NISQAULLY STEELHEAD!!

[JimmyHoffa]

I am far from an expert but a couple weekends ago I caught a beauty of a wild steelhead but now reading some of these posts how do I know itwasnt a hatchery fish that wasn't clipped? It fought like mad on light gear but that's nothing unusual, how do you guys tell the difference between a non clipped hatchery to an honest to god native fish?

For coastal fish, some like to say if the adipose fin is smaller than about an inch high it is likely a hatchery fish.  Hatchery fish also might have rounded off fins.

[spoonman]

I am far from an expert but a couple weekends ago I caught a beauty of a wild steelhead but now reading some of these posts how do I know itwasnt a hatchery fish that wasn't clipped? It fought like mad on light gear but that's nothing unusual, how do you guys tell the difference between a non clipped hatchery to an honest to god native fish?

For coastal fish, some like to say if the adipose fin is smaller than about an inch high it is likely a hatchery fish.  Hatchery fish also might have rounded off fins.

Per the park regs in the oly pen if the adipose fin is shorter than a credit card that it is a hatchery fish.

[7mmfan]

as much as i would like to fish that river in march and april again, i can only imagine the cluster it would be if it was reopened.  every hack guide coming out of the woodwork, as well as the "look at me" social media addicted turds that fish for likes on facebook.

This is my worry for the Skagit system, as they talk about re-opening the spring catch and release season. It's gotten so much publicity the last few years that it will be an absolute disaster. Steelheading has become a fad, and a cool thing to do. I can't wait for the day that it runs it's course and is no longer trendy. I think people are figuring it out though, and social media posts are fewer now than even last year. 75 boat days on the Wynoochee will force people to keep their mouths shut.

This is coming from a guy who guided for a living for 10 years, and grew up fishing that river. I used to log 100+ days a year targeting winter run specifically, I now get out maybe 5 or 6 days a year. It's really sad.

[87Ford]

Didn't buy a fishing license this year for the first time in almost 40 years.  I guess I fished in the good old days and it really wasn't all that long ago.  Sure, you can travel to find some fishing, but the days of hitting my local rivers after work are gone..  People getting excited these days fishing for escaped Atlantics, good grief, sad.

[jackmaster]

I am far from an expert but a couple weekends ago I caught a beauty of a wild steelhead but now reading some of these posts how do I know itwasnt a hatchery fish that wasn't clipped? It fought like mad on light gear but that's nothing unusual, how do you guys tell the difference between a non clipped hatchery to an honest to god native fish?

What river did you catch it on? Only reason I ask is if it was the Nisqually it was closed. Also if it was the Nisqually the way you know it's a wild fish is because there is zero hatchery fish as far as winter runs are concerned released.

the satsop, we were gone fish the wynoochie but holy sheet, talk about combat fishn !!

[spoonman]

as much as i would like to fish that river in march and april again, i can only imagine the cluster it would be if it was reopened.  every hack guide coming out of the woodwork, as well as the "look at me" social media addicted turds that fish for likes on facebook.

This is my worry for the Skagit system, as they talk about re-opening the spring catch and release season. It's gotten so much publicity the last few years that it will be an absolute disaster. Steelheading has become a fad, and a cool thing to do. I can't wait for the day that it runs it's course and is no longer trendy. I think people are figuring it out though, and social media posts are fewer now than even last year. 75 boat days on the Wynoochee will force people to keep their mouths shut.

This is coming from a guy who guided for a living for 10 years, and grew up fishing that river. I used to log 100+ days a year targeting winter run specifically, I now get out maybe 5 or 6 days a year. It's really sad.

 

I never guided but I did get out on the rivers on a very regular basis. I still get out a lot but come in contact with far fewer fish. I enjoy fishing because of the peace and quiet and the time to myself. It's never been about the amount of fish or the photo shoot like a lot of the look at me idiots. To them it's how many different photos can we get and oh yeah.....let's see how long this beautiful fish can breath out of water?!?!it's definitely not the same!

