Would have to say, Drano with springs, can usually catch fish and see fish caught. The Fraser when the Sockeye fishery is open, if your line is wet, your hooking fish!

*Will have to vote Reiter 4 sure...opening day!!
*The Edmonds pier when word is out is hot.
*Blue Creek area in general.
*Snohomish river during Humpie season(cracker central)
*anywhere f&h news does a write up/map, is always sure to become a combat zone.
*My favorite one I will leave unsaid, as not too add to the increasing pressure, as it is only open in the winter.

WW

No, No, No, No, No Boys. You all have it wrong.
Bob is very close with the sockeye gig on the Kenai and Russian, but not quite up to our Standards in the Midwest.

Number One combat zone is the Root River in Racine Wisconsin during the King Run. In a 250 yard stretch of river, you'll see 400 guys on both banks, crankin on moldy kings. The slot is about 5 yards wide, and 24 inches deep during heavy flows. Most falls, we are talking max depth of 14 inches, with lots of fish dry backin to get over the fast water. Max width of the river is 15 yards, and it is all just above ankle deep, other than the slot.

Now, go ahead and cram about 5,000 kings (avg weight of 18 pounds, with some up to 30) in to this same 250 yard stretch of water, and you have a real circus. Drones, Snagging (people and fish), Drones, illegal dip netting at night, Drones, 50 different countries well represented, Drones, people walking down the center of the slot chasing kings that have been snagged, landing nets with 7 foot long handles, Drones, fist fights, Drones, Drones, Drones, yelling, kings with mold spots the size of your fist, are just a few of the visual pleasures to be enjoyed. Did I mention that the river was infested with DRONES. Last year a buddy and I had to call 911 and give the Heimlich manuever to a gal who was choking ot death on a sandwich in the parking lot.

I usually do a two day gig for the River Patrol to try and sort out some of the knuckle dragging trolls, and provide them with something to read. Last year, almost $50,000 dollars in fines were handed out on this river during the Salmon run. Three drones from Chicago were popped with over 150 kings in the back of their truck when they netted them at night. The warden said that the truck springs were close to breaking due to the fish in the back of the truck.

The only other spectacle that is close, would be the Salmon Run at Tippy Dam on the Manistee River in Michigan. Alot of the same things as the Root, but all long distance casting in to big water.

No matter where it is, it seems like the Salmon bring out the worst of the worst in people. It's virtually impossible for most people to pass up an opportunity to catch,net,line,snag, the biggest fish of their life. Peace.

Hey Bob, is there any way to dig up the drone thread from three years ago? It might help the guys understand what they are.

I see that nobody has mentioned Fortson The midnight opening at Fortson has to be experinced once in everyones life to really know what combat fishing is all about. The river is almost 20 ft wide with guys literally touching elbows on both sides. People are so close you smeel their breath! It's great at night cause you can see everyone's glowball's flying through the air and getting tangled up with each other. It's funnier than hell to see all these floats with glow sticks going down the riv and about 10 at any given time hangin about 8ft over the middle of the riv tangled with a guy on the other side....

It's classic! Grab a half rack and head on up for the show!!!

The Carbon River at the mouth of Voight Creek on opening week definitely qualifies to be on this list. Not only is it combat fishing at its finest, but you get to start your fishing experience doing some "Combat Parking". I personally do not partake in the festivities, but I drive past the place where everyone parks, and on opening day, you can expect to walk a mile down the Hwy just to get to the trailhead.

I like to say that opening day on the Carbon is like having the Circus and the Zoo in town on the same day.

i personally like to head to the carbon, to get my fill of corkies from all the combat fishing, i avg. about 30-40 a day when i go..question, does anyone on this board have a old telescopic pole they wouldnt mind getting rid of? about 6-7 feet or longer..

