This interesting, so all will be armed. When the Skook Dam was built the concept of Springer mitigation or production came up and moved forward but was dropped. Then what is called Fish Management ( or Harvest ) stated that the regulated flows, tri level out take would produce additional Springers to have a " vibrant " sport fishery. In addition a bunch of stuff including weirs were to be used but they went by the wayside. So you choose your poison.

On the Newaukum the Pigeon Springs reach is the one used most by Springers and frankly the competition with snagging is what a USF&W guy called pipe bombs. Seems they fill PVC pipe with powder , seal with a water fuse and wella. Never seen it but when they snorkeled the river they were horrified to find them. The Pe Ell reach I lack a history so maybe somebody else could connect the dots.

Of all the factors with Springers in the Chehalis the thing is they should not be there. Wrong conditions but the gravel upwelling provide cooler water allowing them to survive. The fact is in the best of all things there were few. The illegal fishing on them above Porter has had the greatest impact ( and still does ) on the fish.

As to old Sturgeon, Jones Photography has a photo collection that the original Jones did in the early last century. The ones that stand out to me is the 6 to 8 ft Sturgeon long lined and pulled in by draft horses. They used the reach below the present bridge down to what is now the Port of GH. Like the Columbia pictures, this and the whaling / salmon harvest was documented better than most as the original Jones had a real sense of history. His grandson just pasted away and I think ( think ? ) the collection went to the Polson Museum in Hoquiam.