[spoonman]

I am far from an expert but a couple weekends ago I caught a beauty of a wild steelhead but now reading some of these posts how do I know itwasnt a hatchery fish that wasn't clipped? It fought like mad on light gear but that's nothing unusual, how do you guys tell the difference between a non clipped hatchery to an honest to god native fish?

What river did you catch it on? Only reason I ask is if it was the Nisqually it was closed. Also if it was the Nisqually the way you know it's a wild fish is because there is zero hatchery fish as far as winter runs are concerned released.

the satsop, we were gone fish the wynoochie but holy sheet, talk about combat fishn !!

So in a system that has hatchery fish and wild fish there will be a overlap in the runs. Its not easy to tell exactly weather it is one or the other. I've volunteered at a hatchery or two and have clipped thousands of fish, if you take your time and it means something to you, you clip them all but there was a few and i mean just a few that slipped. Make your best educated guess but dont keep a fish with a fin.

[2MANY]

I wish someone here would buy my sled so I don't have to read this crap anymore.

[Bullkllr]

as much as i would like to fish that river in march and april again, i can only imagine the cluster it would be if it was reopened.  every hack guide coming out of the woodwork, as well as the "look at me" social media addicted turds that fish for likes on facebook.

This is my worry for the Skagit system, as they talk about re-opening the spring catch and release season. It's gotten so much publicity the last few years that it will be an absolute disaster. Steelheading has become a fad, and a cool thing to do. I can't wait for the day that it runs it's course and is no longer trendy. I think people are figuring it out though, and social media posts are fewer now than even last year. 75 boat days on the Wynoochee will force people to keep their mouths shut.

This is coming from a guy who guided for a living for 10 years, and grew up fishing that river. I used to log 100+ days a year targeting winter run specifically, I now get out maybe 5 or 6 days a year. It's really sad.

 

I never guided but I did get out on the rivers on a very regular basis. I still get out a lot but come in contact with far fewer fish. I enjoy fishing because of the peace and quiet and the time to myself. It's never been about the amount of fish or the photo shoot like a lot of the look at me idiots. To them it's how many different photos can we get and oh yeah.....let's see how long this beautiful fish can breath out of water?!?!it's definitely not the same!

  I pretty much lived for winter run steelhead fishing for like the middle 30 years of my life. Things have changed so much in the last 10 years...to say I'm sad about it is an incredible understatement. I reckon it to basically living on a different planet.

[tlbradford]

Check out the podcast with John McMillan, Andy Danylchuk, Bruce Hill, John Hazel, Greg Osburn, Dave McCoy, Dylan Tomine, and Bill Bakke.  All of these are super-interesting and give a ton of insight to the steelhead fisheries, hatcheries, native fish, and current studies on saving the steelhead fisheries.  I also enjoyed her podcast with Gary Loomis and Gary Woolridge, among others.

http://www.aprilvokey.com/podcasts/

[Alchase]

I use to fish almost every weekend for the winter run on the Sky, and Snoqualmie. I quit most steelhead when the combat fishing caught on in the mid 90s. I still went out to the Snoqualmie on occasion during the summer run, just to get away and enjoy some time on the river without the crowds.
I turned to trout and Kokenee, aloud me to still have the quiet enjoyment fishing is all about.

[Come Get Some]

I am far from an expert but a couple weekends ago I caught a beauty of a wild steelhead but now reading some of these posts how do I know itwasnt a hatchery fish that wasn't clipped? It fought like mad on light gear but that's nothing unusual, how do you guys tell the difference between a non clipped hatchery to an honest to god native fish?

For coastal fish, some like to say if the adipose fin is smaller than about an inch high it is likely a hatchery fish.  Hatchery fish also might have rounded off fins.

  It is not the adipose fin. If the dorsal fin is shorter than a credit card or about 2-1/4" , cliped adipose or ventral it it a hatchery fish.

[Crunchy]

Hatchery fish that aren't clipped have fairly beaten up dorsal fin from growing up in net pens.  Wild fish will not.