Anybody been fishing? It's been on fire since the opener. Not many people either.

Is it open? Had heard that it didnt open until September 1st, is this a lie just to keep people away? Fished their last year for the first time and coulnt help but keep going their any chance that I had. That would be great if it was open, I would drop everything and bee-line it ASAP.

Not many other people because it doesn't open untill Sept 1. Doesnt anyone read the regs?!?!?

" Skokomis River (Mason Co.) from mouth to Hwy. 101 bridge

CLOSED WATERS - Aug. 1- Aug. 31
ALL SPECIES - night closure and non-boyant lure restriction and single barbless hooks required Sept. 1- Nov. 30

All Game Fish June 1- July 31 Catch and release except up to 2 hatchery STEELHEAD may be retained.

All Game Fish Sept. 1-Feb. 28 Catch and release except up to 2 hatchery STEELHEAD may be retained.

SALMON Sept. 1-Sept. 30 Min. size 12". Daily limit 1. Release CHUM.

SALMON Oct 1-Dec. 15 Min. size 12". Daily limit 6. No more than 4 adults may be retained. Only 1 may be CHINOOK. RElease CHUM Oct. 1-15."

You are very lucky you haven't been caught. I know the fisheries guys down there and they aren't going to mess around. Best to wait until it really opens in September.

HELLO.Good luck,
STRIKE ZONE

Methinks Benny Black is trolling, 'cuz no one can be that stupid - right?

MetalheadRon-
You are right. As I have previously posted, they will glass you from the road and woods then come stompin in, hut, hut, hut! I think the post was a troll, but nonetheless... And don't forget that the tribal cops have an affinity for pointing out that you can't stand on the tribal bank, in the river o.k., bank no way. But there is a bit of a gray area to this arguement, say if you are on a tiny gravel bar with a trickle behind and the river in front.... Is that gravel bar truly the 'bank"? I have had several rewarding conversations with the native fellas about the interpretation of the term "bank".
Several times I was distracted by the cops and the local net-men swooped through the hole and drift netted it, pretty neat huh?

You have never worked for Boeing have you?

I stopped by yesterday. The closed sign was up but I think someone just forgot to flip it over when they left yesterday.

Couldn't find any spark plugs so I fished it with my shotgun....

...went o for three.

They never ask you to leave when you're standing on the reservation at the Chevron station off Hwy. 101.

When I asked the tribal officer why this was, he didn't look amused.

I was going to reply to this with some anti tribe jargon because I get so heated on this issue but I value my membership to this site too waste it on yep time to stop

I didn't say I was fishing it.....I wish I was. It sucks that "we" can't. It said in the regs that they closed it for a month "....in compliance with the Endangered Species Act." I'm not even pissed if the natives get to fish it , I just want my shot. If the natives are fishing it.... nets, lead bait, or whatever, you've got to think that the WDFW has something going on with the tribes that we don't know about.

I know they're fishing out in the canal. How many of those fish intercepted do you think are so called "Endangered salmon"? Not to mention the Summer Chum, which really are hurting.

Im sorry, but I dont know how else to take it other than you, or somone you know, has been fishing it.

Thats a good one. Ill have to remember that one if there is a place to drop it on them.

I had good intentions when I started this thread. I hope nobody went out there after reading this thread without reading the regs, which was kinda my point. Some people don't.

I wouldn't want anybody to get in trouble.
Until Sept. 1st, When most of the kings in there will be boot. Drive seperate, meet you there. :rolleyes:

Dan S. -
That's a great line! I asked a similar question regarding fireworks, casinos and crab/fish stands- all on tribal land. Bit different response in that context. "Access from a highway, economic asset, private bussiness on private property etc...

I'm 1/32nd native, and my wife is 1/2 so my stance has nothing to do with race or creed.

It has to do with hyprocrisy. The attitude that traditional rights be retained, and then exploited with modern technology, for the greatest $$ benefit irks me. Let's use traditional methods to enjoy traditional rights- spears and bone hooks, hand braided kelp lines and cedar strip traps....

Well I have no problem tribal bashing because they have bashed a huge gashing life threatening salmon and steelhead in the ICU wound into the future of northwest runs. I also believe that fish and wild life has a definite under the table agreement going on with the tribes. Think about it its' government procedures and nothing about govermenr to me is trust worthy. Even at the lowest levels of it there is corruption, greed and conspiracy running rampid. So I am supposed to sit back and repress my feelings and thoughts about a group of people who are eliminating tons and tons of fish. No way, not now not ever, the hell with unlimited tribal murder.

