The trout fishing is pretty much what fall trout fishing should be. The summer steelhead fishing has elevated itself to marginal, and the salmon, although just starting to trickle in, are picking up and with the little bits of extra water are proving more aggressive than usual.
For me the Coho are the main event, but I can handle dealing with these from time to time
The move is to trout fish around salmon, and when one decides he is crazy, he bites your trout fly and makes your day.
The salmon fishing will pick up, and promises to be a pretty unique season.
Top secret, tell no one!
No, really its just a 50 year old bucktail pattern with a bead on the end. But they catch everything this time of year. These are a bit chewed up.
This is entirely thanks to the Quillayute tribe who have agreed to fish only 12 hours a week during October, with no drift nets and 7 and 1/4 mesh.
This means a lot of fish will get through. It also means they are taking a huge pay cut to support the fishery. Its a really big deal.
Cutthroat abound, and dig dry flies
We have some openings on September 18, the 22nd, and 27 and 28. We also have October 16,17,27,28, 30,31.
I also have a spot for a single angler on October 13.
Jim Kerr
Rain Coast Guides
Forks Wa
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Great report. Really curious about the limited tribal netting.
I hope there is a replacement to their lost revenue in the works. Any word? I love hearing about the limited netting, but hope we can find ways to make that financially viable, too.
(If only to keep the collaboration going and the ease the sting of lost income.)
George,
Because they are getting a season, and probably going to end up with the lions share of the harvestable native fish, I do not think they will get a check. The reason the tribal fishery is so limited is because gill nets can not be selective. If they fished with more selective gear, and could target hatchery fish, they would be aloud a lot more hours. I think sustainable fisheries practices should be encouraged with a better market price per pound, even potentially subsidized. That said, I have seen straight up bail out money for fisheries go in a super bad direction
Good to hear a report!
Floating 2 days in October and really looking forward to it- think about it everyday!! My first time fishing on the OP.
Thanks!
Tie up a few more of those bucktail flies. I intend to have a few more of them get chewed on! Ha!
That's great news about the reduced netting, including the larger mesh. I am wondering, Is there any feasible form of commercial fishing that the tribes could move to that would be sustainable? Something where they could only retain the hatchery fish, and still be profitable? Is anyone working on something like this?
I think Jeff, they are pretty much happy netting the way they are. They can certainly do it sustainably-ish, but it would mean really short net hours fairly often. But remember, 80% of the harvest happens at sea, so the tribes may hit them hard, but they are only hitting the 20% that make it back.
Right now we are making no allowances for bogacheil summer kings, and native Quillayute summer steelhead, or fall chum, any of which could be on the brink of extinction. We just aren't managing for them, we aren't doing a great job counting them.
They could wind up in a gill net, but could end up at pike place market as alaska troll caught.