Upper Willamette Coho ?

[Prawnasorus]

Could someone enlighten me, The willamette falls fish count showed a total of 7200 or so coho over the falls. Which Rivers get these fish?. I assume the Molalla gets some but other than that?. I know it is closed, just curious where they went.

[Grizz]

Prawnasorus.

I see that no-one has answered your question.

Well....I'm no biologist but I can tell you from personal experience that many of those Coho are headed up the Tualatin River. No...I'm not joking. There was a stocking plan years ago on the upper Willamette tribs for Coho and Tule Chinook....hence the 700 or so Chinooks over the falls. I use to catch Coho at the mouth of the Tualatin on spinners and trolling HotShots as well as in the river. This was 15 or so years ago and I haven't checked my regs or fished it since then but I'd bet my paycheck it's closed now. There's a small dam/weir on the lower river (or there was)...it even has a fish ladder, below that I would bobber fish in the pools for Coho and do well. Also witnessed some Chinook in there too but they were pretty beat up. Gales creek is most likely the final destination I would imagine and it's safe to say the Molalla gets a few, as for the rest....?

Anyone else have any input? Bueler? Anyone?
:shrug:

[twoboy110]

Can't confirm it from presonal experience but a buddy of mine swears he catches the hell out of 'em in the mouth of the Mollala every year - can't help you with timing tho... :shrug:

[chinookie]

I know there have been a few incidental catches in the lower Santiam in past years, however the Santiam has never been managed for coho. Several years ago both the Mary's river and the Luckimute river were managed for a coho program that has since been let go. There are several of these coho that still head this way each year and seem to hold their own. I know Rickreall creek at one time many years ago also had a small steelhead and coho program that was let go as well.

[All Wet]

The guard for the water plant on the upper Tualatin told me that the fish and game were shocking up there this summer and they found two sizes of little coho indicating at least two successful spawning runs. The river up there is closed to salmon and steelhead.

[billsan]

Some of the fall coho go up the North Santiam and then up Stout Creek, which enters about a mile below Mehama. In the late 1950s, coho were stocked, but not for over 40 years. They have naturally adapted to Stout Creek, and are counted as they pass the diversion dams at Stayton Island. As you noted, there is no open season for them. We catch some incidentally while fishing for summer steelhead and enjoy the unexpected treat. Fall chinook were stocked in Stayton, but not for 5 years or more. Some still spawn in the lower North Santiam and mainstem Santiam, but they are close to spawning when they enter the Santiams and they are not sporting fish nor are they palatable. Summer steelhead are still in sporting condition during the fall, so anglers take advantage of that instead of the coho and dark chinooks. Snorkel surveys show that the coho go between a mile and two miles up Stout Creek for spawning. Bill Sanderson-Mill City

[Prawnasorus]

Another Question?. So all or most of the coho that cross the falls are going to be non-fin clipped, But in reality they are generations of hatchery origin fish that are spawning naturally.

[Grizz]

Probably correct on the finclip. As for the origin.....I would assume some are "native". I'm not sure if ALL the coho are/were hatchery or if some were natural origin.