Puget Sound

I just reviewed the NOF agreement and it looks like a couple of the boats were potentially poaching- There is no Area 9 AC Net Fishery for pinks, and all the boats at some point were north of the boundary. There is no purse seine fishing within 1000 feet of shoreline, and I saw a boat netting the Edmonds dog park beach absolutely closer than that.

I have mixed feelings about the fishery in general, the pinks themselves are in no conservation trouble and even though what was once a lively scene of jumping schools turned into a desert while they were there, I am sure the next schools are a tide cycle away. It is also fascinating to watch them work, especially at a personal level as I have a close friend who's dad owns a Purse Seiner and fishes Alaska. I saw quite a few fish tossed overboard, and I am guessing they were coho or juvenile Kings. They were not in good shape, and most floated away.
 
Making progress, 0/1 with several follows and rejections at the boat. Probably would’ve had one if I tied my fly with a trailing hook! Tips posted here worked great, and even though I didn't hook up it felt great to see that fish actually liked a fly I tied by myself. Going out again tonight and maybe tomorrow.

A lot of the purse seine guys really have no regard for sport fishermen. It seemed like they were deliberately choosing spots based on the number of sports fishermen present. They were also doing their best to position themselves in a way that the fish were completely walled off.

Overheard some very entertaining conversations from one of them. I have no clue how these guys make a profit. Storing a purse seiner isn’t cheap and I only really see them once every other season.

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Or were the sport fishers choosing spots that the purse seiners were in? Maybe both user groups were after the same fish and knew where to find them. Of course there will be conflicts between user groups after the same resource in the same place. I bet the commercial folks are griping about the recreational fly fishers getting in the way of their means to make a living. ;)

Lots of WA-based purse seiners are up in AK right now. They might migrate back south for the fall chum runs.

Someone correct me if I’m wrong but I think in WA, only tribal fishers are allowed to use drums? I know they’re illegal in AK.
 
Or were the sport fishers choosing spots that the purse seiners were in? Maybe both user groups were after the same fish and knew where to find them. Of course there will be conflicts between user groups after the same resource in the same place. I bet the commercial folks are griping about the recreational fly fishers getting in the way of their means to make a living. ;)

Lots of WA-based purse seiners are up in AK right now. They might migrate back south for the fall chum runs.

Someone correct me if I’m wrong but I think in WA, only tribal fishers are allowed to use drums? I know they’re illegal in AK.
I was one of the sports fishermen being a bit of a jerk haha. Did my best way to be out of the way of their actual sets but in hindsight I probably should have just headed elsewhere. I did clearly notice a pattern of them picking up their nets and placing their next set directly in whatever area had the highest density of sports fishermen, but the area isn't exactly a secret
 
I suspect they fish for some of the same reasons we do... because there are fish there, and they can...
 
What about Coho or silvers, see any of those around ?
 
Pretty slow day overall until @KFCDAVE showed up and proceeded to land a beauty within the first 30 minutes while I was lining up a new rod.

Went 1/2 and put some hours in. Better than yesterday at least which was DEAD slow. Like zero fish landed by anyone slow. Today there were a few coho landed but not many. Hardly if any pinks were caught from what I observed, although they were jumping way out there.

Getting into that double was fun as hell. It’s not too often that happens on the beach right next to each other. Thankfully the fish cooperated and we were able to get them safely on the beach.

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I like that two Daves are fishing the beach together. FWIW I’d rather eat KFC than pretty much any steelhead and not based on any conservation concern. 😁
 
Or were the sport fishers choosing spots that the purse seiners were in? Maybe both user groups were after the same fish and knew where to find them. Of course there will be conflicts between user groups after the same resource in the same place. I bet the commercial folks are griping about the recreational fly fishers getting in the way of their means to make a living. ;)

Lots of WA-based purse seiners are up in AK right now. They might migrate back south for the fall chum runs.

Someone correct me if I’m wrong but I think in WA, only tribal fishers are allowed to use drums? I know they’re illegal in AK.
You can have a drum in Washington but most choose not to so they can be AK compliant
 
Or were the sport fishers choosing spots that the purse seiners were in? Maybe both user groups were after the same fish and knew where to find them. Of course there will be conflicts between user groups after the same resource in the same place. I bet the commercial folks are griping about the recreational fly fishers getting in the way of their means to make a living. ;)

Lots of WA-based purse seiners are up in AK right now. They might migrate back south for the fall chum runs.

Someone correct me if I’m wrong but I think in WA, only tribal fishers are allowed to use drums? I know they’re illegal in AK.
Cowboys use drums in Washington too.
Your's truely on the left 40+ years ago.
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View attachment 164866Y’all might see the new doors I built for the New Oregon up there
After almost a hundred years they were getting rough
One of the finest maintained seiners in the fleet.
These pics were taken at the end of the season (when most seiners are really beat up) a few years back.

If a seiner could look pretty, the New Oregon would be the queen of the ball.

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