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[Shinny]

The 30 continous days of beach seine netting are taking their toll. This DFO sanctioned commercial FN fishery is killing the fall fishery on the whole Harrison River and every trib. I have witnessed this decline in its entirety. You take away the Chums and pinks and you kill the system, they are the fertilizer for every fish in the sysytem.

ln 2016 we were seeing very few fish in the early fall. We thought there might be something going on so we hiked all the way down the lower past the hatchery intake channel and close to the Harrison/chehalis confluence estuary. Low and behold what do we see going across the river (chehalis).. yep you guess it, a F’kin net...right acrosss the entire river with an atv parked on the FN side a system setup to pull the net in with the ATV. What a disappointment...saviours of the environment doing the ancestral BS again.

That net was only in place for another day before some anglers  went back down in the cover of the morning mist and the net was removed... and guess what!! Fish appeared in the canyon in the weeks to follow. I heard there was another net across the river again this fall but I never did make my way down to the end to see it with my own eyes. I wouldn’t be surprise.. take take take until there is nothing left then ask the government for more handouts.

I told this story to an old timer I met out there and he told me that my story was all BS because he claims that the chehalis Hatchery gives coho straight to the FN band at the start of the run. So his logic was why would they net the lower when the hachery is giving them fish anyways and they don’t need to work for it. Maybe someone could comment on that? Does the chehalis hatchery supply the local FN band with fish?

Regardless there was a net down there that year...

[iblly]

Yikes, all I did was ask about car break ins.

[greyghost]

Yikes, all I did was ask about car break ins.

Well iblly, as you can see some of us have an extrem passion for this watershed! Watching it collapse the last few years for all sorts of reasons just rips at your heart strings!

[mikeyman]

Well that is a logical answer to why the river was completly void of fish during peak time. I stopped at the slough on way home both trips and got 2 beaut chrome hatchery coho in short order.

[Steelhawk]

Well iblly, as you can see some of us have an extrem passion for this watershed! Watching it collapse the last few years for all sorts of reasons just rips at your heart strings!

Yes, many of us old timers have fond memory of the glory days of the Chehalis when abundant and large coho lined the runs that swung by the hatchery outlet. They took roe at first light quite readily in those clear water (and stopped right when the sun hit the water, lol). I remember once me and my fishing partner needed to use a big stick to carry out our limit of 8 large chrome coho back to the car on a morning that many good rods limited out. Another time we were there when the river began to rise after some heavy rain with water still fishable. I was nailing large coho non-stop, almost every cast drifting behind a pocket water along their migration path. Each cast was a coho and we were doing c&r only retaining the biggest fish. I have never had such morning of coho fishing ever since in any system. Such a pity that fishing in that system has gone down to such a ghost of its former self.

[iblly]

Sorry guys that wasn't meant to be offensive. I too have a long
history with that river. My grandfather lived and fished on it a long
time ago, his mother was a cook for the Pretty family. My father caught
his first steelhead there about 1970. I caught my first steelhead there
About 1990. My father and I spread my grandfathers ashes down that
river 21 years ago and I'm sad to say I will be spreading some of my
fathers ashes there next week. I remember all first light coho at the
Easter seal run also lots of steelhead. Caught my first ever steelhead
in the canyon. Sad to hear about its decline. Some of you who fished
there that long may have met my dad, Bill, long grey hair, long grey
beard. He fished that river a long time.  Typing may be off here, trying to type on phone ?!

[Silex-user]

Sorry guys that wasn't meant to be offensive. I too have a long
history with that river. My grandfather lived and fished on it a long
time ago, his mother was a cook for the Pretty family. My father caught
his first steelhead there about 1970. I caught my first steelhead there
About 1990. My father and I spread my grandfathers ashes down that
river 21 years ago and I'm sad to say I will be spreading some of my
fathers ashes there next week. I remember all first light coho at the
Easter seal run also lots of steelhead. Caught my first ever steelhead
in the canyon. Sad to hear about its decline. Some of you who fished
there that long may have met my dad, Bill, long grey hair, long grey
beard. He fished that river a long time.  Typing may be off here, trying to type on phone ?!

Was your dad handicapped? The Bill I know way back 20 years ago only had a steel arm or hand replacement???


Silex user

[iblly]

Was your dad handicapped? The Bill I know way back 20 years ago only had a steel arm or hand replacement???


Silex user

No, wrong Bill. He was a regular at the Vedder as well up until about 6 or 7 years ago.

[Silex-user]

Yeah those good ole days, Easter Seal or Bible camp was my favorite run. Used drive my truck right and park at the Easter Seal. Good days of  fishing for me was 20 plus cohoes. Just slayed them with a small Gold corkie when the river clear or small tuff of peachy wool.

The Hatchery hole and Confluence run was good too. Best day for me was back in one November day where I caught a Fall white spring, cohoes, coho jacks, Bull trout, cutthroat, Summer run steelhead and about hundred chums.

Being to the canyon pool once when I was lot younger and crazier.


Have'nt been back there since some jack a.. decided to smashed my truck's window and took some coins from ash tray. That was more than 13 years ago. I was parking right at side road going south bound near the ditch little bit down from the Hatchery.

Silex user

[iblly]

I do remember when you could drive down to Easter seal there was quite often a guy in a wheelchair fishing.

[Blood_Orange]

Are the logging roads north of the bridge (on both sides of the bridge) gated? Or can you drive up? Been meaning to get up there for years. Maybe try later this spring.

[cammer]

Was at river Saturday,   not first light tho,,,seen lots of peeps out = cars,   I only fished a bit but water conditions were perfectly high, as per usual no fish around and also no old coho seen where I was either where normally at this time lots still milling around.. the river desperately needs to be in contact with the main river again to bring back this river. Sad

[fisherforever]

Ibbly, did your dad live in Brookswood on 200th back in the 90’s? Did he used to fish with a fellow named Jim Warner, if so I fished with them also he was a good rod. Even if this isn’t him I’m sorry for your loss, my condolences to you.

[hammer]

Ibily,
I remember two Bills that I met fishing the Chehalis since the early 90s.
One drove a big blue dodge truck and I believe worked for a municipality in the area doing grounds maintenance.
The other, had long hair and a long beard, like ZZ Top long,  fished in a grey stanfields style pullover. One thing that stuck out in my memory is that this Bill had an insane amount of fishing rods.

I am not sure if either was your Dad, both men were friendly and a pleasure to fish beside.

This system has been in steady decline for the last 10 years.

Hammer

[iblly]

Ibbly, did your dad live in Brookswood on 200th back in the 90’s? Did he used to fish with a fellow named Jim Warner, if so I fished with them also he was a good rod. Even if this isn’t him I’m sorry for your loss, my condolences to you.

Yes, that's him, he was my fishing buddy, we spent a lot of time on the Chehalis. Thanks, Bill jr.