Easy Limits,

Yea, I hear 'ya about the Area 11 dates, but...

You know, it wasn't all that long ago that Area 11 was year round fishing. Those days seem to be over, at least for the forseeable future. My guess is that the ESA listed White River spring chinook are the reason that the date is pushed back. Looking back 3-4 years at the weather and the flooding we had, it will be interesting to see how many natural spawners do make it back this year with the closure in effect.

The WDFW had this on the website concerning the season setting decision, "We need to protect all populations of chinook in Puget Sound, and this fishing plan provides that protection. White River spring chinook concerns proved to be especially challenging, and led to the closure of fishing in May and June in the Tacoma area," said Pat Pattillo, WDFW's salmon policy lead.

Here's a link to a lengthy, but informative White River plan from the Department of Ecology. The history of the fish is at the begining of document, pp. 15-17.

White River Chinook