Northwest Fishing Reports

WDFW - http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/tribal/2010-11agreement.pdf

It made a huge difference in the action that we saw this morning. I'm checking that from now on. They don't net in the green like they do on the skoke where you can still find fish, they block the whole river off. I dunno about the other rivers, but I was disappointed. I'm going north to the snohomish during the week for now until the rivers fill up with fish.

The toll free number is extremely hard to understand. I dont remember the number. Maybe someone else can post it.

Netting is done the same on mostly all rivers in Wa State.They zig zag the nets up river.the fish would need a GPS unit to navigate through them.If you drive down to the First Ave Street Bridge they have the up todate netting schedule posted on their readerboard.That way you can see all the fish and cry plus get the schedule.

racfish wrote:Netting is done the same on mostly all rivers in Wa State.They zig zag the nets up river.the fish would need a GPS unit to navigate through them.If you drive down to the First Ave Street Bridge they have the up todate netting schedule posted on their readerboard.That way you can see all the fish and cry plus get the schedule.

Ah buggers. I'm hoping to get some coho this year out of the Green since it is my local. My favorite stretch is closed until mid October. The fish are coming thru, and they get all of about 1-2 days on weekends to shoot above the nets...
According to snake7676 some of the coho are all the way up to the hatchery already. So the likelihood of getting a closing on netting is probably miniscule IMO if coho are already that much into the river (closure for potential chinook clearance)...

Big difference from today and sunday. There were fish everywhere on sunday I was standing on the rocks I actually seen a couple of kings come through by my feet fish rolling everywhere. Today it was like a fish ghost town very frustrating I will be heading to the Sky this week until nets are down again. 4 days of netting a week. I can understand a couple of days a week but 4 !!!!

racfish wrote:Netting is done the same on mostly all rivers in Wa State.They zig zag the nets up river.the fish would need a GPS unit to navigate through them.If you drive down to the First Ave Street Bridge they have the up todate netting schedule posted on their readerboard.That way you can see all the fish and cry plus get the schedule.

In the Nooksack they stretch their net from bank to bank and then free drift down the river sweeping through the river killing hatchery and wild alike. I fished commercial in Alaska and thats a type of round hauling and it's very illegal, but I don't know what methods are legal for Washington Indians. [-x

HOOKEDONFISHING wrote:Big difference from today and sunday. There were fish everywhere on sunday I was standing on the rocks I actually seen a couple of kings come through by my feet fish rolling everywhere. Today it was like a fish ghost town very frustrating I will be heading to the Sky this week until nets are down again. 4 days of netting a week. I can understand a couple of days a week but 4 !!!!

Consider yourself lucky! The Nooksack is netted from 4:00pm Sunday until 4:00pm Saturday.

HOOKEDONFISHING wrote:Big difference from today and sunday. There were fish everywhere on sunday I was standing on the rocks I actually seen a couple of kings come through by my feet fish rolling everywhere. Today it was like a fish ghost town very frustrating I will be heading to the Sky this week until nets are down again. 4 days of netting a week. I can understand a couple of days a week but 4 !!!!

I was there sunday too and I had two fish on in 45 minutes at high tide. I was expecting to bang 'em dead, really disappointing. Frustrating as well that they get to block it off all week long. But at least they get the weekends. And then we can't even use treble hooks. The treaty allows for them to take 50% of the fish, and we can't even fish past 405 until october. Seems unfair.

