so, the feds don't require that all wild coho south of the
straits (i.e.; Westport, La Push, points south) be released in Marine waters? Are you saying that the state can allow us to keep these fish? That was the question in my last post that wasn't answered. And not to detract from the orig. heading on this thread, how is everyone's coho fishing going? I love how simple fish reports wind up in gripe sessions.








s

On the topic of sorting through way too many unclipped fish to get two clipped fish... I think this is one way propping up commercial fisheries with hatcheries has hurt wild fish that doesn't get talked about much. Without commercial fisheries to feed, there would be no need for salmon hatcheries. In order for commercial fisheries to produce the levels of catch that keep everyone paid and the market satiated, the wild runs need supplementation. Mixing hatchery and wild stocks creates all sorts of management challenges associated with maximizing harvest of hatchery fish while avoiding overexploiting the wild stocks. In theory, it should be easy for recs to avoid taking too many wild fish, but in practice, it's far from simple or efficient, and it creates a situation that's bad for everyone, most notably the fish. I think we can all agree that C&R-ing 20 salmon in a day is a lot of fun; that's not the issue. The problem is that, by the numbers, 10 of those released coho won't make it. That's 8 more wild fish dead than would have been had the angler been allowed to retain the first two.

The other thing that makes this wrong-headed is that it's the ocean fishery (the rec fishery that accounts for the majority of the sport harvest share) where this is happening. It's the worst possible scenario for preserving wild coho. I sincerely believe that going to a kill your first two coho rule in the salt would be an immense, immediate lift to numbers of wild coho returning to spawn. Who knows? Maybe, given time, the wild fish saved (coupled with stopping development along river banks) would lead to better wild productivity, potentially eliminating the need to plant hatchery fish. (Do we have a pipe dream emoji?)

Back to happy stuff. Fished a coastal tributary yesterday. Nice, bright coho coming in throughout the day. Only had to put back one unclipped hatchery fish to catch my limit of clipped ones.

The rain is definitely getting things moving early this year. The bad news is we're looking at bonafide blowouts in September. Could move a large percentage of the early run up above fishing access before the October 1 opener for tributaries. Hopefully, the fish are organizing themselves to move up in a steady, consistent fashion, but I've not often known them to do that....

Good luck out there. If you can find fishable water this week, it should be loaded.

Ok, back to coho reports.
2 for 6 off the beach on Saturday.
3 for 7 if you count the seal pup that ate my clouser.
Really not seeing much that can break the 5lb mark being caught.
Lots of 3 lb unclipped fish getting released.
SF

You landed it! Nice!

Get any photos before the release?

No photos of the release.
Even those little guys have some pretty wicked looking teeth....
The leader parted so it had some chartreuse and pink bling in its upper lip as it swam off.
Hopefully the barbless hook falls out soon.
SF

LOL. Glad you didn't have to try to get that fly back.

Clousers flat out get it done as a baitfish imitation. I've hooked up a seagull on one of those. Seems everything that eats baitfish will take a Clouser, given enough chances.

No easy answer on picking opening date for tributaries....if you allow "early opening dates", then the season could/would be shorter.

I like to fish later in the season, so later opening on the tributaries is better for my fishing.

This year tribs., when they open, could be jammed with fish, the conservation goals can/could be met, that is a good thing. The bad thing is every fishing hole could have boats, or people standing there, not my "cup of tea".

Just enjoy the fishery!!!

Not my cup either. I'm really hoping these rivers stay in fishable shape when they open.

Joes creek is DEAD, stay home, it's not worth the effort.

BOOM !

100percent

September 20, 2019.....

If you aren't fishing, or planning to fish...…….YOU'RE MISSING !!!!!!

The stars are in alignment.....

1. No nets

2. Rivers are on the drop and clearing

3. Coho, and jacks are on the bite......Chehalis side, no Chinook adults or jacks are allowed.

There will be crowds, maintain your cool, remember YOU don't own the river!!!!!!

sounds like the pot calling the kettle black..

Looks like that huge predicted coho run got overfished in the ocean. Good thing everybody has a big water boat and already got all the coho they want. Nobody fishes the sound or rivers anyway.

