Skagit WSR - Outstanding Fisheries

 Catching sight of wild fish swimming and spawning throughout these rivers is an invigorating experience. Each species depends on certain elements to support them in their struggle for survival. Woody debris in the streams and shady riverbanks help provide structure for good habitat. Clear, cool waters running over gravels help keep spawning beds alive and ensure hatching of the next generation.

Distinctive runs of chinook, pink, coho and sockeye salmon share the rivers with winter chum, favorite food of the bald eagle. Wild steelhead and other sea-going trout also live in the rivers along with resident trout.

Sport fishing has its challenges as well as its rewards. Whether you choose to fish from the shore, or your boat, the rivers offer the opportunity to catch fish in a wild, natural setting. Conservation efforts and habitat protection measures are vital to the continuation of this popular form of recreation. A Washington State Fishing license is required. Please follow all regulations and support conservation efforts.

The return of wild salmon is a natural cycle to celebrate every year. Salmon are a vital link, bringing nutrients from the ocean back to the mountains, thus sustaining many other species that depend on them for food. One of the most familiar of these is the bald eagle, which comes to the upper Skagit each winter to feed on chum salmon carcasses.

Salmon are one of the most distinctive river inhabitants. They migrate from freshwater to salt water and back again to complete their life cycle. Young salmon travel from their natal streams out to the ocean and then return to spawn as adults, and die.

Eggs laid in nests in the river gravel incubate until late winter or early spring. After emerging from the gravel, chum salmon fry live for a few weeks in the river, and then migrate to the sea. The cycle begins anew, a precious heritage for all the river's inhabitants.

Skagit Salmon
The Skagit River is home to six species of salmon and seagoing trout. They are generally silver in the ocean phase, but their spawning colors are distinctive.

CHINOOK SALMON Sometimes called kings, are olive-brown with dark spots. Males are darker than females. Spawn Aug-Oct	COHO SALMON Also known as silvers, are generally silver with lower body changing to red, especially in males. Spawn Oct-Jan
PINK SALMON Nicknamed humpies, males develop a distinct dorsal hump. Color changes to pale red mixed with olive-brown blotches. Spawn Sept-Oct	SOCKEYE SALMON Bright red, especially the males, with a greenish olive head. Spawn Aug-Nov
CHUM SALMON Often called dog salmon, are dark olive on top. Sides are pale red mixed with olive-green blotches. Spawn Nov-Jan	STEELHEAD TROUT Anadromous rainbow trout, are silver with a faint red lateral band that becomes more prominent as the body darkens. Spawn Feb-June