Back in October, I told you about the new spawning riffle that had just been built on the American River just below the Nimbus Fish Hatchery…well, I finally got around to checking back on the thing a few days before the Super Bowl to see how the fish were liking their new home.
Judging by the sign above, some of the precious few Chinook we had up the river in the fall of 2008 found it to their liking. I actually saw a few kings still hanging around on the riffle in late January, in addition to a good number of steelies that were sitting on redds — particularly on the leading edge of the new riffle.
Quality spawning gravel is in short supply on the American, so it was good to see a bunch of fish on beds in the restored area.
Here’s what the riffle looked like just days after it was installed:
To refresh your memory on the whole story, you can see my original post HERE
