First time river fishing...Satsop advise please

[BigCountry98584]

I am planning on going up to the satsop to cast my first line into a river. I did a little scouting trip and was thinking I would stay some were around the Shaffer park area. Mainly looking at what to use and how to read the river. Any advise is greatly appreciated.

[duckmen1]

I really want to fish this river for salmon sometime so i am marking this one to my reading list. What do you want to fish for? I have heard of that park being popular fishing grounds but thats about all i know.

[WSU]

You are too early.  Wait for a good rain and then go.  There are good walk in areas just below Schafer.

[dmv9]

Make sure you read the regs for the Satsop. There's a few

[BigCountry98584]

thank you. Yeah last year I got all excited last year and when and seen it was more like a creek and not a river in that area. I did see that rain is coming in next week tho I still think I am going to go up monday just to get on the water and learn the river a little. I'm really trying hard not to go combat fishing. I have read the regs over and over making sure a I got them right. I even put them on my phone so I can look back at them when on the water.   

[bankwalker]

Even with the September rains that river won't have enough water to bring fish in. I've floated it in my pontoon a couple times over the last week and a half scouting for salmon after all the rain we've had and there isn't anything to report. Except some smaller cutties and a stray hatchery steelhead.

Last year the run didn't kick off till October 15th after the huge rain. then the entire A run of silvers came in in a big push over a few days. This year the river flows are almost identical even after all the rain we've had.
Most all the beaver ponds and streams that feed the east fork of the satsop are empty. So its going to take a lot of rain over the next few weeks to get the river flowing.
I live on the middle fork and its a smaller trickle of water than the east fork is right now.

You might get some fish in the lower river, below the west fork.  Fishing the tides down by the mouth of the river though.  That's where I'll be fishing

[BigCountry98584]

Thanks Bankwalker. Yeah I remember going up there early last year now and seeing it look more like a creek then a river. I am just itching to get on the river now that I got time off and trying not fish the skok or do the combat fishing thing. Was trying to stay close to Shelton. How far is the mouth from that schafer park area? I was also thinking about maybe trying the humptullips, chehalis, or nisqually from one of the states water acces sites? Any idea on those sites for a bank fisher?

[kingpin]

If you do the Hump i would try around Reynvan's. Like said earlier, need some water though. Wait for a shot of rain to get the water up. At that point you should be able to take your pick of the coastal rivers and be just fine.

[bankwalker]

Thanks Bankwalker. Yeah I remember going up there early last year now and seeing it look more like a creek then a river. I am just itching to get on the river now that I got time off and trying not fish the skok or do the combat fishing thing. Was trying to stay close to Shelton. How far is the mouth from that schafer park area? I was also thinking about maybe trying the humptullips, chehalis, or nisqually from one of the states water acces sites? Any idea on those sites for a bank fisher?

The skok is actually a very good option for silvers. Now that all Rivers have been open the pressure is off the skok. You'll have the local boys hitting it but not many more.
The fish are very good biters aswell. Love drifting eggs for them.