Come on guys, a pistol is *never* the answer! Don't be so idiotic and stupid!

Now, my "Social Shotgun", that's a whole different ballgame!

You'd be surprised how friendly and respectful people are when you've got the "Social Shotgun" slung across your back!

Nothing says love like 5 3" 12 ga. sabot slugs!

"It will drop a Gizzyly in it's tracks at 50 yards, whaddya think it's going to do to you?"

The "Social Shotgun". Never leave home without it!

Parker

now parker
What is the difference between carring a shot gun or a pistol. Eirhter of them can get you out of a tight sitution espicaly when the odds are not in your favor.

Now I am not saying that a pistol is better then a shotgun but come on them things get heavy during a full day of fishing I would just rather stick to the old pistol with blistick(sp) tips or hollow points.

On the other hand is it not redicouls that we have to carry firearms to protect our selfs when we are susposed to be doing some thing that everyone is able to enjoy.

Well I for one am getting sick and tired of always having to look over my shourld when ever I am fishing on the skok just to make sure some indians are not getting ready to jump me for fishing their river.

I know I am not perfect by a long shot but the natives need to learn that if they dish it out they better damn well beable to take it back ant least 10 fold

Well I will stop yammering I have to go to bed anyways big day of marlin fishing tomorrow.

Dances out

This is B..S..if people on both sides of the ethnic line dont calm down there will be bloodshed on the Skok soon. Maybe it has to happen to bring about the changes which need to occur. But I'd rather be a live fisherman than a martyr for any cause.
This comes back to why I quit Golf, (aside from the fact my swing still sucks,)I've actually witnessed gang related gunplay on the fairway in Northern Ca.
I thought fishing might be more pastoral... I guess I was wrong.

Headhunter: As fish runs dwindle, and as more and more access area disappears, anglers are finding themselves in much more crowded and challenging situations. Throw in the mayham that is currently taking place on the Skokomish River and the mounting tensions between Tribal and Non-Tribal Fishermen, and you have a recipe for disaster. I totally agree with you on one point.... There will be bloodshed on the Skokomish soon. Maybe not this year, but if things continue the way they are, it's only a matter of time before something bad happens. I know that I have been very critical of the Tribes and their harvest practices, and I'll continue to criticize Tribal harvest practices until something is done to police them. That being said, it is not Tribal Members in general that I have a problem with. I have a problem with the ones who are so rude and inconsiderate that they will go out of their way to screw a guy out of a day of enjoyable fishing. The ones who purposely throw their nets out two feet from where you are trying to fish, the A$$holes who where useing Seal Bombs last Sunday night on the Skokomish as a means of chasing fish into the nets.... That is a bunch of crap and has no place in any type of fishery, Tribal or otherwise. I have fished around Skokomish Tribal Members who were very courteous and even went out of their way to not interfer with the Sport Fishermen. However, these individuals are the exception rather than the rule. Most of the Skokomish Tribal Fishermen I have encountered were rude, inconsiderate, degenerates. You are right, something does have to change, but how? Sport Fishermen have given up everything they have to give. The Tribes are already getting the Lions Share, so how can the Sport Fishermen give anything more than what we've already given? The fact of the matter is that the ball is in the Tribes' court. It is time for the Tribes to do a little giving for a change. It is time for the Tribes to step up and do what is right. Get those God D@mned nets out of the rivers and start to do what is nesessary to save the fish runs! I know that if I were a member of a Tribe whose heritage revolved around Salmon and Steelhead, I'd feel a bond with those fish, so much so that it would simply kill me to see my own people sh!tting all over the very resource that sustained us for so many years. It would sicken me to call myself a Skokomish Tribal Member.

