No biggie Gooose. You's be a down and happenin dood, far as we's concerned brah. Hey, "Gooose Down"! Good name idea for a regular scheduled chat session or fishing info column, ay?

Oh ya, I forgot in that last post to mention that not only the big WA & OR newspapers add fishing pressure to some areas, but so do some mags. I seldom see any true zipper river info in STS anymore. But they have over 100,000 subscriptions and 10's of thousands sold on magzine racks all over the NW. I don't know how many F&H News mags are sold or how many NW Fishing News mags are sold. But if you really want to do something about thwarting sensative zipper river info, write letters to the big newspapers and mags. There just isn't a high percentage of fishermen that are tuning into these BBs to get any panties in a bunch over.

GUYS
A secret is not a secret unless somebody wants to know it.A zipperlip is not a....

There are only a few members that can say they have an entire river as a zlip,if any.We do have little bits and pieces of the sytems that we consider sacred.

I personaly add natural bariers to my sacred water,I have found that they allow me a little more freedom with those sacred spots.

One of the biggest pieces of a zlip is not the river but the timing of the run in that river.There is not a river in the state that is not mapped and discussed in one of the many scources {books,maps,magazines,fishing clubs,internet and fellow fisherpeople.}So finding the river is the easy part.What you do not find so easy to find is the run timming.To find the run timming on a system takes a couple of seasons to figure out and verify,at least.There is no way around that.I have spent untold months at a time fishing smaller water not catching anything to discover the magical run timing.My wife cracks me up when she complains that I out fish her.She gets to go at the peak of all my magic times and almost always catches something because of this.I just might catch one more than her.What she refuses to put into the picture is the HUNDREDS of trips where I catch no fish but I learn something...

So finding a zlip as described above has taken many of us a lot of work.It is a right of passage to the obsessed amongst us and the thought of that passage being violated scares us.

I do discuss some of my spots with people I meet on the river because I can evaluate who I am giving the info to.When I evaluate I wonder if he is as obsessed as I am,is he somebody I would want to run into again on the river,possibly on my zlipp,does this person like fishing or catching...DOES THIS PERSON HAVE SOME SPIDER MAN IN HIM? I guess it boils down to will this person appreciate the info?By appreciate I do not mean a thank you,but get a warm fuzzy feeling from knowing that I just pointed him/her towards a spot that I love and know dearly.The few that do take me seriosly usually get there and probably think I am a the biggest idiot that ever fished as they look down into a a seemingly unpassable gorge!

Don't believe me?Here is a hint...shhhh

RIVER: SF Skokomish river
TIMING: June-Jully
TARGET: Summer run steel
SPECIFICS: At the corner of Flat cr. and the s. fork of the skoke.
REQUEST: Email me if you get there uninjured and enjoy.If so maybe we should become fishing partners!

How about we change zipper lip to uncrowded. I've fished the Cowlitz when there have been lots of fish, but only 3 boats. Comments from the other boats. "I hope it's a while for the word gets out, this sure is nice!" ET, tell your wife your going to take the kids fishing with you, see how much she complains. I used to take them to the river with me all the time, diapers included. Me, I'm like Gooose, I've worked hard to find fish and I don't like fishing in crowds.

Fishhead5

AUNTYM,
See what ya get for being an all around favorite around here!!

I cant speak for anyone else but I get the most satisfaction out of catching fish when I crack the puzzle. Not when someone tells me where to go and what to use! Thats what makes salmon and steelhead so fun, the challenge! I'm all for sharing techs, but not about sharing where to fish even if it is the heavily fish sky or nooch. Cause "BOAT TRAFFIC SUCKS"!!!!!!!!! Some people will share info other will whore it! I quess I'm right in the middle, but you can count on no report if we just caught 10 plus steelies in a day. I'm with FH5 on this one!!!!!!!

B M,
You are not the only one!That is what drives me on all those trips when I get to experience the learning side to our wonderfull sport.As sick is it may sound the more challenging the learning curve on a run the better!

ET,

The info shared by 4salt and others on that spot was what I call a "mass market" fishing zone. I call "no foul." You know that there will be lots of folks, and basically you will have an equal chance at the fish. Sekiu is the same way, also Lake Washington sockeye. I couldn't care less if there were 100 more boats there, I would still catch fish, and I would gladly help anyone who wasn't.

Some of these little streams just cant take the pressure of 100 more folks. Some of these places are so small, you can spit across them from bank to bank.

The Washington Atlas and Gazetteer is an excellent book of maps of the state that will show you about 95% of the info you need to know to find some little rivers and streams that hold fish. Had mine for amost 20 years, and it looks it. Get one, a tank of gas, some junk food and have some fun. Best of luck>

Sounds like this thread is all about secrets places no one likes to give out. I agree up to an extent. My fishing expeditions consist mainly salt water so having to tell people what area I got the fish from is fine by me, especially when you get back to the boat launch and Slim has to ask all the bio's, time started, time quit, etc., but I do fish rivers for fillers and understand some of the hush-hush. Course in any type of fishing, it's not what you use but "HOW YOU USE IT". Never fails when you pop fish out of a spot and nobody is around for hundreds of feet, then pretty soon you have people trying to fish the same piece of realty or water. Good-gracious, have a clue!!!! Some people don't know how to read the water, which is probably 80% of what gets fish, or don't know how to fish the tide rips. Ever watch the person knocking-em dead on fish and your using the same set up and color but ain't getting sh!t? TECHNIQUE, TECHNIQUE, TECHNIQUE. That's why everyone can post what they've used to entice the fish to bite, but exactly where and how to, well, that's where the fun begins. Gratification of figuring out how makes it all worth the while. The real secret I'd really like to know is what kinda beer gooose drinks during and after a good day of fish'n. I think that's what makes a day of fishing successful.

"I FISH THEREFORE I LIE"

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"DO THE WILD THANG"