Originally Posted By: Bay wolf

Why? Why can’t a significant portion of the Columbia River run of coho contribute to the Columbia River (and it’s trubitaries)? Why do the guys with the big boats ALWAYS get to wack a huge chunk of fish first? Just asking?


I understand your frustration. However, here is an explanation (albeit somewhat inadequate).

Coho are only available to recreational and commercial fisheries during the months of July and August, and a few weeks in September. Before July, most sub-adult coho are not big enough to catch (around 16 inches) and after about mid September, they’ve migrated upstream to spawn. Unlike Chinook (or chum salmon), there are not multiple age-classes of coho salmon available to anglers.

As you know, PNW hatcheries produce a huge numbers of coho smolts. And, as those of us who target coho in freshwater will attest, adult coho can be monumentally difficult to catch once they get into freshwater. For the first week or two in freshwater, they can be quite aggressive. But soon after, they develop complete lockjaw. The result can be huge numbers of adult coho entering the hatcheries because relatively few are caught in freshwater.

For example, the average PNW hatchery might need 1000 adult coho to restock the entire hatchery, but they can get 5000 adults coming up the fish ladder (despite the best efforts of anglers like me). That’s 4000 adult hatchery coho who have no place to go, except into a landfill.

This is a huge loss of harvest potential (and taxpayer money). The answer is to provide a saltwater fishery. Coho feed quite aggressively in saltwater, particularly in summer. They can grow a pound a week in July and August, provided the food is available (herring/anchovy). A commercial/recreational fishery in the ocean in the summer can be very productive since coho need to ‘pack on the pounds’ so they can get big enough to migrate and spawn by mid- to late September.

If fish managers were to confine coho fishing to freshwater only, the number of excess adults at the hatchery, and the loss of harvest potential, would be enormous. It might be even higher than my example above. They avoid this by providing a saltwater fishery for coho starting around July 1.

I realize this isn’t a satisfactory explanation, but it’s the best I can do.…….