weeks.

                                           Upstream of Kilpatrick Bridge, high turbidity

This just goes to show that there was not correct oversight by  permitting agencies inspectors. Its a tragic loss of habitat, namely the aquatic invertebrate populations in a large area of Silver Creek. By drying up this entire section of Silver Creek at once, most all invertebrates have certainly perished. I estimate there is only 5% of the pond area left with with water flowing through it.

                          Looking upstream of Kilpatrick Bridge towards the S-Bends

The sign below was posted after the SAP permit was issued by our Blaine County Commissioners.  The Purdy SAP is being self contracted by Purdy in partnership with TNC. TU jumped on board and appointed themselves as the overseers of this disastrous project.

                                         A self proclaimed enhancement project

A recent email from a civil engineer in Boise after viewing the photos in this post:
 

The Army Corps of Engineers should be contacted, and the EPA, State office. If one of my public works projects created turbidity like that in a surface water, there would be very stiff fines assessed to the permit holders.  Just flat crazy.

Kilpatrick Bridge/float tubing

There have been two large re-channelization projects done on Silver Creek. This has taken place downstream of "Point of Rocks" and downstream of Kilpatrick Bridge and the irrigation dam. Landowners have drastically changed the very character of this stream.  In some cases, the stream has been narrowed by up to 70%. This changes the velocity and depth of the stream and the way it fishes for the fly fisher. From my observations, there has been a significant reduction in the aquatic insect populations where the stream has been re-channelized. Both of these sections were very good fishing. One of these sections was my very favorite because of both the prolific hatches and the density of trout. When something is this fantastic, why should it be modified so drastically? The landowners and  their excavation contractors will refer to it as "restoration". I have yet too see any evidence, photos etc., that Silver Creek was, in a historical sense, different or drastically narrower, justifying this so-called restoration. There has been an incredible amount of trust put forward by state and federal permitting agencies and our elected county commissioners to allow landowners to make such drastic modifications to this world famous spring creek and public asset.

                            Long reach track hoes in the stream bed re-channelizing 

Silver Creek is considered one of America's blue-ribbon trout streams. This is because it is spring fed and has a slow-moving current.  What draws anglers from around the world are the mayfly hatches and the “Match the Hatch” style of  fly fishing Silver Creek provides. It's needless to say that the aquatic insect populations in this stream are of the utmost importance to anglers/fly tiers and are the food base for the trout. These insect populations have been jeopardized with these re-channelization/narrowing projects. Earthfill is used to narrow the stream. By covering up the stream bed with fill, large populations of aquatic insects are smothered. This is not good for the trout, anglers or the flycatcher species of birds.

What's wrong with this picture below? This section of Silver Creek below Point of Rocks now looks totally different. It was narrowed significantly. It's no longer possible to float tube and set up to cast across the stream to rising trout. It's too narrow. Now you can only cast directly downstream. If you want to move downstream to another pod of rising trout, you spook the ones closest to you and they run downstream putting all rising fish down. To try and stalk trout from a float tube in this drastically narrowed reach of Silver Creek is practically impossible.

Now, The Nature Conservancy wants to do major narrowing of Silver Creek upstream of Kilpatrick Bridge. The reason they give for this is that the stream is too wide and shallow, and there are sediment deposits in this area,  contributing to warming water temperatures. Their plan is to narrow this section upstream of Kilpatrick Bridge to the bottom of the S- bends by at least 60%.  There are sediment deposits due to the narrowness of Kilpatrick Bridge, and the wide body of water upstream, which backs up the sediment.

There has been NO documented evidence of trout mortality in the Kilpatrick Pond area of Silver Creek due to warm water temperatures. TNC has taken water temperatures in this area and claim that the trout are stressed. I have not witnessed any "stressed" trout here in the 33 years I have fished it. I have never heard from any of the other float tube regulars of stressed trout.

The float tube areas of Silver Creek are highly prized by anglers. This wide body of water can accommodate many anglers per day. It is probably one of the most revered sections of Silver Creek, and sees thousands of anglers days per season. The Kilpatrick Bridge area consistently has a high density of trout from year-to-year and stable Mayfly hatches.

