Guess its the time of the season to ask ourselves why...? Our freezer's are full of king and silver salmon and some fresh Hac. steelhead if we've been out in the lately , why do we continue to fish for native steel....if we intend to release them. Whouldn't it be best to just leave them alone and un-stressed by catch and release, to spawn and return to the rivers in years to come??.....

would be even better if we didn't put hatchery fish in the rivers to moleste and outcompete the wild fish for prime habitat. end hatchery plants and and wild fish would rebound like you wouldn't believe.

Also hatchery runs provide piss poor fishing opportunity compared to wild fish.

Just saw Santa fly by... Sorry Rob you must have been bad this year cause he had a load of hatchery smolts headed for your favorite river... :p

Dude its gonna take a helluva lot more than ending hatchery plants... there is alot of environmental destruction that needs to be reversed first...

I have no idea why we continue to fish for them, it is probably similar to a crack addiction. Well at least for me. I have never hooked or caught a native fish, so don't think everyone is molesting native fish.

Probably because when I was 4, Grandpa was going to take my brother to the creek to teach him how to fish, and told me I couldn't come.

I threw such a fit that they drug me along.
I parked myself under the bridge with my closed face reel and caught one all by myself.

I guess I still fish just to see if it was an accident.

i fish for the thrill of the next big one,it is not the fish in the boat that does it for me.it is the hunt.

Piper

I agree with you 100%

Rob says that;

Your right Rob…. I "wouldn't believe" that for one second! It just ain't going to happen the way you say it will!


Cowlitzfisherman

It's the thrill of the chase ! Then the bite.
Merry Christmas. Off to the river for my Christmas fish???

Heck lets just quit fishing all together! Then there will be millions of happy fishies ot there. NOT!

To fish or not too fish what the hell kind of question is that! Freezer full so we should stop? Oh my!Fishing is not about filling the freezer! If it was, what would be the fun of it after the freezer was full. No, No, NO,Grasshopper Fishing Is a very dangerous disease That luckily has only affected me in my family but Unfortunately affects millions wolrdwide some worse then others. I am afraid there is not much hope for me as I am in stage 10 which is the worst level of addiction there is. I have barely been able to continue working and am currently looking at mounting fish as a way to make some money and ease the fishing pains I get every day. I am a hopeless fishing fanatic and I think the only thing that will stop me from fishing is Death. And thats just the way it Is. If you dont understand that then you just aint got the disease.

Rob Allen,
lets see some scientific data that supports your claim. I still fail to understand How you believe making less of not enough fish to support themselves Is going to make more with continued take of any kind. Can you see why I think your a peta member? Anti hatcheries is Anti fishing and anti productive. Yes there does need to be hatchery reform but It would be really dum to just stop hatchery production.
Damn dude if ya only put half your time into Poachers, netting, and the enviroment you would be hell on wheels and a true fishing advocate. Hatcheries have got to stay untill we take care of business.

I just like fishing.

The meat has nothing to do with it for me. Don't get me wrong, I like eating fish too, but that's not why I go.

I go to keep my head on straight.

I guess the best way to answer such a question is with another question C/22 ...

Why do you fish in the first place? It's certainly far cheaper to stock the freezer up with commerical / farmed fish if it's about the meat ...

For those that like to jab at those ecnouraging others to release what they catch by bringing up mortality (yes, it does exist) or toher similar issues. I ask you this ... thousands of people every year are injured and some even killed on the ski slopes every year; why do people continue to do it knowing that something "could" happen?

Why do people run up and down a wood floor trying to throw a ball through a metal hoop?

Why do people swipe at a little white ball with a club trying to make it go into a little hole several hundred yards away?

Why do people jump out of airplanes with only some cord and cloth to slow their descent?

Why do people suffer miserably to climb 20,000+ mountains?

Why do people drive cars in circles at 200+ mph? Or better yet, why do millions of people pay to watch it??

Why do people fling arrows at their quarry rather than shoot it with a gun. Certainly a gun is more effective and cost-efficient?

Why do people pay thousands of dollars to go look at a bear at Katmai when they could see one at the zoo for $5 or on TV for free?

