Samish River Gauntlet

The run of hatchery salmon on the Samish River must pass a gauntlet of fishers on the lower Samish. It is a very social activity.

The curve of the river does not allow a full capture of the gathering. The preferred time is at low tide so that one can wade along the side of the deeper channel where the fish are.

The Samish is a river that is fed by creeks that flow into an ice age valley between the Nookksack and Skagit drainages. The river then makes its way to across the northern part of the large Skagit River delta to Samish Bay. The hatchery has a goal of producing 4,000,000 fish per year (Samish Hatchery). Hence, this a pretty big run of fish every late summer for a small river.