In general, I have found that big Dollies and small Dollies all kind of tend to hang out in the same place. So if you find a concentration, I would just keep fishing it. Just curious, how low on the Skagit were you?

Between the mouth and I-5 brifdge. That low sorry i wont guve up my spot online. I have heard rock port and marble mount hold bigger dollies but thatsca drive for a day of fishing

Between the mouth and I-5 brifdge. That low sorry i wont guve up my spot online. I have heard rock port and marble mount hold bigger dollies but thatsca drive for a day of fishing

No worries, I don't blame you at all on keeping it under wraps. There definitely are good fish to be found higher up in the system, but I have caught my share of smaller ones up there too, so it is kind of hard for me to say from my personal experience as to a place where you are more or less likely to find big ones. I have never fished the lower river for them, but have heard good things about it. I should give it a try one of these days.

Let me get this straight. You're asking people on line to give you their spot for the unicorns, but won't give up your spot. Got it!

Elk004 you really want to complain on how i do my buissness. On here I dont spot burn nor am i asking fo exact coordinates you give me a 10 mile section where they might be and ill dial it in my self i dont need someones super secret spot. I dont spot burn cause i have watch my favorite holes become circus acts litter garbage need i go on. I dont need some one to tell me exact location fish im just asking for a general area that larger fish hang out and i hot the answer i need and he go the answer he wanted. So dont hide behind your computer and berate others.

What do you consider a "big" dolly? I haven't fished the Skagit for a few years, but I've caught numerous 20+ inch dollies in the south fork and sloughs. Tom Moore slough is probably my favorite place for sea run cuts, and I've hooked into my fair share of dolly's there as well.

This is referring to your first sentence on your report. The skagit won't be releasing hatchery steelhead anytime soon. 2 years ago they stopped completely and wdfw is doing a study on wild steelhead for the next 10 years (12 year study) and no one is certain that they will release any after that. I would look for other systems to chase steelhead. For dollys I can't be of much help as I don't target them specifically and only caught them as by-catch. They are fun to catch but not worth the effort for me that is.

I realise that but it the only system close to me this year the stilly is closed

Depending how far you are willing to travel the skykomish and Wallace are open for steelhead as the skykomish was allowed to release fish 2 years ago. The nooksack has a small run but not sure how well it will fish this year

Just for the sake of conversation, I would follow the reg guidelines and say that anything over 20" is a "big" one. The biggest I have caught was 26", but I wasn't fishing the Skagit system when I caught it. I saw one in the system last year though that I bet was north of 30". It was big.

I don't care who fishes where, sports anglers with rod and reel i will give up spots all day long, beats the fawking netters to the fish which is a PLUS to me, the nooksack gave up two 30"+ dolly's for me last year, this year however the rivers were so blown out that virtually no fishing was good anywhere after Sept 15th..... Go ahead and say " there was plenty of fish for you" I know better then to believe you on it, I fished 41 days straight on the nooksack and it was the worst year ever..... Chums are still running on the north fork, and 2 have been 34" male pigs! Of course you cannot fish for them or keep them but hey, they bite steelie gear and put on a hell of a fight... You want to learn more, i'd be glad to fish with you anyday..... by the way, 1/8 metallic blue jighead with a mad river cerise/blue paddle tail worm under a float have been outstanding.... And yes, steel is in the nooksack, south fork below the hatchery even thought reports and comments have stated otherwise.....

They're not dollies. They are bull trout, call your local fish biologist. They say bull trout/dollyvarden in the regs because they look alike not because they both exist in all the rivers. Dollies only exist in a very few high elevation alpine lakes and streams above impassible anadromous barriers in washington state. Dolly varden are not anadromous in any pacific drainages (from alaska to oregon), they are lacustrine and fluvial populations. Anadromous dolly varden ONLY exist in arctic drainages or fluvial/lacuatrine dollies exist in high elevation lakes and streams. So does the skagit have dollies? Yes, but not where your fishing. Ross lake and tribs have them amd bulls. Bulls only below that though.

You just couldn't resist the Dolly vs.Bull argument, could you John? I'd expect nothing less!

You know it bro, #olivechrome=bulltrout

I'm a stones throw from the Stilly but like fishing the upper Skagit and Cascade. I placed posts on links to find people to fish those rivers with and no one was interested. Waaa *lol* Seriously though, I hope next year is more productive. ((((((Fish On))))))