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Wilson hatchery fish.

15K views 60 replies 28 participants last post by  jagosh  
#1 ·
I can't seem to find accurate info on the ODFW website. Can someone tell me where they dump the smolts in? As near as I can tell they are acclimated in the tank near Josie's but not sure where they get put in.
 
#2 ·
Mill's Bridge

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#3 ·
Wow....don't get me started... You just did.

Ever notice how the lower river, including tidewater, produces so many fish ready to spawn and not fit for the table?

Back in the stone age, when the entire river was utilized, a person could expect to catch bright, good for the table fish almost all the way to Lee's Camp or higher. When they, ODFW, developed a fear of hatchery fish mixing with wild (completely delusional) the upriver stocking came to an end as did the fabulous upriver fishing.

There's a lot "they" don't understand (or choose to ignore) about hatchery fish and their ability to dilute the wild population, it's almost zero. Steelhead most likely imprint on the spot where they were released into the system. If this spot isn't an established spawning bed for wild fish, no mixing will occur. Even if the location had the correct bottom structure etc. for spawning, the hatchery fish don't have a clue how to utilize it because their initial imprinting was the plastic tray they were born in. This includes fish originating from the brood stock program. Imprinting begins in the egg and if this is disrupted through artificial means, the whole system breaks down. I've seen examples of this in the river its self, this isn't coming out of the blue.
 
#8 ·
Winter Steelhead:
40,000 into the South fork

Wilson River (121F) stock:
Rear 47,000 fingerlings to a size of 60 fpp for transfer to the Tuffy Creek facility in midSeptember
for final rearing; release 40,000 smolts at 6 fpp into the South Fork Wilson
River in mid-April.
Rear 15,000 smolts to a size of 6 fpp for transfer to the Hughey Creek facility in mid-April
for two-week acclimation; release into the Wilson River.
Rear 15,000 smolts to a size of 6 fpp for transfer to the Hughey Creek facility in late April
for two-week acclimation; release into the Wilson River.
Rear 50,000 smolts to a size of 6 fpp for release (non-acclimated) into the Wilson River in
April.
Rear 80,000 smolts to a size of 6 fpp for release into the Wilson River in April.
All fish are fin-clipped prior to release.
 
#9 ·
So 160,000 at mills bridge and 40,000 on the south fork? At a 2% return rate that's 800 fish in the upper section. After catch rates in the lower river, sea lions, varied ocean conditions and ones that just dont make it your looking at maybe a couple hundred fish in the upper river. How many bank spots open to the public below mills bridge? How many bank spots open to the public above mills bridge? It's basically a driftboat fishery for the guides now. (Nothi g against guides just stating facts). Rarely do people catch hatchery fish in the upper reaches anymore. That's why on any given day in the winter there could be 50 drift boats crammed into a 2 mile float. Miles and miles of beautiful water with no fish. That fishery is bogus now a days.
 
#30 ·
Most of those upper river fish are harvested before they get to Kansas Cr. The pressure on the lower river is such it's a wonder anything gets through.
This is what I've heard as well from some people that fish it all the time. There's only so many fish, the lower river guys(guides), hammer the lower river and pick off a lot of fish.

My advice is to go down there and join them, watch how its done, its the best fishing water in the system. Ask the guides for some tips too.:)
 
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#11 ·
I had previously read a Wilson river hatchery report that stated when they used to release a higher percentage of the smolts upriver, the boaters complained that the fish were shooting upriver passed them but the upriver bankies with public access caught plenty of fish. So now its a short driftboat combat zone - damn the bankies.
 
#12 ·
It’s a mess. Most of the guides fish the Wilson most of the time.
It’s so crowded, that most of us with Drift Boats quit fishing it, even on weekdays. Gone are the days when the guides and everyyone else were spread between the Wilson, Trask, Nestucca, Clack, Sandy, and maybe even into SW Washington. I pretty much try to fill my freezer with Salmon and then wait for the Native Runs in March and April when many of the Guides and others are onto Springers.
 
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#13 ·
It’s a mess. Most of the guides fish the Wilson most of the time.
It’s so crowded, that most of us with Drift Boats quit fishing it, even on weekdays. Gone are the days when the guides and everyyone else were spread between the Wilson, Trask, Neestucca, Clack, Sandy, and maybe even into SW Washington. I pretty much try to fill my freezer with Salmon and then wait for the Native Runs in March and April when many of the Guides and others are onto Springers.
:yeahthat:

Besides that winter steelhead are ok table fare, I've always done this practice. Summer fish are much more tastey, IMO.
 
