Siltcoos update...

Found a small jack and a beautiful chrome bright cutthroat that i thought was a smaller jack until i saw the faintest of orange splotches.  trolling brad's plugs in pink and yellow.

Found a small jack and a beautiful chrome bright cutthroat that i thought was a smaller jack until i saw the faintest of orange splotches.  trolling brad's plugs in pink and yellow.

excellent, the Siltcoos SRC wear shiny "ocean colors" and their spots are very light compared to their river cousins.  a fast way to decide if it is "SRC or jack coho" is to check the lower half of the tail; any spots there and it is an SRC.

for regulation wonks, like me, there are some quirks, technicalities, or just plain crazy stuff that applies to Siltcoos and Tahkenitch, these get discussed here locally often at our STEP meetings and even with our local Marine Troopers...

Siltcoos is not open for Chinook Salmon or Steelhead.  So stuff that goes along with that does not apply, like a 2 adult and 5 jack daily limit and you cannot retain fin-clipped coho in Siltcoos.  However, you can retain any Rainbow caught in Siltcoos because the "Rainbow trout over 16 inches are considered steelhead in streams" does not apply.  But the "1 trout over 20 inches" per day does apply to either rainbows or SRC as part of the 5 trout daily limit.   So a wild steelhead that wanders in is just a rainbow once it hits the lake but a fin-clipped coho would need to be released.  Crazy right?

So next we have the special Wild Coho season, OCT1 to DEC31, no 2 rod angling, and with a daily limit of "one non fin-clipped adult coho salmon and one non fin-clipped jack coho salmon per day".  Seems clear but we also have "Anglers may not continue to angle for jack salmon or trout after retaining a limit of adult salmon or steelhead".  So once you tag an adult coho, can you keep fishing?  Yes but only for bass or perch.  To retain 2 coho you need to get the jack first, then the adult.  We all must decide how to deal with this.  I just choose to stop fishing once I tag an adult coho because bass and perch are by-catch for me while fishing for trout/salmon.

Last is that Jack coho are defined as "coho between 15 and 20 inches" and smaller coho salmon are still considered salmon, so technically, the lake is not open to retention of coho salmon less than 15" long. 

as I said, quirky, crazy, or just strange technicalities, depending on how you look at these things.  cheers, roger

Holy cow. Thanks for the clarificAtion! You are really helpful roger, thanks. Think it would be crazy crowded down there today?

Holy cow. Thanks for the clarificAtion! You are really helpful roger, thanks. Think it would be crazy crowded down there today?

nope, getting some pretty heavy rain squalls, I don't think that many folks would be out today...better weather coming during the week...

Wow, that's about as twisted a set of regulations as I have ever heard ODFW come up with! Thanks for the warning Roger.

Anyone been out there chasing coho since that rain event?  I havent had a chance to get up that way.

it has been a tough run at Siltcoos this year but there have been fish coming in and getting caught, they are just spread out and not as many this year. 

I lost a brute last Tuesday, he kicked my ass after I hooked him casting near shore, he headed for a dock and I could not turn him before he got there, broke off my 12# CXX Xtra Strong leader trying to stop him..really big fish, if only he had run out into the lake we could have had a real battle.

today I finally cashed in with this 29" hen that, in comparison, basically swam into the net...cheers, roger

Right on! Nice catch.

 
 Nice fish Roger,
 Ain't nothing wrong with finding a cooperative female once in a while.
 You'll get that battle you're looking for another time.

 Nice fish Roger,
 Ain't nothing wrong with finding a cooperative female once in a while.
 You'll get that battle you're looking for another time.

thanks Mark, in the initial hook-up/thrashing, the line wrapped several times around her near the tail, so it wasn't a 'normal' fight, I'm happy to get the big load of eggs, all of our other fall salmon this year were males...roger

Outstanding, Roger!  Those egg skeins are perfect - convert them to more salmon 

Thanks for the report!

Nice fish and beautiful eggs, well done and thanks for the report.

Roger, glad your persistence paid off so handsomely!
If there are still fish waiting for more fresh water, this week's gullywashers should answer!