#1040132 - 10/18/20 06:30 PM
Size of Salmon this year
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Juvenile at Sea
Registered: 11/26/03
Posts: 213
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Just an observation.
I've been making my annual treks to some various rivers I've fished for 30+ years. I've been impressed in recent weeks to see the size of the Coho & Kings. After our down years in #'s & size it's been great to see Fat Coho. My wife caught a 15lb hatchery Coho buck. Like some of the other fish I've seen it wasn't long but had great girth. Also for the 1st time in years I saw 3 legitimate 30+ lb kings in a 2 day span. I hadn't seen that in years. I've read that the ocean conditions were on the up swing to support our fish. I just hope it continues.
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#1040134 - 10/18/20 07:13 PM
Re: Size of Salmon this year
[Re: Blu13]
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Juvenile at Sea
Registered: 05/30/15
Posts: 120
Loc: Maple Valley
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I second that. Have caught lots of nice hatchery coho upwards of 10lbs. Can't wait to see how big the B runs are!
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#1040138 - 10/18/20 09:18 PM
Re: Size of Salmon this year
[Re: Blu13]
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Ornamental Rice Bowl
Registered: 11/24/03
Posts: 12767
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Columbia coho were extra fatty this year... sign of a good ocean with lipid rich copepods fueling the food chain from the bottom up.
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"Let every angler who loves to fish think what it would mean to him to find the fish were gone." (Zane Grey) "If you don't kill them, they will spawn." (Carcassman) The Keen Eye MDLong Live the Kings!
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#1040140 - 10/18/20 09:34 PM
Re: Size of Salmon this year
[Re: Blu13]
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Ornamental Rice Bowl
Registered: 11/24/03
Posts: 12767
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I can't believe I gave that entire PRIMO coho away.... lucky office gals.
_________________________
"Let every angler who loves to fish think what it would mean to him to find the fish were gone." (Zane Grey) "If you don't kill them, they will spawn." (Carcassman) The Keen Eye MDLong Live the Kings!
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#1040146 - 10/19/20 07:50 AM
Re: Size of Salmon this year
[Re: Blu13]
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River Nutrients
Registered: 11/21/07
Posts: 7429
Loc: Olema,California,Planet Earth
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Depends on the species and age composition. This year's coho tell us next to nothing about next year's, as they are primarily a single age class for adults.
IF the Chinook run is has an abundance of age-3, then that bodes well for next year's age-4. If the abundance is age-4, maybe a few more age-5. If there is an abundance of age-5, it's not gonna help next year.
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#1040147 - 10/19/20 08:06 AM
Re: Size of Salmon this year
[Re: cobble cruiser]
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King of the Beach
Registered: 12/11/02
Posts: 5206
Loc: Carkeek Park
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Definitely larger and more plentiful than the last several years! Really nice robust fish this year. Wonder if theyll open the snohomish and sky next season. Its been 3 years of near zero bag limits now regardless of the fact that there appears to be more fish than ive seen in more years. Probably not Danny unless they forecast more the 50K wild coho. If I remember correctly this years forecast was something like 39K. SF
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#1040167 - 10/19/20 01:20 PM
Re: Size of Salmon this year
[Re: Blu13]
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Repeat Spawner
Registered: 04/20/09
Posts: 1270
Loc: WaRshington
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https://snohomishcountywa.gov/DocumentCe...rends_ReportPDF"The Snohomish Basin is crucial habitat for coho salmon in Puget Sound—it is estimated that 25% to 50% of all of Puget Sound’s coho salmon originate here. Coho salmon have been declining over the past decades, and the two lowest coho salmon returns on record were in 2015 and 2017. With the low return in 2017, the 3-year geometric mean fell below 31,000, the critical management threshold. Snohomish coho salmon are now in “overfished” status and a rebuilding plan is being developed to bring the stock back to “normal” status (50,000). In addition, fisheries are planned more conservatively to limit exploitation of overfished stocks." Until we are out of "overfished" status for 5 consecutive years I would not expect much of a meaninful fishery in that system.
Edited by GodLovesUgly (10/19/20 01:20 PM)
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When I grow up I want to be, One of the harvesters of the sea. I think before my days are done, I want to be a fisherman.
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#1040181 - 10/19/20 06:51 PM
Re: Size of Salmon this year
[Re: Blu13]
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Juvenile at Sea
Registered: 11/26/03
Posts: 213
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Regarding the Snohomish system. At the 2019 NOF meeting in Mill Creek they let us know that the feds/NOAA had told WDFW that they needed to get more Native Coho to the spawning grounds or the/feds would look at listing them. Since that is the last thing we want WDFW decided to go with the conservative route. At the 2020 meeting they had lower projections then 2019, so they shut it down. This obviously had nothing to do with the hatchery fish.
