Daughter and I just went over to the mouth of the Baker. Folks camping out on the W. bank, Game Warden and local P.D. hanging out on the E. bank.

Lots of fish in the river..must have just blasted right up to the mouth as we sure haven't seen any jumping out back..but they are at the mouth!

Game Warden says they will have added enforcement on for the weekend...snaggers will get cited. P.D. there to watch the drinking and "bad attitudes".

Poaching has already started..couple people on the N. bank across from the house plunking right now with sand shrimp. Going to get busted, for sure. (that'll learn 'em!)

Combat fishing is the order of the day tomorrow..beginning at 4:15 am. Ought to be fun to watch.

Mike

Showing their odd sense of humor, the Baker River was shut down at midnight..and from what I have heard if the Baker is not running the fish don't bite.

Whole river was dropped almost 4 ft. overnight...coming back up now, as they turned the Baker back on at about 8. I'm sure that made the crowds over at the mouth, happy.

Think I'll wander over to the N bank tonight and give this fishery a try...never caught a Sockeye...but what the heck, it looks like fun!

Mike

Hey mike I was going to head up there this afternoon does it look like there is a lot of people over there.

I can't see the mouth of the Baker from the house, so can't say if its loaded with people or not. My guess is there is standing room only. If you don't like crowds, that is not the place to be.

Your best bet, if your patient and want to avoid the crowds, is to walk back through Ten Acres and fish the waters leading to the mouth. Seen one fellow over there this AM, plunking a pink sand shrimp..had his little one in the car so only stayed about 1/2 hr. Didn't see him catch anything. You can start fishing at about 4:20 AM.

Drop me a PM if your heading out this way.

Mike

Forgot about it!
Have to take some pic's of the *** animals at work!

Thanks for status updates, Mike.
It going to be an experience for me to witness this combat fishery on Saturday and Sunday.

So, any reports from the weekend sockeye party up there in Concrete?

I'm thinking of heading up there this weekend.

I'm in new to the area, and have fished the upper skagit a few times, and would like to try and catch one of these sockeye. What kind of set up do you recommend?

What to use?

Ya got me! I spent all afternoon today "trying" to get one of these fish to BITE...something...nada, zilch, bupkis, zero.

Had fish (dozens and dozens) rolling 15 yds out in front of me all afternoon, weighing (my guess since I never caught one) 5-10 lbs..some small, some big.

Wouldn't touch a thing..sand shrimp, shrimp, pink yarn and corkie with scent & w/o scent. Plunked a bare red hook out there with a tad of pink yarn..still nothing.

I could easily have tossed any spoon, spinner into that mess of fish and caught one...most likely foul-hooked. I don't do "business" that way..but dang...gotta admit even I was temped.

(Even worse, I tried to find a new trail out of the area I was in...found myself 100 yds. from the dirt road in a shoulder-high field of solid blackberries grown over clearcut..had to bully my way back to the riverbank and walk out the way I came in...500 yds. longer, but much less painful!)

I would be happy to show you the fish...but haven't a clue as to tell you how to catch one. Just drop me a PM when your headed out this way.

Mike

You are right the fish fish I picked up on last thursday was a very hard fighting fish and it was probalbly the best tasting fish I have ever ate.
Went out on saturday couldnet get a hit but plenty of people using snagging gear you are right they do use a treble with a weight or a double hook set up with large corkies at the end of the hooks. Never seen anything like it. It made me sick I had to leave.