We shall see. Cliff Mass is calling for the Quick rising of most local Pink Salmon Rivers here in Puget Sound. Possibly record high levels, and quick rising too boot. At least the next day will be very cool and mild , but then, the rains will fall.

Maybe this will bring the ocean fish in, along with a nice coho or three to be found in south sound.

Now, how many daze left before all 7 million Humpys find the spawning gravel they are looking for ?

Maybe the bird hunting will kick off a bit earlier than I had planned.

If memory serves, most of the PS pinks are spawning in September so rain in the next few days shouldn't mess much up.

Strangely enough the mainstream news is not reporting on this storm,, am wondering if this is engineered and we are going to get a Texas style flash flood... Bad things can happen when you get possible rain like this in August...

https://www.nwrfc.noaa.gov/weather/10_day.cgi?v=20200803v1

Inch maybe two to two and a half in the Cascades. Going to hit record flows day and month but nothing close to flash floods or ordinary flood levels. Just a summer storm and we can use the rain.

https://www.nwrfc.noaa.gov/rfc/

Back when I was working in Disco Bay '76-80 we had a weather station. The winter of '76-77 was severe drought, which broke in March. For the next couple of years, through the summers, we had a minimum of an inch of rain every month.

In a subsequent life I was looking at Cedar River sockeye and their decline. WDF had identified that something happened around 1980. I looked at fall rainfall, September-December (to cover spawn time). The total rainfall for the four months was essentially the same. What changed in the September dried up and November got wetter. This likely damaged the September spawners and maybe even November; would need to look at flows.

We need to be looking at these flow/rain/snow issues over long periods of time rather than just "Damn, it's wet this year and was dry last".

They poured into the south sound in the last few days. I went out to the dock yesterday and took four in about 2 -2.5 hours. In between I shook a few off and lost 3 or 4 more. There was a school in the middle of the sound between commencement bay and point ruston that looked to run just as far in width. I can't even guess how many were out there, but it had to be in the 10's of thousands.

Every one I caught was a hen. Three were mature, but the fourth had skeins that were like a summer run. I am not sure what that all means, but my guess is that most will move up, but that another big batch is on the way.

The barometric pressure drop is the key that starts salmon to move fast. Interesting how salmon can sense and react ahead of actual rainfall and rising rivers to be at the river mouth at the right time. Natures way to set up survival success. Also, less biters and more lock jaw sooner when this happens. A bonus now? I suspect if the rivers bump hard or go out, the Pinks in the salt game will be about over. The bonus is Coho will be right behind them flooding in to PS sooner than later.

My guess is the pink salt game has about another two weeks or so before it starts to fade out, just like every other odd year.
It’s going to dry up again after this system passes through.
Some will hit the rivers but others will be behind them. I was out in a buddies boat yesterday in the north sound and some big schools were moving through.
Coho fishing has been tough but hopefully this weather will change that. Some around, just not a lot from what I’ve seen.
SF

From what I saw yesterday, the entire south sound pretty much emptied out. I did not go today, so it is hard to say what moved in. It is possible that some purse seiners hit the school, as there were enough to make it worth while. Most likely, however, they moved into the rivers in bulk.

Went out today to Nisqually area, north to Steilacoom thinking I might intercept the first of the one and a half million. Rain should move them quickly, I thought. Wrong, but we did pick up one nice king, which is probably better than several humpies. Just looking for some action close to home.

The Humpys were rolling around the mid channel rips yesterday, from Dalco to the beach rips around the Gig.

Seems like the Humpys dispersed vertical in the water column. Until yesterday, we were hitting most Pinks early and shallow, 15 to 25 ft of wire down. Then yesterday after the rains, they were caught deeper, and on down to 90 ft.

Tuffer fishing, but they were around...

Turns out the end was not close. From Seattle southward, pinks are everywhere. I have a view of Elliot Bay and pretty much all day I can look out and see a school of pinks jumping. I see them all the way across the Sound on my way in and they are nuts near Point Defiance. I thought we were peak fishing a week ago but at least in central Puget Sound it has gotten even more nuts.

EDIT: I haven't seen it like this since at least as far back as 2015.

I was questioning if the run was going to be as big as predicted, and it’s looking like it probably is. There are pinks everywhere.

I’ve caught lots of them quickly while targeting them. I’ve also caught quite a few on my meatline 200 feet down targeting kings. They’ve even been trying to eat 6” plugs.

The Puyallup River all the way down to Point Defiance is loaded with people casting jigs and buzz bombs both from the bank and from a boat. People who don’t even have a clue what they are doing are loading up. Everyone is catching fish.

Enjoy it while it’s here!


Streamer

Yeah, I would also compare this run to 2015. The deep South Sound should be getting a bump too. Most of the current fish appear to be holding between the slag pile and Browns Point.


Now that wdfw closed chinook in area 11, this will be the only game in town for the next few weeks.