I've read the fishing laws a bunch of times and it says that you have to release steelhead in the Cowlitz with the right ventral fin missing. I've had people tell me that they released fish with all their fins including the adipose. If a fish has an adipose and a right ventral is it legal to keep? I've kept several fish with all their fins because if you read the game laws it says with right ventral missing and says nothing about the adipose having to be gone. I'd appreciate some input on this, thanks.

You just admited to breaking the law. If you look in the beggining of the book, it says that you have to release all wild steelhead and cutthroat unless otherwise stated. This means a fish with a adapose fin. On the Cowlitz these fish with missing right ventracle fins must also be released. Some one else will have to tell you why.

The Right Ventral fin is cut off to signify the late "native" stock of Cowlitz fish that they are trying to restore at the hatchery, so we get two peaks instead of one on winter run returns. These are all needed for broodstock and so they want them all released. <img border="0" alt="[Goldfish]" title="" src="graemlins/goldfish.gif" />

Spawnout

Sorry to correct you, buy you are wrong!

The Right clipped ventral fin steelheads are marked for a "special" upriver sport fishery above the Cowlitz Falls Dam. Above Cowlitz falls, you may keep and adipose intact right ventral clipped steelhead above Cowlitz Falls Dam. You must release them below Mayfield dam.

Cowlitzfisherman

Hey Junky, I called the WDFW game enforcement office yesterday and the guy I talked to backed up what I thought about being able to keep a steelhead with ALL of it's fins. He said that you could. I read the part about releasing "wild" steelhead unless stated otherwise, well the statement about releasing fish with a clipped right ventral fin would be stating otherwise. In the same special rules section for other rivers there are statements about releasing wild steelhead, it doesn't state that in the Cowlitz section.

By the way, Junky, I'll break the law when I feel like breaking the law.

Edited because I really don't want to be part of this.

LLuke the Drifter

If you read what game laws say on page 20, you may think twice about keeping a steelhead with all of it fins attacked on the Cowlitz or most other areas too. This is how a judge will view it if you get caught with a steelhead with all of its fins on in the Cowlitz;

Read closely how it is worded;" Wild Steelhead, Dolly Varden/Bull Trout and Salmon may only be kept where 'specifically authorized' in the Special Rules".

If it NOT SPECIFICALLY AUTHORIZED it must follow the statewide rules! If you read on further on page 20, this is stated;" Unless listed in the special rules, all statewide rules remain in effect"

So what this means, is; unless the special rules supercede the general rules and states something specific about it not being included, it remains under the general rule. The changes that you were referring to on the Cowlitz only refers to the specially marked right ventral Fin. Except for those "specially marked" fish, all other steelhead reverts back to statewide rules.

It's really not supper clear, but it's clear enough to get you a ticket! If you still have your 2001-2002 pamphlet take a look on page 57. They stated this; "WILD STEELHEAD and DOLLY VARDEN/BULL TOUT must be released year around, unless 'specifically exempted' in the SPECIAL RULES."

You will see where it was clearly shown to be the way that I have stated above. It might be a little of a screw up by WDFW, but I don not believe that it would get you off the hook!

Please consider what I have told you before you try testing your other theory out. I could be wrong, but you know what I am putting my money on.

Good luck and I hope that I have saved you from getting a big surprise!

Cowlitzfisherman

Thanks Cowlitz, these rules are so damn vague. The thing that pisses me off the most is that I called the WDFW yesterday and the guy there told me that what I said was correct. I don't know if he was trying to screw me over or what. Today I called again, the guy I talked to today said that what you said was correct, that you have to release all "wild" steelhead. Hell I don't know, I guess erring on the side of caution would be the way to go.

That wild steelhead law is ridiculous anyway, I've got a friend that works in the Cowlitz Trout Hatchery, he told me that only about 25% of the fish that leave the hatchery are clipped anyway. So the so called "wild" steelhead returning are likely just to be unclipped hatchery fish. I wouldn't care so much about the rule if the state wouldn't try blowing smoke up my ass about saving wild fish, if they'd just say they are trying to get more hatchery returns, I'd be down with that.

Good Luck Cowlitz, catch ya on the flip-flop.

Luke,

Some hatchery steelhead smolts likely don't get fin clipped as intended. So maybe you have to release a hatchery fish; I hope it won't ruin your day. However, there really are wild steelhead in the Cowlitz, and they really have all their fins. I know it's a strange concept on the Cowlitz, but there are wild fish, and there are going to be even more in the future.

Those wild steelhead are mostly headed upstream of the dams. Oh, and they are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, and it is illegal to "take" them. In order to recover this population, and I'll avoid going into the what's native and what's wild debates here, it's necessary for us to follow the regulations and get those wild steelhead back into the upper river to spawn.

At the moment they've got an uphill battle, with confusion about fishing regulations, anglers who deliberately kill them anyway, and so far only about 60% of the smolts are collected at Cowlitz Falls Dam. That will get better as the required fish passage improvements are made, but that will take time. Meanwhile, releasing unmarked steelhead, coho, and spring chinook helps recover wild fish to the upper Cowlitz River.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.

Even if its potentailly a wild steelhead?