cowlitzfisherman,

How can you say that the Cowlitz system has no actual native steelhead and that all the wild fish in the system are from hatchery spawning in the wild. What about the Toutle system? What about all the untold small creeks that run into the Cowlitz. None of these rivers and streams have pure native stock?

What questions am I not answering? Please lett me know and I will answer them the best I can.

I think I have posted many times that I think wild Salmon are just as important as Steelhead. Without the salmon Steelhead dont exist. Salmon are the staple and life force of a river system. Everything is sustained off of their death. That is the only reason Alaska rivers have so much abundance.

Keith,

The wild run at one time started in early November out here. The peak of the run is definately early March but substantial numbers of fish have always come earlier. The run should have really started a few weeks ago with consistant numbers but it didnt. The last week of Jan- first week of Feb should always show the beginng of the real big bucks and a good number of hens. A few big bucks came but not many. By the first of march we should see all those big hens showing as well as a bunch of smaller 3 salt bucks and 2 salts. but If all those big bucks havent showed I am not expecting the rest are gonna show either.

Every cylce the run seems to come in a smaller time frame. Is the run just comeing all at one time with the same amount of fish as before or are we seeing that since there were not as many Dec, Jan , Feb fish as March/April fish and that the harvest has been heavier on the earlier returning fish that there are fewer left every year to sustain the next cycle.

Look at the Hoh it hasnt shown the same patern as the Quileute it still has good numbers Wild steelhead returning from Oct to May. Yet the Quileute system seems to only get consistent numbers of fish from Mid Feb till the third week of April. If you went back 20 years you would see that the Quileute had a run timeing similar to the Hoh. This year it seems as the run has even been pushed back even further if it really comes at all.

Thinking the run is late is wishfull thinking. It was late three weeks ago. Or if you look back even further its been getting later every cycle.