I just got my copy of the new STS,great mag,and I can't help but notice the amount of wild fish that get havested down there.I just read a thread about natives and others killing lots of fish.
Sounds like you guys have an endless resource of wild fish down there?I'll probably never get a chance to get down there,but,I still think you's should tighten up regs while you still have it pretty good.They are so precious to the pacific north west.

Where are you from Ribber B?

Well ,I'm from Vancouver Island.I wanted to check out other boards,so did a search,and this one came up.We have some great steelhead fishing up here too,but there is no where you can keep a wild steelhead up here.Same with coho.I don't mind it at all.Catch and release ain't so bad.And keeping a hatchery is also fine.

Canuck

Where on Vancouver Island are you from?
Do you have some favorite streams on the island for steelie's? You can always end them to me via private mail box.....

Why yes,I do have several.If your ever up this way,give me a jingle. river_hunter@hotmail.com
Please,no "need a few more inches?"mail or"debt help?".I'm very much on top of my game,and the women are always satisfied.

RB,
There are some excellent rivers in the states, but right now I'd say Oregon has more with healthy wild fish runs than Washington. Oregon also has a stronger wild fish conservation attitude in the regs.

My friend and I are averaging 4 or 5 hookups each per day on the coastal rivers right now....all natives so far. We hooked 16 tuesday, which is the best we've ever done. I think the Oregon coastal rivers are having the best wild steelhead run I've seen since I started steelhead fishing 7 years ago.

Washington wild steeelhead don't have a chance. We have the highest human population density east of the Mississippi, we have a pro-development government with no growth management except that delegated to the local county comissioners and we all know where their environmental ethics are at, we have indian gillnets in all the stevens treaty rivers and commercial gillnets in the one's that aren't and they all catch steelhead - wild or otherwise, and we open up our best rivers - any unfortunate to meet "escapement goals" - to native steelhead bonkers. The only reason we have any wild steelhead at all is that we happen to have started out with the most prolific and productive steelhead rivers in the world. We are well on our way to ruining them, though, as you can see. We are not all stupid, arrogant pigs but enough of us are to ruin it all eventually

Ribber--your view from the "outside" looking in holds water for many of us on the "inside" looking out. Probably wonder why we dont have a hunting season on eagles.

CNR

Canucks are gonna win the Cup this year

Ribber Canuck,

Heck yes I would like to make it for some fishing. I'll fire off an email to you. I'll understand if you have to blind fold me like a terrorist would before showing me the streams of choice up in Canada. I can forward you some email regarding University Diploma's -how'd that be??

How 'bout I just blindfold you!LOL.
I'm a tower crane operator,up here,sitting atop...30 - 40 story, hi rise buildings during construction.Nice view and nice pay!
No,I'll show you the rivers of legend,if your ever in town.
I hope the canucks win!

Nice view I imagine there Canuck. Ever see a base jumper leap one off those things? So, what do you have a little labtop up there or what? I take it you drink beer....

I was on one job, where a group asked if they could film a jump offf of this one crane,back a few years ago.But with Workers Compensation Board(WCB) regs,The company couldn't afford any accidents on their job site.
I drink Canadian brewed Budweiser,and I like my rye.You can't imagine what my ,already sexy girlfriend ,looks like!

HA! See you've been visiting that other thread..... Must not have got the warning in time. Watch your language on the site now "Crane-man". The big eye in the sky is watchin' -Bob! You don't want to have to find another "new" site and alias now....

LOL! This is the american version of this one site I frequent up here.Check it out if you want.It's more Canadian content,but more less ,the same story.


http://www.bcadventure.com/cgi-bin/board...BC&number=2

Any trade off of information is all for the good.
We all love the same thing.

Wow! This is my first post in a long, long while. Forgive me if a get a little long-winded. I've been a reader/participant in Bob's BB since the beginning, even before mandatory registration. Not that anyone would remember, but my old "handle" was TK. Since I changed my ISP amost two years ago I have not re-registered but have been "dropping-by" frequently.

