If the tribe tells them to pound sand, doesn't take legal action to open up at least the Salmon for the recs and keep the Queets closed for conservation. Majority of the Salmon fish are hatchery stock anyway. I would participate in a fish-in to protest.

FOIA requests have to be made with a federal agency. https://www.foia.gov/

Maybe there is an equivalent Washington state act.

There is. Public Disclosure Requests. I think Rivrguy can enlighten us on how well and quickly WDFW complies with requests.

With the virus they finished one PDR and it was over two and the half years and a paper ( electronic really ) blizzard. They have become very good at that.

so the Quinault website says on the Quinault that you have to be accompanied by a tribal guide, and be next to them while fishing...

on the Quinault site it says about the Queets as posted, "non tribal members" can participate under all provisions and of Title 51...

first, what does Title 51 state, i read through a bit of it but didnt really get anything out of it,

does this mean that non tribal members can fish the Queets without a tribal guide or am i not reading something correctly...

The tribe controls the last 6-7 miles of water from the park to the mouth. The Clearwater and the lower salmon has been open to recs until this year. Which is unfortunate because the recreational anglers never get a logical explanation to why they close our fisheries. I cannot remember the last year the queets/quinault had a bad winter run. They get some of the heaviest plants on the peninsula and they return in large numbers, year in and out. We all know what happened, the tribe told f&w to tell the recs to pound sand, or else.

Its kind of like the situation earlier this year with our salmon season shakedown. F&ws newsletter says it was to limit the chances of overharvesting. God forbid that license holders harvest a couple fish a year that were paid for by us. Then in their emergency reg. It was to protect the spawning Chinook in the low water. (not the first year in history we had a low water start to the season) they think were to dumb to notice their wishy washy conservation methods. Aren't you bankies happy to see almost 50k surplus fish in satsop, that you paid for and couldn't touch. With no logical explanation.

thats the thing, it specifically says "on reservation" and "non tribal members can participate"...

on the Quinault river PDF< it clearly states you must have a tribal guide with you, and guides can take no more than 3 people...

The Queets River and its tributaries (this regulation also applies to Salmon River) within the
Quinault Reservation will be open to sport fishing using hook and line methods.
This Regulation begins the winter sport regulation from December 01, to March 19, 2023
according to the following provisions.
Participation: Non-Tribal Members and Quinault Tribal Members who agree to be held to all Provisions
outlined in this Regulation and of Title 51 may participate in this fishery.
Commercial Guiding: Commercial guiding may proceed under these and other applicable Quinault
Reservation regulations.
The fishery is open to taking of the following species:
Steelhead
Cutthroat
Native Char
Perch
Steelhead
The daily bag limit is as follows:
Cutthroat 2
Native Char 4
Perch No Limit
Steelhead (by period)
December 1 to January 31 2
February 1 to March 19 1

Released Fish Handling Restriction: The fish species and/or stocks where retention is prohibited, or other
caught fish which are intended to be released shall not be totally removed from the water of the river or
stream when caught, while in the process of releasing them. The fisher shall use fish friendly procedures,
with minimal contact while keeping the fingers away from eyes or the gills of the fish. If the hook has
been swallowed the leader shall be cut.
(Page 2: Queets and Salmon River Sport Fishery Regulation - 01
2022-2023 Winter Season-Nov. 11, 2022)
Gear is restricted to the use of standard fishing poles with hook and line


Quinault River:

SUBJECT: Sport Fishing on the Quinault River – December 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023
The Quinault River and its tributaries (excluding Cook Creek) upstream of the Ranch, within the
Quinault Reservation boundaries are open to hook and line fishing.
Commercial Guiding: Commercial guiding may proceed under these and other applicable Quinault
Reservation regulations
The fishery will be open to the taking of the following bag limits:
Cutthroat 12
Jack coho (less than 20 inches) unlimited
Adult coho 2
Native Char 4
Steelhead (by period)
December 1 to February 28 2
March 1 to March 31 1
Fishing Gear:
a. Fishing gear is limited to hook-and-line gear.
b. No more than one pole or line is allowed per person.
c. Only boats and accessory equipment owned and operated by Quinault tribal members are
allowed in these areas for this fishery.
d. Scattering of feed or other materials (chumming), or the use of light, to attract fish is
prohibited
SNAGGING IS PROHIBITED.
Walking on redds is prohibited.
Released Fish Handling Restriction: The fish species and/or stocks where retention is prohibited,
or other caught fish which are intended to be released shall not be totally removed from the water
of the river or stream when caught, while in the process of releasing them. The fisher shall use
fish friendly procedures, with minimal contact while keeping the fingers away from eyes or the
gills of the fish. If the hook has been swallowed the leader shall be cut.
2 | Page, Quinault River Sport Regulation 11/ 1 1 / 2 2
All non-enrolled Quinault fishers must be accompanied by an enrolled Quinault tribal member
while fishing. Also, all non-enrolled Quinault fishers must be within 100 feet of their enrolled
Quinault tribal member while fishing.
There will be a limit of three (3) non-enrolled Quinault fishers per enrolled Quinault tribal
member on the banks of the Quinault River and its tributaries. All boats used for sport fishing
must be owned and operated by an enrolled Quinault tribal member.
Fish Catch Reports: Guides are required to report their catch and clients catch on a Guided Sport
Fishing Harvest Report (log book) to the QDNR permits office ext. 7372 in Taholah.
All catches are to be reported by email to: mycatch@quinault.org.
Catches are required to be reported within 72 hours. Please report the date of the catch and
number of each species.
A fillable catch reporting document is available at:
https://www.quinaultindiannation.com/Fishing%20Regs/blank%20fish%20card.pdf
Fish caught in this fishery CANNOT be sold for any purpose.


im no reading expert, but that to me sounds like you dont need a guide to fish the Queets on tribal land, as long as you adhere to Title 51, and i couldnt find anything in there from the small amount i read stating anything about what i was looking for...