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#1040183 - 10/19/20 07:57 PM
Re: Size of Salmon this year
[Re: Blu13]
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Spawner
Registered: 03/07/12
Posts: 806
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No reason to punish sportfisherman for commercial fisherman’s loss I mean economic gain. Those Coho never had a problem till the Chum collapse which more than likely took it’s fair share of Coho. Great fishery before the chinese wanted the eggs.
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Why build in the flood plain?
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#1040185 - 10/19/20 09:25 PM
Re: Size of Salmon this year
[Re: Blu13]
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~B-F-D~
Registered: 03/27/09
Posts: 2256
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Regarding the Snohomish system. At the 2019 NOF meeting in Mill Creek they let us know that the feds/NOAA had told WDFW that they needed to get more Native Coho to the spawning grounds or the/feds would look at listing them. Since that is the last thing we want WDFW decided to go with the conservative route. At the 2020 meeting they had lower projections then 2019, so they shut it down. This obviously had nothing to do with the hatchery fish. They must get their counts during blow outs... the last 3 years has been sick with fish but dont ask those with their eyes on the river. Eyes that have observed the rivers highs and lows for decades...
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#1040207 - 10/20/20 02:43 PM
Re: Size of Salmon this year
[Re: Carcassman]
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Repeat Spawner
Registered: 03/06/01
Posts: 1195
Loc: Gig Harbor, WA
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Yes it's interesting, I saw the same thing in Puget Sound. Fewer kings but a much greater proportion of larger hi-teeners. Very few 10 lb cookie cutters. If that observation holds (a 3 yr old run class which usually makes up the majority of the run, but was MIA this year), next year may be a small-fish year without many 4 yr olds.
Can't speak to the coho's, haven't gotten my meathooks on enough of them (yet),
fb
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#1040256 - 10/21/20 09:56 PM
Re: Size of Salmon this year
[Re: cobble cruiser]
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Spawner
Registered: 03/07/12
Posts: 806
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Regarding the Snohomish system. At the 2019 NOF meeting in Mill Creek they let us know that the feds/NOAA had told WDFW that they needed to get more Native Coho to the spawning grounds or the/feds would look at listing them. Since that is the last thing we want WDFW decided to go with the conservative route. At the 2020 meeting they had lower projections then 2019, so they shut it down. This obviously had nothing to do with the hatchery fish. They must get their counts during blow outs... the last 3 years has been sick with fish but dont ask those with their eyes on the river. Eyes that have observed the rivers highs and lows for decades... They were a few years late in shutting down the sportfishing as 2015-2016 plain sucked but the last few years were way better. Oh well, maybe they’ll decide to do a wide open, burn it to the ground method of escapement when/if it opens again.
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Why build in the flood plain?
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#1040343 - 10/23/20 09:57 AM
Re: Size of Salmon this year
[Re: Blu13]
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River Nutrients
Registered: 04/25/00
Posts: 5078
Loc: East of Aberdeen, West of Mont...
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Well my take is based on the "Coho jacks", I caught this year. I've fished jacks in the Chehalis River for about 50 years.
In general many of the Coho jacks were "bigger and heavier" than those from many years in the past.
Many of the Coho jacks were in the 17" - 19" class, I also caught a few in the 21" - 22" class.......were these BIG jacks or small Coho????? I have no answer here BUT based on my observation, there could be some BIG Coho in the 2021 Chehalis Coho returns.
Could be a fun fishery.....small bait of eggs, 13' rod, fast water....Coho in 14+ pound class........could be some "ass whipping in the future"
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#1040346 - 10/23/20 10:07 AM
Re: Size of Salmon this year
[Re: Blu13]
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River Nutrients
Registered: 11/21/07
Posts: 7429
Loc: Olema,California,Planet Earth
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Are you sure they were jacks? At Minter, some years back, there was a bunch of small jack-sized coho that the cwt's showed to be adults.
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#1040348 - 10/23/20 10:21 AM
Re: Size of Salmon this year
[Re: Carcassman]
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River Nutrients
Registered: 03/03/09
Posts: 4413
Loc: Somewhere on the planet,I hope
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With out posting a photo, yes the jacks were just plain fat and the numbers were well past what I was used to seeing. Hey I will text you a pic!
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