Wynoochee river summer river level

You people would know if when the Nooch gets it's summer time flows can wee still take a driftboat down? Is there suppose to be a big summerrun return this year? Do they have summer kings? Oh one more this is to the one that is doing a great job on trying to ban sleds above black Creek. Great Job!!

chris

It does not get summer kings and as far as a summer run forcast......hard saying. I do know it only got about half the plants it usually does.

the water level gets a little low over the summer you usually have to do some dragging.
as for the fish return its going to be a small one. The state is planting less and less trying to eliminate it altogether.

Chris:

Depends on the part of the river you plan to "float"....Shaefer Creek down can get very low if there if limited rain fall, and "if" the water release from the dam is way down.
Have fished summer run for since 79, this will be one of the lowest returns. Steely Slammer is correct, from what I hear, state wants to "save money" so the Wynchooee summer run project could be doomed.....too bad....has been a fun fishery for me and many others over the yrs.
I'm a 14' jet boat owner, I'll be there!!! Retired so I just fish and 3 miles is not far to go.......row down, run back up!!!!!

[This message has been edited by DrifterWA (edited 05-20-2000).]

For what it's worth, I have a source in WDFW that says they are NOT eliminating the summer run program on the nooch (unless they came to a recent decision since January when I talked to him).

Earlier this winter, we spoke of the future of the program and the recent cuts affecting hatcheries everywhere. He seemed confident that we weren't going to lose the summers. What is effecting the number of plants year to year is disease problems at Lake Aberdeen where the eggs are raised. In recent years, it apparently has caused some wild flucuations in survival to smolt stage when they are released. He says their target is 60,000 but in recent years disease has resulted in releases in the 38-40,000 range.

And drifter, I hope I run into you in your 14 ft. sled in the summer low flows of the nooch this summer. I know who you are and I can't wait to share some opinions with you!

sick em Eric...lol

Eric: Hope you're correct, on the continued funding for summer steelhead for the Wynoochee "time tells all"!!!......wonder if the same is true for the Humptulips??????Sure would be nice to "spread the summer fishery out" instead of 100% on one river. Will be there June 1 and most days after that, see ya about the time school is out, June 16th
Steely Slammer(Butch)---It's sic, not sick..

The WDFW wanted to eliminate Reiter ponds on the Sky also. They produce summer eggs for all of the east puget sound rivers,From the Skagit to the Green. The cost was only around 100,000 dollars. Seems like a good buy for all the fishing and recreation they produced. However we got together and wrot letters,E-mailed and phoned everyone connected with this program, legs. comm. sens. wdfw and was generally a pain in the A@# to all concerned. Eventually we got our funding.

One biologist told us that the hatchry programs are rec. driven and if it wasn't being used then they cut it. We let them know we used it and got results. If need be get on them about the summer program. let me know where to send my leters etc. I'll help in anyway I can.

Ron Bob