RUNnGUN-
Collecting the kinds of information we all would like to see on the success or failure of wild brood stock is expensive to get. The best information would be reliable information on contribution to the catch (creel census) and escapement (hatchery rack and wild spawning counts).

I have not seen that sort of complete information anywhere. The best info I have seen was on the Sol Duc where the guides had an early return wild broodstock. In the first 8 years or so of that program the State had a full-blown creel census on the recreational fishery and the tribal catches were also monitored. At that time the normal early timed hatchery fish and those brood stocks had different catches. With that information it was possible to compare the contribution of those wild broodstock to the fisheries (recreational and tribal) and the contribution of the normal early timed hatchery fish (Chambers). Return rate to those catches were consistently higher for those early timed fish than that of the wild broodstock.

Curt

Oregon has had some lawsuits filed by the Wild Fish Society.

Back a number of years ago, the Puyallup tribe started a steelhead broodstock program. I wonder if that is still going? If I recall correctly, it was based off of fish returning to the White / Stuck.
SF

1,099 fish back to the Skook based on todays escapement report.
Lake fishing for hatchery steelhead doesn't sound all that thrilling.
SF

Stone, It isn't.

I won’t be partaking…..
SF

I won't be partaking either. Been there done that.

I've never seriously targeted them, but you see them swimming around aimlessly, right next to the bank, almost as if to say, "Where and why the heck am I?" Depresses me, frankly.

And no, they don't bite particularly well in my experience, though I have heard some accounts of good action, so I guess it's possible. I'll never know, I guess, because there's just something that feels very wrong about fishing steelhead in lakes....

In working with wild steelhead in creeks, the male kelts kept looking for females to spawn with. Sometimes even into late summer. The females, on the other hand, went immediately back to feeding as they moved downstream. If the what WDFW plants is mostly male they'll most likely not be too aggressive for food.

I fished Vance Creek pond in Elma and Lake Sylvia in Montesano a couple of years ago after they had been stocked with adult winter steelies. I hooked and landed a couple of fish in Vance. The first time I went I caught a 12 lb bright hatchery hen who had loose eggs that were dropping out of her in the boat. The second time I went a week later and caught a 8 lb colored buck who was extruding sperm and lost another fish. They had been planted very recently before my trips. Some jumpers and other fish observed in the shallows going through the redd digging motions. Never caught another fish the rest of that year and none is six trips the following year. The fish I caught were hooked trolling a small homemade spinner. I know a couple of guys who fish out of a drift boat and they hooked a couple trolling small plugs. I went to Sylvia once after it was planted and and all the fish were down by the dam with their noses pressed against the dam trying to get out. Boats and bank anglers were fishing all day and not a fish was hooked. I never went back to either lake again. Too much effort with very little return. The fish seem to deteriorate quickly in the lake environment. Not very aggressive and lots of fungus covered fish quickly.

I recall one spring when the steelhead were kelting out during a Carpenter Ant emergence. One female in particular was gorging on them. She was spawned out but her belly was already firm and tight and she was rather bright. I have often thought that dry fly fishing in May or even June for some of the kelts would actually be interesting. Especially of they are actively eating and recovering. Conservation wise probably not a good idea, but I'd bet a nice bright hen sucking down that dry would raise the pulse.