wow,
trying to sort that out is beyond me.
44H

I've taken a new look at fishing since the mid 70's. I used to fish to catch a meal.Now I fish for the relaxation and catching is a bonus. the Green opens Oct 1 .I have fished the Green all my life. This is where I learned to fish with my dad. When tribal netting started ,my dad quit fishing after a couple years of 0-2 fish a year.Steelhead were the first target of the native nets. The natives used to use fish traps.(pens)They would take what was needed and release the rest. Then came the Japanese made gillnet.There is a treaty and in the original treaty it said to fish in the customary fashion.We saw what happened then.I now just say oh well. Let them net. Its like the fireworks and the cigs and alcohol sales.Theres an old Jewish saying "If you give a pig the finger,he'll want the whole hand."
The nets are not selective in what goes in them. Shakers,Kings,Coho,Chum,Dogfish,seabirds,otters,and even litter.I can write a book on what i've seen go on in the netting. Usually even when the nets come out there are a few left in. Behind Fort Dent,the Tukwilla Junction hole,the Strawberry hole and the 196th st bridge usually have its share of illegal nets left in.There is no win win situation here.We all live in a very liberal state .We must put up with all the B.S. that goes with it.
If you love fishing and dont mind not catching everytime then you'll do ok in Wa State.If you want great coho fishing wait till late oct -nov. and fish the Satsop and Willapa. Ive gotten my biggest coho out of these two rivers.Good luck to all this comming season. Were gonna need it.

Aparently there are a lot of people fishing the green already (in the hwy 18 area) which according to the reg is closed. It's open for "trout" right now. I didn't see anything about opening early on the emergency rules. What's the deal? My buddy thinks it's open and asked me if I wanted to go today.

(oh and nets are in from Sunday through Friday... Neat.)

bionic_one wrote:Aparently there are a lot of people fishing the green already (in the hwy 18 area) which according to the reg is closed. It's open for "trout" right now.

You might want to re-check that - as I posted in the other string - the way I read it, that section of river is also closed for trout.

As I read the regs, the river is open for gamefish above the Auburn-Black Diamond Road

From the Auburn-Black Diamond Rd. Bridge to the water pipeline walk bridge (½ mile downstream of Tacoma Headworks Dam)

CLOSED WATERS - within 150' of the Palmer Ponds outlet rack and within 150' of the mouth of Keta (CrispCreek.)
ALL SPECIES - Aug. 1-Nov. 30: night closure and anti-snagging rule.
TROUT First Sat. in June-Feb. 28 Min. size 14". Daily limit 2.
Other Game Fish First Sat. in June-Feb. 28 Statewide min. size/daily limit.
SALMON Nov. 1-Dec. 31 Min. size 12". Daily limit 6. Up to 3 adults may be retained. Release CHINOOK.

From Friday Creek upstream including all tributaries and their tributaries.
All Game Fish First Sat. in June-Oct. 31 Statewide min. size/daily limit.

A word to the wise, if you are going to fish the river be sure you are targeting trout or steelhead. If you go there with 20lb leader and using 3/0 hooks "just in case you hook a king", expect a citation if enforcement drops by.

We're not going there. Someone else can get the ticket. I'm going after land-locked steelhead instead. :geek:

NETS ARE UP SUNDAY THOUGH FRIDAY I HEARD AT OUTDOOR EMPORIUM THIS MORNING.

I saw the nets in the Green after fishing upsteam from them. I only saw a few lucky fish roll, that swam past the nets.

Yes, the nets are up sunday @ six, down friday. The link I posted at the top shows all the tribal netting schedules in Washington for all the tribes in all the waters. I posted it in the forum as a link for people to be able to check them before they go out to whatever area they are fishing so that they are not disappointed like I was It's always nice to get to the river and see the fish, and then catch the fish. Rather than cast and cast at the only two fish wily enough to miss the nets. Probably means that they're a bit smarter than the average fish and are harder to catch.

Do the net locations and placement times change each year?

Marc Martyn wrote:Do the net locations and placement times change each year?

I have only been fishing the Green since '07, but the netting schedule has been the same Sun.-Fri. The locations however seem to vary from year to year, it seems. The dates the nets go in also seem to vary.

The netting is done by Native seniority.He who has been fishing the longest gets first choice of placement. the newer the tribal member the higher up the nets.The natives are respectful towards their elders as in most societies.The nets have always zigged and zagged across and up the rivers. If you think the Duwie gets nailed hard go watch the Nisqually or the Puyallups.Everything is regulated by each tribe.The state acts like pawns to the native decisions and the WDFW cant enforce anything tribal.So basically there is no real regulations. If a younger native is busted by the tribal seniors nothing bad happens to them at all.They are out netting 2 days later.The Nooksak ,Stilly,Skagit,Samish are all netted extremely hard.