In the early 90s it was drought years. Everything hung up except there was a flow of fish but not huge. Learned two things Chinook bucks will come in slowly but Chinook hens will hang back in tidal water but once the Chum moved in mid Nov the Chinook hens did also.

The Coho did not make the hatchery in any numbers until the late in the 3rd week of November when it rained hard and we had a a brown out. In one night the hatchery return came silver, tainted, bright red all at once. Darn near lost the pond because of low DO and slammed the gate shut.

Salmon will settle in fresh or stay out in the ocean when dry waiting for rain. Until we have enough rain to water up spawning waters the fish hold up someplace. Oh almost forgot they bite at first but week to ten days they stage up and you have a river full of rolling non biting fish with a huge portion of the fish turning red.

I have seen and worked in it but dry years is something most have not seen. Hell this is the first summer with good weather on the coast since the 90s and this rainy summer crap came about. Then the woods many years went on hoot owl and the woods were closed to hunting until fuel moisture came up to allow it usually mid to late Oct.

We are in a normal weather pattern be it one that has not been around for a bit.