It is becoming very apparent that the damage from last fall's October fall is going to continue to a major factor for some time yet. That huge October rain storm caused major damage throughout the basin. The only relief seems to be when there is long dry spells or the mid-elevation areas become locked up with winter snow.

The poor visibility is compound by the dams on the system. Once the lakes become turbid they spew dirty water for weeks/months. The dirty water in the upper river is a double blow in that it doesn't give much dilution to the mess coming from the Sauk.

Regarding chums in the system - there are always the odd chum in early September but the first real numbers show up in mid-October and begin spawning in the middle river and Sauk. The upper Skagit are a little later with the onset of spawning being in early to mid-November. Those later fish represent the vast majority of the run.

Tight lines
S malma