Well, bummer. Another year, another emergency reduction/closure. It might be time to accept that our habitats and climates are no longer conducive to large runs of anadromous fish and plan open ocean fisheries accordingly....

It started great for me (early rain is great for the bank-bound), and realistically, I've enjoyed some of the best fishing I've experienced in years in the tribs all season, but I can see that the numbers are fading out; fewer and fewer fresh fish around as the season progresses.

One (potential) silver lining is that some of the tribs are still slated to be open in December. I fully expect that to be the next change (watch for it as December nears), but at least for now, there is some opportunity for late coho and early steelhead on the books. Trouble is, with the Satsop closed and nothing much else available to Puget Sounders, if those tribs remain open, the hordes will descend on what rivers remain open, putting additional pressures on wild runs that aren't doing very well to begin with....

It's probably safe to plan on November 30 being the last day of fishing in 2023 for Grays Harbor, but as always, I hope I'm wrong....