Coastal rivers closed to fishing until further notice

S

Shad

Life of the Party
If you had plans to fish any of the Grays Harbor rivers for salmon in the near future, you had better change them. Shut down "until flows increase or there is evidence that fish are moving upstream." The way things are headed, that might mean mid-November, if it opens at all.

Probably the right thing to do, but damn....
 
It is a much larger closure than just Grays Harbor, the majority of the anadromous waters (including the Quiiayute, Queets, Hoh) are closed. Check the emergency regulations for the listing of North Coast, Grays harbor, and Willapa streams closed.

Curt
 
Bay and ocean appear to still be open. I imagine the QIN will move their gillnetting effort into the bay (seems fair, if the sporties can fish there). I'm not at all pleased that the big boat crowd will be allowed to continue to wail on many of the same fish the closure claims to protect while the bank-bound and car topper pukes sit and pray for rain. Not fair, and probably not very responsible management either....
 
Smalma said:
It is a much larger closure than just Grays Harbor, the majority of the anadromous waters (including the Quiiayute, Queets, Hoh) are closed. Check the emergency regulations for the listing of North Coast, Grays harbor, and Willapa streams closed.

Curt
Click to expand...
Fixed the title to cover the coast....
 
This is not surprising at all. No appreciable rain in months, none in the near term forecast.
 
On the contrary, it's unprecedented and alarming. It was just pointed out to me that the lower Chehalis is still open to harvest, meaning the mass of fish building up down there waiting for rain is still being subjected to multiple, daily gillnet and hook and line gauntlets in the meantime. Indeed the lower Chehalis is probably the most perilous 10 miles or less that Grays Harbor fish travel on their return, yet that's what remains open????

If you're a bank angler who sometimes fishes Grays Harbor rivers in the fall, you should be deeply concerned that this new precedent will be repeated more and more in the future, as the climate continues to get worse. If it were done the right way (close the whole damn drainage, too include the bay) to ALL fishing, this would be responsible in-season management. Instead, it's handing the entire available harvest (and probably then some) to the minority of stakeholders with the most money and influence.

Close it all or close none of it. Only way to make the intended difference in a way that's fair to everyone who bought a ticket to the show.
 
Really glad to see this for the Quilleute system. Same thing happened a few years back and the early run got crushed by nets in the lower river.

Question - Does this passage below I lifted off the WDFW site mean that the tribal co-managers have also stopped fishing?

Additional information: This conservation measure follows regulation changes by comanagers for their respective fisheries. The National Park Service has closed their corresponding fisheries in associated waterbodies, as well.
 
Thomas Mitchell said:
Really glad to see this for the Quilleute system. Same thing happened a few years back and the early run got crushed by nets in the lower river.

Question - Does this passage below I lifted off the WDFW site mean that the tribal co-managers have also stopped fishing?

Additional information: This conservation measure follows regulation changes by comanagers for their respective fisheries. The National Park Service has closed their corresponding fisheries in associated waterbodies, as well.
Click to expand...
I'm hearing mixed answers there. It may depend on the system. Since the lower Chehalis is still open to sporties, I can't imagine the QIN is pulling their nets, but maybe they are?
 
And looks like this time around they never told the mobile app development team. Let’s see if they get around to it Friday…

Really should have better protocol, kind of a joke at this level of management.
 
I do find it bad for the lower Chehalis as well. There are a lot of spawning fish stacked and Chinook salmon are trying to spawn from Fuller down right now. I am downriver about 3 miles from the bridge so will keep an eye on snaggers I suppose. It was getting crowded last weekend, this ought to be a zoo from here out until a big rain washes through.
 
The apologists are leaning on a notion that a few idiots trying to snag hardened-off fish that are scarcely there (and generally failing to do so) in the tribs will somehow do more damage to these fish than 50-100 boats, trolling bait on 4 double hook setups through the tidal Chehalis, releasing kings and coho without set scales, to become food for seals and crabs. I submit that notion may be false, but what does a knuckle-dragging bankie (who must just be a snagger anyway) know?

People saying this is a good idea might want to take a good, hard look in the mirror before putting their boat in the bay or lower river this weekend....
 
Gotta keep the big boat crowd happy and those nets wet. Typical WDFW move. Nothing to see here folks we're doing a conservation thing. The organisation is a joke. I'm with salmo, defund WDFW. They are just another dysfunctional state agency at this point.

They should shut it all down if they are concerned with conservation.

"Let the bank maggots snag darkened chum."

WDFW
 
Last edited:
Thought I'd add a few shots today from tidewater. Extra cool to see a king carcass. Used to see quite a few and then years never saw any. Hope this Chinook salmon spawned before it died. Looks pretty gnarly so guessing it may have. Big boy ! Thought it was a dead seal before I put the telephoto on it.

The river had a lot of action during the day times I checked. 5 boats in this photo. Tomorrow's many closures should bring much more pressure

Last photo is typical low tide tackle christmas tree.
chinookdeadriberoct7thof2022.jpg

boatscheocy7thof2022.jpg

kinghole2022.jpg
 
Last edited:
Shad said:
Wow! You'll never have to buy salmon tackle again. Just do your shopping at low tide!

That fish in the top pic is (was) a hawg! Don't see too many that big these days.
Click to expand...
Indeed, a big fsh. Wish I could reach it but it is on the wrong side of a swift braid. That is from about 50 yards. Thought for sure it was a small seal. Was just down there now at low tide and it is gone. Was hoping to find some bald eagles, a couple of bear..and maybe even a wolverine or two chowing on it.

Low tide was lure harvesting time as a youth. I still have bags of plugs around here somewhere. Probably some antiques in there now!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top