guys,there are lots of fish this year,i certainly wouldn't go to the skok to fish,especially if you have to pack a gun to feel safe.it has been a snag fishery for the last 20 years.lots of white and tribal people go there and do nothing but snag salmon.it is no place for a fisherman.we all know the skok tribe are the worst abusers of the system in the state,and there is little or no enforcement to stop them.i don't think any of you should put your life on the line to go there and try to legally catch a salmon in that kind of environment.i went to the skok about 10 years ago,it took me about 10 minutes to see what was going on,got in my pickup and never went back.there are too many rivers to fish in wa.state to fish, to mess with that area in my opinion. scott

The hood Canal is a perfect example of what abuse of gill netting can do to a rivers health. All the rivers on the Canal suported diverse healthy runs of fish up untill the mid 70's both steelhead and salmon. Now all you can get is a bunch of Chum and Hatchery Skok kings. My dad grew up fishing the Dosie and the both the Big Quil and Little Quil for Steelies and did real well throught the 60's and part of the 70's. As soon as the Bolt decision passed the fish quickly disipeard over just a few years. Ive seen pictures from the 20's of my late great uncle with bunches of teener steelies from the Duckabush. Thoose days were long gone before my time.

After having read all of the post's and threads concerning the situation on the Skokomish River I have come to one conclusion. There are a lot of folks who would rather use force to get their point across, this is (my river I will fish anyway I see fit) (this is my river and I won't let it go down the drain so I will do what I deem fit to keep it safe).
Guys, it's not your river, its not their river! It is just a river with some fish in it! Some day they may be all gone but at the expense of a human life? Is it really worth it?
Some of you should read over the thread and just listen to the hatred, greed and predjuice that eminates from your words! You would do well to lead by example! If this is the example that you bring to the river when you fish then I want no part of your company or your precious fish!
And yes I do fish the Skokomish and I do release any fish I may inadvertantly snag, yes, I do pick up litter anytime I fish any river. I even fixed the fence that was cut on private property, not that it was a perfect job, however it may have kept the cows in and saved someone's life if the cows got out. Those critters make a mess at 40mph. I even talked to the land owner at Hunters and asked if there was anything I could to do to make amends for the poor showing that my fellow fishermen were displaying to his land. I ended up picking up litter.
What I'm getting at is lead by the best example YOU can give and speak!
Anything less than that won't make much of an impression on anyone, much less make a positive change.

SkaGuy
I would like to thank you for fixing the fence too. That was a very kind jesture.

I have fished the skok for aslong as I can remember and only in the last few years has it begun to get really bad.(in my opinion) Before the skok reopened to kings about three or four years ago no one ever fished there. my dad used to take me down there to go trout fishing by hunters when the kings were running and we would watch hunders pass by.

Now when the river first reopened there was about a three week period where it was just a few local fisherman on the river fishing for the kings and then the News Tribune published "Skok Kings in and its red hott." after that the snaggers showed up and the fun was over.
For the most part the snaggers that are down on the skok are from seattle or tocoma(sp) Now I am not saying that all of the people down there are but most. I like to fish that river I grew up on it. Its almost like a second home to me and I hate to see it being destroyed(sp) by snaggers of any race.
I tend to be a smart ass on the river and my dad can atest to that and I have a tendancy to say things to the people who are snagging and most of the time they try to lie there way out of it but it is really hard when you say some thing like "Damn your gettin Bites every cast, man there must be a ton of fish in there" or "Wow All those hook sets and not a damn thing? you might want to let them bite instead of trying to tail hook them" Yea I do get alot of dirty looks but they usualy stop or just leave and then its back to me and the river and a few natives.

