Northwest Fishing Reports

i was scouting new holes today and ended up finding fish and catching two 15 pound kings. problem was i was about a mile from my car. also there is no way to get park any closer to this place for next time.

the walk back sucked so much that i was thinking of just leaving the fish on the trail lol. they might not seem that heavy but try walking a mile in neoprenes carrying a few poles and 30 pounds of fish.

anyone ever try putting fish in some kind of backpack??

just filet them down at the river, we do that down at the quilcene all the time and then you don not have to do it at home later when you are all tired from fishing and driving or you could haul down a wheel barrow , I have also seen that down at the quil...

if i cant think of something ill probably do that.

also maybe if i cut their head off they would fit in a backpack with their tails sticking out.

good post, hope to hear some people responses, i wish they made big bags that were made out of the stuff lunch bags are made of so you could freeze it over night and keep the catch cool on the walk to the car, thatd be a dream lol

I use a catch cooler that works pretty well. Not a back pack but much easier to carry than a stringer. I also put my rods and net in it as well.

For those treks that are gonna be long walks or lots of wading , I will tow a little snow sled behind me.... It floats well and can be tied to a wading belt, and can be pulled over grass or gravel fairly easy.... If not that I carry a backpack with fish bags inside....

Something easy to use and you might have already are camping chair bags. Big kings will fit in them, I have used them on kings already and fit a 10 and 15 lber in 1 bag and was very easy to carry out.

I bought a Katchkooler a couple of months back, but found out that it's just too big to carry around. I now use a roll top dry bag backpack, which works great. Been carrying around 50lbs in it, and the stitches and straps are holding up.

I was just thinking about this same issue the other day, as well as keeping the fish cold.

I normally just have thick 3-4mill thick garbage bags with me.
1 to clean the trash around the river and 1 to carry fish in.

Also they do make catch/ ice bags. kinda expensive. see link.

http://sports.overstockwarehouseonline. ... ag_i526834

http://www.bluemarlinchronicles.com/ins ... MC_d_00273

Be careful about filleting on the riverbank, in case a warden runs into you while you are walking out and wants you to verify the species and whether wild or hatchery origin.

As far as a fish carrier goes, I have heard of people using those canvas foldable chair carriers. They have a shoulder strap, and you can probably fit a 2-3 big fish into it.

Wow, some great ideas/suggestoins here!

Mine is more of a handle for carying fish out, basically one step up from a stringer - I use it for steelhead. I will post a pic later and try to describe it now.
I took a 6" piece of 1" pvc, screwed three eye bolts into it (one on each end and one in the middle), then put a 4" length of rope into each with a clip on the end of each. So I can clip a fish on each of the ropes (through the gill out the mouth) and hold the pvc like a handle. 1 fish, clip to the middle clip, 2 fish, clip to the outside clips.
I have also seen plenty of guys just throw the fish in a garbage back and put em head 1st into a backpack and let the tail end stick out the top.

Shad_Eating_Grin wrote:Be careful about filleting on the riverbank, in case a warden runs into you while you are walking out and wants you to verify the species and whether wild or hatchery origin.

As far as a fish carrier goes, I have heard of people using those canvas foldable chair carriers. They have a shoulder strap, and you can probably fit a 2-3 big fish into it.

X2 on this. Please read the regs, you can do all sorts of cutting, filleting and portioning but at the end of the day you should keep the fish in identifiable form for all the WDFW staff. The fish may be tagged in which case they will need the head, or at least the nose. As per usual, the wording is a bit weak but, from page 12, it eludes to keeping the entire fish. It doesn't say much on fishing rivers but it would be my recommendation to keep the fish gutted head on till you get home. From personal experience, WDFW will get real cranky at their game checking stations on the road when you don't have the whole fish (minus guts) so they can measure, sample and collect tags.

You May:
Clean or portion fish or shellfish while in the field
with the following exceptions: It is unlawful for
an angler to fail to retain proof of compliance
with species, size, number, weight, sex, or wild
or hatchery origin restriction, if such restrictions
apply, until the angler is ashore and has finished
fishing for the day. For all rockfish species
and for fish with a length restriction, anglers
must retain the fish carcass until coming ashore
to comply with the above rule. This does not
apply if the catch is in the process of being
prepared for immediate consumption.

Oh yeah, and a double garbage bag and a back pack. It's always worked for me.

hatinthekat wrote:good post, hope to hear some people responses, i wish they made big bags that were made out of the stuff lunch bags are made of so you could freeze it over night and keep the catch cool on the walk to the car, thatd be a dream lol

Thay do and they are called 'catch bags' or 'kill bags' and they work very well.

http://www.amazon.com/36x20-Inshore-Fis ... m_sbs_sg_1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.sportco.com/store/pc/Silver- ... p54870.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

oh thanks guys for the heads up but I was at the skok once when the fish checker lady asked us for scale samples and we told her that we had already filet the fish she did not mind at all plus we normally only fillet our fish at the quilcene and cascade which it does not matter waht origin of silver it is.

Brat Bonker wrote:oh thanks guys for the heads up but I was at the skok once when the fish checker lady asked us for scale samples and we told her that we had already filet the fish she did not mind at all plus we normally only fillet our fish at the quilcene and cascade which it does not matter waht origin of silver it is.

The fish checker Is not a game warden.... We write $115.00 tickets for not possessing proof of a species in the field ... Just an FYI

Gringo Pescador wrote:Wow, some great ideas/suggestoins here!

Mine is more of a handle for carying fish out, basically one step up from a stringer - I use it for steelhead. I will post a pic later and try to describe it now.
I took a 6" piece of 1" pvc, screwed three eye bolts into it (one on each end and one in the middle), then put a 4" length of rope into each with a clip on the end of each. So I can clip a fish on each of the ropes (through the gill out the mouth) and hold the pvc like a handle. 1 fish, clip to the middle clip, 2 fish, clip to the outside clips.
I have also seen plenty of guys just throw the fish in a garbage back and put em head 1st into a backpack and let the tail end stick out the top.

Here are pics of my fish-handle. Light, small, & very low tech, got the idea from a guy I ran into on the Sky. It's hauled 100s of pounds of steel out of rivers and still running strong. Better than wrapping the stringer around your hand to walk out. I like idea of a shoulder bag though!

I take a solid branch that has a Y form to it then put the stick thru the gills. Makes it alot easier to carry, but a back pack is a good idea to, or trash bags.

i was at the same hole today and saw a guy using a hiking backpack to toss his fish in. im going to try that

I carry my catch cooler out when I fish I also take my back pack with Trash bags if my family comes out fishing with me I like the catch cooler it has wide long straps you can just toss the straps on the shoulder and walk man does it save alot of headaches. it also keeps your beverages of choice cold. I place a few frozen water bottles in there along with some beer and it is great to keep sandwiches in...

Above are some great options also.

catch coolers are 29.99 at sportco in fife maybe the same price at the sister store in seattle.