Columbia River Salmon Fishing Discussion

Hey, what's going on everyone out there. Welcome to another addicted fishing podcast. We are, I'm guessing right now, if you're listening to this, you listen to the other two previous ones that got put out. Just boom, boom, boom. Yeah. Because a long car ride today. Lots to listen to lots to talk about. So we're sitting here in studio again. We got Eric Swanson in the house, Jordan of course. And uh, yeah, we are sitting here. We talked last week, uh, the last episode, excuse me, kind of thoughts, but we've got even more updates and kind of more things to talk about as these seasons progress. Oh, well, yeah, that too, that too. I mean, stuff, stuff we're doing is getting closed. Stuff's getting reopened. So everything's changing a real interesting dynamic too. So, um, as we're recording this today, we're hearing of a major opening and a major closing and it's kind of crazy to think that. So the Columbia river that, um, as of today is going to be open from July 14th to the 31st for below Bonneville dam for summer. Because there's so many fish because they under predicted the run, but yet marine area one, it's closed the ocean fishery. They're going to close North of the 15 line. Um, basically long beach, like on the beach is going to close, um, because they're catching too many. And here we end up too many are on the way. It's too many are all the way. And the fishing up there has been, and I've been there. It's been fantastic. Are they just worried about just like the catch rates going through the roof and just not having enough fish for the season or what are they worried about? So what I'm, so what they're going to do and it's so funny that we're talking about this on the eve that we're going to actually have Ryan and our Columbia river managers talking on our live feeds. If you guys haven't checked that out, go to our YouTube page and it should be up there for this whole discussion because we're going to touch on it for a few minutes, but we're going to talk to them here in a little bit for the full hour. But basically it's kind of like what happened in Nia Bay. And we talked about this in the last episode that you had a really high success rate. And once again, we, they're, they're limiting the season now they're slowing us down a little bit because we're catching too many fish. And yeah, there are some things that have made us better anglers over the years, but come on when it's a target rich environment, it's, yeah, it's easier. They get caught. Let us shoot the targets. Well, if you shoot too many targets, they close down. And the problem I'm wondering too is when you're getting them in the ocean, you're probably not getting checked at the dock as much. So they're not. Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, heavy creel checking down there. Okay. Heavy. Like I am checked more often than not. Like, but would you agree with that? I mean, oh, I mean, I guess down in August fishery. Yeah. But no, right now like they do, um, most charter boats that come into a Waco get checked. Hammond gets checked. It's very, very intensive. In fact, they actually have their Oregon, Oregon, I think has their own office dedicated to that. And then same thing with Washington too. So there's, there's like, there's some pretty intensive checking there, but they have a good understanding. Right. Each Marine has, you know, the last couple of days I've been down there, they've had a couple of fish checkers at each Marina. So they're definitely, they're scoping out all the guide boats on the charters. Yeah. And I mean, but because there's a lot of people that participate, a lot of fish come in. There's a, there's a, an immense amount of biological data that comes from that. But now we're in, now that what happened in region or excuse me, rain area or is now happening in rain area one, or basically closing long beach and saying, all right guys, you got to lay off the snook. And the reason main reason why they're doing that is because if we blast all the Chinook impact, then there's nothing left over to catch coho with. And you have to have available impact for Chinook to catch coho. Now the thing is with coho, I think Marine area one is 78,000 coho to go. Unbelievable. And I can tell you right now been blasting the coho the last 10 fricking days. And it's awesome. It's good fishing. You can tell they're there. It's, it's, it's great. Um, but if we kind of like, you know, I can't say that, but if we, if we get done a little early, right. On the Chinook, then we don't get to take advantage of that coho season. And then that, then you're looking at total closure, right? Which we do not want. No, not this year. Not this year. Right. Not this year. They're all for four on forecasting. I can't wait to get Ryan's take on this. Like this is going to be a really fun life. Whoever, yeah. Whoever has been predicting these numbers. Like I was a little worried that this is going to be a roast tonight. We already know the comments are just going to fly in the