Slaw

bran_man · Mar 17, 2013

Warning: complaining post! Lol
Well slaw was just one of the rivers I tried today. Was low and slow. Anyways checked out the creek and it was super full of fish! So I can only assume the trap was full to the brim. I know its late in the season to recycle them, but seems like a waste to have that many fish around still. It seems like whoever is in charge of recycling out there always drops the ball year after year... :/ it was always my thought that most Hatchery programs do not want the Hatchery fish to spawn, and yet there is easily over 500 fish in the creek getting ready to spawn. Whatever group is in charge of that is not doing a very good job.... Or maybe I'm completely wrong and don't know what I'm taking about ha ha

bran_man · Mar 17, 2013

I also realize that the recyclers have no control over the fish in the creek not yet in the trap, but I can't tell you how many times I have seen the trap completely full for multiple weeks without being recycled even during peak run. I guess/hope the ones in there survive and return next year even bigger I guess...

Tacomasteelheader · Mar 17, 2013

There was only one confirmed recycle this year. That they even took down to wildcat for about 10 boats on a week day. The rest of the times there were four guys "pushing" them out of the trap like that does any good for us haha

jamisonace · Mar 17, 2013

I heard they aren't recycling the fish there anymore so im surprised they even did it once.

Tacomasteelheader · Mar 17, 2013

There was a truck with a tank there supposibly last month during a weekday. (Lame)

plumb2fish · Mar 17, 2013

ODFW has to issue a permit to transfer live fish, the trap is ran by the Northwest Steelheaders, so if you would like to see the fish actually recycled, I would suggest writing an E-mail to our local biologist and asking why ODFW does not allow the fish in Whittaker to be recycled anymore.

eugene1 · Mar 17, 2013

Plumb, I thought that STEP ran the trap at Whitaker, maybe it's the same guys?

Best,

plumb2fish · Mar 17, 2013

Maybe its a joint thing, or the steelheaders are the STEP volunteers as well.

Tred · Mar 18, 2013

Talked to the STEP volunteer guys last Thursday. Some ?s I asked and was talking to the head volunteer/biologist for 9 years. I wish I could remember names, but dont remember. Since he has been doing the milking of the traps on whitaker I asked about recycling. He said there has never been recycling of the Whitaker traps as to his knowledge and he said he would know. Asked about numbers this year? He said same or maybe better than last year but came in later this year due to water temps and low levels. I then got the impression I was taking up his time so watched as about 10 highschoolers wearing neoprene waders and using sticks try to push steelhead down to main river which from what I saw didn't work.

bran_man · Mar 18, 2013

Thanks for the info guys!

yeah if they don't recycle them, they definitely should start to! Lol. I know it probably has to do with time and funding though. Shoot, if it's what it takes, I would gladly do it myself! There is no joke probably around 500 or so in the creek just sitting there.the entire point of Hatchery fish is for recreational purposes. So when I see all of those fish, wondering how many will survive, it just seems like a big waste... Well thanks for the help everyone! Maybe I will take Mikes advice and write a letter or email to odfw about it....

rippin fish lips · Mar 18, 2013

bran_man said:
Thanks for the info guys! yeah if they don't recycle them, they definitely should start to! Lol. I know it probably has to do with time and funding though. Shoot, if it's what it takes, I would gladly do it myself! There is no joke probably around 500 or so in the creek just sitting there.the entire point of Hatchery fish is for recreational purposes. So when I see all of those fish, wondering how many will survive, it just seems like a big waste... Well thanks for the help everyone! Maybe I will take Mikes advice and write a letter or email to odfw about it....

I am going to write a letter too. And all the fish in the trap is the only reason why i wont go again, even tho there is fish thare havent made it to the creek yet. But still. Some nice 2 and 3 salts that look like they will go to waste.

fuson22 · Mar 18, 2013

I agree Tucker. I'm MORE than down to "volunteer" 10 min's of my time before a morning fish down there on the snag-slaw and take a 6ft long piece of cardboard, put that in the water rite at the top of the creek under the bridge and just slowly walk that down the creek and push all those fish just loaded up there doing nothing, back into the River. The last 3 or 4 times I've been up there I bet there was prob 150+ fish just sitting under the bridge. I get what those "high school kid's" were trying to do, because nobody on the agencies and law side of things are doing anything about it. But I doubt trying to push them downstream back into the river did much, lol. I think 10 guy's just walking shoulder to shoulder would have a bigger impact on pushing those fish into the river. But I'm also sure that you can probably get in a ****-load of trouble if the state trooper seen/heard about that happening. But I agree that something need's to be done. Weather by the "agencies or law" side, or the fisherman's side.

