Coho count on the vedder

[Eric]

Was out scouting out the vedder tuesday to see how much it has changed ,and wow did it ever. Most of the good runs from last year is gone...well good runs for me anyways.
Went to the hatchery to take a look...there were a few cohos in the channel and one lonely summer run sitting there with them... I asked the hatchery personel what the coho count this year was and it was only 6500 coho !!!!! and last year was about the same. The count sounds more like steelhead returns not coho returns. Average return used to be anywhere from 25k to 50k.. so what happened? Where did they all go?
This years return was the last year class of the heavy stocking program before the cutback... so i wonder what the return is going to be like next year.

[Fish Finder]

Was out scouting out the vedder tuesday to see how much it has changed ,and wow did it ever. Most of the good runs from last year is gone...well good runs for me anyways.
Went to the hatchery to take a look...there were a few cohos in the channel and one lonely summer run sitting there with them... I asked the hatchery personel what the coho count this year was and it was only 6500 coho !!!!! and last year was about the same. The count sounds more like steelhead returns not coho returns. Average return used to be anywhere from 25k to 50k.. so what happened? Where did they all go?
This years return was the last year class of the heavy stocking program before the cutback... so i wonder what the return is going to be like next year.

My former neighbor works up at the hatchery, and he figures it may be the sign of the times. A low marine survival rate, due to over harvesting, polution ect. Myself I have no idea as to why exactly. However I know it's not good.

Finder

[Flyfishin Magician]

That certainly explains the very poor coho fishing for me on the Vedder this year and last. What about the Chehalis? Did the hatchery get a decent return?

[Eric]

don't know about the chehalis but the last couple of years the runs on the north side of the fraser seem to have done better....
As far as coho fishing the last couple season, it's been pretty slow for almost everyone i have talked to, mainly due to number of fish..and if you fish higher pressure rivers like the vedder, even if u found them they tended to have lock jaw most of the time.
One positive thing i heard from the hatchery staff was the higher numbers of jack coho..and they said that is usually a good sign for next year.