I agree that oversight is an important thing but you're dealing with people that one minute want to slay the gazangs out of a whale, and the next minute the idiots are claiming another whale is their long lost cheif and god forbid the biologists get close to it to try to help it out. Tribal leaders would just say, hey if we choose to net tons of fish, kill all the males even though they are chrome bright perfect fish and dump them in the middle of the bay, wasting perfect meat, over sight for fish protection is a good idea but how about some over sight to keep their front porch from looking like a bomb went off. I hate too say it but over sight should come first for their culture's drinking and drug habit hey I like fish and wild life too but a many human minds are wasted to alcoholism and drug addiction. I guess I can't be mad at a drunken high as a kite indian netting fish when he goes home and watches his 12 year old daughter pound back a bottle of 90 proof for kicks. And to those casino owners that like to take my money at the black jack table put some of it towards these issues.

I can't think of a topic that is better suited for my first here. The Skokomish river has the potential for such a great fishery. With abuses on both sides of the equation I see a river in trouble.

Every year I watch the Native and non native people abuse this river. The complete disregard for the environment by both is a disgrace. The hundreds of pounds of litter and retrieved mono filament line that is left on the banks of the river, and ends up down stream. Every year I see HUNDREDS of "real fishermen" line the banks of that awesome body of water and SNAG fish by the hundreds. The Native population is entitled to their portion of the run. They are entitled under the law to do with their fish what ever they want to. We as guests to their river should at the very least set a good example and follow the rules we have set forth for members of our society. And when we say to the guy next to us on the river that is ripping the water to shreds "hey beat it" the others will stick up for us and run the bums off.

Then we can deal with the Natives. I do agree that something needs to be done about the waste of resources. With the price of salmon at two to one dollar a pound is it any wonder they don't keep it?

Perhaps some form of taxation on Roe that is purchased by Japan would discourage the practice of EGGING?

Capt.Dan

We as a guest on their river, well I would sure as hell ike to see them put some money into the river, policing it in a equittable manner half on the tribes half on the public, making sure tribal members are not over netting the river, wasting fish/good meat that could be given to the hungry or sold in markets to help the financhil deprivity of many of the tribes in that area, clean up some front yards, maybe do do a couple dump runs a year. The people/society citizens who are tax payers who fish that river under certain regulatuions are responsibile for their actions. I have seen people get ticketed for various violations not proportionate to the violations occurring but fishermen do face penalties and have to answer to a court. Now the tribes they are a loose cannon operation, I would love to know how many times some tribe member on the skok stepped in and said you know fellas I think we have reached our harvest point for the summer lets knock it off and use discresion as the better part of vallor to keep the runs from diminishing in the future. No way, from the actions of the tribe members it is nothing but a slay fest. One problem with the tribe is that they have put most of their resources into their big money profiter which is gambling establishments. They need to look at their society and state of their union in a wholistic way not a tunnel visioned quick money utopia that doesn't tricke down to the average Joe tribal member. The sour taste in the tribes problems goes high above, the guy on the river nettin gisn't the number one offender he is just doing what he knows, it doesn't mae it right but that's the way it is. Yes the indians do have the right to harvest salmon and have certain advantages over the citizens of washington state, but for how long and how far can the tribes push the limit. You are also dealing with a poor trained and unaccountable work force if you will. The tribes have never been accountable to the state or the government to save fish, when ever they are put on the 8 ball they will pull their ancestory/tradition cards and get out their ancient head dresses and march around and pull the oppressed indian card, and then two seconds later they put on their guci suits and want to sit down with city planners, lobbyists, and government heads and talk big money casino opportunities, hypocracy at its test book level. Its sad to say that a group of individuals who have been given so many advantages can't organize within and come up in society out of a lower class. Heck I think ranchers and farmers have a better case than the tribes for some subsidies and grants. And when they do get help they seem to pull out of the slump and get right back on the way to succeeding in life. I don't see Oklahoma and Iowa in a state of public drunkenness for 9 months out of the year and then a crop just pops out of the ground without any effort, (oh hold on maybve some of those tribal dances do have an effect on the fish runs/) and rape the land and sell what they can and go right back to living their life in an alcoholic haze.