Opening Johns and Elk would be another in a long line of disappointing distractions. Kind of like how they promote perch fisheries on Facebook and then turn off commenting.

I think it would hi light the problem WDFW has with the Tribes. Southern Grays and Willapa don't have Co-Managers. How they manage them is how they believe stocks and watersheds should be managed.

Somebody asks why we can fish Johns but not Satrap. Tell them, the QIN won't agree because....

I doubt they even can do that because higher-ups in the state bow to Tribal desires. There are bigger fish to fry, so to speak, in Tribal hammers over development. Look at the mess the Culvert Case has gotten the state into. A deadline they weren't pushing hard to meet, coupled with inflation, puts them in a big financial hole. They don't want that concept tp spread, so the fish and NI recs lose.

I had a non fishing friend ask me the other day about what the salmon seasons will be this year. I told him I have no idea from year to year what the seasons will be especially in Puget Sound. I told him that the only thing I can count on every year is that lowland lake fishing will open and close on a certain date (except the year around lakes). WDFW would love to have all the rec anglers go lake fishing for put and take trout and spiny rays. Don't have to deal with the tribes on that fishery. That is why you see WDFW promote lake fishing through out the year. State Bass Week, State Perch Week, putting tagged trout in the lakes for prizes etc... Pathetic.

I'm glad that WDFW has provided decent lake fishing, because I need to fish regardless. But I'm continuing to be angry about the lack of real fishing opportunities in OP streams. It's not right, the total winter closures, and it's not ethical. So, who's gonna'take them on?. The court system doesn't seem to work, but I think the media pressure could work. We need an articulate spokesperson to make some real noise, more like the NRA, not the Boy Scouts. It's an election year. Anyone visited Dave Reichart yet?

One problem is that the news media is always going side with the tribes and what a raw deal they are getting. The non fishing public eats this up and WDFW and rec anglers get a bad rap. The tribes have done a good job of putting out TV programs and newspaper articles telling the public about their plight. Muckleshoots TV spots. Telling the news outlets how WDFW and rec anglers are destroying the wild runs. Remember in November the QIN telling the Seattle Times (?) how WDFW was destroying the wild coho run in the Chehalis system by keeping sportfishing open in November when they (QIN) had quit netting to preserve the wild fish? When the recs knew they quit netting because of low fish prices. Th general non rec public eats this stuff up.

WHER'S THE CCA???????

Exactly! Also, where is NSIA, NW Steelheaders, PS anglers? Steelheaders have no voice? I wish I had better public speaking abilities. Thanks to those that do and contribute. Something/strategies have to change? Without naming individuals, you would think all the profiteers off Steelheading would be stepping up. Guides, tackle sales dudes and famous how to article writers, where are you?

The Steelhead Trout Club of Washington has been active in lobbying WDFW for steelhead fishing. They have tried to balance wild fish, where appropriate, and hatchery fish also where appropriate. They also lobby for a return to the use of boats. Unfortunately, membership continues to decline.

From what I have seen, steelhead in particular but probably all anadromous salmonids, suffer from divided support. Wild fish advocates seem to not support any hatchery fish anywhere while supporters of harvest want more stocking for harvest.

When I was in management it was my belief that one was not a "mature" manager unless they could support an appropriate fishery that they were not interested in participating in. Same goes for sport fishing; we have to collectively advocate for appropriate fisheries, even if we don't fish that way.

Interesting? In my 50 yrs of Steelheading, I've never heard of them? Unless, they were the NW Steelheaders of TU? That is what I was a local member of, and what was going on in Tacoma area back in the late 70's early 80's. When TU sided w/ Tacoma Power to eliminate the early Cowlitz run and attempted to mask financial/dam developement responsibilities, attempting to rebuild a wild run that was already gone. I quit them after that. WFC was and is all about 0 hatchery production, not for me. Left a sour taste in my mouth, so I quit searching for clubs and did my own thing. Here I am, hardly anywhere to fish for Steelhead, maybe because I wasn't involved enough back then? I did find these PP posts from 2000. I was late on computer information access back then.

http://www.piscatorialpursuits.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/87478.html

No, the STCWA has been around since 1928. Seemed to be centered mostly in the Seattle area and northward. Still in operation; I can get you information if interested.

