Author Topic: Huge steelhead! (Read 13826 times)

deerhunter_98520 · « **on:** February 12, 2015, 09:00:22 AM »

I got this pic sent to me today....this huge buck made it all the way to the hatchery on the quinault...was told it weighed 32lbs!

Widgeondeke · « **Reply #1 on:** February 12, 2015, 09:04:22 AM »

Jonathan_S · « **Reply #2 on:** February 12, 2015, 09:05:09 AM »

Nice! Glad he made to the hatchery

notellumcreek · « **Reply #3 on:** February 12, 2015, 09:10:49 AM »

32 is almost state record for winter run- awesome that there are still some big boys around

HUNTINCOUPLE · « **Reply #4 on:** February 12, 2015, 09:14:33 AM »

Real cool! They gots some toads in there.

kisfish · « **Reply #5 on:** February 12, 2015, 09:21:58 AM »

that's a monster.

deerhunter_98520 · « **Reply #6 on:** February 12, 2015, 10:14:07 AM »

I've been debating doing a lower quinault trip and I think that just made up my mind

jackmaster · « **Reply #7 on:** February 12, 2015, 10:18:11 AM »

Just curious but why did the kill it? Dont steelhead go back out to the ocean or did he actually catch it? My biggest was a 19 and half on the kalama, its been a few years though

wildmanoutdoors · « **Reply #8 on:** February 12, 2015, 10:45:56 AM »

Thats a QIN lake hatchery fish caught in a net. Look at the dorsal! The Lake hatchery is a brood stock program they do. They net a few sets of male and female natives swimming thru the lake and hold em till they spawn.

Late January and early Feb is there return time. Dont hire a guide when the nets are in!!!!!!

wildmanoutdoors · « **Reply #9 on:** February 12, 2015, 10:55:25 AM »

Or....You could go fish the upper Quinalt. Thats were these huge fish are headed that they net for the brood stock program. Early fish go higher in the systems than later fish...

There huge because they have to help sustain the bigfoot population.

jackmaster · « **Reply #10 on:** February 12, 2015, 10:59:53 AM »

Quote from: wildmanoutdoors on February 12, 2015, 10:45:56 AM

Thats a QIN lake hatchery fish caught in a net. Look at the dorsal! The Lake hatchery is a brood stock program they do. They net a few sets of male and female natives swimming thru the lake and hold em till they spawn.

Late January and early Feb is there return time. Dont hire a guide when the nets are in!!!!!!

thank you for the info

thats why I love this site..

canyonduck · « **Reply #11 on:** February 12, 2015, 11:09:45 AM »

I wouldn't call him a huge buck. It's hard to tell with the jacket and pants, but I'd put him in the 170lb class.

RaffleMule · « **Reply #12 on:** February 12, 2015, 11:17:15 AM »

28 and 29 lbs caught last Thursday.....great marketing by the tribe. You'll all be booking trips down the Lower.

Forks · « **Reply #13 on:** February 12, 2015, 12:51:52 PM »

I would rather clean floors and toilets than support those folks. To each is own I guess.

Bullkllr · « **Reply #14 on:** February 12, 2015, 01:08:51 PM »

Shame the ones in the pictures were not "held for spawning"...

Besides being a broodstock program it must also be a harvest program.

Stud fish just the same.

BigGoonTuna · « **Reply #15 on:** February 12, 2015, 01:54:58 PM »

Quote from: Forks on February 12, 2015, 12:51:52 PM

I would rather clean floors and toilets than support those folks. To each is own I guess.

yep, it's always seemed like a big slap in the face to us sportsmen that they net the hell out of the chehalis, humptulips and queets systems, but the lower quinault gets big returns of fish because they actually manage it(and keep it off limits unless you have a guide). every one of those other rivers would have as good of fishing if they weren't hammered by the QIN's nets. not to mention the irony of the quinault hatchery being run by the US federal government in a sovereign nation.

_TONY_ · « **Reply #16 on:** February 12, 2015, 02:30:39 PM »

Quote from: Forks on February 12, 2015, 12:51:52 PM

I would rather clean floors and toilets than support those folks. To each is own I guess.

+10000000000

Quinn's are the worst... Don't given them any $$

Dan-o · « **Reply #17 on:** February 12, 2015, 02:40:23 PM »

WOW!!!!!!

Those are some AMAZING steelhead!

wildmanoutdoors · « **Reply #18 on:** February 12, 2015, 03:13:04 PM »

Quote from: Bullkllr on February 12, 2015, 01:08:51 PM

Shame the ones in the pictures were not "held for spawning"...

Besides being a broodstock program it must also be a harvest program.

Stud fish just the same.

Brood stock fish are netted in the lake as they head up the upper river. These fish are netted in the lower river and sent to New York and such to resturants. Thats why there dead at the Fishhouse in Tahola.

So yes! They are created for harvest!

By netting in the lake it insures pure native strain. Useing these big hatchery fish to broodstock would eventually lead to a poorer genetic strain.

Bullkllr · « **Reply #19 on:** February 12, 2015, 03:43:20 PM »

Quote from: wildmanoutdoors on February 12, 2015, 03:13:04 PM

Quote from: Bullkllr on February 12, 2015, 01:08:51 PM
Shame the ones in the pictures were not "held for spawning"...

Besides being a broodstock program it must also be a harvest program.

Stud fish just the same.

Brood stock fish are netted in the lake as they head up the upper river. These fish are netted in the lower river and sent to New York and such to resturants. Thats why there dead at the Fishhouse in Tahola.

So yes! They are created for harvest!

By netting in the lake it insures pure native strain. Useing these big hatchery fish to broodstock would eventually lead to a poorer genetic strain.

Thanks. I'm somewhat aware of the general way the coast tribes run their fisheries.

