I think I know where the State is getting there impact numbers from.
Date River Code Angers Species Relesed
12/2024 Hoh River 348 46 37 Whitefish 0 0 0 0
2/12/2024 Quillayute River 404 16 11 Steelhead 42 0 0 0 0 0 139.92
2/12/2024 Sol Duc River 406 4 4 Steelhead 35 0 0 0 0 0 28.33
2/12/2024 Sol Duc River 406 4 4 Steelhead 35 0 0 0 0 0 28.33
2/12/2024 Sol Duc River 406 4 4 Steelhead 35 0 0 0 0 0 28.33
2/12/2024 Sol Duc River 406 4 4 Steelhead 35 0 0 0 0 0 28.33
2/12/2024 Sol Duc River 406 4 4 Steelhead 35 0 0 0 0 0 28.33
2/12/2024 Sol Duc River 406 4 4 Steelhead 35 0 0 0 0 0 28.33
2/12/2024 Sol Duc River 406 4 4 Steelhead 35 0 0 0 0 0 28.33

The chart does not translate well, but what it appears to be saying is 4 anglers released 35 wild steelhead on the 12th.

The Same day it says 16 angers released 42 on the Quillayute and 6 anglers released 21 on the Hoh.
They did better on the 11th, with 19 anglers releasing 105 steelhead on one section of the Hoh, while they did a little worse on the other section
with 14 only releasing 28. On the sol duc apparently did ok, with 20 anglers only releasing 91.

Apparently the average guy has been releasing an average of 4-5 steelhead per day.

On a good day, they have been averaging up to 8 per angler. Wow.

Those will be guide numbers, and we all know it's not that good every day, and some days it's even a little better. Most of them are fishing two anglers and fishing from the boat, so you probably shouldn't expect to catch that many bank-walking by yourself.

The reason I say those are guide numbers (besides the obvious) is that when I fished up there with a guide Feb. 8, he told us there hadn't been any WDFW creel checkers up there in weeks. The reason the guide numbers show up is that they are required to report client encounters daily in an online system.

By all means, go fishing where you still can, but don't expect those kind of numbers without a little local "assistance."

2/16/24

How about a "video requirement??????"

Is there a active tribal net fishery, taking place?

Just asking.......

We're missing a column heading in there somewhere; there are two numbers after the catch area code, so it's hard to see which one is the number of anglers, and it makes me wonder what the other number is...

Whatever the case, we all saw the study they are conducting up there this year on the Hoh to get data on how much more effective fishing from a boat is versus from the bank. The Hoh is split into the upper (Morgan's to Oxbow)and lower (below Oxbow) sections, and each section is open to boat angling half the week; bank only the other half. You noted how much better the catch was on one section on the day you were talking about than it was on the other. I strongly suspect, though I certainly can't tell from the chart, that it was the upper section that produced the better catch rate, because that was the section that would have been open for boat angling on the 11th. If that's the case, we see that boat angling was more than twice as effective as bank angling that day. I think most of us who have spent time both in boats and on the bank understand that to be a pretty normal ratio, but if the data show better than 2:1 for boat angling versus bank, that would be some pretty solid arguing material for the anti-boat angling crowd....

more smoke and mirrors from WDFW

Those are hot numbers! Makes some sense, coming right after the last good bump. Hope it holds up and displays a good overall return. I heard it was good and missed out, but didn't think that good? Bobber doggin at it's best. Coming from an old school drift fisherman, if you really want to reduce encounters, other than closures and boat limitations, eliminate bobbers.

The arguments against boats I have heard from BC is that the use of boats reduces or removes refuge areas for steelhead. If, say, 50 % of the river is inaccessible to most, if not all, bank anglers then the fish have refuges.

Well, seems like the fish are there. Is this just giving them more evidence to further restrict boat fishing? Guides / successful anglers should be limited to some number of "encounters"? I remember herzog suggesting people should self impose a limit of 3(?) landed fish per day a while back.

I read an article from New Zealand where they believe that the trout are having issues with the C&R fishing. The concern is that the fish are getting sore-mouthed and therefore off their feed. The Browns are getting thinner. One suggestion was to set an encounter limit; X fish and you're done.

Should note that when I started out with WDG in 1976 the limit was X fish. You could keep them or release them but once you hit X you were done. I really don't know if that is still the rule. I know we tried to get no limit for C&R with barbless hooks but leadership opposed it then.

Also, the rule was every steelhead landed had to be recorded on a punch card. A Warden told me he wouldn't buts someone for releasing a kelt unpunched but that was the rule.

There is NO F...ing way those #'s posted are True/Accurate #'s. I don't know what they are. 4 of us floated the upper Hoh on the 18th. Had 1st water for a long time. We ended up with 4. 2 of my friends floated today. Zero.

Going off WDFW info on the Chart. Anglers averaged 6.19 fish ea on Feb 18th. Throw in the # of people fishing Spey rods and there is no way.

Have any of you ever fished Steelhead where everyone averaged 6.19 Fish?

Also, we haven't been checked at all. Took out at Allens Bar.

I thought the same, but didn't want to spout off! WTH? The reporting format must be fd up!

I definitely think the numbers are bogus. They do not correspond with previous years, so hopefully they correct them. My original post was supposed to be sarcastic, but the responses made me really start to wonder. My guess is that someone does not know how to fill in the forms and no one in the department was watching what was being reported.

The department watching??.
Lol
They are busy making reality shows and eating doughnuts.

To bad.
It once was an amazing state.

Better buy a lawnmower while you can.

My neighbor chases the hot bite and he headed up there after his buddies got into them pretty good. Too bad he was a day late!

He showed me some hawg pics before he left.

wait, you mean a canned tuna and energy rebate check for peanuts, isn't enough for you to turn the other cheek and forget about all of the failures and uncontrolled regulation this state has blessed us with? I heard of somebody several years ago that floated a ps stream for fun one spring. Launched high in the system and floated for miles. I dont have an exact number but, the number of fish on reds and fly by winter fish that were around would have made you sick, knowing that the river was closed for steelhead fishing at the time. He got ahold of somebody from the regions office and asked why we were not fishing with the amount of fish in river. No logical answer and was told there was no way that he observed what he did. Who are you going to believe?

Sounds like the Green...

Take a float in mid March, early April, when the numbers are up, and water levels stabilize. Lotsa wilds to peruse.

I sent a text the other night to a WDFW official letting them know their Creel Check Data/Report was Screwed. They acknowledged the data was wrong and they had an issue and were addressing it. The Creel Report has been removed from the Blog.