7mmfan
7/13/2015 9:35:00 AMThere are no hatchery steelhead planted in the Sauk, haven't been for a number of years now. Definitely better off spending your time in the upper Sky if you are looking for steelhead. Based on the reports from another member, it sounds like if you can find them up there early in the day, you can get a couple to bite.
7mmfan
7/13/2015 9:36:00 AMAnd the small trout that you saw jumping, are wild steelhead smolt. Best to leave them alone so they can grow up and head out to sea.
jonb
7/13/2015 10:24:00 AM7mmfan it sounds to me your trying to deter people from fishing the sauk.
.) There are WAY more resident trout than steelhead smolt in all ps rivers, those small fish jumping were more likely to be resident cutts or rainbows.
B.) Your odds of catching a large fish are actually higher in the sauk than the sky. The sky is low and clear the sauk has decent flows still.
C.) The sauk has more bull trout per river mile than any other river in western washington.
Conclusion, there is lots of opportunity in the sauk and lots of other rivers in Western wa, do not confine yourself to only fishing the sky. The sky is low clear and hot, it is pretty much to the point where it is unethical to fish. (Not saying catching a steel in the sky legit cant be done, just saying its hard to) the point is, if the river is in good shape it should be fished, and the sauk is in shape.
.) There are WAY more resident trout than steelhead smolt in all ps rivers, those small fish jumping were more likely to be resident cutts or rainbows.
B.) Your odds of catching a large fish are actually higher in the sauk than the sky. The sky is low and clear the sauk has decent flows still.
C.) The sauk has more bull trout per river mile than any other river in western washington.
Conclusion, there is lots of opportunity in the sauk and lots of other rivers in Western wa, do not confine yourself to only fishing the sky. The sky is low clear and hot, it is pretty much to the point where it is unethical to fish. (Not saying catching a steel in the sky legit cant be done, just saying its hard to) the point is, if the river is in good shape it should be fished, and the sauk is in shape.
7mmfan
7/13/2015 1:12:00 PMPretty sure the OP only stated Steelhead as a target species. That's why the Sky was suggested. Why would it be unethical to target hatchery steelhead in warm water? You can and should harvest these fish, that's what they're there for. If he had said he was targeting Bull trout, I would not have suggested anywhere else.
There are actually thousands MORE steelhead smolt in our rivers this time of year than resident trout as they only recently came out of their redds. 90% of the 4"-6" "trout" that people catch in Puget Sound rivers are steelhead smolt. Definitely doesn't help the resource, especially when the rivers are this warm. Westside rivers traditionally have very few resident trout except for in their extreme highest sections where the water is cold enough and there is enough bug life to support fish year around.
There are actually thousands MORE steelhead smolt in our rivers this time of year than resident trout as they only recently came out of their redds. 90% of the 4"-6" "trout" that people catch in Puget Sound rivers are steelhead smolt. Definitely doesn't help the resource, especially when the rivers are this warm. Westside rivers traditionally have very few resident trout except for in their extreme highest sections where the water is cold enough and there is enough bug life to support fish year around.
jonb
7/13/2015 1:26:00 PMSome of your points are valid, but i find error in the idea that trout only live in large numbers in the highest headwaters of the west side rivers. That is wrong, ive personnaly seen schools of 10"-16" trout in the thousands, ive seen schools of src, and had 30+ fish days fishing resident trout on our local rivers.. the notion is common that their arent that many trout but you couldnt be more wrong about that.
The sky is full of esa listed chinook right now and is closed. Tge sky is in a far more fragile state in my opinion. Just yesterday i watched a guy and his kid keep 2 undersize trout on the sky, i told them the regs and he left immediately, then i saw a guy catch and keep a jack out of season, in my opinion directing people to fish that fishery under these circumstances and in the shape its in is almost unethical.
The sky is full of esa listed chinook right now and is closed. Tge sky is in a far more fragile state in my opinion. Just yesterday i watched a guy and his kid keep 2 undersize trout on the sky, i told them the regs and he left immediately, then i saw a guy catch and keep a jack out of season, in my opinion directing people to fish that fishery under these circumstances and in the shape its in is almost unethical.
7mmfan
7/13/2015 3:51:00 PMIf you are seeing schools of thousands of 10-16" resident trout in a Puget Sound river, that's miraculous because that is a far better # of fish per square mile than our states only Blue Ribbon trout stream, the Yakima River. We do have some resident rainbows, that's a given, but we don't have thousands per mile.
Sea run Cutts are prevalent at the right time of year and you can easily catch 30+ in a day, but they are not a resident fish and are not found in the Sauk in July. If it was September or October, then yes you could be having banner days on SRC in all local rivers.
Sea run Cutts are prevalent at the right time of year and you can easily catch 30+ in a day, but they are not a resident fish and are not found in the Sauk in July. If it was September or October, then yes you could be having banner days on SRC in all local rivers.
jonb
7/14/2015 12:05:00 AMI am saying that is the case i did see thousands of trout congrated within about a half mile area in the wallace river, a small ps river a couple months after a humpy run. Yes they were all congregated together over the salmon eggs/hatching fry, very clearly. You couldnt keep a line in the water. I can go out any day of the week and catch 12 resident trout in a couple hours and have a choice of rivers to choose from. The west side rivers are changing.. with the poor anadromous runs, the residents are growing in numbers. Most people only focus on the steelhead and salmon, so most are completely ignorant to this fact.