Samish River Rules - Bait Required?

C

clear_lake

Just Hatched
Not sure if I am going to participate in the upcoming Samish River chinook fishery, but I was perusing the rules and one line surprised me: "Use of bait required."

Meaning no spoons, spinners, flies, beads, twitching jigs, etc.?

Hopeful that the rules will discourage poor fishing behavior, but thought the approach was interesting.
 
clear_lake said:
Not sure if I am going to participate in the upcoming Samish River chinook fishery, but I was perusing the rules and one line surprised me: "Use of bait required."

Meaning no spoons, spinners, flies, beads, twitching jigs, etc.?

Hopeful that the rules will discourage poor fishing behavior, but thought the approach was interesting.
Click to expand...
At least it will make snagging expensive..
 
clear_lake said:
Not sure if I am going to participate in the upcoming Samish River chinook fishery, but I was perusing the rules and one line surprised me: "Use of bait required."

Meaning no spoons, spinners, flies, beads, twitching jigs, etc.?

Hopeful that the rules will discourage poor fishing behavior, but thought the approach was interesting.
Click to expand...
reg doesnt say that you cant use lures but you must use bait on whatever you use. Scents are classified as bait. One Single point barbless hooks with 1/2 gap will make it more difficult for snaggers.
 
My favorite part of the new regs is "Stationary gear restriction." So no more 1oz jig in the pilings.

The old school method of flossing them was a glob of unweighted roe "drifted" at the mouth. Same idea, get some line lying across the river like a one strand net. I imagine theyll be back to doing this now, but with new hi viz lines to see the subtle "takes."

I'm hopeful this will at least slow them down a touch, it's a hoot to swing on the outgoing once its filled up. Havent been able to do that in a long time though
 
I don’t get why this fishery is always treated like it is such a problem and needs new rules. It’s a mud pit for catching hatchery kings after all orcas and tribes have had their chances. The only people that complain vehemently are people that live around there and don’t like the zoo atmosphere. It is what it is.
 
I don't really care what goes on down there as it's just not fishing that I'm interested in doing. I love salmon, I don't love crowds. A scene like that isn't why I fish. But more power to anyone who finds it fun.
 
Another sad commentary on the state of fishing in Washington.
 
I went to the samish on the opener, first in the water at 5am about halfway through a dropping tide. I swung flies while my girlfriend through unweighted eggs with a wing bobber on a spinning rod. Was hopeful the rain last week had some nosing in.

Observations:
No chinook were seen or heard. Water was low enough they wouldnt have snuck by, but it was only aug 1. There was near constant surface activity from trout and other small fish, which I always love to see.

80% of the other guys fishing were floating roe. One guy tried twitching jigs in 2 ft of water, one couple literally stood in the middle of the river for over an hour, rod in hand and nets on back, and never wet a line.

There are two sections for the mouth as far as rules are concerned. Bridge to yellow marker is bait required and stationary restricted. Yellow marker and above is just stationary restricted.

One of Tony's snagging crew showed up as we were leaving and had thoughts about the new rules. First, the stationary restriction was put in place last year and they get around it by doing 1" pulls on the line as it sits. Game warden approved. Also bait can just be scent.

He also assured me they grab that jig and eat it every time he fishes it, and insists that color is crucial to success and that everybody else is just flossing them like cheaters.

It smelled like shit still and the mud is a monster all it's own.
 
HauntedByWaters said:
I don’t get why this fishery is always treated like it is such a problem and needs new rules. It’s a mud pit for catching hatchery kings after all orcas and tribes have had their chances. The only people that complain vehemently are people that live around there and don’t like the zoo atmosphere. It is what it is.
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I tend to agree. They also had like 10K extra kings that went unharvested. I think the state sends them for cat food or dog food.

I honestly don't care if there is a snaggery down there. I do wish that there was a way to turn 10K kings into human food rather than animal food.
 
charles sullivan said:
I tend to agree. They also had like 10K extra kings that went unharvested. I think the state sends them for cat food or dog food.

I honestly don't care if there is a snaggery down there. I do wish that there was a way to turn 10K kings into human food rather than animal food.
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I wouldn't mind grabbing a king or two for the grill. But I don't want one bad enough to bother with the clusterfuck that fishery is.

Pink Nighty said:
There was near constant surface activity from trout and other small fish, which I always love to see.
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I should spend more time upstream on that river. It's something I used to do.
 
Yea, I don't know how good / bad the access upriver is but its a pretty stream near the hatchery, small though. I caught a real nice hen close to the mouth on a orange shrimp pattern in the late nineties or early 2000's, which is still probably the largest fish I have landed on a flyrod.
 
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