10/19/2021

Saturday to Monday, 10/15/2021 - 10/18/2021, quite a few fish moved past South Monty. LOTS of wild fish, being caught and released above South Montesano, NOT MANY HATCHERY!!!!!

Sure would like to see the H vs. W in the 2 reported QIN nettings, this season.

I'm thinking the weekend fishermen, will be looking at lots of muddy waters, also hope the Willis property, lower Satsop, stabilizes.

I recall on winter when we had lots of rain, like 40 days and 40 nights, but never a huge amount at once. The streams got high, but not really ever flooded except in the first pulse. Other wise just high (higher than normal) and actually ran reasonably clear. Did a lot of habitat restoration, gravel moving, and such. Maybe we get something like that. Not really good for stream fishing, but cleans up the channels.

This is a double of a post to help keep folks up to date so to speak. Keeping in mind the QIN started on a different week this is this years forecast last years seasons. The only difference is the 3 weeks fished being set back 7 days which does make a difference. So view this as a general look at things so far.

Talking last set only using this years modeled harvest, Coho catch massively over performed. Chinook were just opposite and catch was well below anticipated. The opposite of Chinook and Coho coming early with the rain Chum are an absolute no show which means they are late as the numbers cannot get that way.

Also the total numbers I have modeled are off due to this years season being a one week set back. That said the Nations Coho numbers are about 1300 above estimate. Chinook 235 is 200 and change over, and Chum 377 is way below 5683 anticipated harvest.

OK folks heads up the NT Commercials start a 3 day set at 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM each day.

10/25/2021


Aberdeen area....Heavy rains started around 3:30 a m. I'm thinking this is the rain and wind that's been in the forecast, if so fish will be long gone before the Chehalis is fishable again.

Word was "Satsop above highway launch", was fishable Sunday morning BUT the Chehalis was getting mud, tells me that the "Willis property" is getting eaten away. Rain in next few days will make "the big October Brown out"...

From my e mail some of you folks pay attention I see. So in red the Nation and NT Commercial seasons. You see they are both scheduled for the same days and the GH Policy requirement of 3 net free days comes into play only on the states side. So the Nation fisheries past practice is the state doesn't fish the NT Commercial. Then with the Nation doing those days the state side does not have any days available to comply with 3 net free days required by the GH Policy.

Nope I do nor know how it will work out but staff has always complied with the policy so ............................

Tribal Net Schedule Chehalis

Stat Week Set In Pull Out
40 Sun. Sept. 26 Tues. Sept. 28
41 Sun. Oct. 3 Tues. Oct. 5
42 Sun. Oct. 10 Tues. Oct. 12
43 Closed Closed
44 Closed Closed
45 Sun. Oct. 31 Thur. Nov. 4
46 Sun. Nov. 7 Wed. Nov. 10
47 Sun. Nov. 14 Wed. Nov. 17


NT Commercial Schedule Chehalis

Area 2A and 2D: • Live box use REQUIRED for All wild (unmarked) Chinook and All Steelhead.
• Soak times must not exceed 45 minutes.
• Notice of Intent to fish any of the days in the 2021 fisheries is REQUIRED by 5 pm (Noon), October 11, 2021.
Date and Time Area Miscellaneous requirements and gear restrictions:
7:00 AM through 7:00 PM Oct. 25, 2021
7:00 AM through 7:00 PM Oct. 26, 2021
7:00 AM through 7:00 PM Oct. 27, 2021
Noon through 11:59 PM Nov. 02, 2021
AND
7:00 AM through 7:00 PM Nov. 03, 2021.

Dave,
When the state set up the NI netting schedule, it looks like they thought the QIN would only fish from noon Oct.31- noon Nov.2 since they had the NI netters going back in on noon on Nov. 2. instead of 7 am on Nov. 2. Was there a miscommunication between the State and the QIN?

I think the Nation had more than one option of dates in the mix and took the one we see. It would appear your right I think but then we are guessing. That said damn good guess I think but I do not think miscommunication rather like two bulls butting heads.

I have been told that the NT Commercial set Monday and Tuesday was not red hot in fact some pulled out early Tuesday. I watched Tuesday morning two boats three drifts each and the nets came up empty but the Sea Lions were getting them. In fact I watched 3 or 4 just from behind Staples but was told it was worse other places. As strange as it sounds I think we are at a point that the amount of fish taken ( Chinook in particular ) by Sea Lions is going cause the model to be way off being accurate for escapement.

i fished monday night over by the old price plus... i saw alot of fish being taken by the netters.. and i mean alot.. the one pull the guy had over 50 fish that i counted.. and the other boat when he pulled he had over 30 it one set that i counted.. so im sure they did very good.

Yup but it was Tuesday that went South and some pulled around noon. It has been more than a little strange year.

https://wdfw.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2021-10/weekly_escapement_10-21-2021.pdf

This last Fridays rack reports for the hatcheries. Scroll down and find Bingham, Mayr, and Satsop Springs and the numbers are still low. Have wait to see what shows this week with the blow out.

Something has to be off with those satsop numbers. They must not have counted many because there were thousands and thousands of fish that pushed through since the last week of September. Fish movement like I’ve never seen on the satsop, 25 years fishing it and it’s never been so good. (Especially before the first of October, the amount of fish moving up a riffle in one push were groups of 50-100 all day for 2 days straight).

Makes you wonder why the hatchery counts are so low.

They count what is in the pond. Fish still in the river aren't part of the count.

A couple good days fishing doesn't paint a accurate image of run size. Cmon man

I'd bet a bottle of Barrel whiskey that this won't be a "for the record books" kinda run given the 25 history.

A couple good days? Try 4 weeks. 2 weeks of that was absolutely insane. I’ve spent more time on that river than 99% of people…it’s more than “oh man, I hooked 40-50 on the satsop last week” kind of thing. The sheer volume of fish moving through the river for a sustained amount of time; I’ve never seen that.

What was the year? 13? We had that “pumper” crop of fish? This is better.

The B run may not show up. That’s a real possibility. We’ll see. I did already see a 20+ coho caught before the rain. Probably just a big A run fish. But next week will determine if it was just a fluke or not. Right now, based on what I saw the last month…this is a huge run of fish.

they might have the gate closed for some reason.. and are only taking so many fish at a time into the hatchery..

That’s my thought. Maybe the opened, took some fish in and closed it. Or they are guessing 800 (combined hatchery and wild) is a pretty round number don't ya think! Most of the time it 792.806 or something like that. Rarely is it an exact number like 800. Maybe they are understaffed?

You estimate the number of fish in the pond as "on hand " but the number of spawned or surplused is accurate as they have to handle each fish.

Bingham has been known to keep the trap closed early in the year and the fish stay in the river as it is a better way to hold the fish. I got two hatchery hens last week and both had skeins around 1 to 1 1/4 inches in diameter. Way off being ready to spawn.

Ok, that makes sense. Thanks.

Today's escapement report shows a big surge in numbers from previous. Total for the three stations is about 7600 which is significantly higher than the counts for a similar date in 2017-2020. Not up to the 24,600 in 2014 though.