Anyone go to the meeting in Mill Creek last night? If so, please give us an update.

Thanks!
SA

did you end up going up to the Sky last night I fished it for a while til the down pouring started and the thunder and lighting was up over my head and decided it was time to leave hooked into a king and saw a couple guys catch a few steelhead but other than that it was pretty slow

I was wondering the same thing myself. Anyone have info about what happened. I heard the sockeye have allready started to trickle thru the locks.

Go get in line to Launch now!

What I learned is that there is more data available than in past years for the Dept. to make intelligent decisions on peak run timing, which leads to season setting, bag limit. The run timing historically varies on peak return years, and that will play a major factor on how many fish/when we can fish going into mid-July. On past peak years we have had the bulk of the fish come in as early as the first week in July and as late as the end of the second week. This cripples the Dept's ability to make intelligent season setting decisions during the time everyone wants to be on the water.

Most everyone voted for a 2 fish bag and an extended season, but that presents a real problem now that anglers are very efficient at catching these fish. We could exceed the quota in just a few days. I think in order to maximize opportunity on this fishery we may end up with a one fish bag limit and a longer season, with the possibility of increasing the bag once the true size of the run can be more accurately determined later in mid July, around the 15th.

Bottom line, the decision making process will be fluid and reactionary to run timing and counts at the locks. We will all need to keep our eyes on the WDFW website for advisories which will probably be released with a one week notice or so.


Kudos to Mike ? with the Mukleshoots, he made a good presentation on how they count the fish last night, and how the tribe takes part in enhancing this fishery..

I dont think I would fight the lines and general boating madness of every yahoo and his mother taking his boat out for the first time this year, trying to get onto the lake for one fish, more than once or twice. It just wouldnt be worth it.
Thank god I have moorage on the lake this year.

Thanks for the update Sky-Guy. I agree that fighting the madness doesn't really seem worth it for a one fish limit.

A one fish limit will keep alot of folks off the water. I'd rather put in the effort and time to chase Kings in the salt.

SA

I would have to agree with you Steel Addict.
No way I'lll fight the lines for a 1 fish limit.
It's a fun fishery,but I'd rather fish the Sound for 2 fish. The only other way is if I can secure some morage. That just sucks!

OK Calm down everyone. I was also at the meeting last night and I personally got the feeling that the WDFW prefers the 2 fish limit. Chandler spoke to the fact that the 1 fish limit will encourage alot of cheating and fish smuggling! The overall feeling I got was that most prefer the 2 fish limit with limited days of the week while a few prefer 7 days a week with a 1 fish limit. If the numbers go high enough as I believe they will we will see 2 fish per day and 7 days a week...call me the eternal optimist!!!!
CM

I am not too big a fan of the way that WDFW manages this fishery. Why are they so anal about each and every fish when this is a totally introduced species? That does not make sense to me. Neither does the 350,000 fish escapement requirement. This number was selected several years ago and they should be fine tuning it (as the years go by) rather than considering it sacred law. Also, if a hatchery is now in place, couldn't the required escapement be lowered a little??

Because the fishery is a payback to the tribes. Same reason they let them whack the entire Green River Watershed a few years ago for Blacktail and Elk.

Because the fishery is a payback to the tribes and makes the local news seem like everything is honky dory to the genral public Same reason they let them whack the entire Green River Watershed a few years ago for Blacktail and Elk.

Like you Canyonman I too am an optimist... The other thing that we learned last night was that the WDFW is making a big effor this year to record catch numbers and try and get the most accurate count that they can. I personally thought the overall tone of the meeting was very positive. Mike from the shoot tribe did a great presentation and really did a great job on explaining the tribes catch meathods and count meathods.. There are also Tagged fish this year. A gal Kelly? from the U-W has tagged some fish as well as placing radio transmitters in some bellies. There is a white tag with her information on it so you can send the tag and information back to her or you can take them to Outdoor Emporium for a chance to win a Very nice rod and reel combo..

I hope I didnt sound too pessimistic, I only tried to come across as realistic.

If we are given 50-70K fish to harvest, and have a bag limit of two fish per day with lakewide harvest at 12-15K fish per day, I dont see how we can have a fishery for more than a week and remain under quota?

bm,

I'm not sure why the actual run size goal is for the Lk. Washington sockeye run is what it is, but whatever the reason for number they come up with, they have to be pretty militatnt about getting the right amount of spawners to keep it up.

That run, unlike those in the Fraser system, has a very, very low spawner to recruit ratio, something like a little over 1. This means that even at lower population sizes the fish run just manages to replace itself every two years with just a little bit left over. If they allow the escapement to fall below the desired run size goal a few years in a row the population size will start dramatically falling, and no one, us or the tribes, will have a harvest.

For background purposes, most anadromous fish tend to have higher productivity as the population size decreases, so a run should be able to build itself back up fairly well. These particular sockeye are an exception to that rule. A low population size from overharvest combined with a survival issue in the river (flood or landslide) could take us out of the sockeye fishing business for many years.

They can't do much about a flood or landslide, but they can make sure that if the population size is predicted to be over the necessary escapement (350K, I think), then harvest won't be the problem.

Fish on...

Todd

Did they accept or ask for any input from the audience??

Statisitical arguements often come down to the definition of a few key terms. In this case it is "spawner to recruit" ratio., and it appears that spawner to recruit ratio is a running 4 year average of the entire 30 years worth of Ballard Locks fish counts. So they have averaged the entire ensemble of data and said, in effect, "Hey, the run is not dying out (ie, ratio = 1), therefore the 350,000 number is correct. All this says to me is that 350,000 is certainly a safe number to use and the run will probably not die out, but in the meantime we only get to fish for a few days every 4th or 5th year for one fish???

The tribes get their cut off the top. We only get surplus abouve that.

Actually I do not think that is the case.. I think that the Tribes were very generous in giving the meat fishers a 50% cut of the allowable take.

Is there not some kind of tribal fishery nearly every year for lake Wa sockeye, regardless of the run size??

rivershark,

Thats what is shown on paper but much like the other allotments I do not think we end up anywhere near 50/50. Their nets go in first and they get their take guaranteed. I know they say they count the harvest but I find it interesting that in 40 years of fishing and hunting this state extensively I have only met fish and game 2x for counts creel checks or general enforcement.