I talked to a few old timers and they said even the great runs of the past did this on years when the El Nino was approaching (though it wasnt known what it was way back when). And I noticed the same thing growing up when it came to the steelhead runs in Eastern Washington.

Just a thought maybe someone out there has a knowledgable biologist friend or scientist to verify because if we knew maybe then we could plan better for future fishing.