Snoqualmie falls steelhead

[Bearhunter]

How many of you guys fish there, its beens years for me since I been.  Is it still good.

[jackelope]

I've never seen anybody fishing at the falls.

[DBake]

I was hiking down the hill with my wife one day and their was a guy out fly fishing. It looked like he was just testing some line though.

[boneaddict]

I've never seen anyone fishing there.

[jackelope]

that was a wild fish i presume??

[Bearhunter]

I lived in Fall city worked in Issaquah for about 3 years, used to go down to the falls all the time.  It was a hatchery fish, can only keep hatcherys.  I was fishing for summer runs, usually only a couple people fishing, but usually none.  No bait or scent.  It was a float and jig show.

[huntnphool]

I used to walk the river bed of the Tolt every year fishing all the little pockets, good times.

[jackelope]

I lived in Fall city worked in Issaquah for about 3 years, used to go down to the falls all the time.  It was a hatchery fish, can only keep hatcherys.  I was fishing for summer runs, usually only a couple people fishing, but usually none.  No bait or scent.  It was a float and jig show.

huh interesting. i didn't think you'd find a hatchery fish at the falls as there aren't any hatcheries up that far.

[huntnphool]

There doesn't have to be a hatchery up there for the fish to be there. We catch all kinds of steelhead at the barrier dam on the Cowlitz, even though the hatchery is miles down stream at Blue Creek.

[sisu]

Been there quit a bit when I first moved to WA from Alaska. My son introduced me to the falls fishery.

[bankwalker]

i fished up there alot 3 summers ago. caught a handful of fish but i got sick of jumping around the rocks. i got bad ankles so it was more of a work out and the payoff just didnt seem worth it to me.

i might have to fish it next summer.

float and jig is always the way to go up there. lots of snags.

[WAcoueshunter]

The Tokul Creek hatchery is just below the falls.  The winter fish are usually in a hurry and turn right into the hatchery.  But since the summer fish spend so much more time in the river, they're known to range all over the place.  Haven't done it myself, but I've heard of quite a few summer hatchery fish caught at the falls.  Same thing goes for summer hatchery fish above Reiter Ponds on the Skykomish. 

[Dman]

There doesn't have to be a hatchery up there for the fish to be there. We catch all kinds of steelhead at the barrier dam on the Cowlitz, even though the hatchery is miles down stream at Blue Creek.

 I have property 5 mi. from the barrier dam and know their operations well. Salmon and Steelhead imprint on the DNA of the decomposing fish in their native river, so they can return anywhere in that river, not just the hatchery. That's the big hatchery myth, a large number of hatchery raised fish will spawn naturally every year, outside the hatchery itself. Just go to Salmon Days in Issaquah sometime and you will see hatchery fish spawning all up and down the creek and side-creek tributaries.

[hogsniper]

I wondered if it would be good fishing...place is awesome and the falls is absolutely incredible....gonna have to do it sometime.....Justin

[boneaddict]

Secret is out.  There is a big article about the Snoqualmie River in this months issue of Northwest Flyfishing.  Talks about fishing above Falls city. 

[jackelope]

thats really already the popular water for fishing, especially fly fishing. the rest of it is very froggy...so no secret IMO. keep as many people as possible above fall city  there's a couple good spots downstream that maybe will have a couple less people fishing in them now.