So what happens to the Salmon that can't get into penninsula rivers right now. If it doesn't rain for another month, do they attempt to spawn and die in the salt?

I'm definitely no expert in this matter but the low waters will not stop these determined creatures from their mission. It definitely puts them off the bite and makes them easy to snag though. Went scouting just above tidewater on a zipper OP river and was happy to see 100+ silvers and a few maanster kings pushing up through a riffle on the heels of the freshet just before dark Saturday.

I too was on a few zipperlips on the OP this weekend. I saw lots of dark coho, and a few bright boys. What scared me though was that there seemed to be the same schools of dark coho in the same holes day after day. They just seemed to mill around the whole day, not even moving up out of the hole when a boat or bankie stirred them up. It is pretty cool to see them cause a wake as they move around though. Nature is awesome!

Hey Kyle ... most will spawn eventually if they're not picked off by nets (read Quileutes) or drug around to death by snaggers (the game warden had a number of stories of this to pass my way today during our conversation).

Many will likely spawn in areas where they may not have intended though ... I've been seeing some spawning activity in the lower Hoh as well as a few redds in the bottom of the Sol Duc today. Not unusual in itself, but usally, we don't see this until later one. I'm making a semi-educated guess that some of the fish that would have gone further upstream had the conditions not been the way they are.

One thing I'm afraid of is that the water is slow low that these fall are all spawning in midchannel right now, and should we have a high water on the heels of this, many of the redds will be scoured.

Send rain please!!

That was my worry.My hike above the canyon on the Hoh showed me a few reds,all midchannel,didn't figure they stood much of a chance.