I asked him about Minter earlier this morning. I'll post when I hear back.
I'd say it's been at least 3-4 years since any consistent resident coho fishing for me. 2017-2019 were pretty good for me
Puget Sound
- Thread starter Stonedfish
- Start date
I'd say it's been at least 3-4 years since any consistent resident coho fishing for me. 2017-2019 were pretty good for me
@jasmillo and I have fished the south sound inlets a fair amount from boat and have not encountered much rezzies either. It's usually a seemingly lone random rezzie here and there. I saw a decent pod of fish near a rocky shore on my fish finder once about a month back, they appeared to be rezzie size but didn't want to eat.
I too miss the consistent rezzie fishing we used to have a few yrs back.
I too miss the consistent rezzie fishing we used to have a few yrs back.
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cedarslug
Steelhead
Thousands of Chinook wasted as bycatch in B.C. fishery, new report finds
Endangered southern resident orcas rely on Chinook to survive. Unintended salmon catches by commercial trawlers was highest on record during the 2022-23 season, a new report says.
www.seattletimes.com
The existence of bottom trawling is a crime against natureThousands of Chinook wasted as bycatch in B.C. fishery, new report finds
Endangered southern resident orcas rely on Chinook to survive. Unintended salmon catches by commercial trawlers was highest on record during the 2022-23 season, a new report says.
ffb-
The sport catch reports seem to indicate that PS catch of resident coho have north and offshore with the bulk of the catch now occurring in June and July MA 10. That MA 10 summer catch that last few years is now several times higher than what was seen in the last decade.
I have to wonder that changing conditions (temperature and ph) in south sound has moved the fish north.
Curt
The sport catch reports seem to indicate that PS catch of resident coho have north and offshore with the bulk of the catch now occurring in June and July MA 10. That MA 10 summer catch that last few years is now several times higher than what was seen in the last decade.
I have to wonder that changing conditions (temperature and ph) in south sound has moved the fish north.
Curt
Am told the CWT information from the MA 10 June/July fishery should be available "soon".
I was told by WDFW staff that of the CWT tags sampled in the MA 10 June fishery 17% were from south Sound programs (including net pens), 17% were from north sound (Snohomish north) programs, and except for a fish from Hood Canal and one from BC the rest were central sound fish (mostly Green and Puyallup).
There also on report of those resident coho in central sound. I'll see if I can track it down but the bottom line was in mid-summer the fish were off shore with a general movement towards the shoreline as the summer progress. This seems to match what we see in the MA 10 fisheries.
Curt
If the numbers are indeed there, then my best guess is they are hanging way north. I certainly haven't fished every inch of the south sound but I have covered an awful lot of it the last few years and just haven't seen them like I was the previous handful of years. Not even close. Purely anecdotal of course, but this aligns with what I've been reported by a handful of other guys I know who have covered just as much water as I have. If they are indeed hanging way north I wonder what would account for that.
I also kinda wonder if for some reason they are just hanging much deeper and further from shore than in years past. I'm less sold on this possibility just due to knowing a few charters and some die hard ma13 winter blackmouth guys out there fishing downriggers a lot and not hearing a single report of any numbers of the coho being encountered. If there was a large number of 14" coho hanging out deeper in the water column than years past I'd imagine they would be quite a nuisance to those guys fishing deeper and no doubt I'd hear about it.
Maybe the bulk of them have been hanging in 9/10 for whatever reason where there just isn't many people out fishing this time of year. I dunno. I do miss the little bastards though.
I also kinda wonder if for some reason they are just hanging much deeper and further from shore than in years past. I'm less sold on this possibility just due to knowing a few charters and some die hard ma13 winter blackmouth guys out there fishing downriggers a lot and not hearing a single report of any numbers of the coho being encountered. If there was a large number of 14" coho hanging out deeper in the water column than years past I'd imagine they would be quite a nuisance to those guys fishing deeper and no doubt I'd hear about it.
