DC
08-31-2007, 10:16 AM
Those of you thinking about catching kokes at Green Peter over Labor Day holiday can pretty much forget it for the year. It is slower than slow. Two of us fished yesterday morning and never even got a bite. Talked to three other boat, each with two fishermen, and all had the same luck. This reservoir has been typified by bigger and bigger kokes each of the last three years, but unfortunately the number of fish has fallen dramatically. The large schools that were present 5-10 years ago are gone. Now it is basically tiny groups scattered around with little apparent concentration in the areas they used to be found. I have noticed that the newer fishermen think it is great to go out and catch 8 to 12 for two or tree fishermen's bag after 5 or 6 hours of fishing. Granted the fish are larger, 12-14 inches, than they used to be, but we used to push the 25 fish per person bag with great regularity when their were many 8-11 inch fish. The continue drop in fish numbers in the lake is very troubling as they started to occur when it was decided four or so years ago to take most of the water for the Willamette R. for between Salem and Portland from Green Peter rather than sharing the load between Detroit and the Eugene areas. Guess this was a choice of doing the damage in the place furthest from the largest population centers. I am wondering if the continue drop in fish numbers at Green Peter is the result of leaving the koke eggs high and dry following continued draw-down in Aug. and Sept. A few more years like the last three and Green Peter will be a trophy fishery where one may go and catch a 16 inch fish every 3rd or 4th trip, but little else. To me koke fishing was fun when you could go out and have great action with doubles and triples on. It was a fun trip for kids, but now it is getting to way too slow!!! How are the fish to reproduce if they keep dropping the water levels about a foot per day. I think the water level is almost 70 feet below full at this time. Does anyone know how many days are required for the eggs to hatch and the fry are be able to move out into the lake? With as draw-down of almost a foot a day the period better be short or most of the eggs laid natg be left high and dry before the fall rains raise water levels. If the current water management practices it looks to me that koke fishing at Green Peter is in big trouble unless some changes are made.