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Skykomish River Report
Snohomish County, WA

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Details

12/14/2013
41° - 45°
Drift Fishing
Steelhead
Shrimp
Pink
Cloudy
Corky & Yarn
All Day
12/16/2013
4
3221

Got out on the sky Saturday with my buddy and one of my cousins to try and nail some steelhead. We put in at high bridge and leap frogged with 5-6 boats all the way down to the sultan. To kick it off my buddy caught his very first steelhead after two years of trying right underneath the bridge, turned out to be a beautiful 15 lb native buck! Put up an awesome fight and almost forced us to chase him down the rapids, after he gave up we kindly released him back. Next one was caught 30 min later from behind a boulder, absolute textbook fishing from my buddy, fought for a few minutes with a few Ariel acrobatics and made it to the boat to get bonked. The last two fish we caught were very surprising. Mine was caught side drifting out in the middle of the river in water that really didn't seem fishy at all, just bowling ball sized rocks in really slow big water. And the last fish was caught while we were anchored in the middle of the river probably half way down the drift. We were setting up the rods with new leaders and lead and my cousin happened to let a plug out without telling us and within two minutes he was yelling fish on and to our disbelief had a nice 6lb hatchery. Was a fantastic day!


Comments

Brat Bonker
12/16/2013 3:26:00 PM
sounds like quite the day good job
natetreat
12/16/2013 10:05:00 PM
That native was a big fish, no doubt! Both hooked up right out the gate. A lot of boats though.
stewski346
12/16/2013 11:30:00 PM
Nice job guys. Looks like it was a killer day for the steel. I want to get into floating, Im out growing bank fishing. I have a sit-on-top rigid kayak(12 foot) that I brought up form TX. Did a ton of kayak fishing from it for sharks in the open ocean with some nasty waves. Im pretty stable on it. Do y'all think I could fish from it on the Sky? It draws 5 inches. Does anyone float solo or always with a partner? thanks for the advise. Thinking about going Thursday if anyone wants to float with a newbie.
theDrifter
12/17/2013 11:33:00 AM
Maybe a bit off topic but why do most fishermen seem to think nothing of "bonking" hatchery steelhead? Really, what is the difference? A fish that survives the migration out to the salt and returns later to spawn is different from "natives" how?

Yeah, it's legal to kill hatchery fish and I don't begrudge anyone a nice steelhead dinner from time-to-time. But let's not look down on those fin-clipped fish. They are steelhead and should be just as prized as any native fish.
riverhunter
12/17/2013 12:31:00 PM
The difference is in the genes. Wildlife officials dont want native and hatchery mating in order to preserve truly native steelhead.

Behave yourself, comments like yours are insulting. Edited by a mod.
theDrifter
12/17/2013 2:54:00 PM
riverhunter - you can't be serious! Exactly how are you going to keep hatchery fish from spawning with native fish? Once the gene pool is contaminated it's contaminated forever.
*comment edited by a mod.
EricssonL
12/18/2013 2:55:00 AM
@theDrifter he is right. hatchery fish are mostly planted in order to supplement recreational and commercial fishing harvests. They come from a limited gene stock that is often not from the river from which they are implanted. Native fish have undergone generations of evolution to the point where their DNA has adapted to their native river, making native stocks better fit for long term survival of the species/run. Interbreeding between native and hatchery fish has led to diluted DNA, and weaker native runs.

The idea of hatchery reform has really spread throughout the past couple years. Hatchery fish may actually add to the demise of native populations due to increased competition for food and what not. I was wondering the same thing about the "bonking' of hatchery fish. Hatchery fish are put out there for anglers to catch and keep.
Mike Carey
12/18/2013 6:50:00 AM
In the Methow, it's mandatory catch and keep of hatchery steelhead.
theDrifter
12/18/2013 12:56:00 PM
I guess establishing a capture station on each river to gather eggs & sperm from native fish for hatchery use is too much trouble or too expensive. I'd love to see it and wish us taxpayers could make the ultimate decision on what WDFW does with our money.
The Googan
12/19/2013 2:10:00 PM
You can help prevent hatchery fish from spawning with wild fish by bonking every hatchery fish you catch. This is why most of us bonk them.
theDrifter
12/20/2013 3:57:00 PM
I understand and have zero problem with killing the hatchery fish. I just won't do it.
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Available Guide

Available Fishing Guide:
Website: Darrell & Dads Family Guide Service

Phone: (509) 687-0709