Cohohoho!

[joefish]

Thomas and Crabtree Creeks, which each flow into the South Santiam, now have increasing numbers of Coho in them. A farmer friend of mine whose farm adjoins Crabtree Creek made an interesting observation to me recently.
Last November he counted hundreds of dead, spawned-out Coho along Crabtree Creek. A neigbor's dog got sick eating on one. Anyway, this was on the stretch upstream from Larwood Park up to the Wayerhouser Gate on K-Line road. Well...all those dead Silvers will add nutrients to the stream, crayfish pops and insects populations will soar. Rainbow pops will then take off. Isn't this cool as it can be? The same thing is happening on Thomas Creek. Yah gotta love these Coho!!!

 

[alseaalumaweld]

go catch some!

 

[CoastieFlo]

the carcasses were probably put there by ODFW

 

[RunWithSasquatch]

the carcasses were probably put there by ODFW

Negative.

 

[joefish]

go catch some!

No can do. Salmon retention is a no no.

 

[troutdude]

That's right. It is illegal to salmon fish in those streams!

 

[joefish]

That's right. It is illegal to salmon fish in those streams!

The Fish & Wildlife people are considering the possibility of opening up Thomas and Crabtree Creeks to Coho fishing if the Coho runs get large enough. Currently only trout fishing is allowed until Oct. 31st and it's flies/lures catch/release.
I talked to some old timers who said Crabtree and Thomas Creeks had big Rainbows and Cutthroats up to 25 inches back in the 1930s & 1940s and well into the 1950s until the Hatcheries started messing with things. Overfishing didn't help eaither in the 1960s.

 

[RunWithSasquatch]

I think everything had big fish in the 30's and 40's. Easy to say that we Americans have done a fine job with our streams.