Northwest Fishing Reports

Is really Chum salmon "OFF LIMITS" this year?

where are you reading this?

skykomish you cant keep them, snoho cant keep them. stilly cant keep them

skok you can as well


minter creek


and chico creek

Can't keep them in the stilly....Friday caught a 20.5 lb chum and had to throw it back....what a fun fight though. plan to post a report later(on my way out the door).

Yes Skok and Chico good to go.

Whatcom Creek meat show should be putting out a good run this season. Looking at past data this year might be a big one.

Got a 20 pounder our of the Duwamish today - could have kept it if I wanted to...

Matt wrote:Whatcom Creek meat show should be putting out a good run this season. Looking at past data this year might be a big one.

But everybody knows those fish don't bite.[lol] That's why the wall is so crowded.

Stay away from the wall, fish the sand point on the other side and enjoy all the elbow room and hookups you get.

matt i might try whatcom this year

Why do chums change so quickly in the rivers? Does anyong ever catch a chrome chum? I know that the eating is not as good as some of their cousins, but is it still good meat for the BBQ?

code3daddy wrote:Why do chums change so quickly in the rivers? Does anyong ever catch a chrome chum? I know that the eating is not as good as some of their cousins, but is it still good meat for the BBQ?

I think so. It is different. Try it and see what you think.

code3daddy wrote:Why do chums change so quickly in the rivers? Does anyong ever catch a chrome chum? I know that the eating is not as good as some of their cousins, but is it still good meat for the BBQ?

Yes they are still good on the grill. Not as good but I think they smoke up great sometimes better than kings.......just my .02 though.


They change because they travel less distance to spawn up the rivers and streams. they start to change in the salt. I have caught chum in the hood canal well far away from the mouth of the skok and they were still starting to change....not that they don't run up other rivers along the hood.

Chum is better for the smoker than grill but if you get one fresh enough they will grill up just fine.

I have caught plenty of chromer chums in my day. They smoke up very well in my opinion if they are chrome. Once they take any color I don't mess with them generally. I usually offer up smoked chum at Thanksgiving time to my family and everyone goes crazy for my "smoked salmon" I just don't tell them it is DOG!

Matt wrote:Stay away from the wall, fish the sand point on the other side and enjoy all the elbow room and hookups you get.

LOL yep seems like there were a few places to perch yourself on the opposite side and avoid people hooking you (wear glasses if you are on the wall IMO- for protection). HOWEVER, get used to people gettin' pissed if you cross them up. Lots of people drifting thru flossing on the wall and if you cross up with someone on the wall can sometimes get some grumpy 'wallers'.

When the tide comes in, seems like there's enough fish close in to not get crossed up with the other waller side much. But when tide was out as I recall it seemed like it was more common to cross up with people on the wall. No idea if it has changed since it has been 20+ years for me personally.

Another thing, there used to be just a couple pockets in the rapids up above the wall (same side) where if you could drop your leader in behind those areas there would be fish in them. 'Cept if you hook a fish you are gunna be screaming "COMING DOWN" and going by every angler on the wall LOL. May not be worth the hassle come to think of it, so never mind. Stick with the opposite side like Matt says. Seems just before Thanksgiving was good.

Yep second week of November is usually prime for that fishery. If they get a 20k year it is pretty much the most insanely stupid combat zone you could ever imagine. Haven't been there for a few years, but used to fish it daily when I was renting a house 2 blocks away.

there are already chum up the green got one plunkin today .as soon as we get rain the green will be loaded

Have went up to the harrison in canada so far and have had two pretty successful days for chums. put up a pretty good fight. 15-20 fish days never gets old....
44H

Wait.... so can you still target Chums in the Snohomish system and just not keep them or is it completley closed to targeting Chums?