Northwest Fishing Reports

Partially crimp pencil lead about every 3/8-1/2 of an inch. Then slide it into your paracord. Once it's in the paracord you just bend it a little to break the crimps.

I know people do it, but I wouldn't feel comfortable floating the upper Skagit in a canoe. The cascade is tough when it's low. A lot of rapids in upper skagit?? I've never been in that area before. I'm not against walking around the bigger ones. Not much for rapids. The spooky spots would be the bi...

I know people do it, but I wouldn't feel comfortable floating the upper Skagit in a canoe.
The cascade is tough when it's low.

No fishing for salmon unless they're specifically listed as open.

surveys were used in the WFC lawsuit ( a survey that didn't mention at all the low rate of hatchery-wild interbreeding). Hell, even if the correlation of the bycatch number was low for us, there still is a bycatch. Look at WFC did. We wouldn't even have to point to the numbers. "Oh, it's bad? stop ...

As Owen Hayes (outdoor GPS) has stated before, the WFC is a bunch of loony's and has too much time on their hands.... 1 question I would ask of anyone who reads this is --- If the state is not planting smolt on the Nooksack river this year ( and they stated they didn't plant any last year 2014 and ...

I am presently looking to start off with a nice used shimano curado cu201 that seems to be in great shape. Then I will look at possibly saving up for something newer like a newer curado or the Chronarch. If you get a good used Curado, there is no need to save up for a newer one to replace it. They'...

I'd look on eBay for one of the old green shimano curados.

Bill Herzog has promoted something like this to counter the increase in angling pressure. Basically, eliminate fishing from boats so that the fish might have a few pools where they won't get hooked. I believe in CnR fisheries, but the late winter boat parades on the OP rivers need to have some restr...

I'm recommending that anglers with disabilities (which would be determined by some established threshold, such as a disability parking sign) be allowed to fish in a boat that has been beached in areas that other non-handicapped anglers are able to get out and fish from. That seems like a fair rule ...

Just one more step to taking away the rivers from anglers. I myself have a handicapped friend who loves to fish for steelhead and salmon. Now he wont have the privilege of fishing the OP, which has been on his agenda for quite some time. Again, the boat rule only applies to a 6-mile stretch of one ...

The rule about fishing from a boat applies to one 6-mile stretch of one river. It's a bit of a stretch to say people are being denied access to all the peninsula rivers.

The state has made a real effort to get the hatchery fish returning early to avoid interactions with wild fish. Wild brood would return later and be more likely to mix with wild fish. Hatchery fish from wild parents might not be as bad as chambers fish if they spawn with native fish, but they would ...

It is difficult for enforcement to prove if someone is intentionally targeting one species over another, but it is still against the rules to target salmon that are not listed as open. Other than a talking to, the only times I've heard of people being written up for such violations is when they admi...

All freshwater areas are closed to targeting salmon unless specifically listed as open.

No.

I talked to the land owner a couple weeks ago. There is no more access. They were having break ins to the houses in the area and it really spooked the neighborhood. He was really nice and apologetic that he had to close it. If a land owner wants to close access that's their right. But I'm not seein...

Felt grips better on slick rocks. WA doesn't yet have any restrictions on felt. Some states have banned felt because they believe it can transport invasive species. Seems pretty silly when you think about it. Invasive algae can get into the laces and fabric of your boots, not just the felt soles.

1. Not sure. Could be river conditions or crappy returns. 2. I use straight 10lb test for spoons. No leader. If I run a float/jig, then I use 8lb leader. 3. I use spoons 90% of the time. If the water is low and clear then I go to more subtle finishes and smaller spoons. 4. Anywhere on the upper rive...

From the Centennial Trail parking area north of there, it's not far. Probably less than a 10 minute walk.