Nice to actually see the Conservation Officers patrolling the river. Has anybody else noticed an increased prescence? I've even seen the Federal F & W guy out writing tickets for people fishing Purdy Crk. I'd like to pass along some positive feedback to WDFW for a change.

VHAwk

tell them to send a bunch of enforcement folks to the Snoho River too, for the pink run.

I'd tell you what I noticed about the Skok when I stopped by there yesterday, I noticed that it is the biggest POS fishery ever crafted by anyone, of any governmental stripe.

The stuff I saw there would turn the stomach of most knuckledragging hillbillies, much less actual anglers.

I don't give a rat's ass if this pisses some people off or not, but if you are a legit fisherman and you are fishing there, you are part of the problem...even adding a tiny bit of legitimacy to that ridiculous example of a fishery is a mistake.

No one who cares about sportfishing at all should ever be within ten miles of that river this time of year with a fishing rod in hand.

Fish on...

Todd

Todd, how do you really feel? Based on pics and what ive heard i hope to never fish that or similar areas in my lifetime...cheers.

Oh...and there were no enforcement officers to be seen for the hour I walked around in utter disgust around the Purdy Creek hillbilly $hitfish-athon.

I did not spy one single actual fisherman...all were jerking their crap everywhere, at least half of the guys had leaders longer than six feet with either a tuft of black yarn, or no yarn at all...just a phukking hook.

The water is five feet deep and the kings there are running around in circles in a panic to get away from all the jackasses fishing there.

That whole damn lower river should be paved over, along with all those who fish it.

Have a nice day.

Fish on...

Todd

summerun,

Believe it or not, I'm toning down how I really feel...my actual feelings and solutions for that fishery would probably classify me as a terrorist and I'd be sent to Gitmo to have electrodes shoved up my ass for the next six years...which frankly, would be preferable to witnessing that scene again.

No one who considers themselves a fisherman should ever go there, at all, to fish during this Chinook run. It makes the chum fishery there look downright pristine, and that chum fishery is worse than Hoodsport on its worse day, which is pretty f'n bad.

Fish on...

Todd

How about you just stop going there?

There are plenty of spots for legit fishermen. If they are not open go somewhere else. The problem to me is there is not enough places to fish. I don't understand why the puyallup and Green are not open for Pinks right now. Atleast it would take the pressure of other places.
Aunty, you make a very good point...

I agree it is disgusting to see those fish getting traumatized by all those idiots. Yes I said idiots, and if you happen to be one of those hillbilly, littering, methmouted jerkoffs and you read this and it pisses you off , good! Why dont you learn to fish!

Jake, I don't have to stop going there, because I've never started...any legit angler who goes there and sees what it's about and decides to string up a rod and start casting really REALLY needs to think about what the [censored] they are thinking.

Fish on...

Todd

Uh oh. I see a future VHawk/Todd verbal battle about to unfold. I've never seen this "fishery" first hand but I've seen other combat fisheries that have utterly disgusted me and I tend to end up sounding like Todd.

I've ended up fishing the salt far more than fresh water in the last few years. At least it gets me away from 99% of the river trash.

"we need more places to fish"...there are so many quality beaches, rivers and lakes around puget sound it is sick...there might not be many kings schooled up in mass panic as the skok, the samish, hoodsport etc... but you can catch trout, bass, kings, silvers, pinks, chums, steelies and who knows what else on occassion...doesnt matter if you are a fly, gear or bait guy, you can find some fish AND relative solitude and actually go out and fish in a sporting and challenging way... people are fin lazy and wont walk a 1/2 mile to find a real place to fish...oh I better go now as i need to go fish from the beach like i did last night all by myself watching an epic sunset head down over the water and olympics 20 minutes from my house in Seattle...GREAT tide tonight as well...cheers.

Um I dunno, I saw an underpantless female angler there... Not to mention a top notch toothless parking attendant. Overall a pretty tight run ship. I was hoping to stock up on some used riverside/roadside diapers as well... Silstar Williams on.

