Angle This: "Holy Smokes!! 18,202 over the dam in one day, and two days before closure? What is WRONG with this picture? This makes me sick... I didn't even get one springer this year in spite of spending WAY too much money on the effort.

If big counts continue even a couple more days, I think we should organize some kind of protest... blanket ODFW with emails, letters, fax bombs, whatever it takes to get the overpaid underskilled state leaches off their butts and reopen OUR river! Maybe passive resistance...I wonder what the state would do if a 500 boat strong fleet launched from every ramp east of Portland, showed up at Bonneville and started hammering fish? They could only ticket a small portion of the fleet, and if everyone chipped in equally to pay the fines, we'd all spend less than we did on the day's fuel, let alone our seasonal contributions to the state and related industries. These same bozos extended the commercial season, and allow the natives to fish in an extremely efficent and terribly destructive manner. Maybe we should publicly burn a scalped likeness of Bill Monroe.

As the segment of the population which contributes the bulk of the funds to keep the river healthy, it's about time we started exerting the lion's share of the control and decision making. Who is the government anyway? ...they are supposed to be US!...except in Oregon, for some crazy pathetic reason...something to think about."
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Angle T', we are all with you in the unfair "allocation frustration"! But allow me to alert you that it is not the ODWF that is responsible for cutting us sportfishers off early from the still abundant Columbia springers. It is the Col. Tribal Fish Commission with help from the NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service). In fact the states of Oregon and Washington have gone to bat for us sportfishers over these issues, most strongly in the form of a filed lawsuit against that "unfair pair" to even get us a small quota season. (Read the Bill Monroe threads here on Piscatorial and also on ifish for more details). I still think it's a good idea to send letters to the ODFW and WDFW to lend them more ammunition in negotiations on our behalf. But it is even more important to send these letters to state Congressmen and the NMFS. ... Also, friend Jellyhead reply posted to that thread on ifish calling for a protest 'fish in'. He correctly said we can troll Warts for walleye, if we release springers caught. For more effect, I think it would be a good idea to put protest signs on both sides of our boats and fish lures without hooks on them. When the gammies with a hard one runs up ready to lay some tickets on guys, reel in your hookless Wart or Kwikie and tell them you are tuning them to dive straight, while out supporting a worthy protest. It would be good to camcorder film them turn red in anger, and not be able to harrass us on cam. Although some of them might just be right on with our cause. ~~~ Anyone who is also a member of ifish, I'd really appreciate if you would copy and paste this post of mine to Angle This' thread on the ifish BB. Thanks much. - RT

rt, why dont you and stew rejoin i-fish, i see a few of your posts over there and i see you steal some from there and put here so whats the big problem ?

I second that nomination. I know you and Stew were extremly pissed off at the whole ifish meltdown sometime ago. I think the board has matured alot and would continue to thrive under you and Stews additions. I was very impressed with your response to Bill Monroes post on ifish, but the whole paste and cut think seems a little much. It's obvious to me that most everyone on PP and ifish are reading and posting on both boards.

Time heals all wounds and your a great spokesman for all of us...I'd just like to hear your voice on both boards again.

I know there were alot of behind the scenes stuff that the we don't know about and honestly don't remember or care much about anyhow. So how about it?

FYI...I was going to paste onto the thread but it is closed....I know that is what drove you crazy in the first place, all that editing and stuff.

I'll post it here, since the thread got closed over there,

I would recommend fishing for sturgeon right now. I would use a whole herring on a 5' leader and a 4' dropper w/a single barbless hook. Please be sure to release any spring chinook hooked doing this unharmed.

Also, walleye fishing is great this time of year. A mag wart trolled in 14' of water is just the ticket. If you do accidentally hook into a springer, just carefully release them.

Squawfish season just started too. I would suggest backbouncing eggs for them below bonneville. And hey, if you catch them they will pay for gas. If you do hook a springer, turn it loose.... or break it off.

I know these are ways of incidentally targeting chinook, but enough is enough. I had a gillnetter drop in below my anchored boat twice this season. F-the gillnetters, f-the fish managers, I'm fishing for sqawfish, sturgeon, and walleye right now! No g-damn "Jesus boxes" no 30 min. soak times, just good ol' catch and release. If I get a walleye, great. Just great eats. If I get a squawfish, great, 4 bucks. If I get a sturgeon, good, I don't eat them things anyhow. And god forbid I catch a springer, well I'll just turn it loose, finclip and all. It's just fishing, I'm gonna do it.

Anyone that doesn't agree w/this, tough. We've taken it in the shorts too many times. I'll use the rules to my advantage. I'll be in my bass boat FISHING!

Aaron

I have to post on this one. We are all going to keep getting shafted by the season setters as long as we don't organize a better effort. Is anyone here belong to the nsia, Northwest sportfishing industry assoc? They have the money and interest in helping us out. The protest ideas are cool too. Do everything we can do. Wirte some letters you guys. Duce out

NSIA is the way to go!

They are working thier butts off for us and need all the support we can give them!

NSIALIZ@aol.com

Join today.