Thought this topic was done!

Johnny -
Have to disagree - there are many anadromous skagit stocks that are healthier than its chums - pinks, coho, sea-run cutthroat, bull trout and winter steelhead. Rather than rely on opinion I have based my position on the frequency that that a stock meets or exceeds the co-manager's agreed escapement goals over the last 20 years.

Chums - have an escapement goal of 40,000 on odd years (pinks) and 116,500 on even years. Has met its goals 6 times (30%) over the last 20 years.

Chinook - summer/fall - goal of 14,900 - made goal 5 times or 25% of the time.

Chinook - spring - has not met the combined goal of 3,000 once in the last 20 years.

Coho - goal 60,000 - has met the goal 10 times or 50% of the time.

Pinks - goal of 330,000 - met the goal 8 out of the last 10 years (odd year only) or 80% of the time.

Winter Steelhead - goal of 6,000 - met goal 13 times or 65% of the time.

If the chums are fishable and can support harvest why are not the steelhead which is meeting its goal twice as often?

Johnny/Todd -
understand you concerns about fishing on spawning fish. I notice on a web site of a popular Skagit guide this week - while fly fishing the last day of the season he had pictures of 3 steelhead - to my eye they apeared to be a spawned out female, a male running milt, and a male that look as if it were ready to spawn or had all ready spawned.

Would you recommend that the CnR season on the Skagit/Sauk be shorten to get the anglers of the spawners? If so how much? A month?

Tight lines
S malma