Skook Lately?

[BentRod]

Nice report Alycia! Great job and congrats. I'm still looking forward to my first Steel on a spoon. Sounds like a rush.
Thanks for the report.

[schu7498]

Thanks! BTW a hatchery person said they trucked a load of fish down the day before to bucoda and there was 42" buck they measured and weighed and it came in at 25lbs. Fish of a lifetime right there. I hope one of you guys hooks it!

[Brat Bonker]

yeah they have already recycle 200+ fish this season so far and wouldn't doubt some hawgs either, that river always gets large fish around 16-20lbs.

[natetreat]

Be prepared for company! Worked to Skookumchuck this Saturday and everyone and their uncle was out. I haven't seen that many anglers on the same river since pink season. Lots of fish though, although if you fish high there are a lot more dark fish. They have been recycling fish now, which means that the river from Bucoda up has been holding fish. I don't think I'll be working to Skook on the weekends anymore though, some of the guys are getting grumpy. There are some bad seeds that resent the internet because they think we've "blown up" the river. It's not our fault that the Skook is the closest river that it open that actually has fish in it. I hope the Cowlitz gets a push of B-run soon, that will definitely free up some space. I think I'm going to be driving a bit from now on, the OP has finally put some nates in the river holding up. Let's go big fish! Alrewady I've seen some 20 pounders come out!

[Brat Bonker]

where do they release the recycled fish at?

[king killer]

Wow couldnt believe how slow it was. Only saw 2 fish come out from 6-11 Its weird how it can be hot one day and slow the other. Any ideas why ?

[Brat Bonker]

Wow couldnt believe how slow it was. Only saw 2 fish come out from 6-11 Its weird how it can be hot one day and slow the other. Any ideas why ?

was the weather or water any different. More netting? So did you get hook anything?

[Mike Carey]

dang internet! Back when I was young we had to walk 20 miles in the rain and used cane poles and worms we kept warm in our mouths. Kids got it easy nowadays. (grumpy old man rant)

[natetreat]

Be prepared for company! Worked to Skookumchuck this Saturday and everyone and their uncle was out. I haven't seen that many anglers on the same river since pink season. Lots of fish though, although if you fish high there are a lot more dark fish. They have been recycling fish now, which means that the river from Bucoda up has been holding fish. I don't think I'll be working to Skook on the weekends anymore though, some of the guys are getting grumpy. There are some bad seeds that resent the internet because they think we've "blown up" the river. It's not our fault that the Skook is the closest river that it open that actually has fish in it. I hope the Cowlitz gets a push of B-run soon, that will definitely free up some space. I think I'm going to be driving a bit from now on, the OP has finally put some nates in the river holding up. Let's go big fish! Alrewady I've seen some 20 pounders come out!

Can't believe people would be grumpy about u blabbing their rivers up.

That's the problem right there. People thinking that the river is "theirs". They belong to everyone. People need to get over it and get along.

[natetreat]

where do they release the recycled fish at?

They put the fish in in the park in Bucoda. They usually make the run straight back up to the hatchery pretty fast. When the water goes up we usually see more fish in areas other than the terminal at the boundary, but when it drops, it can be tough to find them. We need some real rain to make the fish move.

[Dan Boone]

That's the problem right there. People thinking that the river is "theirs". They belong to everyone. People need to get over it and get along.

They complain about the indians gillnetting and treating the river like they own it, and then turn around and do the same thing.

[Brat Bonker]

That's the problem right there. People thinking that the river is "theirs". They belong to everyone. People need to get over it and get along.

They complain about the indians gillnetting and treating the river like they own it, and then turn around and do the same thing.

yeah the skook locals complain so much but they litter like you wouldn't believe geez, crazy how much trash is on the banks there not too mention they snag the salmon in the no fishing zone.

[gonnahookit]

Hit the river around 1:00 today, had one takedown on eggs all day. No hits on jigs, corkies, or spoons. Did see several places where fish had been gutted, so there were a few caught today.

On another note, I lost the copper/gold spoon I had found in my dads tackle box (no idea what type it was, or who made it, but it was a 50/50 spoon and looked functional) and found the Pucci snap swivels I have are junk. The spoon hooked on some grass under the water, and when I pulled on it, the line/swivel went flying past my face, and the spoon went flying 30 yards up the river. Looked for it, but it was too deep to see it .

The metal clip on the swivel had bent out, allowing the snaplock to bend open. Had that happen twice with my lead while drifting too. Got hung up, started to tug to pull/break it free, and the same thing happened. Got my line free, but both times the lead was gone, and it wasn't that much pressure, and knowing how hard a bigger fish can fight I have no confidence in throwing anything attached with a swivel anymore (spoons or spinners). They are size #3 and look pretty durable (and cost like it, too!) but after messing around with a few more of them it seems to be inherent in all of them. Lesson learned.

Might head back down there in the morning for a couple hours if I can manage to get some sleep tonight.

[gonnahookit]

Wow couldnt believe how slow it was. Only saw 2 fish come out from 6-11 Its weird how it can be hot one day and slow the other. Any ideas why ?

was the weather or water any different. More netting? So did you get hook anything?

Water was up from the last time I was there, not a lot but moving faster and higher. Very sunny today down there, till this evening when it started to rain at dusk. Did see a few small fish rolling up by the deadline this evening. Very small fish. Only heard a few rollers down in the fields, and while they SOUNDED like big fish, they were in a direction I wasn't looking so I didn't see them to know.

With the amount of traffic down there and all the fish being caught the last few days (and/or shipped back downstream) it might just need another good rain to make it heat up again.

[luisdabeast206]

It is true, the locals are complaning about people fishing this river to hard. I was out there Saturday and it was soo crowded. There was people very were it seemed like. This river to me has not been freindly too me as I have not yet figured it out. If it has been raining be carefull out there, I saw a guy slip hard on some mud and nearly fall into the water.

[gonnahookit]

LoL that might have been me, but I didn't think anyone was around to notice! Did procure a blackberry thorn through my waders though, on the right calf. Made for shallow excursions for the rest of the day.

[Brat Bonker]

try vision snap swivels, they work pretty well with spoons and spinners.

[natetreat]

I fish visions and cabela's and can recommend them both. Only the duo lock's though. Don't use the little ones if you're going to put any terminal gear in the snap, I run mine a little bigger to be on the safe side. Especially if it's a spinner or spoon, running a bigger swivel is going to be better at preventing line twist and lost lures for sure.

[RiverChromeGS]

I would suggest never running terminal gear in the snap

[rcthepirate]

May have just been a bad batch, but I had a pack of the vision rolling barrels this last summer and I kid you not, I lost two fish to the swivel breaking. Haven't touched vision gear since.