Harassing hatchery fish? Classic…one stream you have to take them, another you can’t fish so the hatchery can get enough eggs, another they want to curtail hatchery fish fish to protect wilds, another you can only fish because there might be a hatchery fish but everyone is targeting wilds. If this stretch closes and they don’t immediately close 20 others it is a total joke. Marking the area could be done easily yet the state never has marked the damn thing(really complicated, they mark roads every day). As far as behavior, never have seen a problem as noone is ever really keeping fish in that zone. If I’m not wrong it isn’t even open for springs. Those making it out to be an out of control zoo need to go fish the Vedder!

I received a phone call from staff this morning that the commission did not adopt rule #34 like stated in the other thread. The department still has the option to take a look at this and make additional proposals in the future.

Maybe at that time they can answer the question of all the state, federal, and tribal hatcheries in this state what exactly makes N Nooksack River so unique to most of the other hatchery fishing accesses in the state? Considering there is over 42.5 miles(85 miles fishing both sides of the river) of equivalent accessibility for shore bound anglers when multiplying the hatcheries times 1500 feet.

Congratulations Chasin' Baitman considering all the time and effort you put into this. Thanks also for those on this site that read, complained, and didn’t stop there but continued on by communicating your thoughts to friends, neighbors, the department and the commission etc.

Thank you to the commission for looking at all sides of this proposed unequal and heavy-handed rule change.

YESSS! Yeah I just got off the phone with the commission office and was gonna post this very news. I'm ecstatic! It's a small victory, but a victory nonetheless. When we're talking fish politics, it's easy to get overwhelmed and pessimistic. But it's heartening to know that if you pound pavement and get some help from friends like you guys, you can actually make a difference. Can't get too excited though, it could easily be put back on the table next time. BUT I'LL BE WATCHING!

So THANK YOU to all those that sent a message in and contributed to this conversation (even negatively - it's good to hear all sides). HUGE thanks to Lucky Louie who co-championed this with me, even though he doesn't have a horse in the race! He management on the line and got it done. THANKS!

Also have to mention our friendly editor at the NWS who wrote an article that brought more attention to the debate. He was seriously pressed for time last week and he somehow managed to squeeze out an excellent, objective piece of journalism on the matter.

Hopefully kendall will get their egg-take soon, I can't wait to get to my spots on the N fork and try for steelies, dollies and maybe even late chum and coho. Hopefully all this rain will have pushed a bunch of steelies in. If they managed to get by the nets!

Good win and thanks for the hard work of those who did it!



BTW, I'm pretty sure the North Fork Sack if it opens again will be closed for bull trout (dollies), and salmon.

Nooksack steelhead is nearly done. I grew up fishing that river and the last few years it is so crowded with folks who clearly just started fishing and know nothing about how close it is to being shut down. They have no respect for what is lost or what could be lost, just want those pics for Facebook. I used to pop out to somewhere on this river almost daily and now I am cutting that back to maybe one small session a week when it is 20 mins away because it is just being loved to death as guys target fish they aren't supposed to. These guys aren't to blame for the lack of fish, but are definitely starting to catch a watchful eye from WDFW. This behavior is likely what WDFW was referring to with closing that stretch to stop the harassing of hatchery fish. That was harassing of hatchery fish that sportsmen aren't supposed to target.

I see dudes targeting fish they aren't supposed to regularly. Dudes that drive from way down south to harass springs, bull trout, and wild steelhead. All of which you aren't supposed to fish for.

I agree that this crap by WDFW pushing to close that stretch is wrong. However, I do think that the Nooksack is being taken advantage of by a lot of greedy dudes who don't realize how close it is to being a non fishery. This river is so mismanaged that all its fisheries aren't actually fisheries (failed hatchery programs with garbage fish) and all the good fishing isn't even supposed to happen. That makes me worry that WDFW will just shut it down eventually. I have talked to them and they know exactly what is going on. This river was red hot for ticketing the last couple summers as guys just camped on closed springers all day. One of the worst perps was everybody's favorite Danny S. of River Chrome guide service. He needed current pics real bad I guess.

I'm not hating on some guy's incidental catching some non-target species, I know how that goes. It is the whole planning a full day trip to do so and doing it regularly and bragging about it that bothers me. Or driving from Seattle to do so. We need more moderation if we are going to harass non target listed species and I am not seeing it in the young bucks.

For the near future I see a small window to fish this river in the Fall and that is it. Probably 3 months out of the entire year! Skagit is going to be that way too.

Let's see. The only good thing I see coming of that is we would not be paying for hatchery production and then have to fight for the chance to fish on the returns. But since the State seems to have some obligation to continue to provide fish for them to harvest guess those hatchery operational costs would have to come from the largess of the General Fund given the substantial to total loss of license revenues.

In a perverse way that would be fun to watch.....

you spend all the time and energy to keep open a section of river that has a hard time getting its escapement.Go fish the clearwater in Idaho you will have a whole new outlook on washington fisheries

True. These fish travel 400+ miles inland, dams, tons of hatchery outplantings....AND hundreds of miles of water that produce hatchery and wild steelhead.

Irregardless of the Nooksack being a huge failure to produce a great steelhead fishery, ChasinBaitman took it upon himself to stand up for something he saw as nefarious and ultimately helped persuade a decision he felt passionately about....good for you!

I was their Its not that the nook sack was a failure the state let it go In the early 80"s north west steelhead local chapter had a brood stock program going which in fact gave the wild runs a shot in the right direction then they shut it down.You could fish for 2 weeks straight before this program and were lucky to catch one wild steelhead I understand that over fishing,logging, tribal nets, and poaching was a big part of it.

Commission press release:

The commission did not, however, adopt a proposal to close a portion of the North Fork Nooksack River near the Kendall Creek Hatchery. Commissioners asked fishery managers to evaluate other potential options to clarify fishing boundaries at the mouth of Kendall Creek, which meanders at different times of the year.

The commission also did not include Summit Lake (Thurston County) in a list of lakes that will be open for fishing year-round. Instead, the commission maintained the current season at the lake, where anglers can fish from the fourth Saturday in April through Oct. 31.

The commission has given guidance/concerns to the department at the PT meeting regarding this proposed rule. No timetable has been set for other potential options.The department has stated to the commission that they will set a permanent boundary marker.

Add the Russians,messicans,tweakers,Skate type losers and liberals.

I knew we were fcked when the robust Chum runs dwindled. Not sure if I'm going to even buy a license this year.