Happy Thanksgiving.

When I 1st started fishing Steelhead on the Sky, Pilchuck etc long ago, Thanksgiving was always the unofficial start of winter steelhead.

We didn't have the internet, Flow Graphs (We'd call a NOAA phone # dayly to get Gauge Heights), on-line reports etc. I'd make my 1st trip to Reiter, say hi to some people I hadn't seen in a year and see what was happening.

Thanksgiving was also the day we got a look at some great information about Plants, Catch Data etc from the Everett Herald & Great Wayne Kruse. He would Rank the Top 10 Rivers in the state as far as the previous seasons catch reports. If I remember right, it was a Multi-Page section. In the 70's he would also publish a List of the biggest fish monthly. My brother got a 20+lbr one year and weighed it at Jacks in Snohomish. He caught it on the Upper Sky but had Jack report it came out of Ebey Slough.

Today I looked at the online version of the Herald. It's sad to see like so many others that it is a shell of what it was.

K&P,
Happy Thanksgiving bacatcha !

I agree, sadly- about the fall of our rivers. Same story here, just change the names of water to The Cedar, The Green, The Puyallup, the Snoqualamie, and Nisqually. Sad really, to watch the state manage Steelhead fishing out of existence in just 20 -30 years + /-. Save the wilds, kill the sport fishing, change run times, add regulations and restrictions , and close down all opportunity with one exception as directed by political and the new aged progressive ideology.

Anyways itz thanksgiving, so it’s time to figure out another way to skin the fish. So I’m looking forward to a great summer fishing season, with Pinks way high on our hit list. Can’t wait. Unless they close the sound to the 2025. Pink Fishing, then it’s back to the lakes and streams still open.

Always a cup half full, or a fisher dreaming of open waters.

Feeesh On !

The Chehalis (or Centralia) newspaper has been posting historic pictures on FB. Right now, many of them are of successful deer hunters. As a kid in Sacramento I remember the Bee having a weekly table of trout fishing in the Sierra; catches and so on. Always had stuff on the hunting and fishing seasons. I remember upon here, which started in '72, that OD was big deal whether trout or deer/elk or birds. Lots of articles and pictures. Now, nothing.

The past sure seems like a long time ago now. Your post reminded me of the good times we had, but sadly, those days are long gone. If Steelhead fishing ever returns to what it was, it will never be the same with the increased population we have here in Washington State.

I learned how to fish for Steelhead on the Nisqually in the early 80s. Back then, a typical trip from mid-February to early April would result in hooking three or four fish and almost always bringing at least one wild fish home. The limit was two wild fish, and more often than not, the river was all mine to enjoy below the tank crossing. There were very few other sportsmen around, until WDFW decided to publicize the river through newspapers and fishing magazines, bringing much more traffic and pressure to the fishery.

How good was the fishing? Pretty damn good most of the time. In early January and February, the river would be packed with Chum. We’d complain about hooking so many Chum while we were trying to target Steelhead. It wasn’t unusual to hook Chum one after another, and the river would stink of rotten carcasses. Dead fish would line the banks and it was impossible not to step on them as you fished. Your Thanksgiving post took me back to a float we did during the Thanksgiving holiday many years ago. We floated from the tank crossing bridge to the handicap access bar, and there was several tribal members fishing that day, getting a good number of early Steelhead. We even managed to hook and land one ourselves—again, this was in November!

Another trip that comes to mind was when I was fishing a big gravel bar above Clear Creek. I made three casts for one chrome bright Steelhead, one with a red strip and one which was spawned out. That type of fishing, those experiences, are something I highly doubt I will ever see or witness again in Washington State.

Now, I no longer own any drift boats or sleds, and I haven’t even bought a fishing license for five or six years.

It’s good to reminisce about the good old days, but it's also a reminder of how drastically it has changed and in such a very short period of time.

The problem with being around for a while is the changes you see. To me, on the positive side, we have a fair number of watersheds, like Nisqually, the north coast rivers, the Elwha and maybe some others that are in relatively good shape and most seem well protected.

As such, we can't blame extreme habitat loss or hydro for the declines. We have a pretty good idea of the fish populations they need. I think we pretty much know but aren't willing to act.

I will add, too, that the Nisqually for quite a few years had a reasonably large commercial in-river fishery for chum and still had one of the best wild steelhead runs in PS.

