John’s Guide Service Fishing & Hunting Blog

Sorry haven’t had a chance to update the Blog lately… been a real busy and wet week.

This Blog report is for Rich so he can get his fish fix while at work. Sorry not a whole lotta fish-porn for ya here Rich… been a real wet week and didn’t wanna break out my borrowed digi camera and take the risk at drowning yet another one. (Gotta get myself a new Water-Proof digi-cam soon!)

Upper Skagit here has remained consistent fish wise over the past week, when fishable, (was out for a couple of days with all the rain and we had to cancel a couple of trips) with a mix of chrome-bright Wild Steelhead and Hatchery Steelhead. Most of the Hatchery Steelhead over the past week have been down-streamers with the occasional fresh one mixed in. No real big Wild Steelhead the past week, most in the 30 to 33 inch range with our biggest being a 38 inch chrome bright buck.

Gonna need your sunglasses for this one Rich! (Only pic that turned out from the past week) :

Brad being assisted by Kevin with another chrome-bright Wild Steelhead.

To all those that joined us over the past week… Thank You!! While a bit wet out we certainly had a great time and I very much look forward to doing it again with you all! (Even if some of you were a bit hard on the parts! “Yer Killin me Smalls!!… Yer Killin Me!!”) :-)

Got the “official” word a few weeks ago from our area biologist Brett Barkdull about the recent regs issue on being able to use Electric Motors while fishing the Skagit after March 15th, 2007. Official word is anglers will NOT be able to use Electric Motors while fishing the Skagit after March 15th, 2007.

Fishing regs stand as they were last season: No fishing while under power, single point barbless hooks, no bait or scent, all catch and release after March 15th on the Skagit River. Selective gear rules apply on the Sauk as of March 1st.

Myself and a few others will be taking more scale samples from Wild Steelhead this season on the Skagit System for the WDFW. If you are fishing within shouting range of myself, Rob Endlsey, or Cal Stocking and your Wild Steelhead is still fresh enough to get some scale samples from and still be released unharmed give us a holler.

Here’s the Wild Steelhead Collection Totals from sampling done last season:

200506 Wild Steelhead Scale Collection Totals:

Total Readable Scales: 343

No Regeneration: 302

Number of Wild Fish, Ages and % of Complete Aging: 2 - 1.1 = 0.66%, 103 - 2.1 = 34.11%, 101 - 2.2 = 33.44%, 62 - 3.1 = 20.53%, 23 - 3.2 = 7.62%, 2 - 4.1 = 0.66%, 20 Repeat Spawners = 2.98% of scale collection totals for 5.83% of the total.

All a little confusing, but for instance “2.1″ actually is a fish that spent two years in fresh water before outmigrating and almost two years in salt, in other words a “two salt”.

If you would like to see the entire 200506 Steelhead Ages Excel Spreadsheet, drop me an e-mail… I’d be more than happy to send it along.

Just a little Blog quickie today with a few fish pics to go along with it.

Been hit or miss over the past week and a lot had to do with the weather. One day we’d be hitting them good and the next pretty slow. Still gettin some nice chrome Hatchery Steelhead coming in too.

Kevin releasing a nice Wild Steelie

Ron releasing a nice Steelhead

Warnie releasing another Wild Steelhead for the season

Ron with a nice bright Hatchery Steelhead for the grill

February 8th, 2007:

Fished the upper Skagit today with first timers Steve and his Dad Bob. Steve brought Bob out for his 75th birthday for some Skagit River Steelhead action. Happy Birthday again Bob! Both Steve and Bob caught and released their very first Wild Steelhead and Hatchery Steelhead as well. Had a great time guys… Thanks again!

Still some nice Hatchery Steelhead showing!

Steve and Bob with a couple nice Hatchery Steelhead

Still in transition phase from our Hatchery Steelhead run to our Wild Steelhead run and sill trying to get used to a lap-top and its new programs versus a desk-top. (Pictures seem to look dif. on a lap-top compared to a desk-top.. how are the blog pics turning out here? Clear, grainy,…what? Please give us your comments here)

Monday, February 5th, 2007:

Joined today by good friends and regulars Mark and Dave for some more Steelhead action here on the Skagit. Nets were out in full force yesterday (even above Concrete) and the days fishing reflected that. Action for the day was just a bit slower than has been the norm this Winter. But Mark did manage to boat another ice Hatchery Steelhead and Dave boated the dandy Wild Hen in the pic below. Had a great time guys… Thanks!! Looking forward to doing it again soon.

Dave with a dandy Wild Steelhead!

Tuesday, February 6th, 2007:

Today we were joined once again by regulars John and Gary and John’s Son-In-Law Ryan for his first day of Winter Steelheading… I think we broke him in right! Up-river tribal nets were visibly out today and fishing was back up to par for what it has been for us this Winter! Everyone got to tie into some Steelhead today… including two back to back double headers. Had a great time as always guys and look forward to doing it again soon!

John with a Chromer Wild Steelhead

Ryans first Wild Steelhead and a Dandy at that!!

John and Ryan with a couple nice Hatchery Steelhead for the Barbecue.

Sorry for lack of “Reports” and “Blog Updates” over the last week! Since our last Blog Update it has been both a time of transition between Steelhead runs and Computers.

I have been trying to integrate my older computer and its software with a new computer and its software… just taking me a little while here to understand and integrate files and pics.

We are now in the transitional weeks between our Hatchery Steelhead run and our Wild Steelhead run as well… Our Hatchery run is coming to an end and our Wild run is just beginning here on the Skagit.

While still trying to work out the whole transition of things here I’ll just update ya with some of last weeks fishing pics:
(Hope all the pics turn out for ya here… still trying to figure out this new photo program here. Also, we’ve been getting some extremely “chrome-bright” fish here lately that have been showing up in the pics like mirrors or not at all, so I apologize if you fished with us over the past week and your picture doesn’t show.)

One of my best friends and fellow guide Rob (Robbo) releasing a dandy Wild Steelhead here on the Skagit.

Another chrome-bright Wild Steelhead caught and released here on the Skagit.

Releasing another Wild Skagit Steelhead

Gary and his Dad with a couple more Hatchery Steelhead for the season.

Gary releasing a Wild Steelhead

Tad and Gary back for a couple more Hatchery Steelhead too.

Warnie releasing his first Wild Steelhead of the 2007 season

Dave with another limit of Skagit Hatchery Steelhead

Todd with a dandy Skagit River Wild Steelhead.

Todd releasing another dandy Wild Steelhead from the Skagit

Craig with his limit of Skagit Hatchery Steelhead.

And that’s it for pics that even kind-of turned out from some of the past weeks fish.