The size of our wild steelhead can vary quite a bit dependent on a number of factors including time at sea (2 salt, 3 salt, etc), previous spawning history, age at smolting, growing conditions in the ocean, run timing in relation to spawn timing and local gentics (some river produce larger fish - typcially due so selection by the local habitats/environment). The sex of the fish also can play a role.

For the north Puget Sound area a "typcial 2 salt might be 8 #s or so but can easily vary several pounds to either side. The longer the fish are out to sea the more size overlap we see the other ages. The 3 salts typciall would be in the lower teens though once again there can be a large range. The vast majority of the 20 -22# fish that I have looked were fast growing 3-salt males. The 4-salts tend to top out in the mid to upper 20s and those rare 5-salts are the true giants that may be more than 42 inches long and exceed 30#.

Todd - I agree with Salmo in that large fish can be found in both smaller tribs and the larger stems. First Bacon Creek is difinitely not a small creek. In May the typcial daily flow is more than 700 cfs. That puts in the same size range as the Tolt, Sultan, Cedar and Calawah.

I have seen exceptional fish in a couple "small" Skagit Tribs. Seen fish that would have approached or exceed 30# in Jordan Creek - the Cascade River trib just downstream of the hatcery and Murphy Creek a Sauk river trib. Often what we see is there is fair amount of "exchange" between main stem spawners and the trib spawners. On high flow year see more fish using the tribs and on low flow fewer. The result I believe is that the population as a whole tend to reflect the selection factors exerted by the main river.

Doc -
While we see some 4 year coho down here in Washington they are nearly all fish that had spend an extra year in freshwater before smolting. Most often see those fish in colder tribs/rearing areas - for example on study found that 8% of the coho returning to Sunset Falls on the South Fork Skykomish had been 2 year smolts.

I believe that those exceptional coho found in Satsop are more likely larger than normal due to their late river entery timing. They tend to be much later running than most Washington population. As you know that last year the coho are at sea the grow at remarkable rates and a couple extra months of feeding could easily mean 3 to 5 extra pounds.

For reading seconds a micro fiche readrer works just find - in fact I have acquired several that were surplused by Western University just for that purpose, have read lots of steelhead, sea-run and Dollies scales with them. Prep of the scale is nothing special. You should attempt to take the scale below the dorsal fin and about mid-way between the fin and the lateral line. The reason for this is that at the time of hatching the steelhead fry don't have scales and the first location where scales form is in that region.

I like to take 6 to 8 scales and slip them in a folded piece of wax paper that I place in a "coin" envelope upon which I record such information as date, water, size etc. To read the scales separate the scales and place between the glass pieces on the reader. If the scales have dried slime, skin or grim they may need cleaning so that they can be read. I like to blot them with damp paper towels for this cleaning (dipping in water works as well). If you dip or soak them in water it is easy to lose track of them - it helps to use a clear glass container over a dark background. A fine pointed twister adn /or a knife point helps with the handing the scales.

Happy Holidays and may the New Year bring you tight lines

S malma