Snoho/Sky/Wallace Open for Coho!!!

[rseas]

I never said they don't eat shrimp. We all know they eat shrimp and get full of them but seriously digging them out of the mud. Not so and why would it hurt that they eat shrimp. Isn't that how they get that deep red color?

Not adding fuel..., just sharing anecdotal experiences.

I/we have caught many chinook, coho and in the winter blackmouth that were either barfing sand and gravel and/or had sand and gravel in their stomachs when cut. We have seen everything from clams, shrimp and crabs to various bait fish in their tummies.

A bunch of years back in early November I caught a big hook nose coho on Possession that had a good sized chunk of a sandshrimp container in his stomach. A majority of our Mid-Channel Bank and Elger Bay chinook will have sand and gravel in their stomachs. I will admit that these fish were probably feeding on candlefish but they were also rooting around on the bottom. Then years ago I had a triple on fall chinook and all three had recently been eating sandshrimp. I believe that salmon can be oppertunistic feeders.

Maybe we should start a new thread "What has your fish been eating?"

[riverhunter]

I never said they don't eat shrimp. We all know they eat shrimp and get full of them but seriously digging them out of the mud. Not so and why would it hurt that they eat shrimp. Isn't that how they get that deep red color?

Not adding fuel..., just sharing anecdotal experiences.

I/we have caught many chinook, coho and in the winter blackmouth that were either barfing sand and gravel and/or had sand and gravel in their stomachs when cut. We have seen everything from clams, shrimp and crabs to various bait fish in their tummies.

A bunch of years back in early November I caught a big hook nose coho on Possession that had a good sized chunk of a sandshrimp container in his stomach. A majority of our Mid-Channel Bank and Elger Bay chinook will have sand and gravel in their stomachs. I will admit that these fish were probably feeding on candlefish but they were also rooting around on the bottom. Then years ago I had a triple on fall chinook and all three had recently been eating sandshrimp. I believe that salmon can be oppertunistic feeders.

Maybe we should start a new thread "What has your fish been eating?"

Very interesting and who would have figured. Not saying it is not true but that i have never encountered that. Shrimp in the stomach yes. But sand and gravel never. I agree salmon are opportunistic and yea this thread has gotten way out of control. The original posting was about the snoho, sky, and wallace opening.

[strider43]

Pretty interesting argument. I only fish freshwater so my issue is with salmon eating salmon eggs. My question or statement is this: I've cleaned so many salmon and I've never seen salmon eggs in their stomachs. In fact, I find nothing there. It goes with the long-held statement that salmon don't eat on their spawning run in the rivers.

Question then is- why do they pick up salmon eggs or imitations of same?

I asked this question of 2 guides and they said it is instinct for some salmon to pick up the eggs. They don't eat them, they usually spit them back out or it could be called "move them".

I took the guide's opinions to practice. I envisioned salmon picking up eggs and fairly quickly moving away to spit them out. I realized I would rarely feel much of a strike or I should call it more of a nibble like feeling. I thought about it for quite awhile. Decided to add a bit of yarn above the egg ball so it might stick in their teeth just a little longer to actually give me a chance to set the hook. Well it worked. It improved my hook ups by a little bit and that added up to more successful trips.

Sometimes I invest so much money getting to the Columbia to fish a run. Hover fishing is a good tactic I've used with eggs. I'll gladly add the yarn so I can leave with more fish. Those no-fish return trips are just too frustrating.

thought I'd pass this on and hope it helps someone.

I was taught that Salmon bite eggs in the river out of survival instinct for their offspring, they are killing potential predators......

I watched an interesting video several years ago that showed Salmon grabbing eggs and gumming them then spitting them out. After seeing that I was fishing with eggs under a float for Coho and in slack water I saw my bobber barely twitching, I mean barely, remembering that video I set the hook and low and behold there was a nice bright hen with the hook in her mouth.

[strider43]

A few of you are apparently biologist........

[Goldrigger1]

I accept survival tactics to aid in the evolution of a species so salmon destroying another's eggs makes good sense!

It brings up a conundrum- after eggs are doctored up for fishing, there is no way they smell like natural eggs. Plus the imitations are usually plastic. I would think man's doctored eggs smell more like salt. I know many use scents in the process. So we have eggs that look like eggs but don't smell like a real eggs. Interesting that they work. Could it be the salmon are relying on eyesight in shallower water when in a river? Could be.

If it is eyesight over smell then it makes a lot of sense that hover fisherman usually raise the eggs a couple of feet off the bottom. Also keeps junk fish off them.

Lots of thinking and it is what our species does best!! It sure is nice to get a limit and fill the freezer.

[riverhunter]

A few of you are apparently biologist........

Yep!!lol not really just sharing experiences and a great debate either way

[strider43]

I accept survival tactics to aid in the evolution of a species so salmon destroying another's eggs makes good sense!

