doubt that we will ever see a chinook fisherie again on the chehalis and tribs.. well not in our life time.

did i see right the nooch is closed for even coho this fall?

Just so all know the Nooch does not have marked Coho unless one wanders in off the Chehalis. Just sayin.

Wynoochee Oct 1-Oct 31 2 Adult bag: Release adult Chinook
Nov 1 Adult bag: Release Chinook
Dec 1 Adult bag: Release Chinook and wild coho

thanks Dave for that info

Between co-managers we model a season expecting to miss escapement goals for Chehalis Chinook, Hump Chinook, and Hump coho.

It is actually worse than shown because the model considers most of the pinniped harvest to be escaped fish! In my view about 25% of the fish that impact a net are harvested by pinnipeds. WDFW will tell you with a straight face that the pinniped harvest is included in the net drop out mortality of 3% for Chinook and 2% for coho. We must be planning to stay in the 3/5 penalty box for ever.

Slammer, we will probably never see another winter steelhead fishery on the Chehalis and tribs in out lifetime either.

Well, it looks like we are ignoring the penalty box this year for coho. Not sure why we even have it.

Fish on...

Todd

Looks good on paper. An ounce of image is worth a pound of performance.

Amazing. Not that all sport fisherman think the way we do, conservation-wise, but it’s almost like we’re more conscious and willing to make sacrifices than the department.

no chinook i can live with.. i dont target them anyways.. but no steelhead that hurts!!

My fear is that today's managers and administration have a higher responsibility to meeting political rather than resource needs. As long as the donors are happy and the voters keep them in office there really is no need to change.

04/20/2022



+1 ------- Some very good butt kissers in many levels of WDFW

Even though the Chehalis is managed as an aggregate, what prevents the Department from closing specific rivers due to chronically low escapement? I’m still confused by this, possibly due to being fairly new to all this. Just doesn’t make sense they can do it with Chinook but not Coho.

Nothing stops them it is their choice as to what's closed and what is open.

With good reason the state can remove harvest from any stream they choose not to manage that way to keep the howling screeching public (us) off their backs.

That’s what I thought. I’m definitely gonna press harder on that in the future. I’m assuming it’s too late now to push for an amendment to close the Nooch, Hoquiam, ones like that with no hatchery supplementation to buffer the impact?

They can close them through emergency regulations. Used to do it all the time when harvest was taken and the escapement was seeing protection.

If they close a stream for conservation then it is necessary to close co-occurring fisheries outside the stream that are catching those fish. So, if the rivers are under escaped then there should be no bay openings.

I’m not personally fishing several of these rivers, but if anything, I’d like to see a mark-selective regulation for some of them. While it won’t eliminate the impact, it would greatly reduce it just with people choosing not to fish rivers where their only chance to go home with a fish is a stray.

Who could I email with this suggestion besides James Losee?

Mike maybe as well

A fear perhaps, but a true reality for sure. My concern, is that most Wa state fisher- folks are just coming to that realization. Should have seen this coming, as it has been obvious for quite some time...

the biggest thing here is the all mighty $$$$ .. if u have a great yr fish wise and u only give the sports one fish alot of people wont buy a license..

last yr it was a good fish yr six of the dozen or so guys that fish the same place as i do didnt buy a license because of only one fish bag.. state wants the cash and screw the fish!!