This morning my cousin and I went out to the North Fork Hatchery. We arrived around 5 am and started to fish. Their were no boats in the water. Round 5:30 am boats started to show up rapidly. and all of the boats went and sat right in front of me, they did that constantly througout the morning!! To top it all off, they were nailing the fish Even when my cousin and I gave out obvious hints like. I MIGHT AS WELL FISH RIGHT ON THE LAND, OR I AM GOING TO CAST WERE I HAVE BEEN ALL MORNING. They continued put there boats there. . So to make the day better we didi not even get a fish, I lost one on my first cast that is all. The boaters were nailing the fish. So many oats

thats a bummer. i have had that happen to me. one of these days i will hopefully have a boat.

Josh:

I feel for you, but you should know that the "meathole" (if that is where you were fishing) is a hole where dozens of boats cluster every day. Many of us avoid it. You can't fight tradition, even if the tradition is ugly.

thats a bunch of b.s.! at least you tried to complain to them. stupid inconsiderate *******s anyways. i don't quite understand why the people with boats have the whole damn river and insist on fishing where the bankies are. hell, if these guys with $40.000 knew anything about fishing they would know other spots to fish. first come first serve! there is always room for others.

The meat hole is closed to Boats after May 1st, turn them ****ers in!!! I always yield to Bankies.
Peace Superfly

"May 1 through July 31-daily limit six hatchery salmon but no more than 2 adults.
"May 1 until further notice - Fishing from floating devices will be allowed from Johnson Creek (located downstream from the salmon hatchery) upstream to Colvin Creek (located upstream from the salmon hatchery)."

I was at the Meat hole, but I fish that spot all the time, and I never had a problem. But it was funny watching boats hit each other all morning . The hole was packed with boats, it was combat fishing for them!

Josh ... it's been about 15 years since I last fished that hole after growing up down in that neck of the woods.

It was that way then, and it will probably be that way 15 years from now as well. There's just some places you gotta avoid if you want to stay away from that stuff

Well, you can play stupid and keep fishing the meat hole or the "sportsman's hole" or you can take off and try to find new water less fished and you will not have that problem.

Kingfisher

Where do you fish on that river? I am mainly on the hatchery side.

I do fish the meat hole but it just has become to many people for me so I take off and start walkin way up river or way down river. There is many good holes along that river that are so much better then the hatchery area. Like the Johnson creek flats. Why fish with 30+ boats and out of all them boats maybe 6 or 8 fish get caught, but run down river and limit out at times.

Grew up in BattleGround all and spent many great days on the Fork..... I always preferred Hapa Crusher to the meat(head)hole. Any of you remember the glory days of Lucia Falls and ole' Foss Gasaway? He taught me everything I know about stream fishing for Steelies. Too bad I am stuck in sucky Boise no-real-fisherman-should-ever-get-stuck-here Idaho.......

TightLines to all you Cedar Creek brothers!

Ah yes, I remember Foss well. And I remember his daughter Gerine even better. Long story there!

Lucia Falls,lots of good memories

BTW...... I am sure Foss has past on, but can anyone tell me for sure. When? How?
Last time I saw ole' Foss was in the 80's, before I moved away...... Miss the ole' grizzled fart.

LRFJ,
I am sorry about your luck, but the bankies get no love in the Meathole, the area above is generally left for the bankies. So you were kind of breaking a traditon there, I have fished that river many times out of both a boat and off the shore.. Hate to say it but you should have expected that to happen. The meat hole is one of the only prop accesible holes in the upper River.