During the 97 to 99 seasons we spend 500 hours on the water. Weather conditions, strong winds and unusual water temperatures adversely affected our creel. We did manage a respectable 3.7 rod hours per landed fish compared to 7.9 rod hours per fish as recorded by the salmon fishing fleet.

Lure selection was varied with Eppinger products once again leading the way with 49% of our creel. LK Specialties was second with 31.4% of our creel. The  small silver plated Eppinger Cop-E-Cat spoon was top dog once again through this period but the standard set-up that we employ for this spoon during 99 didn't quite produce the number as in previous years. But the Cop-E-Cat spoon did produce 121 fish or 23.8% of our creel.
Eppinger Flutterchucks was the second place lure with 18% of the creel The silver plated kelly green and chartreuse #361 produced consistently and was the top producing spoon in 99.
Nasty Boy spoons placed third with 14.1% of the creel. Colour selection for the Nasty Boy was predominately silver/blue and silver/chartreuse colours.

Mini Predators dropped way down to 6.3% of the creel. We almost eliminated stackers completely from our set-up program during 98 and 99. We realize that with less lures in the water our catch percentage would decrease but two factors precluded using stackers. Spiny Water Fleas restricted our use of stackers due to the line clogging problems. You just couldn't run stacker lures in that mess!  Secondly warm water problems forced us to fish 70, 80 even down to 135' for steelhead. At these depths for the main lure, floating stackers became ineffective so that explains the poor results as Mini Predators are our favorite stacking lure.

Size Distribution

Large kings over the three year  period were down from previous years. Stocking reductions and poor water conditions account for the drop.  We average approximently 4 to 6 kings over 30 lbs. each season.  97 was a slow year producing only 2 kings over 30 lbs and none over 32 lbs.  98 produced  3 nice kings over 30 lbs with the largest weighing in at 34.55 lbs.  99 produced 4 kings over 30 lbs. in which 3 came in 2 days fishing off the filtration plant just east of the Island.

The  chart indicates an increase in kings over 25 lbs and 30 lbs   in proportion to  each other.  In 97- 6 kings over 25lbs and 2 over 30 - 33% 98- 10 kings over 25 lbs 3 over 30lbs - 30% 99-15

kings over 25lbs and 4  over 30 lbs - 26%  Excellent results compared to the banner years of only 21% of our large king catch was over 30 lbs!
The steelhead harvest over 15 lbs. was unusual in 98 as all seven steelhead weighed in
the 16lbs range. 99 produced our third 20lb. Steelhead. It was caught in 357 feet of water 35'

down in 58.8 degrees of water The silver chartreuse Cop-E-Cat spoon was trolled at 2.0 mph behind our dodger rig. The Loran Coordinates were 16286/59058 and was caught at 9:54am  on September 5th

(continued on page 17)