Pretty much exactly what the poster I read at the launch right near the juvenile bypass facility said:

"Sunday added to weekly sturgeon retention season below Bonneville Dam

Action 1: Above Wauna power lines

White sturgeon retention will be allowed on Sundays in addition to the current weekly retention days of Thursdays, Fridays, and "Saturdays from February 1 through July 31 and from October 1 through December 31, 2007. Sturgeon may be caught and released, but not retained, Mondays through Wednesdays and during August and September.

Effective date: Feb. 1 through July 31 and Oct. 1 through Dec. 31.

Location: The Columbia River and tributaries from the Wauna power lines (near Cathlamet) upstream to Bonneville Dam."


Now if I was a simple man, fished maybe once a month, high school educated, to me that bulletin tells me I'm ok to fish up to Bonneville dam. Unfortunatly I know just enough to confuse myself. Like I said before, the sturgeon regs are a trap for any angler who is not a lawyer, or indoctrinated into the fishery by a master angler. The last time I hooked into a sturgeon that was very much legal to keep, I was nauseated because I was sure I had overlooked some regulation, or misread the rulebook.

I can't complain too much since I haven't called together my subcommittee to discuss pamphlet changes. I'll make it a priority after the June 16th thing is over. I don't want any moms or dads out on the river to worry about whether they might be breaking the law by sturgeon fishing with their kids.


VHawk



Thinking about this...maybe the Dept needs a test group of volunteers who are as close to the average license buyer as possible. Show them a copy of the regs and then ask them questions like is it legal to keep a salmon caught on x river July 15? Or can an angler keep any sturgeon caught immediately below Bonniville dam? etc etc... I wonder how the average person would do on a test like that.