Wilson, Kilches river.

[fishon]

Me and my friend fished the wilson and the kilchis this weekend with out any luck. We fished behind the guide shope and at logging bridge. We did see one guy catch a chinook at the logging bridge but that was it. I was wondering how high up do the salmon go on the kilchis? I always see them down lower on the river but when ever I go up to the park I dont see any fish up there? We did stop at this bridge on the kilchis to look in the river to see if there were any fish and there was about 20 big chinook that where bright right under the bridge. This is the second time I have seen fish under that bridge too bad cant fish there its private property. Me and my friend also walked up that little creek that flows into the wilson behind the guide shop and it was full of salmon.

[This message has been edited by fishon (edited 12-11-2000).]

[Deleted User]

Fishon,

The fall chinook salmon in the Wilson and Kilchis rivers, and many in the Trask, are naturally spawning native fish. They are of the few healthy enough sustainable native fish runs to support a take fishery; although that's debatable for this year's run. A good percent of chinooks, as well as chums, are mainstem spawners; so they will spread fairly well throughout these rivers to spawn, from down low to way up high. The upper reaches don't get big numbers because of this. Some do spawn up bigger tributary creeks, such as the little North Fork Wilson that you walked up and saw salmon in. They are usually closed to angling. Wild coho and steelhead spawn more often higher up the mainstem and in many tributary creeks of the coastal rivers, so will be in greater numbers up high. There are regs, with more officers lately, that prevent angling above upriver deadlines on any hatchery fish or native chinook; and don't ever allow the keeping of native coho or steelhead anywhere. Anglers should never fish right on mature fish working spawning redds (shallower gravel areas); it's just not sporting or even worthwhile at all. Thanks for your report. Interesting and encouraging. Given the poor return this fall I hope that batch of 'nooks you saw disperse on up river soon; some of those will do so on the next good rain system.

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Know fish or no fish. - RT

[This message has been edited by RT (edited 12-11-2000).]

[David Johnson]

people used to be able to fish under that bridge for a small fee but I think it got too trashed so it's closed now. Either that or the liability is too high.

I would like to encourage people to be very careful about waiding up those small streams, or even in the main river for that mater for how low it is. Be carefull not to walk on any redds, they will be liter then the rest of the bottom. They eggs will be very fradgel and could die if walked on. Early in the fall there are fish (spring chinook) spawning in the riffle befind the Guide Shop and there are a lot of people who wade the river right through the redds in order to fish the other side of the river.

David Johnson

[buzzerbaby]

Last year a friend and I tracked the owner down to ask permission to fish that hole, He aksed what we wanted to fish for and we replied "chums". With that he said wrong answer if we would've said chinook he would've let us but there was no way he'd let us fish for chums.

[Shannon]

Everyone in this post has the right idea. Don't fish on Salmon Redds. You folks that live at the coast should know that the Trask has this problem. In 98' we floated it and put in at Lorens Drift in early NOV. These anglers were stomping around catching fish that were digging. And half of them fish were foul hooked. We watched and some hens were spitting eggs. Go figure. I wish the locals could twist ODFW's arm into closing that stretch at a certain time.

Take care,

Shannon