So they must also capture at the hatchery at the lake and sell the surplus? (OP said "made it all the way to the hatchery") or the fish was gillnetted lower on the river and never made it to the hatchery. Not that it matters, but that what I was wondering when I saw the pic.

wildmanoutdoors · « **Reply #20 on:** February 12, 2015, 04:05:58 PM »

Quote from: Bullkllr on February 12, 2015, 03:43:20 PM

Quote from: wildmanoutdoors on February 12, 2015, 03:13:04 PM
Quote from: Bullkllr on February 12, 2015, 01:08:51 PM
Shame the ones in the pictures were not "held for spawning"...

Besides being a broodstock program it must also be a harvest program.

Stud fish just the same.

Brood stock fish are netted in the lake as they head up the upper river. These fish are netted in the lower river and sent to New York and such to resturants. Thats why there dead at the Fishhouse in Tahola.

So yes! They are created for harvest!

By netting in the lake it insures pure native strain. Useing these big hatchery fish to broodstock would eventually lead to a poorer genetic strain.

Thanks. I'm somewhat aware of the general way the coast tribes run their fisheries.

So they must also capture at the hatchery at the lake and sell the surplus? (OP said "made it all the way to the hatchery") or the fish was gillnetted lower on the river and never made it to the hatchery. Not that it matters, but that what I was wondering when I saw the pic.

Yes and no, if the hatchery fish makes it back and they capture it they will send it to the fish house. All hatchery fish are surpus that make it back. They only use pure wild fish for brooding.

deerhunter_98520 · « **Reply #21 on:** February 12, 2015, 05:15:32 PM »

All I was told was that this fish made it back to the hatchery....no matter where it came from I thought it was worth sharing with everyone because of its size...I have no idea if that's what happened for sure that's just what I was told...but you guys know how trophy pics and stories get twisted throughout the grapevine......you just don't see 30+lb steelhead very often....or at least I don't

jackelope · « **Reply #22 on:** February 12, 2015, 05:30:42 PM »

That picture has been all over Facebook for a week or so now.

deerhunter_98520 · « **Reply #23 on:** February 12, 2015, 05:43:20 PM »

Was there a story with it?

Bullkllr · « **Reply #24 on:** February 12, 2015, 05:59:54 PM »

Quote from: deerhunter_98520 on February 12, 2015, 05:15:32 PM

All I was told was that this fish made it back to the hatchery....no matter where it came from I thought it was worth sharing with everyone because of its size...I have no idea if that's what happened for sure that's just what I was told...but you guys know how trophy pics and stories get twisted throughout the grapevine......you just don't see 30+lb steelhead very often....or at least I don't

Oh, I see 'em every week....

Thanks for sharing the pic. I had not seen it. And a fish that big deserves to be celebrated.

h2ofowlr · « **Reply #25 on:** February 12, 2015, 06:09:07 PM »

Quote from: deerhunter_98520 on February 12, 2015, 09:00:22 AM

I got this pic sent to me today....this huge buck made it all the way to the hatchery on the quinault...was told it weighed 32lbs!

This picture went around last week on Fishing Addicts. It said it was caught in a tribal net.

RaffleMule · « **Reply #26 on:** February 12, 2015, 06:56:42 PM »

Did this one go around too? Whether you agree with it or not the QIN might be doing something right. 31 lbs... And I've seen 5 over 30 lbs this year.

deerhunter_98520 · « **Reply #27 on:** February 12, 2015, 07:17:54 PM »

Spawnstar · « **Reply #28 on:** February 12, 2015, 08:10:19 PM »

Nice fish

Coastal_native · « **Reply #29 on:** February 12, 2015, 08:52:42 PM »

The OP fish was definitely caught in a gill net.

deerhunter_98520 · « **Reply #30 on:** February 12, 2015, 08:54:07 PM »

Good to know....huge fish either way

Coastal_native · « **Reply #31 on:** February 12, 2015, 09:00:13 PM »

Actually, to be honest...I caught it with hook and line and let this guy take a picture with it. So...I guess I win?

Dan-o · « **Reply #32 on:** February 12, 2015, 09:04:35 PM »

Quote from: Coastal_native on February 12, 2015, 09:00:13 PM

Actually, to be honest...I caught it with hook and line and let this guy take a picture with it. So...I guess I win?

Were you with a native guide?

deerhunter_98520 · « **Reply #33 on:** February 13, 2015, 05:48:38 AM »

Quote from: Coastal_native on February 12, 2015, 09:00:13 PM

Actually, to be honest...I caught it with hook and line and let this guy take a picture with it. So...I guess I win?

Need a fishing partner? I won't give up the secret honey homes

fishnfur · « **Reply #34 on:** February 14, 2015, 10:34:45 AM »

Heck of a nice fish. I thought the big ones hit the Quinault in March. Perhaps that is just the natives??

Anybody remember a short article in STS, probably 20 - 30 years ago, about a 53ish lb. steelhead some commercial guys caught out in the ocean in their nets? They released it but snapped a couple of pics before doing so. THAT was a big steelhead! (I tried to find it online but came up empty).

_TONY_ · « **Reply #35 on:** February 16, 2015, 05:44:58 AM »

Quote from: fishnfur on February 14, 2015, 10:34:45 AM

Heck of a nice fish. I thought the big ones hit the Quinault in March. Perhaps that is just the natives??

Anybody remember a short article in STS, probably 20 - 30 years ago, about a 53ish lb. steelhead some commercial guys caught out in the ocean in their nets? They released it but snapped a couple of pics before doing so. THAT was a big steelhead! (I tried to find it online but came up empty).

Yep, they believe that it was a fish that could not reach sexual maturity and just kept swimming and feeding with no urge to return to river.

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Author Topic: Huge steelhead! (Read 13826 times)

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