#15 ·
ASK THE NATIVE FISH FOLKS IN PORTLAND, why. No more spring Ch in the Wilson, ask them the same thing. How about the Miami, Kilches and Tillamook. When I first moved to Tillamook, 1976, I could fish them all and catch fish in all of them. I could fish and catch and keep fish all year long in all of them. ????
 
#16 · (Edited)
ASK THE NATIVE FISH FOLKS IN PORTLAND, why. No more spring Ch in the Wilson, ask them the same thing. How about the Miami, Kilchis and Tillamook. When I first moved to Tillamook, 1976, I could fish them all and catch fish in all of them. I could fish and catch and keep fish all year long in all of them. ????
Dang it Jerry! Tell the whole truth :hoboy: ODFW, in their north coast conservation plan, moved all of the Wilson hatchery spring Chinook to the Nestucca and Trask. ODFW also moved Kilchis early season hatchery winter steelhead to the Wilson I believe.
FYI - "NATIVE FISH FOLKS" did not support the north coast conservation plan.
Rearing capacity, co$t and the ESA listing of wild coho ended hatchery steelhead plants in the Miami
 
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#18 ·
In the "olden days" (50's - 60's). All the winter fish were Alsea stock planted all over with fish from eggs taken early so the fish showed up (and ripened) early. ODFW doesn't want Alsea fish spawning with wilds but very few wilds are ready to spawn before February -- and those are probably crosses from the old days. I cannot believe that Alsea-wild and Alsea-broodstock happen so signifigantly that it's an issue to be concerned with as it seems to be with the wild fish *****. I just want to hook and play MORE steelhead! I'll wait for a good spring chinook for tablefare.
 
#19 ·
In the "olden days" (50's - 60's). All the winter fish were Alsea stock planted all over with fish from eggs taken early so the fish showed up (and ripened) early. ODFW doesn't want Alsea fish spawning with wilds but very few wilds are ready to spawn before February -- and those are probably crosses from the old days. I cannot believe that Alsea-wild and Alsea-broodstock happen so signifigantly that it's an issue to be concerned with as it seems to be with the wild fish *****. I just want to hook and play MORE steelhead! I'll wait for a good spring chinook for table fare.
I agree! There used to be hatchery steelhead in late November through January. I used to start my winter steelhead on the day after Thanksgiving and the big winter steelhead sales at GI Joes,Fred Meyer,Payless and Wigwam was always something to look forward to.
 
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#31 ·
Seems to be a great recipe for hot fish stew brewing. I agree with the anti NFS crowd.

As soon as they started threatening the state with funds by tax payers and special interest fly guys, I have watched the entire thing take a downhill slide.:flowered:

I wonder what the commercials are doing to stay afloat, jobs at McDonalds, 7-Eleven???
 
#32 ·
Way back in the stone age I used to fish Josi's a lot if the time/water was right. Could have some great late in the day fishing after the crowds had left just by fishing the tide. Get down there around high tide and you could catch the next batch of fish coming in. One day I thought, why wait for high tide, bet a person could catch 'em farther down during low water. Dang!!! That was some great fishing! There was a few locals who fished below Sollie Smith but I was fishing below them, had the place to myself. Eventually others and the guides moved in, started parking their sleds and drift boats where I wanted to fish. Guides like David Johnson made a living down there, dunno if he still fishes it?
 
#45 ·
A few things to help us all get along:

When discussing things we don't agree with, please try to avoid personal attacks.
Also, when posting a "fact", always provide data or a resource of where you got your facts.

Thanks,
 
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#48 ·
Your attempt to discredit me is amusing. I've noted biop and nmfs organization but your love of NFS organization is cutting off your nose in spite of your face. We have a hatchery manager siding with me and Im misguided and I'll informed. U sir need to stop drinking.

Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk
 
#52 ·
Your attempt to discredit me is amusing. I've noted biop and nmfs organization but your love of NFS organization is cutting off your nose in spite of your face. We have a hatchery manager siding with me and Im misguided and I'll informed. U sir need to stop drinking.
Alcoholism is a real plague on my mother's side of my family and so I don't drink. I have lost several members of my family to alcohol and addiction...so the drinking remark isn't all that funny.
I also have Type II Diabetes and because of that I don't drink.

Just to refute, one more time, your tired argument there is some fly fishing/conservation organization's conspiracy going on is a lie. There is no surreptitious plot to turn the Wilson river into a fly fishing Shangri-la. Because I also, at times, fish with gear I would be strongly opposed to the Wilson or any north coast river being fly fishing only.
 
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#55 ·
Aren't you just an exposed nerve? No, I was not talking about you at all. I was clearly talking about the post I actually quoted and the classic fishing speculation that came before it. Having seen only the first page, I missed out on your tantrum. I now regret accidentally becoming involved in your childish fit.

That answer all of your questions?

:flowered:
 
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