Weird. Seems like nothing anadromous is moving into the rivers, to include searun cutthroat. I normally have good success fishing for those this time of year (with the odd, incidental salmon jack mixed in), but the two times I've tried this year, I've been skunked, save for a couple dink coho smolts. This despite the fact the river levels are above normal for this time of year.

I suspect water temperature is the big issue right now. The hot weather we had all summer seems to have heated up the water more than usual. I know this effect is much less in the tidewater, where the ocean water keeps things cooler, but it stands to reason that if a higher volume than normal of water that is warmer than normal mixing in that brackish water, the overall temperature should be higher. I don't know if that's true, of course. Just throwing something at the wall of mystery.

My hopes for a good late September in the tribs are starting to look bleak. When I checked the extended forecast Friday, it looked like we were going to start seeing some rain as soon as next week. Today, we're back to nothing but way too hot and dry for the foreseeable future. If weather is to blame for the slow start to jack season, there's no relief in immediate sight, so let's hope it's just the fish being late....