StlhdH20,

I know you're asking Smalma, but I hope you don't mind if I share some of the information that WSC bios have compiled over the last year.

No matter how many times a fish returns, it will be about the same size as it was upon its first return (males are somewhat the exception, but see below).

The average repeat spawner percentage is around 13% or so. Virtually all of them are females. I've heard a few reasons why, but the one that makes the most sense is that the males hang in the river longer than do the females, defending the redds, or so I've heard. The females pretty much scoot right on out.

Another interesting tidbit about this is that even though a hen will be about the same size upon a second return, they produce considerably more eggs the second time around, something like 8000 eggs rather than 6500. If this is extrapolated out over 13% of the run being repeat spawners and females, this means that those 13% repeaters are responsible for somewhere around 25% of the eggs for that season. Since these repeat spawners are the same size as first time spawners, you can't tell if a fish you've caught is on it's first or second run. If one of those repeaters is harvested, it removes a much higher amount of eggs/smolts from the next generation.

I'll post the studies themselves, if you're interested. Let me know...

Fish on...

Todd.