Skookumchuck River Steelhead Fishing Report

For the I-5, at the Centralia northern exit onto Harrison Street exit  82, go west  2 or 3 stoplights, depending which side of the freeway you exited from .   Between the 2nd and third light Safeway store will be on your left.    At this  third light Johnson Rd get into the left turning lane.    Turn left, head south, about 2 blocks there’s a 4 way stop with the Centralia center school beyond on the right.    Go straight ahead and at the end of the school parking lot, the road tees at the ball fields.   Turn right for about a block, then a left. (leeroysramblings.com)

As indicated by the Department of Fish &Wildlife, the numbers should be there to substantiate a meaningful run of steelhead this year. State, tribal, federal and regional enhancement groups have released steelhead smolt between April 15th and May 31st 2014 in anticipation of this season. Smolts are hatchery reared steelhead released at a minimum of ten fish per pound. The most of the adult returns from these releases are projected throughout the 2015-16 winter season. (thedailyworld.com)

The early )

This weekend’s success – and safety – will mainly be predicated by the weather. Rivers were quickly increasing Friday, if the rain continues it may make water conditions unfishable. The strong winds in the forecast will make fishing Puget Sound hard and may make for dangerous conditions for the weekend razor clam dig. Wave heights off Cape Elizabeth were at 17 feet Friday morning. State officials warn digs to be extra cautious when waves there top 11 feet. (blog.thenewstribune.com)

– If this river has not already sunk to new lows, I am scared it is going to be worse. Howard Hansen Dam has a serious problem and they’re warning us of a possible for serious flooding this year during the Green River Valley. What that means is that as early as the rains start and the river rises, it is going to stay high much longer than average, and maybe the complete steelhead season! High goes aren’t good for this river as we learned last year when the river was high for a month straight. To top it off, nearly all of a 40, 000 count smolt drop died off from the 250, 000 total. This used to be a perennial top 10 river in the State unless your over 40 you could never believe it . (steelheadu.com)

The river is green at Blue Creek ship launch and fishable. The current level is 10900 cfs and on the high side. We suggest you use bigger flies with a heavy sinking info in the T14-17 size. Some of the flies suggested are the Hoh Bo Spey, Intruders and Moal leeches. Other good patterns include the Oregon State Tube Fly but with a new hitch which will include running 2 – 3 tube flies stacked on your leader. This makes your Oregon staters like a MOAL Leech pattern just lighter. (fishhound.com)

Early indications are that both hatchery and natural steelhead returning to the Chehalis River basin are well below pre-season projections.   Available data point to escapement objectives won’t be met.   Many independent tributaries haven’t achieved their spawner escapement objectives in recent years; the complete Chehalis River system hasn’t met minimum conservation objectives for the last two years.   To minimize in general affect to the natural spawning population and to ensure hatchery egg-take needs are achieved, the sport fishery will be closed.  . (olympicpeninsularivers.com)

Fishing on the Snake River continues to heat up as temperatures cool. Joe Bumgarner, a WDFW fish biologist, said restricted creel checks point to good catch rates in different river sections. Anglers who were recently checked in the Wallula area, from the Washington-Oregon state line to the mouth of the Walla Walla River, averaged just under 11 hours of fishing per steelhead caught. From Ice Harbor Dam to Lower Monumental Dam, anglers averaged just under 12 hours per catch, and from Lower Monumental to Little Goose Dam, somewhat more than 11 hours per catch. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife recent creel checks on the Lower great Ronde River showed an average of just over nine hours of fishing per steelhead caught on the Washington part, from Bogans Oasis to state line. (kbkw.com)

Vol 2 moves up river to the dam on the Skookumchuck dam near Centralia built to supply water to a close coal-fired electrical production unit. The public usually believes the salmon grown in the rearing buildings near the dam are released in to the Chehalis Basin to mitigate for the loss of native salmon and steelhead that were cut off from their spawning grounds above the dam. The video shows how review of WDFW interior records and reports uncovered how a big part of the fish production capacity of the buildings was diverted into rearing salmon for commercial net pens in Puget Sound operated by the Squaxin Tribe. (fishingthechehalis.net)

Sidley Lake, near Molson and the Canada border, is the scene of the seventh yearly Northwest Ice Fishing Festival on Feb. 19. The day-long event is hosted by Molson Grange and supported by the Oroville Chamber of Commerce. Ice fishing is conducted from 8 a. M. To 4 p. M, with registration fees of $20 per adult and $10 for youth 14 years of age and under. Prizes are given for biggest and heaviest fish caught. Food, music, skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling and dog sledding are available. For more info contact Robin Stice at Eden Valley Guest Ranch, 509 485-4002, or information@edenvalleyranch. (nwsportsmanmag.com)