whole time of all the online warriors on my Facebook. I was just thinking all the comments are just going to be gone. Like, trust me, there will be like a lot of forewarning in before this conversation. Cause the idea that is guys like, let's just be real about this experience. Not a, not a hazing experience. Right. I get sick and tired of answering like the questions. Like for instance, one thing we talked about earlier, you know, before the podcast is like, I get sick and tired of answering the question of like, you know, in the springtime, like why do they keep giving us like lower river openers and not giving them to the East side guys for spring Chinook. And it's like, okay, well there's, that's twofold question. One is that the lower river, there's hundreds of thousands of fish that are never even going to go above Bonneville dam. So, but yet when they do go above Bonneville dam, then as you peel out all those hatchery fish, you get a higher concentration of ESA fish, which is why up river, like we all get the same kind of like impacts if you think about it that way. But when you dilute it out in the lower river and you don't do it on the upper river, but every time they give us a re-opener in the lower river, the East side guys just scream about it. And it's like, okay, let's turn this on the flip side. Let's look at sockeye. Let's look at what's going on right now. The East side, the West side did not fish. No season, no harvest allowed. Not a single fish was caught and killed in lower Columbia river till 430,000 went over the dam, which is already double of what the forecast, they were late on that opener. But so it's almost like it goes both ways, but then there's quite so like understanding those dynamics of how these seasons operate, what happens with this, this discussion tonight and what's actually for you guys that are listening, it's actually going to be on our YouTube channel. Addictive fishing right now is the discussion is going to have to be twofold. It's going to be preseason and during season. Yes, exactly. What's going to be really interesting to get these guys take on how things are managed, like, you know, from behind the scenes, you know, on their side of things, like how, how, how are they going to explain it to us so we understand, right. And then to like, even before, like there's so much that goes into it even before like the forecast comes out, like there's all these management goals that were decided by advisory groups and by the commissions and there's certain, all these things get put in place and then they get a forecast and then they got to mold a season from the forecast to the management goals and then get dates out and get, and then crunch the numbers to figure out what days we can, it can't be an easy job. Well, we've had this conversation with these same gentlemen many times and it's the truce scenario that rolls downhill. These are the guys, it really does. The guy that all the time we've talked to him, like I can't write it up and say what happens. This is just, I'm the delivery guy. You're right. These guys have a huge community of people that come up with these seasons and these ideas. And yeah, you know, certain people who are put in the line, like the president, he's not making all those decisions. You know what I mean? There's also a time and a place and a process to like, if you don't like the decisions that, so basically the way I look at it, the managers get set, they have to set the season within like parameters, right? Like, and if you don't like the season that is set inside of those parameters, like when the season set, that's not the time to bitch or when the season is shut down or not reopened or real, whatever. Like those are not the times to, to speak up, say your piece, ask for change, question change. The times for those are all like during like all the season setting process stuff, all the North of Falcon stuff and commission meetings and advisory group stuff like talking and like working through that to change those parameters before the season gets set. But what do we see every time it goes on there? Do you want to, Oh, you guys are just selfish, greedy fishermen, or, I wish we got a season like blah, blah, blah. All the man. I mean, now don't get me wrong, like for a split second, like I am very critical of WDF. Like I was going to say like, I am. No, I'm not trying to like play like, right. You know, the side of like, you know, I've come, I've had to come to Jesus with WDF. I believe everything they said. No, I call balls and strikes, right? So you have to be fair. Right. So like, I'm just going to say, I am very critical when I think that there is just a bunch of BS in there. I mean, if you want, I'll save all that for region six steelhead, like we'll save that for conversation for another time. But understanding the process and understanding like when there is a time to like speak up, when there's a time to add your input, when there's a time to have that is not necessarily when the seasons come down in April, when