WDFW FISHING RULE CHANGE
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, WA 98501-1091
http://wdfw.wa.gov

September 20, 2019

Limit reduced to 1 coho salmon daily in most Puget Sound marine areas

Action: Reduces the daily limit for coho salmon to one.

Effective date: Monday, Sept. 23, 2019.

Species affected: Coho salmon.

Locations: Marine areas 5 (Sekiu and Pillar Point), 6 (East Juan de Fuca Strait), 7 (San Juan Islands) 8-1 (Deception Pass, Hope Island, Skagit Bay), 9 (Admiralty Inlet), 10 (Seattle/Bremerton Area), 11 (Tacoma-Vashon Island), and 13 (South Puget Sound).

Reason for action: Since early September, state and tribal co-managers have been assessing coho runs throughout Puget Sound waters. Preliminary information indicates that returning coho have a smaller body size and potentially lower-than-expected run sizes to many systems. WDFW is implementing this rule as a precaution to ensure escapement and hatchery goals are met.

Salmon rules by area:

Marine Area 5: Sept. 23 through Sept. 30: Daily limit 2; up to 1 coho may be retained. Chinook min. size 22”. Release chum, wild coho, and wild Chinook.
Marine Area 6: Sept. 23 through Sept. 30: Daily limit 2; up to 1 coho may be retained. Chinook min. size 22”. Release chum, wild coho, and wild Chinook.
Marine Area 7: Sept. 23 through Sept. 30: Daily limit 2; up to 1 coho may be retained. Chinook min. size 22”. Release chum and Chinook.
Marine Area 8-1: Sept. 23 through October 31: Daily limit 2; up to 1 coho may be retained. Release pinks and Chinook.
Marine Area 9: Sept. 23 through Sept. 30: Daily limit 2; up to 1 coho may be retained. Chinook min. size 22”. Release chum, Chinook, and wild coho.
Marine Area 10: Sept. 23 through Nov. 15: Daily limit 2; up to 1 coho may be retained. Release Chinook.
Marine Area 11: Sept. 23 through Sept. 30: Daily limit 2; up to 1 coho may be retained. Chinook min. size 22”. Release Chinook.
Marine Area 13: Sept. 23 until further notice: Daily limit 2; up to 1 coho may be retained. Chinook min. size 22”. Release wild coho and wild Chinook.
Additional information: Rules for Marine Area 12, year-round docks and piers, Bellingham Bay, Tulalip Bay, and Sinclair Inlet Special Areas remain unchanged.

Anglers are reminded to refer to the 2019-20 Washington Sport Fishing Rules pamphlet [url=athttps://wdfw.wa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/02077/wdfw02077.pdf][url=athttps://wdfw.wa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/02077/wdfw02077.pdf][url=athttps://wdfw.wa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/02077/wdfw02077.pdf]athttps://wdfw.wa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/02077/wdfw02077.pdf[/url][/url][/url] for the specific regulations in each Puget Sound marine area or visit the WDFW website at https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations.

Information contact: David Stormer, Puget Sound recreational salmon manager, 360-902-0058; or Mark Baltzell, Puget Sound salmon manager, 360-902-2807

That's what you get for fishing on forecasts. The conservation burden is placed on the resource and whoever is the last in line to fish.

Since the tribal co- managers agreed to this, are the tribes going to curtail their gillnetting for conservation reasons?

I forgot to mention that if WDFW and the tribes are worried about ensuring escapement and hatchery goals are met for coho, then why is there still a two coho limit for for sport fishermen in the rivers such as the Puyallup and Nisqually down where I live? Why is it just the Puget Sound saltwater angler being limited to one coho/day?

Oh, don't worry. The emergency rule change is coming...

Saltwater fishing is generally mixed stock. You close the mixed stock areas and then catch the surplus of those stocks that have some in the rivers. Conservative management requires that fisheries be closed when there are weak stocks present.

Fished 10 yesterday. 6 hrs on the water for 3 dinks, biggest 6-7#. Lots of shaker encounters which may be part of the reason for the limit reduction. Our screen was chocked full at times with very few bites. The fish are there but seem to have lockjaw already. Never marked so many in my life without bites. Tribe was out netting. One we got had net marks on it. Going to be an interesting derby day today.