It brings up a conundrum- after eggs are doctored up for fishing, there is no way they smell like natural eggs. Plus the imitations are usually plastic. I would think man's doctored eggs smell more like salt. I know many use scents in the process. So we have eggs that look like eggs but don't smell like a real eggs. Interesting that they work. Could it be the salmon are relying on eyesight in shallower water when in a river? Could be.

If it is eyesight over smell then it makes a lot of sense that hover fisherman usually raise the eggs a couple of feet off the bottom. Also keeps junk fish off them.

Lots of thinking and it is what our species does best!! It sure is nice to get a limit and fill the freezer.

I have thought about "the conundrum" as well. I know that some steelhead guides take different scents with them to add to the cured eggs they are using for bait. As well scents can be added during the curing process when the eggs has dispelled the fluids from within the eggs, prior to reabsorption you can add scents to the eggs. Why would Fish want to bite eggs that smell like sand shrimp?

[spokey9]

i think the hormones in the eggs play a big part in fish biting them. also gotta remember though that fish don't have hands so anything that gets their interest enough to investigate ends up in the mouth for inspection. I've seen silvers on the green snatch leaves off the surface a few times so lol.

[spokey9]

as for salmon picking things up off the bottom, I've seen silvers hit jigs bounced off the sand at dash pt in shallow enough water I could watch them and seen plenty of kings with scratches all over their head from rooting out candlefish or shrimp. Not saying the guys on the samish are tapping into that, never seen a salmon hit a jig just laying on the bottom with no imparted action. what I saw this year up there wasn't jig fishing as I ever seen before, but that's my opinion tho.

[Bobberdownchromer]

Let's hear more about the sky and Wallace plz!

[jonb]

I say we talk about samsquatch. Anyone ever see a samsquanch on the wallace? I heard they smell like crap... and cow bell....not enough cowbell..... This thread just needs more cowbell....

[Bobberdownchromer]

No squatch but I heard there was a big black bear up near the hatchery on Wednesday that crossed the river.

[riverhunter]

Lol yea this thread spiraled way out of control

[jonb]

Its definately circling the drain haha

[strider43]

No squatch but I heard there was a big black bear up near the hatchery on Wednesday that crossed the river.

There was a bear up there, not sure if they were going to try to catch it or what.

[riverhunter]

I saw the bear yesterday in someone's property near the hatchery. It looked to be after the chickens they had. Also went fishing near the hatchery for an hour and decided to move down river after seeing no fish in the intake. Also if you take a look at the escapement. The numbers went way down after this storm. At the beginning of Oct they had a little over 1500. After opening weekend it jumped to past 5500 and after this weekend it barely jumped to past 6000. This run is over and you could thank wdfw for that. Now there is a b-run but they don't usually show up until late Oct and early Nov but by then they are closing it for coho. Good luck fishing for those stragglers. In my opinion the best days were after they opened and would have been good the weekend prior to opening and in my experience I usually do really good from the tail end of the first week of Oct thru Oct 31 after that fishing slows way down until the b-run shows up. When I would have been on the Wallace I was stuck fishing the snohomish because they decided to wait until the last minute to open and I kept saying to myself wow the Wallace should be stacked by now and boy was I right. This year with all the rain we had these fish shot straight up to the hatchery. It a sad season for those who know the Wallace so well and knew when to fish but we were stuck with little options we had.

[jrodell27]

I'm just learning all of this "behind the scenes" stuff but any chance the state still tries to piggy back on the tribal permit for next year?

People I know that have fished this area longer than I have say there's no way we can let that happen again or else the sports fishing guys will just get strong armed again into not having a season.

[cxlumpy]

i just looked at usgs for river flows and i have been running into all sorts of bad luck trying to get out fishing. i plan on going to the wallace tomorrow but with all this rain im guessing its pretty high and dirty. any suggestions would help!

[riverhunter]

i just looked at usgs for river flows and i have been running into all sorts of bad luck trying to get out fishing. i plan on going to the wallace tomorrow but with all this rain im guessing its pretty high and dirty. any suggestions would help!

Its high and dirty with little fish holding anywhere. Heck barely any fish left either way. Only seem two hook ups yesterday with one lost and one really small jack coho. I mean small barely 2lbs if that

[strider43]

i just looked at usgs for river flows and i have been running into all sorts of bad luck trying to get out fishing. i plan on going to the wallace tomorrow but with all this rain im guessing its pretty high and dirty. any suggestions would help!

Its high and dirty with little fish holding anywhere. Heck barely any fish left either way. Only seem two hook ups yesterday with one lost and one really small jack coho. I mean small barely 2lbs if that

I heard some fish were caught today at the intake pipe twitching jigs. I live out here and its been raining hard out here at least since 4:00 PM. Its dumping now at 7:22 PM. As high as its already been with not that much rain, that Ive seen anyway, I cant imagine it would be fishable at all tomorrow. I could be wrong.......
Sportsman park was flooded when I came through just before 4:00 PM today