Some people on the skok think that they own the river and they are not even indians Ex.
Last year my dad and a few friends and I were out fishing and it was getting late in the morning. My dad had already caught his limit and I was jsut a fish shy so I decied to stay alittle longer well we were fishing a a hole that was jam packed with people and some smart A$$ from another hole up above saw my dad leaving and so he proceed to walk down.
This guy was about 6'1 and alot ugly'r then RT if you can picture that and he had worst taste in clothing then RT anyways back to my story
As he was doing so my dad was nice and polite and told him it was not a good idea to go down there because of what he was wearing. The guy then asked what was wrong with his clothing and my dad told him it was to bright and that he would spook all the fish. then man then told him he was wearing the same type of clothing everyone else was and my dad said everyone is wearing dark green to black down there and your wearing kackie those colors dont seem to be anything alike.
Well the guy was getting alittle hot by then and he said something esle to my dad and he kinda got alittle excited he told the out of towner that "Its A$$holes like you who ruin the river for every one else and I am leaving!" the guy said its a good thing your leaving and my dad stopped dead in his tracks droped his gear turned around and asked "WHAT" the man then started to walk off.
Well after my dad was out of sight the out of towner started to walk back down to where I was fishin and he was about to try to wiggle down in by me and there was about a three foot gap between me and the guys on either side. I turned around and asked him if he wanted a fish hook in his ear. He gave me a dumb look like you wouldnt dare and then he started to walk towards me again so I whipped my big glob of eggos by his head. I think he got the point after that cuz he walked down the river about a 100 yards or so and started to snag again. These are the kind of people who really get me going on the skok now dont get me wrong if your an out of towner and you are fishing legaly I have no problem with you its just those people who snag that get my blood flowin.

When you combined the tribe in with all that the river becomes a war zone. Some of the tribal members(sp) have the mentalty(sp) that its their river and they can do what ever they please when ever they please and if some one gets in their way then there is going to be hell to pay.

Ex. I was fishing for kings last year when a bunch of little kids started to toss rocks right where I was fishing and I asked them to stop and then out of the brush comes this big indian he started to rant and rave and yelling at the top of his lungs at me. Telling me that his kids can do what ever they want and if I have a problem with it I would have to deal with him. well I told him to swim his Happy a$$ over so we could discuss it like men and he threw his beer at me and we exchanged a few words then he heard my last name and was off. Now with experences like that most people would not want to go back to that river but Like I said it is a second home to me and so I will fish that river and I will not take $h!t from anyone there that I dont know. you said lead by example and I follow my father.

I would gladly fish other parts of western washington for kings but its kinda hard when you dont have a boat or a rig to get from place to place.
I am no where close to home right now so I have no clue how the sitution with the natives is going but I can guess that its not well.

Just my $.02
Dances out

[ 08-12-2001: Message edited by: danceswithfish ]

[ 08-13-2001: Message edited by: danceswithfish ]

Skaguy: So that was you I saw fixing the fence last Friday night? Thank you for that.
Seriously, that was a very nice gesture. For the record, I've never said or implied that I think the Skokomish is my river.... If it were my river we wouldn't be having this discussion right now. If the Skokomish were my river, I'd shut it down rather than watch all of the B.S. that is currently going on. Also, all of this crap that is going on has just over the last few years gotten real bad. Things never were this bad, say two or three years ago.

SKaGuy,
Thanks for fixing the fence you sound like a true Sportsman. Although I Don't like watching the snaggers Indians or otherwise, I still like to fish and try to overlook the weak minded people who head straight to the "snagging holes" I guess maybe they don't know how to catch a fish legally. As far as the Indians netting yes I have had some bad experiences on more than one river but the good times have always outweighed the bad. And so we fish on.
Ramprat

After reading this entire thread, I have one question I can't resist asking: Why in the hell would you want to fish here??

1) Finding un-netted holes full of biting kings on any given day sounds very unlikely.

2) It's crowded.

3) Hostilities have risen to the point of packing a gun for peace of mind.

4) Human pond scum in the form of whites and indians seems to be in abundance.

Why would a person want to deal with this? There are sooooooo many options for good fishing right now that I honestly can't comprehend why someone would pay good money in gas and tackle and risk there safety to take home a fish in this cultural cesspool.

Count me out! I'll never go there. Fishing is upposed to be fun.....remember?