I guess if you take the answers to all of the above questiosn and put them together, you might have figured out why some of us fish

Why do some of us continue to fight for our fish and our rights to fish for fish?

Yes you can believe what you may, but to me, fishing is a right and I could care less about that "privilege" concept crap that so many of you continue to buy into!

At lease the tribes got it right! The ability to hunt and fish was mans right from the very begging. But like always, some a$$ figures that they could "charge you" for doing so, and we are where we are now! Give the Indian credit… he never screwed his fellow man that way!

Long before we had all of these "social rules" that were made to generate money only…..we hunted, and we fished, and no man took that "right" away without the fear of his actions.

That is why I fish! To me it is and inherent "right of mankind".

Like salmon and steelhead; some things are just inborn instincts, and they are responsible for our long term survival as a specie called "man". Maybe we are becoming too much like some kind of a "hatchery stock" and we are depending too much now on how someone else may be able to feed us! Fishing and hunting is an art of life!

Merry Christmas

Cowlitzfisherman

lesson 1 in history

South fork toutle river. 100% habitat destruction. Worst enviromental destruction than has happened on any stelhead river anywhere except the upper columbia.
within 2 years of the explosion the rivers native steelhead began to return in good numbers and by the late 80's was THE ONLY river in southwest washington meeting it's escapment goals..
Then they started planting summer steelhead and the run went to hell and has yet to return. The summer steelhead are outcompeteing the wild fish for the available rearing habitat. WDFW doesn't study the issue because of the implications for their hatchery programs..

The science is out there and I have posted it in here several times. Yhe Science is clear except some people choose to ignore it cause they want a freezer full of hatchery fish. It's that simple. Also There is no science to the contrary. Hatchery fish hurt wild fish.

Why do I fish?? because i grew up on a river.

Because I enjoy long drives with a friend where we can talk and really get to know each other.

Because I love the anticipation before every trip - from the tying of flies, packing of tackle and talking to others to gather information.


Because I love the smells of the sea and forest, the sunrise on the water and the excitement of the first cast.

Because I love the huge splashy take of a wild trout, the subtle tug of a steelhead and the persistent ever-stronger pulls of a big chinook.

Especially because I love the feel of a solid hook set and that first run when the fish is totally out of control.

Because I love the feeling of victory as I slide the fish into the net or slip the hook from its lip.

Because I love a drink with a friend at the end of the day, when we can relive the highlights and laugh at the disasters.

Because I look forward to a slab of springer on the barbecue, the two mountain stream trout eat each year and the smoked steelhead I share with friends at Christmas

Because almost every trip now reminds me of parents and friends who once fished with me and who now are gone.

I love being on the water at first daylight and fishing gives me an excuse(not that I need one) to be out there. Hooking and playing a fish is just a bonus!

Surecatch.. that was nice. Well said and how I feel exactly

( a long drive with a friend where you can talk and really get to know each other )

A place you have never been before, or your home river that you know like the back of your hand.

The first tug on a fly from a wild steelhead.

A great piece of holding water, on a river on the drop in late October.

Pulling plugs with some people who have never caught a steelhead, and the look on their face when you net their first one.

Being a long way from home and meeting other people who feel the same way you do.

Because its all good, I have never had a bad day on the river, and been skunked more than I care to remember

Leave it to the Bobber Master to say it right. Could not have said it any better myself, Mr. Vedder.

I fish becauise I'm really not good at anything else. I can't even fish so good, I just like to be there.