The Nisqually tribe just announced they’ll be fishing for chums starting today through Tuesday. They mentioned it is the first time in nine years they’ve targeted chums starting. We used to some super bright chums out of there while fishing for steelhead. Not the colored up fish like you see in most fall chum fishing.
Lots of chums everywhere this year. It will be interesting to see if they open it for sport angling. I’d doubt it.
SF

The Nisqually has Winter Chum, the latest run in the Sound. They really don't even show up in-Sound until early December. They are also, at least anecdotally, larger than the run of the mill Summer or Fall fish. One of my former bosses, while sampling fish at a buyer's, saw two Nisqually fish that were 56 pounds for the pair.

Probably larger due to more ocean time. Glad that they are back to reasonable abundance levels. Back in my day they were a very valuable commercial and sport species.

The last few years the Nisqually was open for chums, it seemed like the run timing sort of shifted earlier. We'd start seeing good numbers of fish in November but then everything would peter out in December, usually following up with a closure. I'd heard that explained away as the seiners up north pounding on the run, which I don't have a lot of proof of (sort of like "well, they're just late this year").

Used to look forward to Christmas break every year when I was growing up to fish down there, not a ton of people and lots of fish. It was a much different place in the '90s for sure.

It was what seemed like a long time ago but by WA state law the NI fleets is shut down November 30. In rare exceptions they have gone into December. IF it was a northern commercial fishery that got them it would shift the run later.

Ahh the Nisqually memories. I never started fishing it until April after the Puyallup closed. Not much of a boater back then, I liked best to bank drift fish above the powerhouse on the Fort Lewis side. No bobbers back then. Had to register with the Fort for access, and had to call into the range center to enter the East Gate entrance (No gate back then). If they were lobbing bombs you didn't get access. When CCL was generating the river would drop significantly between above McKenna at the diversion, and the powerhouse. In Fort Lewis, I would drive up along the river as far as you could and fish down on some great water when it was low. Was a pretty little apple orchard there. Also hiked and bank fished McKenna down. Floated from Combat City down to the Tank Crossing a few times but never liked the water below the powerhouse. I always wanted to, but never did float from Mckenna down to Combat City out of fear of a really bad stretch in the canyon. Heard if you didn't float with someone that knew it, to stay away. I remember often seeing a guy in a blue Lavro w/ curley blonde hair and his buddy floating it. I think he was a guide later? Anyway lots of brute nates around in April to C&R on. Miss those days. But can't take away the memories.

Used to live in Evergreen Valley, which is just south of Lake St. Clair and abuts the fort. Used to run on the roads there. Really nice loop, almost never ran into anybody. Then I needed to call and get approval and then we moved.

Had a friend who did spawner surveyed for salmon on the fort and every once in a while found a live round in the stream.

Forgot to mention many a Apache Helicopter gunships flying at tree top level along the river while fishing. Never hear them coming until they are on top of you. Quite the rush!

Anyone remember the returns on the Puyallup in 1985, if I recall correctly. Crazy good fishing with a huge return. It was never like that again after that. I think the last year they planted it, they got like nine fish back to the hatchery or something like that.

@RUNnGUN I remember those copters. I had a range pass one day and encountered some soldiers in camo hiding in the bushes. I thought they had screwed up by issuing a pass that day, but I never was told to leave so I just kept fishing.

The other thing I really miss is winter blackmouth fishing. That provided a ton of fun both from our boat and shore.
SF

The Puyallup return in 84-85 was off the charts. The stars aligned that season and state wide saw huge returns. I remember something like 10,000 steelhead were caught that season placing the Puyallup catch at #1 in the state over the Cowlitz. The total run must have been double that? I caught and released over 100 that season, just out of the Puyallup. Soo glad I got that opportunity! We also had a boat dry docked at Narrows Marina back in the 80's. Blackmouth were thick in the So Sound then. Mooched with herring produced limits whenever you could get out. Thanks for the memories, that's all we got left!

RnG,

I never did fish the Puyallup back then, but I did fish the Carbon in the 70's. I'm trying to remember what year it was that I had such a great year on the Wynoochee and Satsop. It seemed like '87 but I could be wrong about that. Steelhead everywhere, especially on th O.P. big streams. What's your theory about the demise?

