This is a bit out of order, but I just read thru the whole thread and wanted to inject my completely unwarranted 2 cents...

IIRC, WDFW went into NOF proposing a mark-selective fishery for coho in the salt, correct? Which ended up being one of the big sticking points. it was the tribes that demanded no coho fishing.

Remember this?
http://nwtreatytribes.org/treaty-tribes-propose-restricted-fisheries-face-historically-low-coho-year

So if that's true, WDFW actually DID go to bat for the saltwater coho angler.

On the question of in-season management. Let's say there were tools already in place for sampling, the LOAF coming out of NOF did not allow for any saltwater coho fishing (other than in limited areas). So those tools would have been useless. Right?

I dunno if you can really blame WDFW for this mess. Sure, there was some bureaucratic lethargy involved in getting the rivers opened. But once it again it was our co-managers that really put the kabosh on our opportunity.

Furthermore, as sportfishers, do we WANT in-season management, or NOT WANT it? The sportfishing industry hates it because it creates uncertainty in the seasons which directly affects business. Sportfishers have been calling for in-season management to be done away with in the blackmouth fishery for years. Me being one of the biggest whiners in that regard.

I guess, like human beings, we want what suits us at the time. Even if it's the exact opposite of what we wanted just a few months ago.