I'm trying to understand the logic behind the selective gear rules above the falls. Since the fish have to be trucked above the falls is there even a native run to protect? The N. Fork doesn't have this rule but there are wild fish. Probably an obvious reason, but it hasn't come to me yet.

Snapper,
Ive often wondered the same questions. WDFW has stopped stocking hatchery fish up there. THe only ones ive ever caught up there have intact adipose fins. Since hatchery fish have a very poor reproduction track record i'd say that those fish have no hatchery genes.

Reasoning: Wild fish school up below the falls. Truck comes and scoops them up and turns them loose in upper river where they utilize miles of river creating a bigger and healthier wild fish population.

All salmon species are found there too, and to my knowledge they are wild fish. Ive never seen smolt plant numbers from the S.Fork since the 80's.

Maybe someone else has some knowledge on this..?????

I'm pretty sure that there are both wild steelhead and wild, endangered chinook that are trucked over Sunset Falls.

It's also a good way to prevent all the folks that camp up there from loading up on smolts bait fishing in the campgrounds.

Also, I've seen and caught several hatchery steelhead in the S.Fk. both above and below the falls. If they're not stocking it anymore they must be N.Fk. fish that hung a right at Index, rather than a left.

Todd.

[ 05-13-2001: Message edited by: Todd ]

Howdy,
For years as I traveled back and forth to east washington I wondered why people would be at Money Cr. Campground bridge intently staring down into the Sky. I found out that many Trout, Char, and Salmon are released into the upper river to propogate. Their smolts don't have any problem falling over the fall's that restrict adult upstream passage. So in effect the whole upper S.F. Sky system is a pristine rearing sanctuary, with an angling opportunity for C&R sportsmen. Pretty Cool!

I'm more curious now, I couldn't find any info. from my searches on the WDFW site. Who stocks what above the falls by truck?

Snap,
THey dont stock anything above the falls anymore. They transport adults above falls(wild fish). Single barbless, no bait to protect smolts.

Thanks b.w.