Maybe the bulk of them have been hanging in 9/10 for whatever reason where there just isn't many people out fishing this time of year. I dunno. I do miss the little bastards though.
I love the heavy large spots on that first trout picture.
Way to get after them.
Really interesting that the Green and Puyallup fish are contributing to the resident coho so significantly.
WolverineSRC
Smolt
More anecdotal data to add: I fish around 11-13 weekly and rarely come across rezzies. I head up to a couple of my favorite spots in 9 once a month or so if I have a free Saturday and almost always find a few. I’ve been fishing the Sound for just over two years since moving here. It’s always in my mind that there are way more up north.
If it is indeed the case that the bulk of them are hanging up north I wonder for what reason.
The one thing I can say I completely understand about our resident coho is that I really don't know a damn thing about them!
The one thing I can say I completely understand about our resident coho is that I really don't know a damn thing about them!
SeaRunner
Steelhead
When I was first learning the Sound the conventional wisdom was the South Sound resident coho migrated north to area 9/10 (or further) in the spring to feed all summer. In the past i have caught residents in area 11 during the spring which would seem consistent with this understanding.
If fall fisheries are still good but the winter fish aren't there I do wonder like others if they are heading north earlier. There have been a lot of residents in the central Sound the last few years, and the amount of feed this last summer/fall was impressive. This is a sounder screenshot from central Sound last September. The clouds of krill and herring stuck around through the end of October. Not sure after that as I haven't been out.
If fall fisheries are still good but the winter fish aren't there I do wonder like others if they are heading north earlier. There have been a lot of residents in the central Sound the last few years, and the amount of feed this last summer/fall was impressive. This is a sounder screenshot from central Sound last September. The clouds of krill and herring stuck around through the end of October. Not sure after that as I haven't been out.
Something regarding food sources would be a pretty obvious explanation if they were indeed hanging north, but I sure haven't seen any lack of food in the south sound the last few years that would be an obvious driving force for such a change. Nothing but my own personal observations to base that on, but I definitely don't see a lack of food down south.
This last summer the north sound was full of more krill/herring than I've ever personally seen. It was quite impressive. I'd wonder if the "type" of food available had something to do with it, but I really have no idea. Over the last two years there seems to be less of the anchovies that were so prevalent for a handful of years prior, but they haven't totally vanished either. Saw a large school of small anchovies last time we were down south.
I dunno, whatever is going on is pretty fascinating, if mildly frustrating for those who enjoy chasing them down there this time of year.
Maybe the south sound fish just got tired of us harassing them and figured they would find more peace and quiet if they moved up north this time of year. Will be interesting to hear if the blackmouth anglers encounter a good number of them when the area 10 season opens up.
This last summer the north sound was full of more krill/herring than I've ever personally seen. It was quite impressive. I'd wonder if the "type" of food available had something to do with it, but I really have no idea. Over the last two years there seems to be less of the anchovies that were so prevalent for a handful of years prior, but they haven't totally vanished either. Saw a large school of small anchovies last time we were down south.
I dunno, whatever is going on is pretty fascinating, if mildly frustrating for those who enjoy chasing them down there this time of year.
Maybe the south sound fish just got tired of us harassing them and figured they would find more peace and quiet if they moved up north this time of year. Will be interesting to hear if the blackmouth anglers encounter a good number of them when the area 10 season opens up.
There's much talk in this link about central sound rezzie release. Being in the Olympia area I always felt that deep south sound rezzie population came from the Squaxin tribes net pens. Is that program still in operation.?
Hooked two rezzie coho in very south South Sound today. Neither was large and one was kinda snakey.
Yep, check out my email with the hatchery operations manager for that area a couple pages back: https://www.pnwflyfishing.com/forum/index.php?threads/puget-sound.50/post-168695
They've actually increased production out of Squaxin by quite a bit.
That was something else I have noticed about the rezzies I have run into down south this winter. I think the largest I've seen so far is 12".
