Grandpa: You and I are on the same page on this one. One minor point of disagreement is your belief that C&R will result in less fishing pressure. That was not the case in B.C when they went C&R and I can tell you anecdotally that in the early days or C&R on the Sky the pressure was high. It went down when the fishing went to hell. In B.C., the initial response to C&R in the 80's were howls of anguish, and in fact license sales took about a 25% dip on the next few years. Then as the fishing got better and the angling ethic changed license sales went back up well above the previous C&R levels.

If we can bring back top-notch wild steelhead fishing on the Peninsula streams the guides will get rich. There is no retention on the Kispiox, Thompson, Babine, Sustut, Skeena, etc, and the crowds are large. If you give them big wild steelhead they willcome.

You're the man Dave...I agree. I was just "fishing" and wondering. I had read a few posts about the crowds. I suppose if you look at a Washington river that has a big hatchery run and then turns to C&R at a certain date then maybe that is where I got my theory.

Bottom line is that C&R on wild steelhead seems like a no brainer to me.

Previous hunting analogies didn't wash too much. Hard to C&R an elk.

Grandpa - good post. One thing that you said got me to thinking however. Your point about us wanting CnR to reduce fishing pressure was a real head scratcher. I have been passionate about wild steelhead CnR. I have never consciously made any connection between CnR and lowered pressure. Now, maybe the foil ain't working and I subconsciously am looking for that, but I don't think so.

Great, we have saved some native fish on some of the healthier systems in the state. Some guides might profit from it. Looks great on paper. But what about the depressed runs in Puget Sound and the Columbia Basin. The Columbia Basin will lose an additional four percent of its native steelhead to commercial harvests. These are the stocks that need attention not the OP.

Salmo... I think I do take things one step at a time with an eye for the big picture. I am as aware as anyone that the tribes have tremendous clout and that the treaties are in place to stay. With that said I think it is imperative that we not turn a blind eye to what the tribes are doing to our fisheries. That's all. Don't throw up your hands and recite Boldt or Slade Gorton's foibles or any other antectodal evidence. Just keep your eye on the ball and find a way to change things for the better. Netting wild steelhead makes no sense. I don't care if a treaty allows it or not. It makes no sense. I think when the general public understands that too we will see changes.

I like the ideas Aunty and Dave had on boycotting the sale of wild steelhead. It think it is about time to do some research and find out where our natural resources are being sold. Perhaps we can effect change from that angle.

And , yes, the tribes are poor. Even the richer than dirt tribes have poor members. The cream rises to the top on the rez and the people are undereducated and poor. Not our fault anymore. Perhaps we are even prolonging their plight by accepting the status quo? I'm not a big fan of special rights for anyone for any reason. So I guess I am biased.

Lunchtime, I've been involved in the Springer allocation arguement before the Commission. Do you believe that the decision has been made? If so, I haven't heard it. If you believe that the commercial impact on listed Steelhead should not be increased, I would recommend a letter to the NMFS.

I think this state needs to take a more agressive stance on inbreeding! This law is one of the best things to happen to us who are not freezer whores. Any one who thinks other wise is, well lets say that if I wrote what I Really think Bob would have to kick me off. I will not pretend to know every fact there is to the current state of our wild stocks but one more fish that will make it to spawn is one more chance at greatness. A classic example of the wide spread stupidity in the fishing community happend to me a few weeks ago. I had just released a nate in the mid teens when a older gentleman wobbled over to me and asked why I let it go? I told him I never kill wild steelhead. He scowled at me and said " you'r one of them Huh? You just put another fish in the nets. Looking around I asked him if he had ever seen a net up here? (tall timbers hole on the Bogie) He grunted a no. I further asked him if that fish hadn't already earned his freedom after having made it thru the nets. He just wobbled away. I wonder if his parents had been divorced while he was still a kid if they would have still gone to reunions as brother and sister?

Salmo g. Thanks

I bet the powers that be at the WDFW are a little upset right now.

They had to expect they could not stop this forever.

.

Salmo g. Thanks

My first thought when reading this post (Wild steelhead kill outlawed) was not of the Sportfisherman most of whom (those of us who are real sportsmen)release wild or unclipped steelhead, But of the commercial nets that kill thousands of them every year. I was a little dissapointed(wishful thinking really) that it applies to only Sportsfishermen and women and not the commercial nets. This is a good start but is it too little too late.
BAN ALL NETS
RAMPRAT

Awesome first step. Now lets shoot all the hatcheries in the head and teach everyone to bass fish so they have something to do for the next 6 to 12 years while the systems repair themselves. Inculding our our freinds with special rights granted by a judge with the beginnings of dementia.

