Well now that many of the streams across the state have closed, I'd be interested in knowing how things were fishing recently in comparison to past years across the state. Since your replies won't attract a crowd to your river (if it's an itsy-bitsy one, please don't mention name) as they're closed now ... please chime in.

Curious, because most coastal areas seem to be seeing a significant decrease in the number of fish that we currently have around versus recent years ... we can hope for the fish's future as well as our angling efforts that this will change soon

This is also perhaps a little prelude to the polling feature that I'll have available on the site in the next couple of days!

My OP experience was quite fruitless and puzzling on Thurs.? After that last high water it should have been smokin!

FJ...out.

Oh by the way...welcome home!

FJ...out.

My local river, the Puy/Carbon was doing great early in the year. After the floods/pinapple express it died off. I am 0 for 6 trips fishing it for nates. However I've done well bank fishing rivers in the Chehalis system. I have a trip booked for the Forks area over Easter weekend so I hope that the fish are going to show late......

Lewis, North and East Forks --- Fabulous for hatchery, slow so far for natives.

I fished the Sky 3 times this last week and hooked fish every time. Couldn't land any but I was able to hook them.

Just a little update from South of the border. The Sandy River has been fabulous. Lots of fish ever since the first week on December. Never really a die off regarding availability. Unspawned hatchery fish were still being caught last week. The hatchery fish did run on the small side(predominantly two salt fish). I hope this means a good return of three salt hatchery fish next year. Natives have been available in some numbers throughout the season but has really picked up the last few weeks. Lots of big three salt natives in the 20 pound class. Summer steelhead have begun to enter the system.
Banner year so far. Bring on the springers.

Hi Bob. I read your post about your trip to the Olympics with Corey. Glad to hear you had a good one. If Vancouver does get the bid for 2010 it will be a definite 'must go'! I've heard if they do get it, they are considering widening the inlet road up to Whistler. I've only been there once and it's a beautiful area! I hope that wouldn't change it too much. ...

I haven't been fishing much lately, but we had one good trip on the Siletz and two slow ones near Tillamook recently. Last year we had a great return of nates to the north coast rivers, having many double figure days. Not happening so far this season, but it's still early for the main push of late native steelhead. But more often than not, when runs are late they usually turn out below expectations. No good reasons for it either. Good ocean conditions and no netting on our coastal rivers. It's good to hear the NF and Sandy fishers are doing well. ... This spring though I'm going after the big springer run more often than the solitude of great nate C&R'ing like last season - want to get some brat slabs in the freezer . Rich G posted a couple weeks back, while you were off to Salt Lake, about lower returns on his favorite outer OP spots. I hope it's a temporary lull and they get going soon. Take care.

Steve

Fishin jan dec was as good as it gets east of ya but the last two freshets did not seem to bring any fresh fish.Ended the season with a dark 10# buck but in previos 5 trips after pineaple express could not find a single fresh fish???

It was a great year on the Puyallup/Carbon rivers. Fishing for natives was just getting going on Wednesday & Thursday before they closed this system. Before the last high water there were good numbers of chrome natives around, more than in most recent years. We made one trip out to the Hoh so far which was quite successful(see "One beautiful fish!!" post by Sparkey).

With all honesty for the Quileute System it is the worst I have seen in my entire life. Our early Dec nates made a better showing than in past years but it has been all down hill since then.

Its not just that we arnt catching many its that there arnt many. The tribe hasnt been getting many either and if they arent there arnt many fish. In recent weeks ive heard the netts have taken less then 70 fish some weeks. For an entire week.

We have had the conditions to bring the fish in so they should'nt be waiting at the mouth, low water isnt an issue. We have had perfect conditions for the fish to come and they just havent come.

For me to believe they are late, (which I dont think they are), we would have to see a massive influx of fish very soon Im talking thousands in a period of a few days.

I gues they could be late but if you ask me its too late for them to be late. But I gues as the run continues to get smaller and smaller the bulk of the run comes in a smaller amount of time. Maybe thats what is happening?

Rich bob,
I just got hiking the upper section of the sol duc.From the bridge below Klohoya down well past eagle springs.Not even a maybe, nothing at all.I was tossing gold and silver 1\3 ounce ltlcleo's.I should of found something?!I am starting to get scared myself!

Hi bob,
befor the last high water and befor the state shut us down the Nooksack was showing fair to excellent #'s of fish at times we were landing 4 to 6 fish per boat a day and 80% of the fish were Natives. I was told be the head Bio's for this river that they don't feel that alot of fish being caught by fisherman relates to alot of fish in the system. How do you feel about this theroy.

Best Steelhead season I've had in the last 10-15 years. I don't get out much with three young boys and with the wife working...school, sports, changing diapers, etc....but when I managed to get out I had some killer days. For about 10 trips I managed 19 landed and then again that many lost. I've heard of some of you having single days like that but for me this was great. I fish the lower Columbia tribs on the Oregon side most often.

I even managed to tag my first ever fin-clipped (when the river is open) Springer back on the 19th of February. The fishin' bug is biting me hard this year. My wife isn't liking it to much either.

The lower oly pen is slow. I fished a river yesterday and my boat got one(my buddy got it only 5lbs). Out of talking to 6 other boats they didn't touch a thing. The river was pretty clouded up with only 8"-1ft visibility. It should of been awsome just a little too dirty.
Glad you had a safe trip.

The last couple weeks have been good for the Tillamook area on the north coast of Oregon. Had multiple hook ups each trip out with about half the native fish pushing 12 pounds. It looks to be on par compared to previous years.

Mark

Geeez MA, you must be getting lonely fishing down there. Your post should help with that though. Ok, the Tillamook River south of the Trask is slow - the locals know why it's now always slow. And for anglers not knowing those area rivers well, you will have to look around a lot for the fish. If you look hard enough you can find a few holes with lots of fish in them; but more holes with none in them. This is the current case on the upper Trask system, much of the Wilson, and on the lower half of the reachable holes of the Kilchis there are loads of fish. That river is smaller than the other two though, and rain this week should help get them moving to more areas of the stream; as well as helping prevent scaring them out of the 'air' clear holes, even when a small cork float drifts slowly overhead from a cast far above the fish (in the afternoons anyway, they may have been harrassed the first half of the day - a number of guys know about them in there). Get after 'em all you guys. ... I will be out sled fishing on 350,000 delicious springers.

Well,as far as this steelhead season goes it's been the best since the early "90"'s when I used to live at blue creek.As far as "nates" go I've
hooked and landed & released more this year then in previous year's.I've only been fishin the four
south O.P. river's by drift boat.I'm the typical
week end warrior.I've fished eleven day's total
and have hooked 29 and landed 22,this may not sound like awesome fishin number's to you but they work just fine for me and my situation,being
a family man with 2 daughters and a great wife.It
averages out to 2 fish per trip.Good luck,
STRIKE ZONE