I've been fishing the skagit this winter for the first time for your hatchery steelhead. It's been an enjoyable experience so far, but how come the steelhead are so small?
We have a few rivers up here with hatchery fish, but with the extreme over crowding I hate going out. On the plus side , you can expect hatchery fish averaging between 7-15lbs and some do grow over 20lbs.
All the fish we have caught or looked at on the skagit are 5-7lbs. Why is there no larger ones? I realize the native/wild fish grow well into the 20's but these hatcheryt fish are so small, so I thought I would try and find out the reasons why. Does anybody know the reason or reasons? I am just curious.

Is there any tribal netting on the Skagit? On some rivers, such as the Green, it's only the little fish that make it through the miles and miles of nets.

I think the difference is in the breeding.

The Puget Sound rivers usually utilize an early returning stock that are primarily 2-salt (1½ really). A small percentage of them return as 3-salt fish and are 8-12 pounders.

Not sure what you use in the BC rivers but my guess is that you might possibly take eggs from the local wild fish.

RLN -- I'd be happy with a 7 pounder! This winter I've got 7 Skagit fish and they all were 4 - 6 pounds. The dollies have been running bigger than the steelhead. I think that most of these small fish originate from the Cascade hatchery. It won't be long before some of the bigger fish start to show.

Plunker.. we take eggs from only wild fish unless the run size is too small then we take them from hatchery fish.

Wolverine... what kind of boat do you have? I may have seen you out there.

rln: Do you live spawn your hatchery fish? I wish we did more of that around here. I know it is possible and even with only 50% mortality rates on spawnd out fish for their first man-helped-spawn wed would still get around 25% of these live spawned fish to return the next year, meaning bigger and more numerous. But I do know that this would cost more...

Or it could be that the fish are just geneticly bigger.

I am not positive, but I believe the skagit hatchery fish are Chambers Creek breed. They are typically a small fish and about as hatchery as fish can get.

LT

rln - are you the truck w/B.C. plates that fishes fridays?

I have a monday to friday job, so I only fished two fridays thru the x-mas period. I have been fishing weekends otherwise. You must have been there on a friday, either the 26th or the 2nd of jan.

yes, I was there the 26th.

RLN - Yeah we've probably seen each other around Rockport. Fish out of an old 17 sled with a grey Mariner on the back. Fancy its not but it does catch fish! Next time you see it give a yell.

It's called selctive breeding. They want a fish that will return early so they won't mix with the wild fish. The byproduct of this is a smaller fish. You should see the Bogachiel fish they are what I call "fun sized". The WDFW doesn't believe in brood stock for steelhead. They say it doesn't work. HMMMM

thanks for the insight. It is two different worlds when going from country to country.

JacobF hit it on the head. When the nets are in they absolutely soak up the larger fish enabling only the smaller ones to pass through. Look at the Puyallup. the typical silver caught by sport fishermen weigh in at a whopping 3 pounds. At the same time, go down river road and watch the Natives take their nets out and you'll see hundreds of fish in the 8-12 pound range. Now when the nets are out, you'll see anglers hooking much larger fish.....