Robyns,
Just wondering where in Canada you were fishing at? When I was up there they treated the boundrys the same as down here. They were chasing down boats that were crossing the boundry line. The resort we were at even told us not to cross the line or we could get a fine if caught. But that was a couple years ago maybe the rules have changed now.

Snit,
You guys in eastern Wa. dont eat those boots do you?? I have seen fish that have been dead on the river bank for days that are brighter than that. Those fish must be easy to clean though just one shake of the tail and you get a bunch of salmon pate ( yumm pass the crackers) And yes I have kept afew fish that are that dark I freeze them in chunks and use them for crab bait. The crabs love the rotten meat.

I was not trying to bash anybody, just have issues with the whole late season fishing below hatcherys. I live in Idaho and its full swing time for combat fishing on the little Salmon, south fork Salmon and north fork Clearwater. They get people lined up shoulder to shoulder to fish in a hole maybe 15 feet across. People sleeping on rocks so they can be the first person "in the hole"... Pretty good fist fight about every 20 min or so.. all day long. In may the fish are in good shape. In the middle of July they are flat nasty. I know a bunch of guys who fish in these zones and its always the same deal " hooked 30 and landed 12 "... thats not fishing.. its something else all on its own. It looks kinda like a zoo. The point of all this rambling is this. If I was a kid I would spend my fishing time down the river fishing for the fish on their terms so I could learn something about fishing. The term "like shooting fish in a barrel" got started somehow.

kids if they can give you
a ticket they will ! you know what i mean.
it 50/50

Ok thanks guys

Duroboat

The spot I am speaking of is Rivers Inlet BC @ the Head. Im not sure if you are familiar with this spot or not, but there are hundreds of boats that hug the boundry line. Fish and Game are real strict on patrolling the boundry line. If you cross it with no fish on they let you know QUICK! If you catch a fish in the legal water and it crosses over its cool to play it. Hard to stop a screaming 40 or 50 pounder.

Robyns77,
Rivers Inlet is where I was fishing too. I was up there in early august 1999 and 2000. Like I said things change. I stayed away from the boundry for the most part. I liked fishing in between Rivers Inlet Resort and King Salmon resort. There is a creek that dumps into a little bay there and a old log cabin. That little bay was really good at times.

Duro, My first drift caught steelhead was a skanky summerrun (In January)on the Snoqualmie when I was 6 (1977). I did it all by myself, and I new the fish was ugly then, and my dad said, "well do you really want to eat that"? So I let it go! I know what a good and a bad fish look like. BUT, there's alot of guys that get just as much pleasure out of keepin' a snake river summer run in December (through March), and who am I to degrade them for making that choice? I only have control over myself, and I realy don't care if someone else wants to keep a dark fish. BUT, I don't waste them for crab bait. I save the heads and backbones off of "good fish" rather than kill spawners only for filling up the freezer for bait?

The only ones I keep for bait are Chums and only 2 or 3 of those a year depending on size.

Gray area, nuff said... But then again I'll help stir the pot. I've asked a warden about this situation. His response was that it was okay to stand ABOVE the boundary as long as I was fishing BELOW the boundary. Hmmm, seems to be a personal warden decision. Go figure. My suggestion: Don't worry about a ticket and go fish the hell out of the river and have fun catching fish! Peace out - no stress.

Matt

I think im gonna say screw it and fish in a diffeent spot! But thanks guys!