The heat needs to be put on WDFW, not the tribes.

Tug, agree 100%. WDFW needs to come out of the closet and inform the rec community why fishing in the Chehalis system is not opening. As we get into February and March, hatchery steelhead returns will increase on a weekly basis in the Chehalis system (Nooch, Satsop, Skook etc.). Region 6 has went silent since the end of Nov. Give the recs some answers and reasons.

WDFW should answer to the rec users. Publicly. The problem is we have to demand the reasons and not let them weasel-word their way out of it.

If WDFW Region 6 won't respond to phone calls or emails, a few people who can document this need to attend a Commission meeting and complain. If the Commission tells Director Susewind to tell R6 to respond, they will.

Whenever there is a problem with WDFW, the root of power is the Commission. Now the Commission doesn't alway side with a constituent, so there is that. Like just before Covid, I asked the Commission to have the Department conduct an audit of the cost of returning a hatchery Chinook and coho to the recreational creel for each state hatchery that produces those species. That didn't go anywhere. Neither the Commission nor the Department want to know that number when it's common knowledge that most hatchery Chinook and coho are harvested in Canada, the WA NT troll and net, and treaty fisheries.

I haven't tried to contact the R6 office in a while, but I am hearing from anyone asking tough questions that few answers are coming. They don't have to listen to us, but they do need to respond. That is an important part of their job, no matter how much they might like to avoid it.

I suggest anyone not getting answers forward your questions to the commission and the Director and let them know the R6 office isn't responding, as Sg suggested. You should get a responsive non-answer (no satisfaction guaranteed) in short order, and the Commission and the Director will also see your questions and concerns, which gives them at least the opportunity to consider them (again, no satisfaction guaranteed there).

From my perspective Region 6 has always been willing to provide information on salmon seasons. Mike and Kim have been rather forthright with models and information on that. Now ask a question on Wynoochee Mitigation or Steelhead not so much, in fact other than put your suggestions in to Olympia it is almost impossible to get anything on Steelhead. Most of my knowledge around closures comes from QIN folks and I am old and most of them have passed.

I have never been given a reason by WDFW why when numbers do not allow nonselective gillnet fisheries why selective rec fisheries are shut down. All I have is tribal fishers telling me years back “all fish or nobody fishes”. I do know that the QIN thoughts on hooking mortality are much different than WDFW. Net drop out rates for both NT and QIN are often not realistic especially for Chinook in the early fall with warm water and Sealions.

Late Coho are in bad shape in the Chehalis but true late Coho are late December and January. Over the years I have asked how many December and January Coho are taken by the QIN and was told each time that WDFW does not have that information. So why December was closed is a bit of a mystery for me especially when there are few Steelhead present.

The only consistent thing I have found is the use of the word conservation to validate the comanagers actions. When several years back I objected Kelly Cunningham responded that relations between the comanagers more or less was peachy! Frankly, my view is that this style of management has been institutionalized and both the comanagers are in denial.

It's unreasonable and frankly makes them look like they're hiding something when the season is closed, people are emailing questions, and there are no valid responses or no responses at all.

As far back as 1980 Tribes were pushing to fish when the sporties were fishing. At that time, they didn't want to fish for the same fish but wanted to fish for what they wanted. Later on, I have seen situations when a Tribe had no harvest remaining but told the state "if you fish, we fish". Since the Tribes generally (I have seen exceptions) will not fish selectively this puts the burden of conservation on the fish.

The State is faced with the choice of providing a justifiable fishery that results in over harvest or just staying closed. I also suspect that WDFW has been told not to take the Tribes to court.

I was reminded by a friend that I had to take WDFW to court for failing to provide information requested in a PDR. True it was settled out of court and they agreed not to do that again. A PDR is different than a question on XXXX issue is true so the requirements on how staff are required to respond are different. I have not fished Steelhead for years but to claim conservation is the issue for a shut down when C&R would work is a rather dishonest representation of the facts.

It's simple. The Tribes won't allow it. And the sooner WDFW admits it publicly, the better.