I went fishing there yesterday. I got there early before there was anyone there (4 AM). I was truly amazed at a few things....like...
All the tackle strewn in the trees and branches. I happened to retrieve some. I had more hooks with barbs then hooks with no barbs.
I watched a few tweaker looking guys fishing. There was maybe a full set of teeth among them. From the bank, I could see alot of kings down deep. I pointed out to them where to cast. Too bad it pointed out the area near all those underwater logs. Damn snags!!!! LOL
I might try one more time. In the past three or four years since returning to WA, I would really like to catch a King!

Joe

rvrfshr and I were able to walk about 30 miles of riverbank over three days on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, caught innumerable char, a few big salmon, and angled up with 9 summer run steelhead...and saw one angler we are friends with out there, and two others at a distance.

After that three days, we drove by Purdy Creek on the way home for kicks and grins, and there were no grins...but there were several kicks I wanted to hand out.

"Hey, that's a pretty nice bare hook yer jerkin' through that slot, homie!"

"Uh, yeah...my yarn musta fell off"...as he casts and jerks again.

There shouldn't even be Chinook in that river, much less anglers fishing for them...what a crap fishery full of crap "fishermen"...

Fish on...

Todd

You should have gone to the woodland park zoo and watched the monkeys throwing poop. Theres not a big difference between the Skok fishery and a bunch of butt picking wild apes IMO.Good Luck-TBJ

I have respect for the monkeys throwing poop now...they have better aim than the jackasses at the Skok...plus I can understand their yowling better than squawking coming out of the toothless pieholes of those hillbilly droolers.

Fish on...

Todd

You guys are funny! Yeah, the Skok is a zoo. Went there and looked after fishing the salt and wouldn't think of joining that parade.

Think it doesn't happen other places?? I've watched the salmon snagging going on under the Hwy 2 bridge over the Wallace, on the Sky, and (no suprise here) the Cowlitz. Go to the hatcherys, plant sites, and stack pools and you'll see some of the same thing depending on enforcement and the local "character".

Kings especially seem to bring out the worst in some anglers. Don't think that reflects on the Skok's legitimate anglers trying to avoid the crowds anymore than it does others who fish the Wallace, Sky, or Cowlitz.

I remember when my steelhead flyfishing friends laughed when I said I'd just returned from fishing the Cowlitz. Their impression of the Cowlitz was of Blue Creek. Mine was of the miles of mostly vacant river I found to fish once I escaped from Hell's Half Mile.

Don't let me interrupt you tho. Go ahead and bash on the Skok. After you're done with that one I'll send you a few more suggestions.

if we would have had better enforcement 8 or 9 years ago when that river started getting crowded(along with others) maybe the scene wouldn't be the same. it's a cultural thing, you see it everywhere. it happens on just about every river now("they're hatchery fish, i'm entitled to a limit by whatever means!"), you see people teaching their kids that it's alright to lie, cheat and steal through life, and few have any respect for the natural world any more.

what goes on at the skokomish happens at every halfway-known western washington river for salmon, and worse yet, it's even spreading to steelhead in the last few years.

i'm sorry that i'm not one of the elite that is only satisfied after covering 30 miles of water to catch a fish, but i've been fishing these rivers longer than the hillbilly, realtree-wearing, country cow$hit music blaring snaggers, and i'm not letting them get to me(or at least pretending not to). whatever happened to fishing being a fun, harmless hobby that one could do in their spare time?

the day that i get twisted up so bad that i only fish rivers that don't run within 20 miles of a road, that only contain native fish, releasing everything i catch and never using bait, i'll sell all my gear and take up golf.

Todd its a dream you never really saw that .take some drugs go to bed foget aboutit .And never ever go there agin. At least thats what i did after I saw that CRAP! I feel better now.
frank

"i'm sorry that i'm not one of the elite that is only satisfied after covering 30 miles of water to catch a fish"

It's not elite to not want to join the jackasses at the Skok...my point is that when someone tells me there aren't places to fish, they are full of $hit...if they're too lazy to walk farther than they can carry their cooler of Schlitz and their lawnchair, then they get what they deserve.

I'd recommend you sell your gear and take up golf now with your "good ol' boy" attitude...you don't know jack about me or what I do, and you aren't nearly old enough to be good ol' boy about nothin'.

Fish on...

Todd