I’m attaching this link to a video I made last summer in August, 200 yards upstream of Kilpatrick Bridge. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lE0TgY0yLHA

This video is shot in the exact area of Silver Creek that TNC is proposing to eliminate, and fill with both earth fill and sediment. My clients are enjoying a fabulous afternoon, fishing an intense Callibaetis hatch (Mayfly species). They are casting to dozens of Rainbow trout surface feeding on this hatch in very shallow water, eight inches or less! There are also other anglers near us fishing in float tubes as well as some ducks enjoying the wonderful bounty of this Mayfly Hatch.

At the recent hearing for the SAP permits this past March with the Blaine County Commissioners, Dana Gross from TNC stated that the only mayfly specie that populated sediment are Brown Drakes and that they were not found in the Kilpatrick bridge area. Mrs. Gross is right about the Brown Drakes not populating this area of Silver Creek. Their population is further downstream. She was suggesting that there were not many aquatic invertebrates in the Kilpatrick Pond area. Of course this is not true because this area is famous amongst anglers for its Callibaetis hatches, Tricos, Blue Wing Olives, Mahoganies, and a few Grey & Green Drakes. Oh, I forgot the midge hatches as well. There is also a heavy population of freshwater shrimp or "scuds".

See photo below of Callibaetis nymphs that I screened from a small 1' X 1' sampling area of sediment just upstream two hundred yards of Kilpatrick bridge. This is the area of stream bed the TNC is proposing to eliminate with landfill. There were also Baetis nymphs and many scuds.

Sediment deposits have collected in this area over the years. This is due to the narrowness of Kilpatrick Bridge and the downstream Purdy irrigation dam.  I, and many other anglers, have proposed to the Nature Conservancy that a perferred method would be to remove the sediment with dredging. Dredging  with a floating barge has been successful in the past on upper Stalker Creek and Loving Creek, two tributaries to Silver Creek. In both cases the same scenario exists, with dams and wider areas of water upstream.  Dredging in the Kilpatrick Bridge region could be done a little at a time, over a few years, to minimize harmful effects to the aquatic insect populations. In most areas, the sediment is a foot or two deep. All float tubing Silver Creek regulars and visitors I have spoken with would like to see this portion of Silver Creek remain intact. Dredging the sediment and removing it from the stream insures it won’t travel downstream. If The Nature Conservancy pursues their plan to drastically narrow the stream, future upstream sediment will flush through this modified reach and deposit in the next wider section immediately downstream of Kilpatrick Bridge. It will accomplish little other than to move sediment from one location to another.

Floating Dredge, depositing sediment in field

               

        

Downstream of Kilpatrick Bridge is very similar to upstream, and many anglers float tube this area each season.  Kilpatrick Bridge is one of the most heavily used public access points on Silver Creek. The Purdy plan is to build a large island in the middle of the pond, downstream of the bridge, with a channel running around each side.  In order to accomplish this, the plan is to de-water this section of Silver Creek.  To do so, a coffer dam will be built across the entire width of Silver Creek, with all water diverted into a irrigation ditch. This will allow heavy equipment to get into the streambed to build an island.  De-watering the stream will have catastrophic results for the aquatic insect populations. Would the aquatic insect populations regenerate this de-watered and disturbed stream bed area? It’s debatable.   

The Kilpatrick Pond and float tube area is a great catchment for sediment. With a little dredging maintenance, sediment can be removed.

Another problem with building a large island in Kilpatrick Pond is public access. Presently anglers can put their float tubes in at  Kilpatrick Bridge and float downstream to the irrigation dam. This is a significantly large area to fish and is shallow enough that anglers can keep their feet on the bottom and walk back up to the bridge. The land surrounding this body of water on Silver Creek is private. If this stream alteration permit is approved by the Blaine County Commissioners and the island is built, it will seriously limit the amount of water the public will be able to access and fish. The two channels around the proposed island will be too deep, with the faster velocity making it difficult, if not impossible, to navigate in a float tube back upstream to the public access point at Kilpatrick Bridge. The Purdy fishing club, which pays fees for drive-in access, will gain more water for themselves. The public will lose out on a large area of Silver Creek to float tube and fish.
We have estimated that if both of these stream alteration proposals are approved, the public will loose approximately 5 acres of fishing in the Kilpatrick Pond area. This is huge considering that Silver Creek is a relatively small stream.


