Columbia salmon question

[brshooter]

With the opener today on the Columbia for salmon, I have a question. In the newspaper and on the tube, they have been mentioning the limit of two salmon per day, one of which may be a chinook. They mention that all coho must have a clipped adipose fin. But they make no mention of requiring chinook to be clipped as well. They are not allowing the harvest of wild chinook are they?

[SLEDDER]

To the best of my knowledge Chinook are not clipped to begin with. I might be totally off base, but I don't think there are any chinook hatchery programs for Columbia and tributaries. I had the same question, and this is what I have been told.

[Backlash2]

Uh......there are a lot of hatchery programs for Fall Chinook.
And some of them are indeed clipped. Fall Nookie's are in far better shape than the Coho returns, though still a far cry from historical returns.
Go get 'em........

[Nanook]

20 pound Chinook below Bonneville yesterday was in fact missing the adipose.

[Jeffhead]

Chinook do not need to be clipped to be retained in the Columbia. The clipping program for nooks' has not hit 100% as of yet. So the answer to your question is yes we are allowed to retain wild nooks' until they feel we have reached the impact level then it will be closed.
Good luck and tight lines, Jeff images/icons/grin.gif images/icons/grin.gif

[SLEDDER]

Thanks for straightening things out!!

[CATCH AND EAT]

I haven't cauht a clipped nookie yet in the ocean. All have that beautiful fin on the back. Smallest kept was 10lbs, largest 30#'s. Seems like the larger Coho are closer in and the Nooks are between 2 and CR. Last night David Johnson said he was getting them at the CR. I too have had success there as well as at 2. Anyone else with success reports in different areas. Oh yeah, the 30# came 2 miles south of CR in 240 at 12 pulls on a chrome and blue coyote 4.0.

[David Johnson]

Two of our chinook from the ocean did have clipped fins, they were small fish that were less than ten pounds, so there are a few around.

I think we caught two to four clipped fish on the Columbia last fall too.

[finclipped]

I caught a #34 at Tillamook that was clipped in early July. ODFW took its nose(for monitoring), before I could take a picture.

I have released a couple Chinook that have been clipped out of Astoria.

The only keeprer chinook I have caught out of Astoria was in between the 2 and 4 with the help of a downrigger.

[Nanook]

My wife got me good yesterday. Been catching plenty, but before Salmon was open and apparently my spinners are only foolin' the adipose intact steelhead recently. Anyway....

Hooked up yesterday and immediately knew it was a Chinook. Got off the anchor and was never so pleased to look down and see a 20 pound mint bright Chinook.

I am passed out from no sleep and fishing at home.

She yells "Honey, dog gone it, the meat is WHITE on this fish, it's no good!"

You folks that have caught them pretty much know, you can't even smoke flavor into one of these puppies, mint fresh or not. Over 20 years of fishing with me, she knew.

Of course I have to see for myself and jump up! She had cut the head off. I look.

She set's the hook, hard!

Most beautiful meat there is and she proceeds to L her A Off! Momentary big bummer and then relief.

Good one gotcha' and she did.

Yes this one was going home, clipped or not. Like David said above, the upriver run is in
pretty good shape.

http://www.animfactory.com/animations/animals/foxes/fox_with_sheep_md_clr.gif

[ 08-02-2001: Message edited by: ****** ]

[SteelieSteve]

Good job ******! Finally some blood in the boat and fresh fish for the bbq.

[Hookset]

Now I'm puzzled. I thought most of the upper river Hanford Reach fish were hatchery fish. I know the Washington area fisherpeople fish for them with good results. When the fish arrive, they just mill around since they have nowhere else to go. Maybe I'm thinking of something else.

As for the clipped fall chinook. I really didn't think there is much of a program to clip fall chinook. Just steelhead, silvers and spring chinook.

Just call me confused, where is a state fish and wildlife employee when you need one.

Gregg

[Nanook]

Hookset, Marty - Everyone's is so excited with what's going on in the Columbia system, what's the outlook for the Tillamook system fall run. Sure was not much last year? Any predictions by anyone? Big boat is nice, but my real passion has always been sitting in the driftboat and bobber fishing in tidewater.