Overfishing is the big thing.

First, too many salmon are harvested so fewer spawn. We need significantly more spawners to feed the streams. Overfishing the food fish so there is less to eat. Destruction of the preferred food for predators, so the switch to salmon and steelhead.

Steelhead are overfished in a couple of ways, Too many are killed because managers do not factor in the need for repeat spawners. When you kill a fish this year you have also killed a fractional fish (with significantly more eggs) in succeeding years. C&R is stressing fish and if steelhead are like Atlantic Salmon, C&R'd fish produce fewer smolts.

And channelling my inner Canadian (Bob Hooton) the increase in the use of boats, especially increased access, has removed refuges that previously gave fish a break. If 50 years ago you were able top access 25% of the water, from the bank, and now you can do 90% it simply exposes more fish to kill/stress.

Lastly, there are simply too many of us trying to live on this little blue ball.

Maybe it should be steelhead were overfished at one time.
With the lack of recreational opportunity now and the tribes not fishing for them on many Puget Sound systems, overfishing doesn't seem to be the case today. There hasn't been a recreational season on the Nisqually since 1993. So much for the theory that some want. If you shut it down the fish will come back. 31 years and counting.......

The marine environment is certainly an issue. Its interesting ever year to watch the results of the Survive the Sound event put on by Long Live the Kings.
SF

My uncle started me out steel heading on the green back in the late 60's and it was always crowded. Then in the early 70's started going on the cowlitz and chehalis and really found out what big kings are. Sad it just a memory but still fond of them and my uncles.

And yes the marine enviroment is a big key. Started black mouth fishing in the early 80's and at that time point defiance did hold a good number of fish but now with the way its been shut down I quit going. And even in elliot bay.

Got me thinking? My theory? I'm no scientist but have observed lots over the years. I think the demise is a bunch of stuff all at once. I killed many. I'm as guilty as anyone for killing wilds back then. It's what you did? I guess anglers have to progress slowly to learn and accept total C&R. That's what happened to me.
Ocean conditions must be a factor, because the whole west coast has had survival issues even with some great habitat available. Pop growth and the pollution that comes with it doesn't help.
Netting. Since 1974. Most early wild runs are gone because tribal commercial fisheries focused on the early returning hatchery fish and netted out the early wild strains. Steelhead cannot take commercial fisheries! I think the early hatchery fish do less damage than some spout. I think co-mingling has occurred, but not at the levels some promote. IMO the early Chambers fish were early enough to not threaten the later wilds, but provided great opportunity before Christmas. Today, state wide, very few of those early hatchery fish are available to target.
Predators. With all the above going on at the same time, the predators populations began to increase. I never saw Cormorants back in the 70's and 80's in the rivers like you see now. Same for seals. I do remember a seal made it up the Puyallup in the early 90's as far as the island below the Hwy 162 bridge outside of Sumner. It didn't last long there. Also, I watch to this day every spring, during the outward smolt migration, flocks of Cormorants that work the lower Puyallup and Green. They are not eating candy?
Cost. Hatchery Steelhead are expensive to raise. WDFW cost cutting, hatchery closures and terminated programs, has made less hatchery fish available, placing double pressure on the few programs that remain. These days it's tough to get a return on your investment. I do think the overall economics of fishing adds more $$ to the economy than folks think. Trying to educate state legislators about that is another story. Their priorities are in different places. WDFW has changed it's recreational management focus from a consumptive approach to the opposite. Nothing wrong with conservation, but currently the pendulum is way to far that direction. The WDFW "Dysfunction Report" that recently came out proves that! Steelheaders have always been a small but special part of the fishing community. Back when, in the WDG, employees were fishermen. They had a stake in producing Steelhead because they fished for them. I knew a few of them that fished and enjoyed Winter Steelhead. The populations that have come here the last 40 yrs care little about fishing, and the WDFW employees are not engaged in it like they used to be.
Instead of writing this, I should be fishing on a run of what's left of early Winter Steelhead. I have hope this season Steelhead numbers may follow better ocean conditions and some good salmon returns. I had fishing plans this week but mother nature put the kibosh on that. Not into the off work Christmas crowds. Maybe hit a small stream if a rain break happens. One thing for sure, Steelheading as we knew it is gone. Good Luck!