Nooksack river closed all summer... who knows the story behind this?

[Josh]

Any update on this? Still closed?

As planned, the mainstem of the Nooksack opened up Aug 1. But other than that, it all appears to still be closed until Oct 1.

Fishing to close in the Nooksack River, including all forks

Action: Closes all fishing. Species affected:All species.Effective dates and locations:

wdfw.wa.gov

 

[Wanative]

Heartbreaking shit. Especially considering the netting throughout the system that's been going on for a month now, when steelhead are actually present in the system. A lot of people here have swung a lot of flies in the sack, anyone ever caught an August steelhead? July?

Theyll make poachers or birders out of all of us eventually.

I hooked a summer steelhead in August under the Acme bridge about 40 years ago. Several jumps, a long run, waved a middle fin, Goodbye.

 

[MarshRat]

As planned, the mainstem of the Nooksack opened up Aug 1. But other than that, it all appears to still be closed until Oct 1.

Fishing to close in the Nooksack River, including all forks

Action: Closes all fishing. Species affected:All species.Effective dates and locations:

wdfw.wa.gov

Thx!

 

[Pink Nighty]

I hooked a summer steelhead in August under the Acme bridge about 40 years ago. Several jumps, a long run, waved a middle fin, Goodbye.

Now that's something I'd love to see!

 

[the_chemist]

I'm curious what fly patterns swing well in chocolate milk?

 

[Salmo_g]

I'm curious what fly patterns swing well in chocolate milk?

Black and large.

 

[Wanative]

Now that's something I'd love to see!

The capper is a group had stopped to swim in the river after camping at Hutchinson Creek.
Somebody had a kids Zebco rod and reel with probably 8 lb test line.
I remember it had a pink spin n glow on it. I tried it for a while with no luck. I put a spinner on it and first cast the steelhead hammerd
That spinner. It took off down the river like a rocket jumping several times. All I could do was tighten up the drag and watch him go. Snap!
I remember it like it was yesterday.

 

[JimTravers¤£a!!Travers]

Too many big words these days. It's all these various "types" of everything!! I just need the thing!!! If it's a fish it's a fish!!

 

[Salmo_g]

This is history sadly, but I've caught summer steelhead and a mint bright spring Chinook in the South Fork. This was before they began propagating spring Chinook at the Nooksack hatchery. I'm told there were bull trout in the upper South Fork, but I never saw or caught any. An interesting thing about the summer runs is that there was also a population of nice resident rainbow trout that were 12 to 13". That size resident rainbow have been few and far between in my experience.

 

[Wanative]

This is history sadly, but I've caught summer steelhead and a mint bright spring Chinook in the South Fork. This was before they began propagating spring Chinook at the Nooksack hatchery. I'm told there were bull trout in the upper South Fork, but I never saw or caught any. An interesting thing about the summer runs is that there was also a population of nice resident rainbow trout that were 12 to 13". That size resident rainbow have been few and far between in my experience.

The biggest bull trout I've caught was from the S.F. It was north of 6 lbs.

 

[Pink Nighty]

The biggest bull trout I've caught was from the S.F. It was north of 6 lbs.

When i fish it I can almost hear the echoes of runs gone by. It's so damn fishy except for the having fish part

 

[Chris Johnson]

I hooked a summer steelhead in August under the Acme bridge about 40 years ago. Several jumps, a long run, waved a middle fin, Goodbye.

I caught one out of the George hole In September, dime bright 10#er

 

[Chris Johnson]

The "Trout" fishery in the spring has become pretty popular on the Nookie. Too many guys fishing for kings and Steelhead.

 

[HauntedByWaters]

The "Trout" fishery in the spring has become pretty popular on the Nookie. Too many guys fishing for kings and Steelhead.

Hasn’t it always been this way?

 

[Chris Johnson]

Hasn’t it always been this way?

No, there was always a small group of guys who did it regularly but not like the last few years.

 

[Smalma]

Hardly surprising that a summer steelhead is occasionally seen in the South Fork Nooksack. Though the infrequency of those encounters speak the degrade state of that steelhead population (as well as the other North Sound wild steelhead populations).

It is generally accepted that historically there were 5 summer run steelhead populations in the Puget Sound basin. Based on the steelhead populations Hart et al. (2007 ,2015) in the Fed's Puget Sound Steelhead Recovery Plan those populations and their historical abundances are
South Fork Nooksack - 1,920
Canyon Cr. (SF Stillaguamish) - 530
Deer Cr (NF Stillaguamish) - 3,311
Tolt forks -1,655
NF Sky - 728

As a comparison the same document estimated the winter steelhead abundances in those same basins as:
Nooksack - 30,986
Skagit - 51,710
Stillaguamish - 33,370
Snohomish - 57,519

Curt

 

[HauntedByWaters]

No, there was always a small group of guys who did it regularly but not like the last few years.

Interesting. I had not seen it any worse the last few years than before except when it was open for springers.

 

[Pink Nighty]

Interesting. I had not seen it any worse the last few years than before except when it was open for springers.

The years it hasnt been open for retention it's been a ghost town.

 

[HauntedByWaters]

The years it hasnt been open for retention it's been a ghost town.

I agree. I fished trout a lot the last couple summers with my toddler just to get him out on the river to play. I hardly saw anybody fishing and always went to the good spots with him. I thought it was surprisingly quiet.

The reason we don’t get to fish is because the tribes are tightening their grip on our fisheries, specifically the chinook (most valuable of course). They will always blame sports fisherman and sports fishermen may blame themselves but don’t take your eye off the ball; we know this is about money, it isn’t about saving fish. There are still full nets at the mouth of the river, same as it ever was…

 

[Pink Nighty]

I agree. I fished trout a lot the last couple summers with my toddler just to get him out on the river to play. I hardly saw anybody fishing and always went to the good spots with him. I thought it was surprisingly quiet.

The reason we don’t get to fish is because the tribes are tightening their grip on our fisheries, specifically the chinook (most valuable of course). They will always blame sports fisherman and sports fishermen may blame themselves but don’t take your eye off the ball; we know this is about money, it isn’t about saving fish. There are still full nets at the mouth of the river, same as it ever was…

Theres a sense of poetic justice I feel about the tribes shutting down rivers in the name of "conservation" while continuing to utilize the river for profit.

Billy Frank Jr is laughing his ass off about it and I don't blame him at all.