they, with this stuff was being discussed back in January or whatever, for sure. I'm hoping tonight a lot of people will learn from that. I'm hoping you guys are listening to tune into that YouTube channel. Um, like I said, addictive fishing and go check it out because like that conversation, it should be a good one. And if you don't see it, that means it was a bad one. I went sideways. Cameron, Cameron blew a gasket and probably won't be having the W and again, you know, I don't know what to say. Oh, it's going to be an interesting one. And it's going to be exciting to kind of listen to these guys and see what they have to say. And you know, learn, learn the details. That's what I'm and hope to expand on it. Yes. Like really, I mean, and then maybe we can have a conversation. Like I said, I, I want to bring, you know, region six steelhead North coast, Washington steelhead managers in here. Like, you know, I want to, I want to engage those conversations because it's better to engage those conversations with the people that have to set the rules than to cry about it on Facebook or, you know, instead of arguing with them, like have a conversation with them and understand their side of it so we can have a better fight ourselves. Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. And at the end of the day, like the more, if there is something that we don't like, the more that we also put it out there as anglers and talk about it, we can change that. Right. So it's kind of a bringing democratic value to it in a way. Oh, that's the idea. I mean, and this will be beneficial for them too, because I'm sure, like, I mean, I like, I think what even started this thing with these guys was like, you know, I can't imagine like just the bullshit that they have to listen to. Like, yeah. You know, from anglers, like they just have no comprehension or probably no understanding, educated anglers, right. They just don't have, but yet they're, they're all, I, I always call them doc bitches because they're always just on the doc bitching. And it's like, that's great. But when you're standing on the dock in the middle of a fishery, that wasn't the time and place to do that. Like you gotta get, you gotta get involved. And so the idea is that maybe we can help our base, get more people involved, taking a look at this stuff, understanding a little bit more of how it goes. And then you know, change it if you want better than crying on Facebook. Yep. But the opener. Yes. Back to the opener. Yes. What are you going to do now? You're probably just going to sit. I'm going to sit in the same spot. I have been because we've been 12 to 15 bites a day, landing eight or nine of them. And it depends on how many are hatchery or not. We killed, we mean a couple of days we killed seven, five, four today, only killed three, but we let six go. And it's just, goodness, there it is. It's just, it's so darn consistent. And the weather's nice and I'm burning no fuel. Yeah. I will say like that ocean built field that has been painful. I am ready for, you know, a change and to start trolling. But this anchor fishery, it just, it just keeps giving to me and clients enjoy the heck out of it. It's close to home. And, uh, and I'm just going to, I'm going to milk it as long as I can. Right. Is it, you know, it's not like we're catching less fish doing well now, especially with the Marine area one closure. Now, I think there's even going to be more of them picking on my fish up there anymore, you know? So it's, Oh no, I'm going to, no, I know this just to let you guys, I'll just say it because by the time you listen, it's probably over, but shoot. Uh, yeah, that whole last story of your bridge. I mean, buoy 10 starts early this year. It does. I mean, I was already looking at some tides, like, Oh yeah. But my, I want to fish this window there. Oh yeah. It's like, Oh, you know, like those seven o'clock high tides up there are going to be like, yeah, this fish can get pushed up there, stirred around, not know where to go. And, and we will be there too. We're in a big high pressure front too, like right now for a while. And I think the more and more like that just sits over the coast, the more and more of those fish stack. So, yep. I mean, it's, it's all positive. Like I said, and also like, I don't even know if this is even relevant anymore, but you guys, uh, thank you. Thank you. You guys participated in our fall or excuse me, our summer drop on July 10th. Absolutely. Killer is amazing. We appreciate all your guys' support. There may still be some items up there, but if this is out before July 31st, you can, every dollar you spend on the website gets you one entry into our giveaway. We've got 10 giveaways. We've got some like real expensive one, 10 Kong, two Kong coolers, a $439 value, lots of good stuff. So every dollar spent between in the month of July at addicted fishing.com gets you an entry. So we appreciate it very much. That said, we've got to get to our WFW managers waiting in the other room. All right. See you guys. Thanks.