Sandy River Cedar Creek Hatchery Counts

[Smokey Bear]

Thought I would start putting this info here like I did for your other site, unless I start see the flyguys start flogging my stretch of the river, LOL.
I live very close, so I will keep posting pictures of the board when I drive by. Only one car there in the lot at 3 today. There were maybe a dozen fish in the holding pond. And still very nice sized fish.

By the way I don’t hike down and fish below the hatchery. Went down once years ago and was ready to start taking pictures of the snaggers, but though I should just leave before I got myself in trouble.

 

[67 VW Beetle]

Appreciate you posting these!

 

[SilverFly]

Thanks for posting this. Too late though, I've already flogged it thoroughly with flies. Haven't fished it in many years though.

The Sandy used to be my stomping grounds. Actually lived on the river for 3 glorious years in my early teens (mid 70's). Did a lot of crazy shit that may, or may not, have been legal. Bow fishing for suckers (FYI they DONT smoke up good ), snorkeling/spearing whitefish (they DID smoke up good). No hatchery summer runs or springers in those days, although pretty sure I hooked a wild, or one of the first hatchery summer runs on trout gear when fishing for whitefish (zzzZZ - SNAP!). Never forget hooking, and losing my first winter steelhead on the standard rig back then, a flame-red Oakie Drifter with 2 hooks. Caught the steelhead bug bad on the Sandy but the coho run was my favorite. Just pissed me off that they showed up in our backyard the same week school started. Didn't stop me from getting up in time to float eggs and catch a few jacks before the bus came.

It wasn't until many years later when I got back into fly fishing that I started fishing the Cedar Creek area for coho and springers. Silvers are my favorite freshwater fly rod fish (hence my not very creative moniker). Springers on fly gear are a different matter. They will definitely eat a fly. Getting one deep enough, and landing them are the tough parts. Still managed a few.

 

[Matt B]

Silvers are my favorite freshwater fly rod fish (hence my not very creative moniker).

Huh, and see I thought it was because of your "Silver Fox" vibe.

 

[Smokey Bear]

Four vehicles in the back parking lot.

 

[Smokey Bear]

Went down yesterday and they hadn’t changed the board. But the fish in the holding tank were gone. Only one rig in the parking lot.

 

[Smokey Bear]

Four cars in the lot.

 

[Smokey Bear]

Four cars in the lot, and another pulling in.

Water is still very low and a bit off colored as I drove over the Dodge park bridge. Color wasn’t bad though.

 

[Smokey Bear]

My bad. I went and took the picture but forgot to post last week. I’ll check again soon.

 

[Jagosh]

Am I reading that right? 23 total return at the hatchery for summer steelhead? Did they stop that program?

 

[Evan B]

Am I reading that right? 23 total return at the hatchery for summer steelhead? Did they stop that program?

I didn't even know they HAD a summer program

 

[SilverFly]

I didn't even know they HAD a summer program

IIRC, the first hatchery summers started returning a year or two AFTER we moved from our house on the river (figures). I might have hooked an early return summer when I was spooled on trout gear fishing pocket water for whitefish. That was the year the Blazers actually won.

 

[Jagosh]

I didn't even know they HAD a summer program

Yes! Never forget, this river has less opportunity AFTER they removed the dam.

If someone wants to be fussy, they were planted in the Salmon River. Some folks will remember the gravel pit.

 

[Smokey Bear]

I remember the gravel pit. Back when I fished it the gate wasn’t there.

 

[DerekWhipple]

According to catch statistics, almost a thousand summers were tagged in 2022. Managment plan for sandy hatchery says 75000 smolts acclimated there for release into the river. Why do so few return to the hatchery? Seems like one of those west side summer steel fisheries where there are a few people who consistently catch fish while most don't.

Speaking of the Salmon river, if you look at the catch statistics for salmon and steelhead, I seem to see a few catches in closed rivers every year. I see some catches that could be explained as caught while fishing for trout in the summer, but there are March and November catches. Weird that someone would "follow the rules" and enter a catch, but they are fishing a closed river at a time of year you can't even fish for trout.

 

[Smokey Bear]

There must have been at least 50 cars. Back lot was full, so they were also parked on both sides of the rearing pens. Big #’s of springers to the hatchery. The holding pond was just loaded. Lots of discolored fish, but plenty that looked good.

 

[Smokey Bear]

Huge jump in Silvers as was expected. 16 cars in the lot.

 

[Jagosh]

Huge jump in Silvers as was expected. 16 cars in the lot.
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Did you talk to a haggard looking dude at Dodge this afternoon?

 

[Smokey Bear]

Did you talk to a haggard looking dude at Dodge this afternoon?

Were you one of the two I asked if either of you found any biters?

 

[Jagosh]

Yes indeed! I was the one in waders calling it a day.

Toad of a chinook down low but no love the rest of my day. Coho rolling at Oxbow and Dodge