Finally....... Seeing it how it should be.... I mean if sporties were a little smarter about it they'd too follow the test fisheries and wait for the herd of fish to show. Giving more opportunity.

I have to guess that all this "early season pressure" starts adding up on ESA fish we've handled...

Keith

Lost time on the front end just means more time on the backend if the runs just late. If not, shouldn't have been fishing anyway and whats not caught just ends up in the tribs.

The state figures for every few hatchery fish caught a wild will be caught and released and a small % of those will die after release, but so far I have not seen a wild fish. I have gotten 4 and seen 3 others come to the boat that friends got and haven't seen a wild. Also in my 5 trips I have seen another 20 fish caught by other boats and all have met the fish box that I have seen. Thats only because right now most the fish are trib fish, mainly willy fish. I have only seen 2 pics of fish that were definetly upriver fish, thats not good.

The good part is; we are not burning through our allocation If there are no upriver stocks present in the mainstem.

45.6ºF down by Cathlamet yesterday, river temperature that is.

You sure about that. I thought we have a certain number of hatchery fish we can catch (17,000 something I think) and when we reach that number they figure we will have hooked and released enough wild fish that our esa impacts will be used up. I don't think it matters what stocks of hatchery fish are being bonked.

I believe the clock starts ticking on 16 March. Counting the extrapolated numbers for ESA take.

I'm not so sure about the details of the catch sharing agreement. But, it should only be upriver stocks as well.

Can anyone answer this?

Keith

CORRECT

Impact and "handle" are specific to upriver spring chinook.... lower river stocks (Willie, Lewis, Kalama, Cow) don't count against us.

One more went across the dam yesterday so were all good.

So how do they figure out what stocks are in the river at any time. If I am fishin Cathlamet who's to say what fish I am catching. I know most upriver fish have black faces and bellies but I don't think the young fish checkers are smart enough to figure that out. I just don't see wdfw giving a hoot on what stocks of fish we are catching and not counting them against us. If the gill netters got a bunch of white faced lower trib lookin fish would they get more days to fish because they don't look like upriver stocks? Maybe you mean if the fish are being caught in a trib, then yes of course it won't go against our columbia river impact.

Believe me, they are aware.
I just pull in to the marina the year before last and the fish checker is there. I pull the boat and am viewed at the ramp. I was checked at the RV site, showed my license and catch card. I buy more ice for the road home and fuel at the Chevron station and get another drive bye.

Yesterday, I pulled the plug 'cause it was overly rough. Fighting the hail, waves, and wind does not establish opportunity.

BTW I testified before the Commission of only a 250k run size. Prepare for the worst and pray for the best...

I know its early but there should be a few more upriver fish around. This is starting to scare me, my guess would be no more than 200k fish go over bonny, hope I am wrong. 12 of us in 3 boats will be fishin this weekend and staying in portland for my bachelor party, looks like there is no shortage of places to have a good time down there eh.

Yesterday the water temperature was still only 45.4°F. The fish checker had only seen three fish for twenty boats when I pulled in to the slip at Cathlamet.

470000...

Got 1 today and one yesterday, hopefully when/if that 470k shows they will up the limit to 2. Was by myself today when I got my fish, sucks being done that early, well kinda.

Was out last Thursday in the dang near hurricane weather and scratched up one bite, that never stuck....

Friday followed up with another hurricane type day but managed to get into 5 fish, sadly enough only one made it to the boat and it had to go back as it was a 24 pound native... One busted us off on a snag but we did get 2 extra flashers in return and the other 3 just came unbuttoned...

I've gone to charity with my buddies and managed to eat my first piece of springer tonight and played fillet service this afternoon for a buddy to get a 1/2 of a fish....

I think I'm going to take Parkers nickname over "OPHER".........

Thursday/Friday's weather forecast this week followed up on the New Moon and we're gonna put a hurt on them, assuming they show........ The rains no biggie but the 30 mph gusts I'll do without.....

Keith

24lb nate thats a healthy springer. You guys did pretty good for fishin in that weather. I saw the weather report and held back on that one. It's tough trolling sideways in the wind, kinda shuts down one side of the boat sometimes. My fish today was the first black faced upper river fish I have got so far, red as red gets meat, yum. Almost hit 47 degrees today, its time.

Better pick up quick, were getting way behind the curve now..

Sounds like Tuesday might be a day of rest again for the Columbia, one upriver springer in the test fishery is what I'm hearing.