Gonna hit the chuck tomorrow, hoping to see something,anything. I haven't given the chuck the time of day the last fee years, since dfw decided to kill it. This used to be one of the premier steelhead rivers in the world. If any body want to see what this river used to be like, read snohomish.... My beloved county by Bob Hierman. Good luck all hopefully Ill get a pic of a nice native buy don't hold your breath

saw lots of big fish for the first time today; just a mile or so down from Granite Falls line on RobeM Rd.

hooked monster below ok drag too tight snapped me off after about 10 seconds lost my spoon

Tried fishing Sunday morning. Nothing moving yet except a couple old spawned out silvers. River looks good though.

The Pilchuck is closing the 18th this year. The entire Snohomish system is closing the 18th except the Wallace and tokul cr will remain open... Check emergency rule changes at wdfw web site for all the details. Other closures are Stilly,Skagit and others....

So does the Pilchuck close on the 15th or the 28th? I heard it was going to be an early closure.

Does anyone think there will be a chance a few natives will come in before the chuck closes this year Feb 28. Just wondering if I should give it one last shot and maybe come up with one there this year since I have not hooked any either. Fun trying though, what can you do? Good fishin to all see ya one another river.

fished above machias, and nothing. not sure if there are any fish in the system at all. what a shame.

I have not had a bite or seen even a gut pile for 3 years!
what a shame, it was haug heaven for years

Fished the Chuck for the past 15 years and this is the worst season I can recall. Picked up three around x mas and nothing since. I have caught many fresh hatchery fish in Feb. Alot of beautiful natives as well in the past but don't see that happening this year. The river is to be closed next year and no fish were planted this year. Pretty much this is the end to the Pilchuck as a fishery! Next time you see a state official thank them for using our license and tax dollars designed for our fisheries wisely!

Has anyone caught anything in February?

Fished from Dubuque to Three lakes. Waded the entire stretch and hit every nook and cranny. 2 miles of water and not a single take. Nothing. Been a very long time since I've been skunked! Gonna pretend this trip never took place... :)

fish bad

Yes, or wait for the water to clear up so they can see what you put in there.....

ive tried floating jigs, spoons and corkies by ok mill rd bridge still nothing!! time to move?

Thanks again Frosty, I have been floatig jigs close to the banks near boulder. I will try drifting through them. What color corkie and yarn comcos working for you? I was out this morning also , I struck out fishing the 147th st. area, sorry you miseed yours , dont be mad at your wife. Thanks again, see ya out there tommorrow maybe.

I like fish

Slots are deeper spots behind rocks and along the banks. Sometimes they're hard to see but the fish will lay in them. I use corkie and yarn and drift it through them. When the water is low and clear you can find them then remember where they are. I missed a good fish this morning, my wife called my cell phone and while I was talking to her a fish took my gear. Got 4 big head shakes before he left laughing, never got the hook set. Wouldn't take it again either. That happens when you get distracted.

Fished it this morning with a vibrax. I got skunked. What should I use to better my success?

In case someone else has been trying to figure out where the diversion dam is; it is next to the Water Treatment Plant off of the intersection of Menzel Lake Road and 24th St. NE.

Does anyone know what street the diversion dam is on? Is the Machias run closed? Any information will be appreciated.

Frosty, what do you mean by fish the slots? What area of the river do you say I should try? Ive been fishing areas with gravel and boulder with 1/8 oz. jigs and micro jigs of various colors under a float and have not had any luck. I sure appreciate your advice and I thank you for not being selfish with information. I have figured out how to catch some salmon but I need all the help that I can get with steelhead. Good fishin to ya.

Thanks Ed and Frosty, See Ya out there.

I caught a really nice cutthroat on Monday, chrome bright beautiful fish. Let him go. It was nice to see one in there, probably 18 inches. One more comment about the newspaper article by Heirman. There are certain groups who want to eliminate all hatchery plants in all rivers. These purists unfortunately have persuaded the fish and wildlife dept. that they represent the sportsmen of Washington. Their argument is the genetics of the fish in the river are getting messed up by hatchery fish. The Canadians have a good idea, catch wild fish from the river and spawn them in the hatchery, then you have local fish going back, no genetic problems. Heirman has decades of hands on experience in this stuff and wrote a book about it. Hatchery fish provide fishing opportunity and a chance to catch and eat a few fish. Without them and now without the opportunity to even catch and release wild fish on rivers like the sky, most of the hundreds of fishermen that used to come out, buy licenses, tackle, breakfast, guides, etc., don't bother any more. Fish and Wildlife is shooting themselves in the foot by listening to these purist groups. It seems like there's room for both approaches. Set aside rivers, like the Yakima for example, for wild fish only and put hatchery fish in others so the majority of fishermen can have a chance to catch a few and enjoy themselves. Anybody who was around the Snohomish this summer during the pink salmon run can clearly see there are lots of fishermen out there who are willing to spend a lot of money in the local economy on the sport if there are fish to catch.
Enough of that for now, sorry for the soapbox. The Pilchuck has been fishable for most of December this year which is unusual. It's usually high and muddy. There will still be fish showing up all the way to the end of the season, some of them will be big and mean, enjoy it while we still have it. I live on the river and fish it a lot and have for 25 years. Use small tackle when it's clear and low, fish the slots and bank edges. Lobby the Fish and Wildlife dept. to start getting opinions from the majority of fishermen, not just the vocal few purists who have their attention. Unfortunately they are the ones that attend the public meetings and send in the opinions when the questionnaires come out. Speak up and get your friends to do so too.

Christmas Eve 1 hatchery buck.Day after Xmas 1 native hen (released) and 1 hatchery buck. Fishin is good all winter. Watch the weather and water levels. High water always brings in new fish.