Just another example of bad management...

WDFW: Harvesting our way to recovery... one run at a time.

Anyone else diggin' how far along we've come doing it that way?

Maybe time to break out another game plan?

What is funny to me is all the guys that assumed the river opened on Feb. 1st. That closed water was crowded as [censored] the day before the opener.

It was open according to Brett Barkdull at WDFW, it was just never posted.

Where did you see that?? The proposal shows Feb 15th.

Apparently the reason for the hatchery...is the hatchery.

Fish on...

Todd

Just a question or two, with perhaps an absurd premise or two. And some cake.

Would operative MSY policy in eventuality of recreational restrictions lead to more netting if the hatchery were closed, as those foregone "takings" by recreationals would be claimed by tribals? (i.e., "If you're not gonna kill them, we will.")

Another question, more absurd: What, really, is the difference between closing the Nooksack to all but tribal (and, in the bay, commercial) netters, and closing the entire west side of San Juan Island to all but tribal and commercial netters? Are closures really enacted to protect a certain species, or to perpetuate "interests" profitably participating in the demise of that species?

The absurd icing on the cake is that we are all going to be protecting endangered species so that they may be more easily harvested for private profit.

Please please please tell me I'm wrong!

The cake is a lie.

this post even decided to make make me sign in.
kendalls hatchery program has solid smolt releases every year but this river is hammered so hard by the tribes. the layout is horrible, allowing netters to easily close off the river through overlapping nets in certain areas. i see this every year between maggies rock and the cable hole. down at marietta the same goes on. a gontlet of set nets with a pair of boats running a drift net down below. the nooksack has always been my home river, and i cant count the times around new years that i have seen nets with fifteen plus steelhead flopping around, just in the top few feet of the net in cable hole. that is where these fish are going. the hatchery run has been crap since the 05/06 season which was phenominal, filled the card with nooksack brats. that was the last year i caught a hatchery fish, whats changed? honestly tough to say but i see lots of early winter fish in the nets.

now the native run has been very strong, Feb. on the NF can mean steelheading that is unreal! just cover the water and you'll hook up all day. i see too many people just fishing holes and runs and with the river running clear, they are spooky, but stick a pink worm right behind a boulder or into a log jam, and you'll be getting slammed all day. that last week of Feb. its stacked between US bridge and Kendall, every year we pull days with 20 hook ups between me and somebody i take. it is a tough river to fish but since '98, it seems the wild run had been getting stronger evry year. some better than others but overall a steady increase. i'm not saying it couldn't be better but for big nates i've had better results here than the 'git or sauk.

Youd have to be pretty blind to not find the wild kings in the NF in the summer.. Last time i fished it 2006-07 they were THICK. Rolling in some deep runs.