steelhead_stalkers · Mar 19, 2013

A small % of the returning steelhead are actually caught! It does not matter how many times you push them back or truck them down river. Most people are not going to catch those fish. Not every steelhead is a biter or will bite, I think many just go up river ignoring everything. That's just the way it is. Now if you could go down and pick them up by hand you might actually have a chance at getting a higher % out of the system.

fuson22 · Mar 20, 2013

I fish as much for the sport and the fight as I do for those wonderful fillets. So I think I'd rather have them on the end of my line, than trying to wrestle one of them slippery toads by hand lol. I'm kidding, but I totally agree. They all are not going to be "biter's".But I do know the more fish in the water that I'm drifting my gear through, the better chance I have or anyone has of catching one of the biter's. I think that's what he mean, as do I. There are always going to be fish that just fly on through. That is what they are hard wired to do. But I do think there could be a better way or system to do SOMETHING with all those fish stacked up in that small piece of water. But hell, we don't know everything. Maybe they DO have a purpose for those fish. Or they do pick them all up an take them up river and let them go. giving them another run, giving fisherman a better chance to catch them. That is the reason why the hatchery raises them, clip's their fins, and puts them in the river's to begin with. For fisherman to catch. Well... along with the number of other positive things having fish in our river's do. I guess it's just harder when you spend all day throwing the rite gear, doing everything perfectly (or as close as humanly possible). Then sometimes just striking out, which happen's. That's part of fishing. But it's the walk back to the truck and seeing 150+ beautiful hog's all bunched up there under that bridge at Whitikar Creek that just makes it way worse. lol, almost like they're laughing at you

Alright, maybe not THAT far...

bigsteel · Mar 20, 2013

how many times you want them to truck a fish downriver,,how ridiculous...just let people catch em at the hatchery raceways as they return,how easy should fishing be?

bran_man · Mar 20, 2013

bigsteel said:
how many times you want them to truck a fish downriver,,how ridiculous...just let people catch em at the hatchery raceways as they return,how easy should fishing be?

More than just once/or none at all in an entire season a for a Hatchery run would be nice... You're missing the point. My question/problem is why even have a Hatchery program out there in the first place if it is not going to be maintained at all? One of the biggest issues/concerns odfw have with Hatchery fish in the first place is spawning with the"wild"fish, and yet they are leaving literally hundreds of Hatchery fish in the system with the possibility/probability to do just that. Nobody was wanting then to be recycled everyday our anything like that....

Tacomasteelheader · Mar 20, 2013

^Exactly thats why we pay money to have hatchery fish so we can have the sport of catching a decent fish to eat or fight out the battle, and still have a natural run of original fish. Hatcherys are pointless, unless your trying to bring back a native run then you'll want to collect the hatchery eggs and transport them just like they do on the north umpqua.

steelhead_stalkers · Mar 20, 2013

From what I have been told not many of the hole punched steelhead on the Alsea get caught. I have only caught two recycled fish on the Alsea in the last five years! Once they get to the hatchery or holding ponds seems like they won't bite again. Weird.

bigsteel · Mar 21, 2013

bran_man said:
More than just once/or none at all in an entire season a for a Hatchery run would be nice... You're missing the point. My question/problem is why even have a Hatchery program out there in the first place if it is not going to be maintained at all? One of the biggest issues/concerns odfw have with Hatchery fish in the first place is spawning with the"wild"fish, and yet they are leaving literally hundreds of Hatchery fish in the system with the possibility/probability to do just that. Nobody was wanting then to be recycled everyday our anything like that....

i dont think i missed the point,,you want fish trucked down river more than once so you can catch them??my question is how many times do you think is appropriate to truck fish downriver so you can possibly catch one?as you can see i have no use for hatcheries.

bran_man · Mar 21, 2013

Well Kinda. The whole recycling the fish is just a Secondary point. my main issue/concern it's the mis_management/treatment of the Hatchery program. It just seems to me that it's almost pointless to have a Hatchery program at all out there if there is not going to be any management of them. They should at least get rid of the trap if they're not going to do anything with the fish.I would almost rather them cut the entire program out there if they're not going to do anything with them.yes some will spawn and survive, but I think at least half won't... Eventually I think it's going to fail anyways if they keep it up. Even though they are "just" Hatchery fish, they are still living things that deserve at least a little respect still. The recycling would just be a bonus. Yes, some will not bite, but at least there will be another chance.the entire point of them is to get caught and taken out of the system. I can see where other people are coming from though, and can respect their opinions, just stating mine

Slaw

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