Cowlitz River

[BLKBEARKLR]

Has anyone heard if they are recycling fish yet at the hatchery??

Thanks
Joe

[BigGoonTuna]

the way they've been managing that river, i would doubt that it'll happen.  the upside is that with the numbers of coho predicted this year, not recycling a bunch of stale, non-biting silvers probably won't hurt anything anyway.

[HntnFsh]

They dont recycle salmon or steelhead.

[Navyhunter]

Excuse the ignorance....recycled salmon?
Is that to mean that once their eggs/milk removed, they kick them back into the river?
Can one of you three explain this a bit more?

[BLKBEARKLR]

Maybe they call it something else now, before they would take after the fish hatchery reached their quota. They would take the remainder of the salmon and drop them off in the lakes and rivers around the area.

I know they use to recycle them I fished for them on numerous occasions.

Hope that helps in explaining it Navy.

Joe

[Thefisherman83]

They dont recycle salmon or steelhead.

Since when?  I have caught a few recycled steelies last summer.  Not sure about the silvers tho.

[jackelope]

i always thought recycling them meant they trucked them back down to the mouth for another run up the river...never heard of them taking them to other rivers or lakes.

[Firstlight]

Im with you jackelope. On the Lewis they would cut a notch out of the fish's tail and truck them back down the river. This was on the summer runs. That way the hatchery could tell how many where re-caught out of how many they trucked down. Talking to one of the local guides he said that the record for a second return was 4 1/2 hours. That fish had places to go and people to see.

[Thefisherman83]

On the Cowlitz they run a hole punch through the gill plate.

[BLKBEARKLR]

If you know the lake then this is a good article to read. A lot of people do not know they put them in other rivers and lakes and that was why it was so fun  to do!!!!

Beautiful day and there were definitely coho to be had...

Arrived at about noon and there were about 2 dozen rigs in the
lot. Sunny and warm. Beautiful weather.

One of the nice things about fishing Lake X for coho is all the action takes place right in front of the ramp. There were 15 or 16 boats working the water in front of and to both sides of the access area. All were trolling very slowly. I was rowing a small peninsula drift boat I carry around in the back of my pickup and pulling a #4 mepps spinner. Buddy used a small spin and glow. We trolled and cast for about 3 hours without a hit. Watched maybe half a dozen fish landed by the other sporties though and saw lots of fish jump. Most of the fish we saw were in the 2 to 4 pound range except for one large one being landed by a shorefisherman that looked to be closer to 8 or 9.

Looked like most of the boats trolling the area were using flourescent pink flatfish or kwikfish.

Talked to a guy fishing from the dock for trout and he said he was catching quite a few. Looked like he was just using powerbait off a slip sinker. So it looks like there are options here other than to work for "tanker truck coho".

Should also note that all the fish we saw (both the jumpers and the ones being landed) were still very bright and the water was a bit murky. Visibility was 6 inches or less. Not as muddy/opaque as Lake X gets during the warm summer months but not even close to being as clear as the water normally is here in November.

I took that report of washingtonlakes.com, if you know the lake then you can read the rest of the reports...

[fishcrazy]

They no longer recycle fish on the Cow.  I think they stopped 3 years ago. I wish they still did. those fish would really stack up by August.


Kris

[Bigshooter]

They no longer recycle fish on the Cow.  I think they stopped 3 years ago. I wish they still did. those fish would really stack up by August.


Kris

Wow that's news for me.  I will have to start reading the report each week.

[fishcrazy]

I think they still truck the salmon and steelhad to other locations but the days of putting them back in down stream for us to have another chance are gone. They made up some crap about them competing with wild fish.

Typical Tacoma Power. Anything to save a $

Kris

[Alchase]

I can't find the article, but I remember recently reading about them taking fish both coho and chinook from the hatchery and planting them in Mayfield lake, Riffe lake, and Lake Enoyka (not sure if that spelling is correct?) above Riffe Lake.
I know in the past this was common. I am not sure if this is what "recycling" is though?

[fishcrazy]

I can't find the article, but I remember recently reading about them taking fish both coho and chinook from the hatchery and planting them in Mayfield lake, Riffe lake, and Lake Enoyka (not sure if that spelling is correct?) above Riffe Lake.
I know in the past this was common. I am not sure if this is what "recycling" is though?

This is what is going on now.

They no longer recycle. Like I said they use to recyle them back down river to run again but no longer.

Kris

[HntnFsh]

I think they still truck the salmon and steelhad to other locations but the days of putting them back in down stream for us to have another chance are gone. They made up some crap about them competing with wild fish.

Typical Tacoma Power. Anything to save a $

Kris

Pretty easy to blame Tacoma for everything.And they do have plenty to accept.But they do have to answer to WDFW bilologists and NOAA among others.That regulate this sort of stuff.

They are extremely restricted on how many and where they can put fish.Also what type.

The only fish that get recycled now.Are Cuthroat and any so-called wildfish.

They do truck a lot of fish upstream.Mostly coho and chinook.This year the fall chinook went to Mayfield because of extremely low water in the Tilton. The coho are going to the Tilton.I believe 3000 fish total.At gus Backstrom park in Morton.To the upper Cowlitz at Packwood.About 7000 fish.And to Lake Scanewa.And again I'm not positive on the numbers.But I think 9000 to Scanewa.

You dont want to know how many surplus coho are getting killed and sent to the Washington state food bank.

Its pretty easy to

[bullcanyon]

Don't even ask what is happening to the eggs of the excess fish.  You'd be pissed.

[HntnFsh]

I already am! I know whats happening to them.
Funny the fish go to Hoquiam first.Then up north.Bellevue or Bremerton or someplace like that.