Just to pass along along a note sent to me to let people know what's going on. Without a lot of knowledge of the Lake and its fish, it's hard hard for me to make a call on this one, but I thought some of you may have some more insight:

right now in lake samammish gill netts are out and cutthroat trout are being
killed by the state in an effort to protect salmon minows. i was told that
bass and cutthroat trout were just stuffed in the nett. all our local fish
that provide a pretty good fishery to local people that know how to catch em!
DEAD. this is wrong .i dont know what can be done to stop the state hired
poachers but maybe you do. im asking local websites to post this information
to spread the word if anyone even cares anymore maybe some good will come of
it. i belive that kiro seven knows all about this and is withholding the
story as a favor to the state. spread this information as much as possible im
a busy marine tech. and i dont have any more time. thank you so much PETER
BARNARD

This is unbelievable, because they have always touted the lake sammamish cutthroat and smallmouth bass fishery. They have a great escapement on salmon and steelhead smolts there so I don't know why they would be doing this. Maybe it is just a sampling or a test, lets hope so, but if it is for survival then something is very, very wrong!!
Please any one who lives in the area please find the nets and get some photographic evidence, then take it to the powers that be, or the ones that will do something about it. I lived in Issaquah for a year or so and always did well fishing in the lake.
Peace Superfly

i can't believe they are doing this to protect the smolts, if in fact, it is true does that mean they are going to start netting lake washington also, if not what's the use, maybe the state has to much money left over and need to spend it for next years funding?

Anyone around Seattle with a boat who's not out steelheading want to check it out? I'm sure there's a few of us with decent digital cameras who would be willing to get some pictures. Anyone seen this going on or know what times they're out?

Bruce

B.Grey, i live about 1/2hr from the state park launch have a boat but don't know when this is going on, unfortunally i work durning the week but if by some chance can find out ahead of time i could plan something? let me know

I'll give Buffalo Bill's a call and see what they know. I'd love to get some pictures of this bonehead plan. I also work during the week and that's probably when they're netting but I can come in late and get out of here early. I'll let you know.

Anyone know anybody who fishes Sammamish regularly and may have seen this nonsense?

Bruce

Didn't Buffalo Bill's go out of business last fall? The biologist at the Issaquah hatchery should know what's going on at the mouth of Issaquah Creek. A Fisheries student doing work on Lake Washington said bass and cutts gather near the Montlake Cut to feed on outgoing smolts there, also. That area could be netted just as easily as Lake Sammamish. Let's hope this is just a short term study; a bountiful Lake Sammamish kokanee population was "managed" to near extinction decades ago. I would hate to see that happen to the Sammamish cutts and smallmouth, too.

Okay, here's the response I received from the WDFW, "The Muckleshoot Indian Tribe has been doing a study on Lake Sammamish to investigate predator impacts on juvenile salmon. The study, I believe, used nets during a three week period to collect adult bass, perch, resident residualized salmon, and other species. The collection part of the study is completed. For more information I would urge you to contact the Muckleshoot tribal office, fisheries department."

Man the indians keep coming up with some hairbrained reason to throw out th ****ing nets.
**** give them a farm pond and some nets and they will figure out some reason why they should net the Mother [Bleeeeep!]
Peace Superfly