just saw a video made today showing a system brewing in gulf of alaska thats going to hit us next saturday.. it show 5+ inches of rain on the west slopes of olympic pen.

I see the Quins are netting today.. wonder what the schedual is?

09/26/2021





Butch:

Good for you for posting the QIN netting in the Chehalis. I was in the area on Saturday, there was a boat on the boat ramp, South side. I thought they were working on the boat. I've been on the WDFW and the QIN web site to see if the Chehalis tribal netting schedule was there......no Chehalis schedule BUT I WAS ABLE TO FIND THE HUMPTULIPS NETTING SCHEDULE.

I've been following the NT and QIN netting schedule for at least 24 years. The reason I follow the schedule.....it affects my sport fishing schedule above South Montesano.

Now I don't exactly why no QIN schedule, I could put down a few reasons but will wait to see how long, until its posted.

Something is going on!!!! mmmmmmm Time tells all!!!!

Last year it was 2/2/3 but started a week later on the Chehalis.

So round one of the rain ( it looks to be coming in two waves ) it was 2 inches and change in the Olympic side but less than an inch in the upper Chehalis. This is five day storm track ending the first of Oct. with the crest on the Satsop the also on the first then everything drops like a rock back to average flows.

With no formal announcement of the QIN schedule but as they started their season yesterday past practice says they should be out Tuesday noon and back in Sunday Oct 3 for two days. Now I would not bet on that as the QIN have the same problem with harvestable fish available as the NT.

That is the best I have now using the crystal ball but hopefully either the Nation or WDFW will post the QIN season on their websites. As to why both QIN and WDFW failed to get the Nation's schedule up I have no idea. As it appears to be only the Chehalis schedule that is not up that the co managers are having a communication problem. Or as the movie line goes " what we have here is a failure to communicate."

i dont think wdfw wanted it posted so the phone calls and the bitching would be less.

Here you are folks from the WDFW website and this means 3 two day fishing weeks. Then Nov but one never knows about that with flows and weather.

Chehalis River and Grays Harbor Areas 2A-1, 2A, AND 2D
2021 Fall Fishery - Tentative and subject to updates Maximum mesh size is 6 1/2 inches

All Green Sturgeon must be released immediately when encountered.
The Chehalis River downstream of the power line crossing below the confluence of the Wynoochee River, and Grays Harbor Areas 2A-1, 2A, and 2D will be open for commercial gillnet fishing for authorized Quinault Tribal Fishers. The fishery will begin at Noon on the set in day and will end at Noon on the pull out day of each week. The opening and closing dates are as follows:

Stat Week Set In Pull Out
40 Sun. Sept. 26 Tues. Sept. 28
41 Sun. Oct. 3 Tues. Oct. 5
42 Sun. Oct. 10 Tues. Oct. 12
43 Closed Closed
44 Closed Closed
45 Sun. Oct. 31 Thur. Nov. 4
46 Sun. Nov. 7 Wed. Nov. 10
47 Sun. Nov. 14 Wed. Nov. 17

Bet the nets doing pretty good right now....

Initial thoughts are you got it right but still poking around to get a little better view of how the Nation is doing.

On another note it is a shame that harvestable fish numbers were so low and I say that because if not it would have been one hell of a summer fishery. Chinook came into the bay and tide water early and just hung out in rather large numbers. Coho jacks were available in good numbers then the Coho adults showed. To put it in plain language the bloody river was just plain full of fish and then the first rain and it must have been a stampede because they were gone in 2 days.

Be interesting to see how the Nations fishers are doing because it looks like the fish moved on the barometer drop again. Have to wait until we find out more as to what fish are moving.

Little edit: After asking around some the answer is " they did pretty good " and little perspective, much better than last year.

i was out behind tractor supply sunday morning.. and the fish were jumping everywhere .. u could see the wakes in the calm flat water.. so im sure the hammerd the hell out of them

Well bunch of folks fishing but the muddy water made it to just above Cosy and is slowly moving down. With the shallow tides we have now it is anyone's guess how long it will take to clear. I just fished morning and found the fish / sea lions in deep parts of the river but that was about all.

10/01/2021

Word I got was "some fish blew right past Satsop", which is good for those fishermen that often don't get many chances.

Mud all coming from "lower Satsop", Willis property giving way. I went to Monty boat launch, Chehalis was "ugly, ugly, ugly". Did chat with a person, that had just flushed his motor...his comment "bay is full of fish" !!!!!!!

Remember, above South Monty Bridge its hatchery only Coho adult.......

DrifterWA,
Is the Well's property the property that is just above the mouth of the Satsop on the south side of the river? The water has been chewing at that bank of that property for a couple of years now that the lower changed course a few years ago.

You are correct.....but just over a year ago there was a major project to change the river flow by driving "lots of piling" in different areas in the lower river.....I'm wondering if the project "didn't do what it was suppose to do????

Hope the project, this summer, did a better job......that project was between Scheafer Park and the West Fork. Was busy all summer, so never checked.

Satsop gage hasn't been updated since Thursday afternoon. Wondering if some new debris somehow disabled it. Anyone know?

Drifter,
I saw the bank eroding on that property and thought the people might lose their house eventually. I was down there when they were doing all the piling work and thought they were going to change the course of the Satsop so that the river would flow back to the pumphouse again.

10/02/2021



The piling project was to "protect the pump house and help protect Keys Road".

I believe there is another phase of work to be done to protect the Willis property, and move the river East but not so far that it would affect the pump house.

As we all know "Mother Nature is going to do what She wants to do"

Drifter,
Thanks for the information.

Yesterday as we drove to Westport (about 10AM) there were quite a few folks fishing amongst the pilings around the bridge to Westport. Almost looked like a bunch of pass fishermen plugging.

https://www.ezview.wa.gov/site/alias__1973/37263/library.aspx

This link will give you a wealth of info on Lower Satsop restoration project. The drone videos give a really good picture of what was done. Unfortunately there are no videos of what happened this last winter-the river didn't get the memo! The canal cut to provide secondary river channel in front of pump house no longer exists-it has filled in.