Rick

[ 08-02-2001: Message edited by: ****** ]

[Deleted User]

Rick we are there this fall! Your boat or mine(Roy's)
Stew

[Salmonator]

******, i'm not sure about Tillamook in particular but I do remember lots of water in the rivers in October of '97 and many big, bright river salmon jumping into the boat. I'm guessing lotsa 3 salt fish this year but's it's probably just wishful thinking...

[Nanook]

Can't believe you guys even deal with the B10 drill, but you gotta' love it. images/icons/grin.gif

Too many B10 trips and too old I guess. Love and need the peace (sometimes it ain't peaceful when the crazies arrive) of sitting on the anchor.

Like sittin' on the most awesome back porch in the world waiting for the rod to bend over and start screaming.

Hope everyone hammer's em though. Leave some Chinook quota for us upriver whimps, OK?

http://www.ifish.net/uploads/162721213.jpg

[Hookset]

Predictions for the fall Tillamook fishery..........hmmmmmm, looking at the crystal ball as I write this.........nope, picture didn't come in, to cloudy. Ok, have the sure fire magic 8 ball, still shaking.......nope, wrong answer, shaking again......uh.....let's try something different. Calling Carnac the Magnificent on the phone.........oh oh, recording......"sorry, this number has been disconnected or no longer in service, if you feel you have reached this number in error, please hang up and try again". Now that's funny, the number worked last time I called with a question of this magnitude 12 years ago.

Sorry ******, just can't find the answer your searching for. Now if you want MY honest opinion, based on the last 5 years, fishing will be poor for Chinook. There is at least one silver lining, the Trask hatchery is expecting upwards of 30,000 coho and the bay will be open for retention of silvers and they are considering extending the coho fishery on the trask.

So Marty, I hope your prediction is better then mine. images/icons/cool.gif

Gregg

[Nanook]

Your opinion is what I was looking for. Thanks. images/icons/wink.gif

[David Johnson]

The magority of the chinook we catch (not counting tules) are wild up-river brights headed to the Hanford Reach of the Columbia were they spawn in the main stem river. Yep, there wild and they let us keep 'em becuase they are in a healthy state.

[ssteelheadsteve]

Hey ******, don't misss that great Trask Coho run. About 80% of the run usually move to the Pond/closed area in a 8-10 day period.Wow what a fishery.
NMFS & PSMFC expect the Tillamook King run to be the same as last year which according to ODF&W staff is "GOOD".They call it good because a certain Tillamook Bay Trib continues to produce good numbers of out migrants.Too bad they expect that one trib to support the Tillamook fishery.Most guides will tell you it will be good.I say it will be worse than last year.You ask is this possibble ?
I say yes.Keep guttin them hens so you can catch more hens eh ?.BTW Alaska and B.C. anglers catch MOST of the T-Bay fish.Did I mention that I think the late King Only commercial troll fishery is a bad idea ?
Chances are you would do better to golf at Neskowin.Drive to the edge of the creek.Kick your ball in and follow it in and take your net with you.Your right. Be a sport. Take a wedge or 9 iron.OOPS sorry Slab Creek is closed.........NOT what you wanted to hear ?About that "UP River" run being in good shape a little reading ( search the Oregonian archives)will show you it is on the edge of collapse.For some odd reason the Hanford Reach Salmon have devloped a genitic trait which will cause them to struggle to maintain a population in the near future.Wave good by images/icons/frown.gif In 1989 I broke the story of the leaking Hanford "VATS" . Two months latter KGW claimed to have an exclusive on the story.Opps....I guess they didn't pay their cable bill....GOOD LUCK
Nice Pic of sunset is it digital ?

[Nanook]

Sheesh, sorry I asked. I feel better. images/icons/shocked.gif

Yes, off the back off my boat.

[FishinMission]

I'm with ****** on the B-10 thing. Sheesh...all those fish will be comig through here in the next month and a half. As for Tillamook this fall..I'm gonna stay here in the valley unless I hear things are "happening" down there. Sure "hasn't" happened for the last 2 years there !!!

[Nanook]

I knew we think alike Mark. images/icons/grin.gif images/icons/grin.gif

[finclipped]

A couple of encouraging things about Tillamook. A new agreement with Canadian fisheries will mean an immediate 20% reduction in Tillamook origin fish caught in Canada.

Another thing, last year and the year before were primarily returns from the 95 and 96 floods. This year will be primarily 97 fish.

Another thing, Ocean conditions have been good.

Another thing, It has to get better someday. Why not a year when we are setting return records?