This is a Quinault regulation that applies to Quinault and their reservation. IF the Queets is on some other Tribes's reservation (Queets????) then their regulations for their reservation would apply.

Queets are part of the Quinault tribe and nation...

I guess I'll try to find a number to call when I'm done at the range..

On a tribal boundary map it will show a little sliver that covers the lower several miles of the queets. Which you need a quinault tribal member to fish. From the park boundary up, is open for anyone as long as there is a season in place to wet a line legally. Contact Olympic national parks for those regulations.

Isn't it interesting that all the rivers that the QIN net (Chehalis system,Queets) are basically closed to steelhead fishing but nearby rivers (Willapa Bay rivers) which are not netted, are open thru February. Interesting. Isn't it amazing how the Willapa wild steelhead survive better than the fish in the Chehalis system even when the fish from both systems share the same ocean. Do you think the QIN had something to do with these closures? HMMMM.

They absolutely did. There's only one reason that the Skookumchuck will not be open the last 2 years. Ill let you guys determine that answer for yourself. Then you can thankthe department of failure and waste for the opportunity to catch a boot that gets trucked to the local lakes to not bite anything you throw at it. Lil story. Ive only seen one of those fish caught legit, a kid hooked into a toad that we thought was a triploid, until it came to the net as a monster hen between 16-18 lbs hooked right in the corner of the mouth with a tiny hook and a single power egg. It was a sight to behold watching that kid reeling it in on a 6' ultra light with the reel upside down. I asked him and his father if that was his first steel. He replied that it was. He then told me that he would never forget that fish, then thanked spoon for having a net and sealing the deal with the first stab.

Lifter, consider that any fishing done by nets that intercept steelhead in GH and streams further north fish non-selectively. Those wild fish you don't catch allow the Tribes to get their hatchery fish.

In WB there are no nets targeting steelhead so the selective fisheries can occur.

CM, I know that but where is the 50/50 split in the hatchery fish between the recs and tribes when the recs have no season at all. WDFW is planting steelhead we pay for in the GH streams the the tribe can harvest (along with wild fish)while we shoulder the burden of protecting the wild fish by not fishing at all. WDFW needs to "grow a pair" and give us some semblance of a steelhead season and if the QIN doesn't like it then they (QIN) can take it to court. Otherwise WDFW is just planting fish for the tribe. to harvest.
Spoon, Two years ago I hooked three steelhead in a Grays Harbor lake and landed three two in about five or six trips. Homemade spinners. Last season I went five times and never had a strike. I think that that program of planting them in some of the lakes will be discontinued because it was so disappointing. Like you said, not very good biters.So , I don't know what WDFW will do with all the surplus fish in rivers like the Wynooche and Skook. Probably just sell them to the fish buyer like they do surplus salmon.

The 50:50 split was "negotiated" away. Although the court mandated 50:50 the State and Tribes can agree to something else. The only option left to the recs is a lawsuit in Federal Court. Asking WDFW to do something different (and apparently what the state wants done) won't get anywhere.

WDFW is producing hatchery fish, whether salmon or steelhead, for the Tribes.

That was my point, CM. Producing fish for the tribes and we (tax paying -license buyers) get the shaft. it would be nice when all those hatchery fish come back to the Nooch and the Skook, The license buyers can go to the hatchery and get a few fish apiece to take home. I could use a few in my freezer. Of course, we know that is not going to happen. I don't think it is even lawful. In Alaska, at least in Juneau, When the salmon come back to the hatcheries. the public is invited to come and pick the fish they want out of the totes. Heaven forbid they could or would do something like that in State.

I did hook one in a lake last year. After a thousand carts, i had one slam a spinner. Then when it jumped i saw it was hooked right behind the dorsal. Lol. Only spoon can pull of the ol' spinner-snag. And if the state is selling off all of these surplus fish because of missed opportunity, for a profit, is a whole 'nother can of worms. So the fish are paid for by said license holders, the license holders dont get to fish them, but the state sells them for profit? Looks like the state is winning twice, so to say. Greasy to say the least.

The state gets money, but not much. That money, and Rivrguy (my go-to guy on many details of WDFW) can chime in, goes to specific places like the local enhancement groups to support local activities. It's not a "business" operation.

Egg and Carcass contract is open for anyone to bid on and the vendor must take all surplus. Funds generated go to the RGEG volunteers for work with salmon, habitat or supplementation. WDFW gets little to no benefit.