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Flash poll of the week II

2K views 37 replies 17 participants last post by  Greg Moore 
#1 ·
Okay gang, here is another one! What do those that fish the Yakima River really think about it's fishery? Given fish counts per mile, size of drainage, being a tailwater and production of fish landing.

SAK
Xstream :DEVIL
 
#28 ·
I stopped in to talk with Steve Worley today before fishing the lower canyon and he agrees that the "brood stock" salmon are still hatchery fish!! He doesn't seem to mind the salmon in the river but he is concerned about when and if there is a season open for fishing them. Also the type of fishing that is allowed (bait/plugs, etc.)

Greg

"In our family, there is no clear
line between religion and fly
fishing" Norman Maclean
 
#29 ·
Fished with Steve Joyce, from Red's today and we caught some cuttbows. I caught 2 cutts both in the lower canyon, below mile post 19.

Didn't know there were any browns about the dam. I've had "experts" tell me there weren't any.

Greg

"In our family, there is no clear
line between religion and fly
fishing" Norman Maclean
 
#30 ·
Several years ago I heard of some brown trout probably escaping from the I-90 ponds or Lavendar Lake in the upper Yakima River, this during some winter flood conditions. (I recall catching some big, pretty browns from one of these lakes about then.) Maybe these were jail-break Browns from these stocked lakes. I've never heard of Browns being caught in the Yak, that's not say there isn't any today.
 
#31 ·
Broodstock raised in a hatchery are still hatchery fish. My hope would be that the Yakima Tribe has plans to stop stocking the river with hatchery fish at a point in time when the run was self sustaining through wild reproduction. They were at least smart enough to use Yakima stocks in the program. Time will tell.

Steve Worley suspects in the next few years the tribe will start on a sockeye program. This will be tough as there is no genetic strain left in the Yak unless they could use Keechelus Kokanee. As it stands the kookanee in the resevoir spawn into gold creek (as do a lot of protected bull trout). Restoring these runs will take a very long time.

I see the river turning into more of an Alaska style stream with bigger fish that really key in on eggs and flesh in the fall months.

If the new resevoir goes in it will be inetresting to see how more natural flows improve the fishery.
 
#32 ·
Yakima,
My father in law has caught several browns over the past 25 years below Roza dam. A buddy of mine caught one near Easton. Probably escaped from the ponds up their during the floods a few years back. I think there are some browns in the system, just not many of them.
Other then bows and cutts, I've caught two small brookies out of the upper river.
Brian
 
#33 ·
Good points all, but I stand by my previous post. The Yakama Tribe's hatchery/broodstock program aside, there are still remnant runs of entirely wild salmon and steelhead that battle their way to the upper reaches of the Yakima, against all kinds of odds, to spawn without any help (lol) from us. I am of the opinion that anglers in particular should not stand in the way of these amazing survivors, especially at this historical juncture. That said, we can still continue to have a first-class rainbow trout fishery while offering anglers a shot at a salmon below Roza dam. I agree that salmon fishing with hardware (treble hooks, etc.) should not be allowed above the dam--but stopping the fish's progress at the dam is ludicrous, it's a death sentence. Besides, as I mentioned previously, there's no evidence that I've seen that concludes a rebounding salmon population in the Yakima would ruin the trout fishery in strictly biological terms--and there are plenty of recent studies you can find about this very issue.
 
#34 ·
I've picked up a couple dozen over the years. Almost all were in the upper river(By upper I'm talking between Cle Elum and Ellensburg). Biggest has been about 15 inches and smallest about 12. They sure are pretty fish though.

Anyone have any idea whether they spawn in the river proper or in the tributaries? Just curious because like I said, I've never seen one smaller than 11 inches in that system.
 
#37 ·
The one thing that will ruin the trout fishery quickly will be when the "powers to be" feel that the "native runs of salmon and steelhead" are threatened and they close the river to any and all fishing like has been done before on other rivers (ask those who used to fish rivers around the Wenatchee area).

Just my opinion!

Greg

"In our family, there is no clear
line between religion and fly
fishing" Norman Maclean
 
#38 ·
Here's the highlights of an article on NorthWestTrout.com (go there to read the wwhole article).

This could happen real easy on the Yakima with all the truck traffic using the canyon road instead of the freeway.



The Clark Fork River will be monitored for diesel and gasoline after a tanker spilled on October 29th near St. Regis. No major fish kills have been discovered but officials with the U.S. Forest Service and the Montana departments of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, and Environmental Quality will continue to monitor the situation.


Greg
"In our family, there is no clear
line between religion and fly
fishing" Norman Maclean
 
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