Merry Christmas to all. Especially you, Dave!

i'm scandinavian. i couldn't stop fishing if i wanted to

If my only option were to fish just for hatchery winter steelhead, it would be a half hearted fishing experience, confined more to terminal fisheries and concerns about limits of fish than the fish itself. I fish wild steel for the following:

Experience, anticipation, escape and the little bit of mystery associated with it all. As well as this-
“…to wade and cast, wade and cast for hours or even days on end without so much as the sign of even a single fish-and then to experience the explosive, helpless, breath-robbing excitement that comes in the split second when a steelhead finally does take with a strike that shakes your arms all the way to their sockets, to see the unforgettable sight of the fish's first cart wheeling leap, its sides flashing with a brighter light than day.
All these things, and more, are part of the steelhead tradition. Long may it continue.” –Steve Raymond, Steelhead Country (1991)

Preparing for the trip while fantasizing about catching fish.
Putting all the accrued knowledge to work and sometimes getting rewarded with fish.
Getting to view wildlife, which includes fish on the other end of the line.
Admiring the hydrology and geology of water bodies.
Getting free tackle when the water is low.
Reducing the amount of time spent parked in front of the computer.
Continuing a tradition that was instilled in me when I was young.
Being at ease and feeling uplifted sometimes.
Forgetting about the worries of life.
Enjoying the sun, rain, wind, clouds, hail, cold.
Hiking through the woods and observing interesting plants/fungi.
Just living life.

Fishing is great...But i live and breath STEELHEADING. Its an addiction that I cannot explain or figure out. I can hardly get myself to go to work in the mornings, its the only thing that keeps me going besides love for family.

I live for a Skykomish sunrise, the anticipation of the float going down, the subtle tap...tap...tap of a winter run picking up a corkie and yarn, the cartweeling jump of a summer run, hearing my fishing buddy spin tales of past fish, and atlast the adrenaline rush of your feet leaving the ground as you cross that tailout to steelhead shangri-la!!!!

Thats why i fish

For me... its time to reflect, every time I go out fishing (most of the time by myself). I remember mostly my father trying to wake me up at 2:30 in the morning all I had to do was hop in the car, he would have every thing ready. I'd sleep most of the way, but he would let me know when we were close. We would arrive at any one of his favorite rivers, and the outcome would be the same, my dad caught fish and well I learned.
My younger brother and I fish together now... probably for the same reason, or just brotherly competition but mostly because our father gave us this passion!!!
Reflection, Remembrance, Relationships.
Thanks Dad.

I know this thread has taken a turn, I will keep it going in the direction that it should go. I fish because the places that salmon and steelhead live are some of the most beautiful places in the world.

I love to fish....

...just because.

Last week, standing knee deep in the water, fishing a long, deep hole, I told the Good Lord that if I needed to die anytime soon would He please take care of my family.....and leave me right where I stood.

Sun was peeking through the clouds, hitting the snow on top of Mt. Sauk making it glow like a beacon. The water was crystal green..almost magical.

If heaven exists, that was where I was.

Mike

It's nice way to get my dog out to meet new freinds and go for a swim?

easy for me. . .the TAKE !

Because I can, and there is allways a bigger fish out there waiting to be caught!

My mother exposed me very early on when she said, “I think you fish to immerse yourself in nature”.
But the deeper I went, the more I realized that fishing was an experience best shared and not grasped.

Because I fish, I have been blessed to:
see my wife’s smile as she held her first steelhead,
rejoice with my father as he caught his first king salmon,
witness my son’s wonder and awe of releasing a 30 lb king,
spend precious moments alone with my daughter,
gain many friends,
know a mentor (thanks GZ),
give thanks for the Lord’s provision
and gently release one of his wild creatures that I had the momentary pleasure and distinct honor to hold in my hand.

Fishing is my quest to discover what it means to be alive, to share with others, to feel connected and know that I am part of something greater than myself,
but most of all, to be humbled, that I might know of God’s grace to me.

Blessings to all of you crazy steelheaders. Happy New Year. The best is yet to come.
The nates are coming! The nates are coming!

I actually stopped and thought about this one....I fish to fool fish primarily. It was mentioned earlier that it is the hunt that's attractive, and I would have to agree.

When I was younger, I hiked into a number of lakes in the Cascades and Olympics, but never would I go hiking unless there was a lake to fish at the end. I know that not all folks look at hiking that way, but for me, it's all about outsmarting fish. I quit using bait for all kinds of fish a number of years ago, so "fooling the fish" is the best part and I never consider a trip "skunked" unless I was unable to fool a fish into striking.


