if you shot 51 then thats par for the nets

Did not think to put the 14 nets in context as it was not intended to be a kick the crap out of the QIN post. The usual number on average is 8 for that reach of the river so one can see the size and intensity of the commercial effort coupled with how the run size is shaping up by tracking the harvest numbers with this years increased effort vs past years.

http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/commercial/salmon/landings.html

The first week non treaty is up and BM says she sent the first QIN numbers to Oly to be up. They should have been up yesterday maybe today. One should keep in mind the NT commercial Chinook does not include the release mortality rate or encounter ratio just keepers. Only the QIN numbers will give you a snap shot of what the fish are doing.

QIN numbers are up. Link above and these are the 48hrs for September 23 - 25 opener. Checking on that and will post it when I know for sure.

River sports, above 101 bridge.......How's your "catching been" so far this year?????? If not good so far, then the near future just doesn't look good for you. Gill net and set nets will be in the Marine areas and river EVERY DAY, until October 21.......except 10/13........Region 6 needs to allocate more net free days to the ever increasing numbers of sport fishermen that generate, by far, more dollars to the local and State coffers than the "few non-treaty" gill netters......many of the local gill netters HAVE FULL TIME JOBS, so this is a bonus and a tax write off.

Think about this as you cast from shore or troll the river and catch less fish, than in many past years.......Phil Anderson and Region 6 decision makers, shame on you for not having a level playing field.....tilted toward the NT gill netters and a marine fishery.

At least the weather has been good......that will change......

DrifterWA,

As far as the marine fishery goes, you have a perfectly capable boat for the bay but choose not to use it. That isn't anyone's fault, it's your choice.

Not how I choose to fish........still not fair for all the "mall shore fishermen" or the hundreds of people up river, that bank fish or troll in small boats.

Not about me.....I GET MORE THAN MY SHARE OF FISH....its about others. I stopped trolling 25+ years ago......went to plan B, C, D, E......

Ocean, bay, upriver. It's chronological. I'm with you on the NT nets though, they shouldn't be allowed above the bridge.

i don't think the lousy fishing has been due to lack of fish, more so weather conditions. however, i've at least hooked into something every time i've been up on the chehalis this season, something that's not all that typical for me.

i also fish the bay, but prefer the chehalis and smaller tributaries. much easier to put fish in the boat when you know where the fish are, which i'm not so great at doing in the salt.

......nor below it either.

Is trolling a poor tactic on the chehalis to catch fish? What works the best?

Trolling went down hill in the Chehalis with the 2 million plus smolt reduction in Normal timed Coho production. It still works but with the insane commercial harvest mandated by the so called GH Management Plan the pool of fish is so reduced that your success ratio is to, damn near to zero. Simply put your screwed until after the 21st and if the rivers blow your done below South Monte period.

After that different methods for different folks. It is about learning a reach and using the method you choose that works. It really helps to be retired and have the ability to be adaptive in how you fish. If you work and are a banky or just have a to boat buzz around the river then I think you already got the answer.

Here is the flow prediction for the Satsop off the rain. Just hit the Satsop dot or any other location as it takes real rain fall plus projected to forecast flows.

http://water.weather.gov/ahps2/index.php?wfo=sew

When the lower Chehalis, gets mudded up, which could happen after this weekend, then trolling is LESS popular. The marine area, below 101 bridge, because of the "tidal action" will be the last to be un-fishable. If you are a "troll fisherperson", lot's of rain is "not what you want to see".

On the other hand, rain is what is needed to get fish into the Humptupils, Wynoochee, Satsop, to the Upper Chehakis and all the other feeder streams to the Chehalis. The negative part, for Sport Fishermen, is the gill and set netting, that is going on until later this month......and the QIN will be netting during November.

Today, October 13th is the only day will no nets in the river......better give it hell today.....looks like rain and 7 days a week gill netting, will signal to most fishermen, the trolling fishery is about over.

Head for the feeder rivers......enjoy 100's of your closest friends, either standing shoulder to shoulder, or, if you have a driftboat, the driftboat parade, or "like me" the jet boat group trying to get to point A.

Best of luck to all.......be safe........try to have a good time.

Remember NO Chum are legal for Sports in Region 6 but QIN and non tribal get a shot at them.......sure makes me wonder why this is allowed?????? Phil Anderson, Region 6 fish management, QIN......got a answer???????

Saturday..10/13/2012.....Above Monty, water color was good.....lot's of "ugly colored fish"......Coho and Chum......I'm guessing but it looked like a 80/20 on the Coho........20% ok color. No fish for me but the good fishermen got 1 or maybe 2.......vast majority got lot's of "casting practice", and changing from 1 color to another on spinners or twitching jigs. I got to work on how tie knots, found more than a few snags..........grrrrrrrrrr

PS.....You can leave sunglasses at home........7:40 a.m., not raining here...

More tough sledding for me lately. I fished S. Monte to Friends Landing (in record time - that tide was really pushin') on Friday, and all I found were snags. For the first time this year, I didn't see so much as a swirl the whole way down. Probably due to netting, but I optimistically assumed the fish had finally gotten their signal to start moving upriver. With that in mind, I tried the Lower Satsop yesterday, and again, I saw nothing, but I did manage to lose 4 spinners in about 100 yards of river. So much for that theory.

I might try again tomorrow, but more likely, I'll be waiting until the nets come out next weekend. Fishing so far has not suggested anything close to the returns predicted. Anybody fishing the bay lately? If so, are you seeing anything indicative of the huge coho return predicted? Some good news would be nice about now.

Sunday 1:00 p.m.

Chehalis River, above Monty......getting "browned", should be long gone by Monday morning. Satsop was dumping the color, actually a line.....north side of river was brown.....south side normal Chehalis color.....fish on the move!!!!!

Fish are there... and they moved outta the bay in earnest Fri night.... slim pickins for the 1st time all year on Sat morning.

Picked up one suicidal biter before hitting the beach for limits around on razors Sat afternoon.

Hit the river this morning to greet rising water and diminishing viz. Two drive-by's, one solid takedown that failed to stick, then finally a suicidal chromer before the tide, viz, and leaves conspired to bring the adventure to a close.

God, I love Grays Harbor!

Good news is that a giant wad of fish had the chance to move upriver on the only net-free window this week.

Should be lights out when she drops.

Lower tide water is in good shape today. Two boats, got a hold over Coho and on incoming a 27 lb Chinook and 12 lb Coho. Nothing showed until about two hours into incoming and then the seals showed chasing a bunch moving with the tide. Mostly Chum and bright as a ocean Coho. Lasted about one hour until the fish shot down a side channel and got around the seals and then NOTHING. Seals could not even scare one up.

Bottom line S Monte up you got fish coming but not huge amounts and they will be in surges with the tides. The fish I found today have 14 more nets to get by so ................... If you land on em they are bright but it is hard fishing.

Muddy water made it to the lower river last night. So it is take a break time as coupled with the nets you take a week break. Besides with that bloody netting schedule unless you were retired it pretty much was break time anyway, the water just finished everybody off.

Probably time to move to the "feeder rivers" OR further up the Chehalis. Will be leaving, soon, to try plan D and E. Plan A, B, and C is, in order, trolling, pitch spinners, and casting plugs.

If I can't fish 2 days in a row, this time of the year, I get the shakes!!!!