Awesome first step. Now lets shoot all the hatcheries in the head and teach everyone to bass fish so they have something to do for the next 6 to 12 years while the systems repair themselves. Inculding our our freinds with special rights granted by a judge with the beginnings of dementia.

Save our steelhead.

Closed hatcheries and Mandatory C&R coming to river near you!

I heard Safeway has wild steelhead on sale.

Congrads to WSC and their many supportors! By using the system to their advantage they have successfully achieved their adgenda. Now that WSR has been put on the shelf for at least 2 years perhaps some of the passion devoted to that issue can be focus on any of the many that would actually benefit our rivers and the resources they support.

Todd -
Not sure that the statement "the Quillayute is the ONLY river that is on an upward trend in population size." is a true statement - you and I were looking at some graphs on Wednesday that showed increasing trends in the last several years. In addition several of the Puget Sound summer run populations have increased since the mid-1990s.

If the theory is that popualtions have been limited by harvest then WSR release is not the best tool to rebuild those population - complete closure is. WSR continues to allow some impacts. In nearly every case where a population has been limited by harvest the population abundance rebounds when that harvest pressure is removed. Virtually every Puget Sound steelhead population has not rebounded when the harvest pressure was removed (closed) or reduced (WSR and shorter seasons) - ergo the major limiting factor of abundance has not been harvest.

Eddie/FishNg1 - Based on your avatars it is too bad that your passion for conserving wild steelhead doesn't extend to our other anadromous fish.

Rich G - While you may wish for the tribes to try for forgone opportunity I would not like to roll those dice in Federal Court - I believe the State is something like 0 for 98 in court and it would appear that we can expect similar results if they go there again.

Sure Catch -
In 1980 and continuing today wild steelhead are legal to retain in some areas of BC - It is another urban legend that wild steelhead release is required thoughout BC.

While it would be easy to believe that mis-management is the cause of most of 50% of our salmon and steelhead being extinct or federally ESA listed the truth is that the majority are so because we as a society choose cheap power, water, etc over fish.

Cowlitzfisherman -
The WDFW mandate is to provide recreation - to some that is equated to harvest and to others it means a chance to fish.

Salmo g.
On the Skagit from 1977 to 1980 the system was not closed to wild harvest. The spring fishing was shortened. CnR season began in the early 1980s not to rebuild the runs buyt rather to provide low impact recreation while the runs did rebuild. The hatchery smolts were not all clipped up the 1983 release with WSR reguired on most Puget Sound rivers beginning in 1983/84 by using fin cards.

The large runs seen on the Skagit in the mid-1980s was primarily due to the unusually high smolt to adult survivals seen regionally at that time. The Koegh River research showed the highest smolt to adult sruvival in the last 25 years occurred during that period. Those survivals were nearly 10 times what has been seen recently.

Tight lines
S malma

Keeping a wild steelhead is a stupid selfish thing to do anyway.. how about a two centruy ban on sport harvest of wild steelhead!!!
There are enough hatchery fish in the state of Washington that at no time should ANYONE EVER need to keep a wild one.. Period.. thats it and their ain't no more...

As far as the tribal issue is concerned.. we have no right to tell the tribes to quit killing them if we as sport anglers are still harvesting them.. This regulation gives us a leg to stand on in that regard.

want steelhead to eat??? then catch a hatchery one.. It's very easy to do in any steelhead river in the state...

Smalma,

I apoligize for the post I made a while back about all ex tribal now WDFW employees being loyal to the tribes. I did not mean to offend you, but at times to the regular guy it seems this could be te case never the less it was out of line.

Forgone opportunity, I dont think they are gonna do it anyways. Tribes dont like bad press since tourisism and casinos make them alot of money now days. Look at the Quileutes when we had very low waters two falls ago, some bad press and they cave in right away. It didnt take long either, they are tuff untill the papers start saying bad things.

Rob Allen ~ All steelhead hatcheries should be shut down and steelhead fishing statewide should be banned. I personally will have zero impact on our fish and I encourage you do to the same.

Wild steelhead need to be protected, fishing and hatcheries are killing our fish.