That's right, game over dude. We have seen the end of a great fishery under the Agate Pass bridge for coho. Many of you probably already know this, but I just found out the answer to the question I've been asking for the last two seasons; "Why has the fishing been so poor under the Agate Pass bridge?". Well, besides the increase in netting in the area, the fish are just not there anymore. Most of the fish caught on the Poulsbo side of the bridge were pen/hatchery fish. The hatchery and pens have been abondoned and are no longer producing the coho. Good or bad? Depends on your feelings about wild vs hatchery fish. Anyway, 3-6 years ago, a guy could catch and release well over 100 coho in September and October combined. Last year I only hooked 5 and this year only 7. And, I've been at it pretty hard. The fish we have been catching there are hatchery fish, but just headed for somewhere else. I've heard of a few of the fish being caught are wild (good news). I guess most of the hatcheries that were producing these fish were Native American run and it was too expensive to raise coho and many are switching to chum, which are supposed to be easier to raise, less expensive, and bring a higher return ($$$$$$$$$). Jeff Hale