I'll try and keep my cool on this one
I spent almost 15 years playing softball and socializing with memebers of the Skok tribe,and found them to be great people.

but these low life Muther Phuckers we incounter on the river are just way out there.
It's not about greed for most of us

but some tribal memebers go out of their way to cause BS with us "whiteies"

I don't think violence is the answer,
but I have in the past and proabably will again "pack heat" I just won't take any crap from these guys ( The Tribe or the white trash snaggers )

It's a sport,don't give this sheet about it being a "Way of life" ......being ignorant is not a way of life .

We could always go into the way they managed to destory to Elk population in the area,and this after the Game department brought more animals in.....and now they want more Oh Brother....and they let these some of people...breed .....Os

DancesWF, you and your Dad have probably as much reason as anyone to be unhappy w/ the Skok, and after some of the other stories I've heard, your wariness is probably justified.
The Skok tribal people I've spoken with dont think theres a problem on the river. Could be they dont know about what's going on. And if it gets too confrontational, I believe they can close access to any land that is tribally held. If I understand the boundary, thats above the bridge.
Maybe the answer is to let them decimate the river. Sad option, but they dont seem to manage it very well.
Saw something interesting yesterday on the canal. A tribal was on the canal with his net. A power boat went by with about 150 yards or more clear. He slowed down enough to push a big wake, and kept motoring. After the ride he got, that tribal may think a second time about where he sets his nets. Moral of the story: There may be more than one way to skin a cat....

I've noticed the Skoks don't like you to set foot on the north side of the river.........unless, of course, you're at the Quik-Mart or a firework stand, then apparently it's OK to be on that side.

Is there any wild fish left in the Skok?

Hey ZOZO, Looks like your headed for another two page post and I couldn't agree with you more. Your setiments are whole heartedly viewed by alot of N.W. fishers as one of the main reasons for the incredible demise of our N.W. fishing stocks.
And rich, thier probably isn't any native chinook on the skok.,It was dead and now it's alive, paid for by whom and with what?
My, what a few years dfference makes.
SAD BUT TRUE---but what can we do?

I agree with Eric on this one fellas. Fishing is supposed to be fun, not about looking over your shoulder or worrying about what some dumb [Bleeeeep!] will do next.

Maybe you guys should organize a "clean up" date for the "Skok" if you know what i mean... (just kidding)
Dont take matters in your own hands, video tape, call in poachers whatever needs to be done to get back your river. The more we act like fools the less respect sportsman get. Go bout' it the right way and clean it up. No guns, last thing we need is a fricken shooting. there's plent of round rocks to throw...lol

Ska guy - thanks for fixing the fence, and I don't/haven't fished that river yet, but I wanted to say thanks.

Quote of the thread:
---Dances, that's what's wrong with society nowadays, it seems most people are afraid to take an ass whooping. If men want to settle it like men, then I say leave your drunken warriors back at the house and bring that **** on, mano y mano. Little buddy, you can fish with me anytime because I like how you stand for something.
Littlezozo, of course y'all are welcome and shoot me an email next time you go down there, either of you. I'll meet up with ya.

Why go to the Skok? Sheesh--I don't have to walk further than the nearest beach to see a couple of gulls fighting over a scrap of fish...

We're not going down there to fight over fish. It's a matter of principles. if we say "Screw it" and leave the Skok for the Indians, then where do we stop. So what, we leave the Skok to the indians and we head for the Barrier dam. What do we do when we get down there and everyone is snagging? Do we say "Screw this too" and head for the Toutle? What if we don't like what we see on the Toutle? Do we just leave? Where do we stop? Where do we make our stand? Shouldn't we put our collective foot down somewhere and say "This is it! I'm not taking this crap any longer!?" Why should the honest sportsmen always be the ones to give in? Why can't something be done to reclaim what is ours and to make fishing pure again? Shoulder to shoulder with Triple hooks and Buzz Bombs, right in the middle of a bunch of nets is not how it was meant to be. So why should we suffer? Why should we give up? I must admitt, I was very discouraged when I first started this thread, and I even considered the whole "If you can't beat them, join them route" but now that I've seen how many others are concerned about this issue, I have re-thought my earlier statments. Sinking to the level of others is never the answer, niether is giving up.