Kinda new around here been a lurker for a while so decided to join in the fun. I live on the chehalis river in rochester and was wondering if anyone ever fished it this time of year for springers?
The water isn't too high right now and the color is perfect thinking of giving it a try in my pontoon, any advice?

No springer run there as far as I know gotta wait for the fall kings and winterrun steelhead.

You're better off learning how to fish the Lewis, the Columbia, Drano, or heading into Oregon. The numbers on the Chehalis are pretty slim. Spending 40 hours between fish kinda takes away from the convienance of fishing 15 minutes from your house.

look up the plants online. i agree i dont think they plant it. always fun to try though: )

Couple years back.. hmmm maybe more like four. Trolled herring behind flashers.. did ok for silvers...

I hate to disagree with the consensus, but there are a couple good guides on the Chehalis who fish from Centralia down and do really well on springers in May. I have caught them (last year) at the mouth of the Skookumchuck and Newaukum using shrimp and eggs. A lot of them used to go up the New. I know this because we caught a quite a few while fishing for trout using eggs. The Newaukum and Skookumchuck are never open to salmon when the springers are in, so probably planted for the native nets down around Oakville. The Chehalis is open for springers but I haven't picked up the new regs. to know the dates. If I lived by the river in Rochester I would definitely give it several trys to locate the deep slow holes off the fast water. Good luck.

I live on the river in Elma. I kind of try for them there. Only because it is literally right there, if I was really wanting to go springer fishing for a day I would head south. When I want to go for an hour or two, I go down there. Consider yourself lucky that you live on a river that has a run of salmon in it, and just spend some time trying. I can fish it without moving my car, so it is a cheap way to get a fix for me if I need it.

There are some who have success, as mentioned above, but you just have to lower expectations a bit.

Not to mention the Chehalis is a difficult river to learn, overall, but living there I bet you know that.

I rate my trips like this; seeing one in a riffle = good day, or getting a pull down that was a "definite maybe" = good day. Anything beyond that moves to the great day category.

I

Ok, here's the dirty. Its a 100% wild run. Its open for fishing because WDFW biologists believe that the run has been stable for awhile now, and therefor healthy. If you want to change that, than inviting people to fish the mouth of the Newaukum for wild springers is a good way to start. This is one of those smaller wild runs that probably could do without the attention. There are hatchery runs with better catch stats within an hours drive of Rochester.

The tribal catch of springers is usually small. However there is a belief that the real focus is the bycatch of sturgeon which is far more consistent.

Sorry Laterun to jump on you. I'm just imaging a 3 week long constant gauntlet of anglers covering the mouths of the Skookumchuk and Newaukum for spawners. It wouldn't take much, since those are fairly small waters.

VHawk

I've spinner fished near Satsop with limited success. You have to get lucky enough to put your spoon right in front of one fresh up from the salt. There were other nore adept bankies there doing much better using easier gear. I've also trolled the south shore of the bay out from Johns River and did fairly well.

It doesn't open til June 1st, IIRC.

I grew up on The Newaukum & Skook. Its why I don't tread near that area. It's "This river don't go to Aintry!" territory.

i can't vouch for the newaukum, but if you think the skook ventures into the banjo zone, you should have a look at the EF satsop in november around the satko glen area...

Irie, i'm guessing that the river is open now for i have a buddy goin with a guide this weekend! Don't think the guide would fish closed season, maybe double check!

Well said VHawk

The river is open now. I think Erie was talking about the harbor????

Sorry Irie, (not Erie)

I was brain dead for a minute but I'm back now.

I believe it.

The North & Middle forks of the Newaukum are places where brothers and sisters bunk together for lack of space in the singlewide, and people fly confederate flags from homemade sapling poles in thier front yards, as well as running the modern version of the backyard still, the toolshed methlab.

Twenty years ago a guy used to sell poached springers out of the back of a truck at a tavern by Newaukum. Maybe he still does. Around that same time I was told by a reliable source that most of the springers don't make it past the traditional Doty night time net fishery. Pipe bombs are the bait of choice farther upstream by Pe Ell, I saw that first hand 10 years ago. Snaggers pull them out of a few smaller tribs where they still exist, I've seen evidence of that too within the last 10 years.

Even with the extra pressure there are still a few of these fish making it to spawn, but there is no excuse for a season targeting them. There are too few left, and they represent the last of the unpolluted native run. If all of the illegal harvest was accounted for, perhaps the productivity data would support setting a higher escapement goal and no fishery for a while.

Talk to the old-timers down there. This river used to be a premier salmon and steelhead producer.

VHawk, know what you mean about the crowds. I have yet to see very many of the same people fishing these two spots more than two days running. Just not enough success to keep them coming back? I lived up the Newaukum above Onalaska for a few years back in the 60's. Fished it a lot for trout up by Pigeon Springs. Never did see a springer. I honestly think they were planted since then,perhaps wild stock from somewhere else. I have never kept a springer from either river mouth. I was just commenting on the fact that the springers do go up the Chehalis past Rochester.

As VHawk said this is a native stock managed for wild production. Escapement goal is only 1400 adults, which is what typically comes back. So unless there has been a recent spike in returns, there is no surplus available for harvest. Given the unique legacy wild run that has not been highly influenced by hatchery outplanting, seems like a good one to protect from harvest.

I'm wondering how they estimate escapement...Probably a pretty squishy number.

If you look where there nets are placed its more about the summer runs coming up the Nooch Vhawk..

Milt Roe, I can agree about the amount of escapement probably being quite low due to predation by the local meth gang with the yellow rods and 25# line fishing for trout. My question is what makes the C&R of these fish in a legal season any worse that the multiple C&R of wild steelhead? I see no difference with the exception of the $ involved by the multitude of steelheaders versus the small number of C&R salmon fishermen in this case. Both species have to run the net gauntlets to arrive at the spawning grounds with the salmon dying in every case and the steelhead only some of the time. Does anyone know the survival rate of wild steelhead once they spawn? This is very likely not a very high number or they would not be on so many protected lists.