OK- what's the deal with all the frick'en trash up on the Skookumchuck?
I think the average angler up on the Skook must think it's cool to leave your egg bag, shrimp carton and beer cans behind by looks of all the crap up there.
Manifest Desitiny lives on !
I'm sorry guys but i've been trying to hold this comment back for months; but after my visit to the skook this sunday afternoon I gotta let 'er rip...

Anglers Of the SKOOK - CLean Your Sh&$ UP !

Anyone up for a trash cleanup patrol on the Skookumchuck? I know just complaining doesn't do anyone any good so i propose a trash pickup party to cleanup that Sh*# hole.

I to fished there on sunday and saw every person drop there crap all over the place.

Why skookumshuck??

Might as well add the Toutle. Cowlitz, Kalama, Skokomish, Satsop and another dozen rivers. Trashin a river is as bad as being a SNAGGER!!! I always bring a trash bag and pick up some trash before I leave.

I think it's the "five miles from beer" rule. That is, people who litter like that never fish or hunt more than 5 miles from a retail beer vendor. And the more beer litter on the ground, the cheaper the label on the bottles or cans. Clearly, they don't throw out containers from expensive beverages.

On the other hand, it could just be some of my childhood semi-toothless tar heel neighbors behaving the same out fishing as they do at home. 40 years and not once has a garbage disposal truck ever come to their house. No need. It's all out in the back, waiting to decompose . . . eventually. Aluminum takes a while, of course, be it beer cans or mobile homes or the old pickup camper that used to house the hounds and a couple of the kids.

It seems to be a simple life philosophy of appreciating absolutely nothing. Trying to live off the land without giving a moment's respect, since that would be a form of appreciation.

The only way to get away from it is to travel more than 5 miles from beer, I think.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.

I was up there last week and there was junk all over the place. I heard the weekend before it was so packed there were cars parked all the way back to the hatchery. I didn't see any fish caught at all. The only thing i saw were a bunch of old silvers near the dam. Has anyone had any luck lately? It seems the river has been overfished and everything is gone until the next wave. Is there any netting going on in the Chehalis preventing the run? May go on thursday to check it out again.

i'm not too surprised you guys had similiar reports.
Guess i'm not the only one around who thinks the litter issue up on Skook is getting out of hand. I think i'll just grin and bear it and bring along a garbage bag next time i head up there (if i go again that is....)

i think a large amount of that trash is from people who live within 10 minutes of the river. when was the last time you've seen somebody drive 100 miles to dump an old freezer full of garbage?

The skookumchuck river is getting the same treatment that all rivers are reciveing.. People can pack it in but it weighs too much to pack the empty pop and beer cans back to there rigs.. It is probably the worst place you can be up by the dam ..The same was noticed on the toutle and green river mouth for silvers ..Trash every where .. I hope its not the sportsman . Most likely it's people that are fishing for one day or two days a year.

I too noticed the trash on Monday and I even took out a couple of shrimp containers. On a lighter note, I CnR my first steelhead on a fly rod on Monday on the Skookumchuck. It was a 5 pound buck that had been in the river for a while. Also got one strike that revieled nothing.

chum man I think you and I think the same way. I talked to you on "N" this fall I to think these people live close to the river and are the younger croud , like mommey will pick up after me. These are the people that will get it all closed for the rest of us. I meen come on people pick up after yourselves?

You guys wanna know why idiots leave trash??

They werent brought up with respect for the river or its fish. Most of these idiots associate going to the river like going to the mall. Its ok to leave sh** because someone will come behind me and clean it up.

99% of the idiots who leave trash, are casual anglers who dont give a rats a**, they have just enough gumption to get out on the water and after 2 hours are bored and frusterated and basically could care less about anything.

Sorry for the rant, but like most of you, i get sick of seeing sandshrimp cartons and beer cans all over...

Drove 75 Miles to fish this beutiful Little river to watch a young guy come down to the river with a spinning rod and a bag of egg's and a red stocking cap. Load his rod with egg's and fish for an hour or so, in one spot and make 80,000,000 cast ' without moving then walk up river and leave his egg bag and cup of coffee which I picked up on my way out to my truck I hope you read this post. Your mommy.

My theory is holding true.
Fresh water brings in the freaks.

I live near a lake, I know

I went up there today and didn't see much action. There were alot of people fishing though. I did see one guy with two steelhead, I guess 10% do catch 90%.

i take your theory one step further, that there is sort of a "food chain" here...

in terms of the unsavory people that hang out at different kinds of water, it seems to go:

ocean -> sound -> lakes -> rivers

with rivers having the most riff raff, and smaller ones being the worst. you've all seen the garbage and littering at the skook, and there's a squatter on the nisqually who lives next to the access on the dike in his van, and dumps all his garbage down on the rocks

squatting dogfish... did the guy have a ponytail?? out in the field??? mighta been me.....talked to you on the way out i think....

Good to see fellow local do well that takes fish and doesn't leave trash! Is five pounds about average size of those fish? I heard that the Newakum fish (unsure of the spelling) are a lot bigger. Must be different stock even they are all Chehalis system.

Bodysurf, I was wearing a mariners cap and carrying 2 rods. It must have been you. Great job! To catch one there now would be awesome, but two requires skill. I continued down river and got skunked(i.e lack of skill) and lost 15 bucks in jigs in the trees. Oh well, the next steelhead I catch will cost me 1000 bucks.

it just plain sucks! the garbage is heavier on the way in why the heck cant people just respect it and pack it out. now we can refer to this river as the skookumdump.