Yes Ribber, WA rivers have immense runs of native steelhead. WA rivers have many, many more native steelhead than any river in BC, Alaska, Oregon, and CA. That's why here in WA can still kill native steelhead, while at the same time there is virtually no native harvest of any wild steelhead anywhere else on the west coast.

Yes, I know that BC fishery managers and those of other US states realized over 20 years ago that each native steelhead was unique to its' individual watershed and that they should be protected. But not here in WA, we still get to whack 'em.

Our wild steelhead runs (unlike yours Ribber) were so phenomenal in the 1990's that we were allowed to kill native steelhead THREE different years during the 90's on all of the Snohomish, Skagit, and Stilly systems through Feb 28. Sadly Ribber, these above mentioned rivers have now been closed for THREE years in a row during March and April, due to all of sudden "depressed returns". Unfortunately, this is when the small runs of native fish actually return to these rivers. When no winter hatchery fish return to these rivers (like this year), these rivers essentially become summer-run only rivers.

So now because ALL of the rivers within an hours or so drive of ALL of the major population centers are closed, ALL of the die-hard anlgers make the trek over to the Olympic Penninsula rivers, where not only can you still fish for steelhead Ribber, you can still kill any steelhead that hits the beach! How's that for a bonus? You see, the runs of wild steelhead in these OP rivers are so immense that they can easily support ALL of the fishing pressure/harvest of the entire state of WA.

Oh Ribber I forgot, you can still fish the Skagit River for steelhead. The return"prediction" for native steelhead for this river is way, way over the escapement goal of 6,000. You see, 6,100 fish are expected to return to this river this spring to spawn. Get this though, the "reported" (can you imagine creel checks on the Skagit in '62?) sport HARVEST for the Skagit River for winter steelhead in 1962-63 was 21,400 fish. What were the netting totals from just that year, for a total harvest? Now WDWF are hoping that a whopping 6,000 fish make it back to spawn? That should fill the river with spawners.

How about the Pilchuck River, the river I hold so near and dear? This river has been raped, pillaged, and plundered for 75 years. This is the first river in North America that Roderick Haig-Brown fished in visit in 1927 (he got skunked....some things never change). Long before WA State Fisheries had hatchery programs stationed at Chambers Creek, Soos Creek, and the Nemah River, the "Game Dep't" trapped most of the fish for their "hatchery" program from the Pilchuck River. This practice was abandoned in the late 30's when the outcry from local fisherman demanded changes. Trapping stopped, and fishing was closed on the Pilchuck for a number of years. Then the built a dam, then the gravel companies arrived and took all of the rocks from the river, then because there were too many twists and turns in the darn river they decided to straighten it out with bulldozers and rip-rap. So now I get to go fish a sand-filled ditch with no rocks for fish that return after the river closes.

Ribber, be thankful that you live in a state/province where your governing agency actually places the welfare of the fish above the right/wants/needs of commerical net fisheries, tribal net fisheries, and sport fisherman. Around here the fish have always finished last. You have no reason, NONE, to visit WA in search of steelhead.

OK, I'm done venting. I'm obviously upset by not being able to fish my local rivers for the THIRD year in a row.

I don't know if this is old news or not but you won't believe what I ordered from the Cabela's catalog this evening. 50/50 Pen-Tac BC Steels. Yep, I even paid the $7 extra so I could beat all of you to the river with 'em. Oh, that's right, I can't fish until June.

Glad to be back.

Ike (Todd)

Hey Ikissmykiss,
How do you REALLY feel about the Nate regs here in WA??
Just kidding. I think you said it well and I agree with alot of what you said.

Well put Ikmk.

IKMK,

I, too, have been around this site since, what?, 1996 or 1997?, way before there was registration, not to mention all the bells and whistles that are here now.

I also remember you as "TK" back then...welcome back!

Fish on...

Todd.
Wild Steelhead Coalition