Northwest Fishing Reports

I keep reading about these fish in the WA Regs pamphlet. Are they all escapees, or is there any place in Washington that has them stocked? ( There's a couple of lakes in Oregon where they are )

Thanx

This question would be a good one to call the F & W about.

I am not sure, but I seem to recall that there is an introduced run of Alantics that took in Northern California, and that they have spread, although somewhat limited, to a place or two in Oregon and perhaps a small run in Washington.

If I remember the article I saw, can't find it now to save my soul, the State had the liberal opportunities to try to catch and keep them in an effort to try to stop them from establishing in our waters.

With all of the "not sure" and "if" you see above, I sure would not use my memory as a quotable source.

for some reason i remember some being in Idaho as well......

Every once in a while one is caught while fishing for silvers in the Green River.

Yep, caught one on the Green at the Car Body Hole some years ago.

Mud Duck wrote:Yep, caught one on the Green at the Car Body Hole some years ago.

The one you caught wasn't stocked by the WDFW, but a refugee from a ripped net pen.

I don't know if they are still in there but Pass Lake up by Deception Pass used to get stocked with them. As I remeber they grew rather large in there for a small lake.

You might try QFC or Albertsons. Freddies always has a sale on them.

About 7 years ago maybe more a large pen off Bainbridge got opened and a lot of Atrlantics got free.They (WDFW) opened up a fishery so you could catch as many Atlantics as you could.For a week we fished offshore at Eagle Harbor and Faye B. State park catching them.Just recently I believe in the northern sound another pen was opened and more were freed.I'm sure they said that the bad thing is that they will contaminate local salmon stocks in the breeding beds.That 1 year I bet we caught 30 of them in that first week.I heard because they are farm raised they wont breed or spawn.

The WDFW has this article on Atlantic Salmon which I am sure some of you have seen. It sounds like they raise them for consumer sales and don't want to release them because of the impact they might have on other salmon in our waters. Not sure how that works but it sounds like the State of WA makes big money raising Atlantic Salmon for consumers. Here is the web page if anyone is interested. http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/atlantic/manage.htm

racfish wrote:About 7 years ago maybe more a large pen off Bainbridge got opened and a lot of Atrlantics got free.They (WDFW) opened up a fishery so you could catch as many Atlantics as you could.For a week we fished offshore at Eagle Harbor and Faye B. State park catching them.Just recently I believe in the northern sound another pen was opened and more were freed.I'm sure they said that the bad thing is that they will contaminate local salmon stocks in the breeding beds.That 1 year I bet we caught 30 of them in that first week.I heard because they are farm raised they wont breed or spawn.

How did those escaped Atlantics taste?

I like the Atlantic salmon.They have a higher oil content then other salmon varieties have.Its Costcos main salmon.It was very tasty and even smoked well.

racfish wrote:About 7 years ago maybe more a large pen off Bainbridge got opened and a lot of Atrlantics got free.They (WDFW) opened up a fishery so you could catch as many Atlantics as you could.For a week we fished offshore at Eagle Harbor and Faye B. State park catching them.Just recently I believe in the northern sound another pen was opened and more were freed.I'm sure they said that the bad thing is that they will contaminate local salmon stocks in the breeding beds.That 1 year I bet we caught 30 of them in that first week.I heard because they are farm raised they wont breed or spawn.

Same thing happened with a pen around Port Orchard about 10 years ago. They really didn't care how you caught them as long as they were getting in your boat.

they stock pass lake with them but its fly fishing only.

I also got one in the Green several years back. Tasted very good.

Pass lake ???? I'll be up there this weekend buying berries.I like going through there on my way to Skagit Valley.I'll take my Fly pole.Can you keep fish out of Pass Lake or is it C&R only.?

c&r only and only single barbless hooks also fly fishing only