Fish attract crowds and fish make people nuts.
I have to admit: been there, done it. Heck, it's a long walk into Blue Cr., just like the drive to Hoodsport, might as well toss a line while I'm there. And heck the Sno's blown might as well fish Tokul instead cleaning out the gutters. But I was never prepared for what I saw at the mouth of the Russian River in Alaska many years ago. Visualizing a wilderness experience on my first trip to Alaska I headed to the Kenai and stopped at the Russian at around 10pm. Pulling off the remote and beautiful Kenai hwy into a parking lot that was bigger and fuller than the Puyallup Fair. When I finally got to the river I could not believe my eyes. A packed line of fisherman on the far side extending as far as the eye could see. We're talking over a mile. A loaded foot ferry was crossing the Kenai non stop. When I got over I found entire families tag team fishing in one spot and having picnics and sleepovers on bank behind them. And to top it off I learned to my utter amazement, that for a number of years later entire families were flying over from places like Japan to exclusively fish this stretch for reds to take back home. That's a serious fish magnet..... I mean like Close Encounters of the Fish Kind! It was a freek show. You might see me again at Blue Cr, Pt. Defiance, Bonneville, Buoy 10, Palmer, Reiter, Icicle, Tokul, any trout opener, and even Hoodsport, maybe. The Russian? No "freeking", and I mean "freeking", way.

Banking it - Russian River. I once hooked a dandy red and followed it downriver as it took off in heavy current. During the 100 yds it took me to land it I ducked nearly 300 poles. I love showing friends scenic photos of "the line" ; hundreds of people lined up a$$ to a$$ all fishing with 3 feet of line dangling from their rodtip.

Boating it - Mouth of the Columbia during the 2nd or 3rd week of Aug. The scene below the Astoria Bridge is an incredible sight to behold. The same goes for the view from the Cape Disapointment Lighthouse.

Pier - Seacrest. During good
chinook runs, the space-between-angler ratio is measured in inches. Very amusing at times. Don't bother showing up if you can't cast straight out.

These day's it seems I create a combat fishing zone every time I land a fish.

How about some of the old spots when you were a kid, Like snagging/jigging smelt @ LaConner 35yrs ago. Back then it was just a few buildings, one dock you could fish off of and a hoard of people there for the annual derby.

Wow, what a great batch of combat stories. But please someone tell me, what is a "drone"? Having come from Wisconsin Hawk's story had me grinning the most. I've never been there but can just imagine what it's like. When I was in high school I worked in a village meat market. We used to smoke salmon and carp in our smokehouse. I loved pulling the fish out to break off a corner piece to check if it was done.

Hey Aunty M
How about those 1:00 in the afternoon negative tides on those shrimpin' days over at misery point? Crack a few cold ones, kick back and relax and enjoy the show! Run a pool to see who is the first to call a tow truck when the tide starts coming back in. In fact I htink it was two years ago that the first tow truck needed a tow truck because he got out to far. What a show!!

I have seen fortson both at night and with the fly crackers. I have seen the Samish king snag fest. I have seen the mouth of the Columbia and the Willamette and one other river in Oregun which the name escapes me now. I have been to the Russian with fishermen as far as the eye can see and the Skagit during humpy mania. But Hawk's drone story takes the cake.

Substitute the moldy kings in Hawk's story with bright silvers, and that baby's got Quilcene (killscene) written all over it! Right gooose! :p

Rieter- No joke... THis summer i saw a float coming down from the ponds that was the size of a softball! Its always funny to see what the Seattle boys will use from time to time

Snohomish - People come out of the wood works for scab pinks. Can be downright embarrasing

Samish - mud, and muck...god bless the "ditch"

3 north sound picks....

My first vote wuld go for blue creek, and my second would be where icechopper took me on the wind for springers. There are definately a few others, but I have stayed away from them for a while.
Buck

here is one not to forget,
whatcom creek, ya know the one that caught on fire a couple of years ago. from now until the end of chum season. you will see all types, young and old. Fist fights, snagging, yelling. my favorite story from a couple of years ago was someone attacked another angler with pair of needelnose pliars. Kind of fun to go down there at lunch time and watch the crowd. what a sight!

New guy here, but I have fished most of these rivers where its combat fishing and nothing compares to the Russian river when the REDs are in. I have seen it with fisherman on both banks sholder to sholder with 2 rows of fisherman facing them from the middle of the river! But every one was catching fish!

Fish on

what about oak park where all the tweekers go, that place is alot of fun to watch but don't get in there way

Would have to say it's a tossup between the samish and the S.F. of the sack right now.