NO NEWS WILL be good news for anglers looking to drop a line in the Dungeness River for the scheduled fall hatchery coho fishery Tuesday.
State Department of Fish and Wildlife fish biologist Mike Gross said he will discuss the fishery in a meeting with tribal co-manager counterparts today.
“Your phone call is timely,” Gross said Thursday. “I just scheduled a talk with the tribe for [today].”
At issue: water levels and a forecast of sunny skies for the coming week.
“A little better water levels than last year at this time, but it’s low and we are not looking at any water [rain] for the next week,” Gross said.
“We do have a few fish back to the hatchery and there are a few fish in the lower river.”
Gross said the commercial fishery on Dungeness Bay “doesn’t appear to have been real productive,” so potentially waiting for rainfall to boost the river’s levels may move more fish up river.
“There are lots of pieces still up in the air, but my hope is we start as scheduled Tuesday,” Gross said.
If the season is delayed, Gross said Fish and Wildlife would issue an emergency rule change as soon as possible — so check Sunday’s sports section for any updates.
As it stands now, the fishery will run from Tuesday through Nov. 30 from the river mouth up to the Gray Wolf River at Dungeness Forks Campground. The daily limit is four hatchery coho of a minimum 12 inches in length.
River updates
Gross had more North Olympic Peninsula river information.
“I’m happy to report we had a strong return of summer chinook to the Dungeness this year, more than any other year since 2006,” Gross said. “The distribution of spawners seems to be better in the upper river and lower Gray Wolf River as well. Something we have been trying to work on.
“We are seeing redds well above the hatchery and on the Gray Wolf. That’s an encouraging development because it’s been a rough few years for Dungy chinook.”
Gross said good numbers of chinook returned to the Elwha River this summer.
“A strong return to the Elwha as well,” Gross said. “We hadn’t forecasted strong returns, but there were some strong showings by 3-year olds. A real shot in the arm for that whole program and the restoration work we are trying to do there.”
Coho returns on the shuttered-to-fishing Elwha do not look as good.
“Coho are on a three-year fish cycle and the 2015 return to the hatchery was extremely poor,” Gross said. “There were few smolts released from that brood, so we will look at what natural production has produced and expect a small hatchery return.”
Gross does believe native coho numbers should start ramping up.
“We’ve had increasing juvenile production and smolt production in Indian Creek and Little River drainages,” Gross said.
Hoko steelhead
Gross also passed along a reminder for the coming steelhead season on the Hoko River.
Hatchery steelhead smolts released by the Makah Tribal Hatchery in the spring of 2016 and 2017 were not fin clipped because of health concerns due to warm river temperatures and potential disease concerns from low water levels.
“A dorsal-fin height rule will be in place, so anglers can harvest most of those hatchery fish,” Gross said.
Dorsal fin heights of hatchery steelhead are shorter than comparably sized wild steelhead. The standard of 2 1/8 inches has been used elsewhere to identify unclipped hatchery steelhead — it’s also known as the credit card test since the size of most credit cards is 3.37 inches long by 2.125 inches wide.
Hatchery steelhead are released as yearlings, and return after 1½ or 2½ years at sea as 3-year-old and 4-year-old fish.
Quillayute low
Gross said there are concerns with low water levels in the Quillayute River system.
“We are working with the Quiletute tribe and it’s been a real positive so far this year,” Gross said. “We will continue to talk with them on a weekly basis and evaluate conditions.
“They’ve curtailed their fisheries significantly this year, so there’s some positive communication going.”
And Gross said he hasn’t heard much on the Hoh River.
“It’s had some good flows, some good [weather] spikes to move fish up, so no concerns there.”
Anglers meet up
Quilcene’s Ward Norden, a retired fisheries biologist and tackle maker, will speak at Thursday’s meeting of the North Olympic Peninsula Chapter of Puget Sound Anglers.
The event will be held at Trinity United Methodist Church, 100 S. Blake Ave., with viewing of raffle prizes and fish stories at 6:30 p.m., followed by Norden at 7 p.m.
Norden loves to fish the lakes here on the North Olympic Peninsula and has extensive knowledge of freshwater fishing opportunities in our area. He will cover the area lakes especially those in eastern Jefferson County and the pertinent regulations.
A business meeting will follow his remarks.
Refreshments, a raffle of fishing gear and a membership drawing also are planned.
The public is welcome to attend.
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
