I'm delaying my purchase until things get straightened out. Over 45% take of Hood Canal coho @ PFMC is not acceptable.

i knew it wouldn't take long to get the tired "millennials are lazy" and "i walked uphill both ways to get to school" tropes. the reason why you aren't seeing more "kids" these days at WDFW meetings:

1. many people my age don't have the money and time to get into salmon/steelhead fishing. all of my regular fishing buddies are 10+ years older than I am and much more well established.

2. young people who do get into fishing are moving towards bass and other types of fishing, its a based on popular trends and availability of the fishery.

3. many sportfishing stakeholders have boats and houses to store their boats at, a luxury that a majority of millennials will not likely have the resources for in their lifetime and thus have no access to the fisheries that are oft talked about in this forum.

additionally, how do you expect young people to become stakeholders as sportfishermen if they're being called, lazy, flatbilled, vape toting idiots? the resources were overharvested and poorly managed by the generations before me and the human development in our region has continued to increase- I didn't have any say in that but many of you guys did. literally every generation complains about the generations after them when ironically they were the ones that raised those subsequent generations. lets just agree that that the whole argument is shite.

i pointed out that the license fee is still a great deal and its a huge distraction to everyone who is invested in protecting our salmon and steelhead fisheries to quibble about plus or minus $10 bucks or the fee itself. all I'm saying is that if we're going to seriously improve our fisheries it will cost serious $$$. many folks here are concerned about conservation and fishing opportunities but blow a gasket when you suggest that license fees and WDFW budget should be increased. I'm tired of the constructive discussions that derail when taxes and fees are involved and this seems to consistently happen. i haven't heard one person honestly articulate what alternative options we have to increasing fisheries abundance without putting more money towards that goal. the whole point of hatcheries is to mitigate development which has reduced the ability of the rivers to produce to their historic levels- in my opinion we simply aren't taxing and collecting money from polluters and increased development. existing development too- how many rivers are lined with old houses with questionable septic systems? consumer pesticides and surfactants are devastating to microfauna that smolt rely on for food. how do you propose we stop this?

we're all on the same team but if y'all want more young people involved maybe try having a little bit more of an open mind and less gatekeeping. so a few guys here helped with broodstock programs back in the day? great job! very commendable. here is your gold star for recognition. sportfishing requires an infusion of young people to continue to advocate for our fisheries: invite them on your boat, talk to them when you're on the river and engage with them in a positive way.

Good post, Blenny.

I bought my license yesterday. I've figured out that I almost never need a Discover Pass where I fish. Between that and my decision to buy only freshwater + Columbia endorsement, I had to do a double take when the clerk said my total was $38. That is cheap. Probably a little too cheap....