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[thewilliamswall]

Does anyone here fish the Nooksack? Any info or tips would be greatly appreciated. Sounds like come October there is some good fishing and I want to give it a try.

I tried checking the old posts but not too much info.

thanks.

[fletcher]

This would not be the year to try the Nooksack.  Coho runs this year will be in the toilet,  so bad the Skagit River will be completely closed to fishing.  The Nooksack is basically a hatchery Coho river with no real native run left,  it's been a production/harvest river for so many years.  The state is much more interested in tribe and commercial fishing over recreational fisherman.  It use to be a darn good river for undersized Coho that would get through the nets,  not so much anymore.  If you want to catch fish in it you really need to cover some water however as I said,  this years run will be way smaller than a normal year.

If you have any other questions feel free to contact me directly and I'll help you out as much as I can.  I've fished it for many, many years.

Rob

[thewilliamswall]

Thanks Rob. I sent you a PM.

[wallygator24]

With many of the rivers in the Puget Sound area being closed to coho, and the Nooksack being the only one that will be open for fishing this year, expect crowds.  I fish the Nooksack, it can be a great river to fish.  Keep an eye on the netting schedules as the fish will be there some days and wont be there on others due to tribal netting. 

[CohoJake]

There are many reasons that people like myself who live close to the Nooksack choose to spend most of their fishing time north of the border.  Here are the top ones for me:

1.  The tribal netting schedule - it is usually 6 days per week, and although you can find fish that sneak through, you have to really spend a lot of time to find where they are (or fish by the hatcheries where the fish get stale really quickly)
2.  Visibility - the north fork of the Nooksack is fed by a glacier, and if weather is warm, there is a good chance you will have less than 1 foot of visibility.  I have found 18 inches to be pretty good fishing, but less than that is really pushing it.  The south fork runs clear but it is a small stream and opens later in the season, and no bait is allowed on the south fork.
3.  Access - The C/V has amazing public access for it's entire length.  The Nooksack, especially the main stem, has very limited public access, so if you don't have a jet sled or drift boat, it can be difficult to access any productive spots.
4.  Fish size - Although the late season unclipped fish (probably not wild, the hatcheries don't clip all fish) can be quite large, most of the clipped coho are quite small, and as mentioned above, it is rumored that this is because only the small fish make it through the nets.  Last season my only coho on the Nooksack was a 10 inch jack. Granted, I only tried one day for coho.

The one time I will get out on the Nooksack is for pinks, because they come in earlier than other runs and in good numbers.  Actually, I think this is the earliest run south of and including the Fraser river.  They generally open in mid July and good numbers can be found for the whole month of August.  They are also on the small side like the coho - lots of 2 lb fish, but they are very fresh if you get them in the lower river. 

The north fork is known for a good run of large chum in November, but I don't know that it is worth traveling for when chum are relatively plentiful everywhere. 



 

[TNAngler]

There are many reasons that people like myself who live close to the Nooksack choose to spend most of their fishing time north of the border.  Here are the top ones for me:

1.  The tribal netting schedule - it is usually 6 days per week, and although you can find fish that sneak through, you have to really spend a lot of time to find where they are (or fish by the hatcheries where the fish get stale really quickly)
2.  Visibility - the north fork of the Nooksack is fed by a glacier, and if weather is warm, there is a good chance you will have less than 1 foot of visibility.  I have found 18 inches to be pretty good fishing, but less than that is really pushing it.  The south fork runs clear but it is a small stream and opens later in the season, and no bait is allowed on the south fork.
3.  Access - The C/V has amazing public access for it's entire length.  The Nooksack, especially the main stem, has very limited public access, so if you don't have a jet sled or drift boat, it can be difficult to access any productive spots.
4.  Fish size - Although the late season unclipped fish (probably not wild, the hatcheries don't clip all fish) can be quite large, most of the clipped coho are quite small, and as mentioned above, it is rumored that this is because only the small fish make it through the nets.  Last season my only coho on the Nooksack was a 10 inch jack. Granted, I only tried one day for coho.

The one time I will get out on the Nooksack is for pinks, because they come in earlier than other runs and in good numbers.  Actually, I think this is the earliest run south of and including the Fraser river.  They generally open in mid July and good numbers can be found for the whole month of August.  They are also on the small side like the coho - lots of 2 lb fish, but they are very fresh if you get them in the lower river. 

The north fork is known for a good run of large chum in November, but I don't know that it is worth traveling for when chum are relatively plentiful everywhere.

This is all so very sad.  Grew up fishing the Nooksack just about every weekend while the salmon were running.  They used to go up and dike up the slides to help the north fork not be so dirty.  Used to be loaded with all kinds of fish until the nets went in.  Went from pretty good fishing for every type of salmon to everything on or near the endangered list very quickly.  Used to be we would float for steelhead starting in December all the way through the end of March and we could go for a half day and limit out keeping only large fish.

Now I'm watching the Fraser follow the same path down the hole into irrelevance.

[thewilliamswall]

Thanks for all the info guys. I have a trailer in maple falls so I will be there anyway so it's more about fishing while I'm there vs. going there to fish.

I'm not picky on species, size (within reason) or catch/release. I just want to fight some fish! I just don't want to be walking up and down a river with no chance at any action.

Thanks again. With limited time and opportunities to get out these tips could really pay off. 

[Eightball]

I agree with all the reports. Nooksack is not worth the time or effort to fish. Blame falls on the Indian nets and Washington fisheries.

[Steelie1030]

I've fished the Nooksack every year the last several years and have caught Bulls, Coho, Chum, Pink and the odd Steelhead. I fish it as I too have a trailer at The Glen and it is close by so that I can walk to the river. There are spots that are good but I have walked a lot to find them. I agree with the reports for the most part as the fish can be few and far between at times. Water visibility can be a challenge at times as well. Having said that, I do enjoy fishing with no competition, there are days when I never see another angler.