Not too bad, thanks!

Some good news.

I looked up at the mountain yesterday for the first time in a while. When Im fishing, I see it regularly, but I’m not fishing so,I haven’t.
I was walking down the trail, I looked through the timber and caught a view of Olympus and it was looking like plenty of snow, which was nice, that’s good sign for spring river levels, I looked down and there was trillium blooming at my feet.
The rivers levels have been great and there is snow in the mountains and spring is on its way, so, shit, everything is coming up Milhouse, as they say.

I have heard some very good fishing reports from south west Washington and the Oregon coast and that’s good news too.

Their fish were also in short supply in the early native steelhead season, like ours, but it sounds like they may be coming strong right now. So maybe ours are too?

I have a seven dollar bet with Tom that we will hit escapement, so I’m counting on winning that as my April paycheck.

This down time has allowed me to see spring in a way way that I maybe never have before.

The morning looks a lot different when you’re not in a boat and not wearing waders.

Standing on our farm in comfortable clothes with a cup of coffee, just me and the dogs really is not so bad.

It also turns out there are other kinds of fish to fish for besides just steelhead.

Who knew? There are surf perch, striped perch, bottom fish and this kind of fish that lives in some of the lakes around here, its like a wee little tiny baby steelhead, they call it a “trout”.

The plan from WDFW is that we will go back to fishing May 1 for spring chinook. And then business more or less as usual until next winter when they will surely make up a whole new set of rules for fishing the native steelhead down to escapement.

Other than that final detail, I am pretty optimistic about the season from here on out.
I am also buoyed by the seemingly strong returns of hatchery steelhead, especially brood stock fish, from here all the way down to Oregon.
I would prefer wild fish, but as an indicator, success of any stock gives us clues to where the problems may lie for others. And frankly, success is success.
I’ll take the win.

Your welcome.

Jim Kerr

Rain Coast Guides

Forks Wa