This photo below from 1934 shows fishermen camping and fishing at Kilpatrick Bridge. This region of Silver Creek has been a Mecca for fisherman for a very long time. It’s a iconic recreational treasure and should stay intact.  Every day, this scene is repeated throughout the fishing season, with cars parked near Kilpatrick bridge and many anglers float tubing both up and downstream. This area of water both upstream and down of Kilpatrick bridge has changed little since this photo was taken. There were some bulrush islands in the left area of the photo which have disappeared over the years.  There are still a few of these type islands just downstream of Kilpatrick bridge.  The biggest change would be sediment deposits and these have varied greatly depending on Purdy dam construction/rebuilds and irrigation demands. If the dam is pulled apart in the autumn and water levels decreased, flows are changed and downstream sediment transport is more evident.

In February 2013, our Blaine County Commissioners granted a SAP, stream alteration permit, to Nick Purdy.  His application was to re-do a section of Silver Creek that his previous contractor had narrowed and changed just downstream of Kilpatrick Pond. His plan called for putting a new stream channel back into the area that was previously filled in with earthfill in the original stream bed. The reason Mr. Purdy gave for this alteration was that someone in his fishing club didn't like the narrowness, depth and velocity of the stream for float tubing.

Now, cattleman and rancher Nick Purdy is self contracting his own spring creek alterations on Silver Creek. He also has a SAP permit application pending for the Kilpatrick Pond. This will include the island and also extending the banks out into the pond with earthfill.

The photo below is of Silver Creek just downstream of Kilpatrick Pond and irrigation dam. The large log home in the center of photo was built in violation of TNC conservation easement. The Gazebo structure in the bottom left of photo was built a few years later and was also in violation of TNC easement. Unfortunately, TNC did not enforce their easement with the Purdys during construction. There is a boardwalk extending out from the log home to the end of the new earthfilled  bank. This area of Silver Creek was narrowed by approximately 70%. Mr. Purdy was recently granted a SAP permit by the Blaine County Commissioners to tear out this earthfill modification and put a smaller channel back into the original stream bed. The boardwalk will be removed. This will be more inline with the tastes of the fishing club member who either rents or owns this home. Wow! A select few or more like one person calling the shots on Silver Creeks design. This entire reach continuing downstream for approximately 1/2 mile has been narrowed. Very little of it is accessable to the wading fisherman any longer because of the increased depth. Although fishing from boats or rafts is not allowed by state F&G regulations, it was possible to canoe this stretch, get out of the canoe and wade fish. This is a tragic loss to the public's access rights.

Below is a photo of the new channel that was created this past March 2013 after the recent SAP permit was approved by our Blaine County  Commissioners. Note that this channel is where the old stream bed was before any of these drastic narrowing modifications took place. 

                                   Float tubing in the exact spot of the Purdy proposed island.

                      I have seen thousands of trout caught by clients here over a 33 year span!

Silver Creek is not so broken that it deserves these sort of massive re-channelization changes. It’s doing more harm than good! The public is losing vast areas of Silver Creek to fish. Miles of undercut banks have been destroyed with earthfill. For the most part, these stream alterations are being done and proposed by landowners or land  managers who don't fly fish and do not have the personal experience of spending days, months, or years enjoying this important public recreational resource.

The areas upstream and down of Kilpatrick Bridge already have wetlands associated with them, extensive bird nesting habitat in the bulrushes, and are a favorite wintering area for waterfowl. Duck hunters also prefer these areas for hunting.

Photo below is of the area TNC is planning on eliminating  with landfill. Its important winter waterfowl habitat. The Trumpeter Swans prefer this area in the winter as well.

There will be a another public hearing on both the Purdy & TNC applications for alterations to the float tube areas near Kilpatrick Bridge with our County Commissioners at the court house in Hailey. This will no doubt be the final meeting on these proposals.  You can email your concerns about these proposals to: pzcounter@co.blaine.id.us 

If the Blaine County Commissioners grant these two stream alteration permits, the public is going to lose very significant recreational resources.

Let's preserve this important public recreational treasure! Yes to dredging and removing sediment! No to Island building and reestablishing banks and narrowing the stream.