. . .this weekend. Near the peak of the run and should have light preasure on Monday since Canadians don't celebrate President's Day

After everything I've read about how you feel about wild steelhead release why would you go fish a system [and pretty much the whole province] where wild steelhead release is mandatory?

I release all my wild steelhead anyway. I just don't think that forced statewide C&R will solve anything. It opens up forgone opportunity for the tribes, and allows us to be the fall guys for the department again, rather than holding them accountable for their mismanagement. But I'm all for voluntary C&R or C&R in a few rivers.

JF, is it true ?

I've seen the benefits of Catch & Release from fishing the Yakima. Since the inception of C&R this river has become a Blue Ribbon fishery. I now C&R many native rainbows over 20". I know that if I kept everything I caught there would be very few fish in the river and we wouldn't see fish over 20".

I believe this concept is true for wild steelhead. One bonked wild steelhead means one less wild steelhead to spawn. For every wild steelhead taken out of the spawning population means smaller returns. With all the netting by the Indians and killing of wild steelhead by the "sportsman" how do we expect to ever rebuild these runs.

We've seen the impact of the nets since Boldt. Does killing another wild steelhead help or hender? You know the answer.

Bonk a brat, Save a Native. Catch and Release is the only way to go.

Have a great time on the Vedder, PFunk

Jacob,
The state attorney generals office has issued an opinion that the dreaded foregone oppurtunity monster has no basis. So please find another good reason to still have any wild kill!

I agree with you, which is why I C&R all my nates. I believe that if statewide C&R had gone into effect, the state would have extended the tribal netting season. The tribes DID request the right to net 7 days a week after prop 1 was filed. Had they made statewide C&R mandatory, I'd bet quite a lot of money they would have also let the tribes net 7 days a week, which would do far more damage to the runs than all the sportfishermen combined.

I don't understand the logic. If sportsmen go CNR then WDFW will allow more netting!? It doesn't make sense. Is there something I am missing here?

Catch and release statewide.....That is what this angler believes. Lets quit worrying about what coulda woulda stuff and get it out of the way. No action amounts to just that....no action, lets get the ball rolling and cross the barriers when we have to.

THIS Gig Harbor PSA angler wants statewide C/R, and I have argued this point many times at our meetings.

Jacob, Jacob, Jacob,
The tribes have been requesting 7 days a week for 20 years, not just because of wild steel head release. The day will come when we will have wild release, my hope and prayer is that it happens before the last remaining wild runs are in the same sad sad sad shape as our other mismanaged runs.

Fished the vedder last sunday, below the crossing saw 2 fish caught very slow that day.