The icing on the cake is all of the other great things already mentioned, but if I was just out to socialize or observe nature, I wouldn't have a fishing rod as an apendage.

'Cause I ain't figured out anything better to do yet!

Nothing can compare to that feeling you get when you lift your rod up and feel that head-shake tug at the end of your line.

There's something about the old Tom Sawyer thing " A day spent fishing ..." that is as true at 50 as it was at 15. You know, I still have a tough time sleeping the nite before a fishing trip because of the anticipation!

We are incredibly lucky that the places where salmon and steelhead live are some of the most beautiful settings in the world. To see those puffy white clouds stuck in the deep green trees of a an old growth stand is beyond compare. Nature reveals its beauty in the mist rising from water at morning's first light. To come around a bend and see an elk or deer or bear quietly working its way through its environment is to understand that we are all connected and part of a much larger existence.

Fishing is an opportunity to interact with this environment rather than just observe it. In addition to the visual beauty of the setting and the sleek, silver bright fish, our other senses are filled with the fresh smells after a rain, with the feel of a fish's energy that travels directly from its heart and soul through the line and rod right down to your soul, and incredible sounds that a river can create with its water flowing over and arond boulders the size of homes.

For me, now I think the motivating factors are: the pure joy of being outdoors in a beautiful setting, Either being alone (mostly) or with good friends to share an experience, maybe having a chance to pass on some of the things that I have learned to others, and lastly checking out some new technique or lure/bait and hopefully continually improving my skills by tricking one of those sneaky devils into biting.


"Many go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after."
- Henry David Thoreau

Chrome,

I had to look for it, but my response to a similar question last year still applies:

"I think it's called resource stewardship. We could give up fishing entirely, and that might be good for the fish. But it wouldn't be good for many of us.

"I don't need to bring fish home often, but I need to fish. Fishing is one of my direct connections with the world in a very organic sense. We were hunter-gatherers long before we became cultivators. I've been told that because I'm more highly evolved than a cave man, hunting and fishing shouldn't be necessary to my existance. Maybe, but hear me out.

"Some of us are more primitive than others, in terms of retaining a compelling need to connect directly with our environment. For some lycra and gore-tex clad northwesterners, viewing Mt. Rainier from downtown Seattle gets it done. Some of us need it differently. I need to bushwhack favored haunts on favorite rivers and stride off-trail ridges in the mountains to maintain an important connection with the earth. I need to sleep under the stars of the autumn sky, breath the air filled with the scent of the woods, feel the push of the current against my waders, feel the heat from a fishing camp fire, get dirt under my fingernails, and occasionally get blood on my hands. For the past 20 years or so, that blood has usually been from hatchery fish. It's OK. It satisfies a connection that is vital to how I experience life.

"Killing wild fish might be a purer connection to what seems important. But if killing wild fish is detrimental to our interests, that is, wild fish populations are declining or cannot sustain the harvest pressures of the oh-so-too-many of us, then our interests end up being better satisfied if we can exercise our connections by taking fish that are actually surplus production. In most cases, that is hatchery steelhead and salmon."

"Perhaps some of this is what is going on for you, too."

Sincerely,

Salmo g.

Fishing Forever...Yardwork Whenever! Probably not a good quote to live by when you own a landscaping business. Call it a sickness, obsession, passion,addiction, whatever you want, it's still the first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning.Take care all, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Can't believe I'm the first to say "Because it's fun."

Fish or no fish, it's the most therapeutic outdoor activity around, at least for me. Hell, five or six hours on the river and I'm nearly sane.

I fish because I've always fished as far back as I can remember. I was raised eating lot's of fish as well. Being a good fisherman was always a source of pride. I am also Scandinavian so it's in my DNA and most likely a flaw in some gene.

What Mr. Vedder said.Good luck,
STRIKE ZONE

I'm with Dan S. on this. It seems that only when I can get the daily B.S. out of my mind can I truely fish. When it gets to the point when it's just me and the water can I truely relax.

I recently dropped 40 dollars at the casino at lk chellan.I walked out laughing to myself.Could not help but think that pulling the one arm bandit and casting a spoon sure stired some similiar emotions!