This is probably the best fishing web site I have seen yet, but there are a number of things that have been irking me for a while.

There is always talk of catch and release, and how it is going to be enforced, well sorry to tell you but I will keep whatever I want.

Why? Unlike most of the people who are active on this site I am from forks this is where I grew up. When I was a kid on the pennensula almost everybody was local and fishing was a joy, and natives were plentiful. Everybody was polite and helpful. Now it's combat fishing you have to race the rivers because there's a dozen other boats on the river and I don't even recognize half of them. When you do hook a fish out of towners start crowding you.

I am an advocate of keeping what you need. I bonk hatchery fish without batting an eye and feel like it is my right to bonk a native or two if want to put them on the BBQ. I release most all natives I catch and keep a couple of chromers a year for eating. This is the way my dad taught me and his dad taught him.

So you want to save the natives? Good I'm onboard but who's doing all of the damage not me. Instead of *****ing at fishermen and fighting each other why don't we get the nets out of the river. People ***** about sportsman keeping a handfull of natives a year while the pyutes have got nets werever they want wenever they want killing hundreds of natives every year with no regared to seasons set for them. Think I'm BSing check it out for yourself. This year on the hoh I saw a net strung clear accross the river.

Then after that we need to regulate the guides. I don't blame the guides or the clients the guides are trying to make a living and the clients don't want to spend $300 and go home empty handed. But in my opponion the guides and the indians are the one's holding the populations down. Even the guides that catch and release. First of all your showing out of towners where, when, and how to hook up. They might not bonk anything the day their with you but most of them come back and do as they please.

I fish towards the lower rivers so the fish I catch are fresh and probably survive if released and the grease drips of them when cooked. Where do you fish? I know a number of guides including bob pound the **** out of the upper rivers catching fish off of their spawning beds, it's effective and fun but is it really neccesary, and how many of the fish are killed later. why not let them spawn and live instead of harassing them. I figure on the hoh and the bogey once they've passed the 101 bridge they've earned the right to live. What do you think? Is it very sportsman like to catch fish off their spawning beds?

The last thing I would recomend would be to terminate this chat room. I can not eve fathom the numbers of fish that have been killed by information spread from this chat room. I always see people spreading info about small OP streams with delicate ecosystems. And even directions to holes on the river that only locals used to know how to get to. I,ve run into out of towners using trails that I made when I was a kid. Why can't people just keep thier mouth shut.

When you do venture out to the penninsula show a little respect. If you hike in in the dark and beat me to the hole I won't crowd you so you better not crowd me. A few years ago a pretty good fight broak out on the river because some out of towners were rowing accross other peoples water. The guy who really beat the **** out of the out of towners got in substantial amount of trouble and probably wouldn't recomend any one doing what he did. But some of the **** I've seen people pull on the river has made me want to start jumping from boat to boat too. It's a shame it has to come to that, I go fishing to relax and half the time I come home more stressed out than when I left.

OP local for the most part I think your post is right on Although I live in Gig Harbor nearly three hours from the OP my dad and I along with my brothers make the trek over every couple weeks. We have gotten so tired of the BS that happens on the rivers close to our house that the trip to the OP is well worth every minute of driving. Fishing for us is a way to get out and enjoy the Outdoors and hopefully bring home a fish or two for the family dinner table When we fish rivers like the Cowlitz or other popular fisheries we leave disgusted and more tense than when we arrived. On our local rivers we often see blatant snagging, crowding on holes and no order in casting. Last week we fished the mouth of the Skookumchuck and while waiting for the guy downstream of us to cast the guys upstream of us would fire off casts and this created a jumble of lines and fueled tempers. When we go to the OP we find solituede because of our willingness to hike and explore and always catch fish for our efforts. It seems for the most part that most guide's clients if they return release natives but I'm sure their is the occasional that bonks a native.

It's the old "crowd mentality". Ever notice how when a crowd gathers, the IQ of otherwise intelligent folks migrates to the crowd's lowest point? The only out (and it's getting harder and harder to find) is to really "get away" from the crowds. It's hard to imagine any more people actually "needing" to kill a fish, but if that's the picture, then one must put up with crowds at the slaughter holes. I guess I should be just be grateful that I got as much really great fishing time in as I did.
When it's no longer fun....do something else.

Funny, that's probably the same thing that the "pyutes" said about OPlocal and his family when they first "squatted" on their land. . .

OPLocal,

If I see you do this, I am going to make sure that you pay the price. Poaching is not acceptable under any circumstances. There are many folks who believe that it is the locals that are responsible for most of the poaching on the OP already, but I am not going to fall into the trap of making broad generalizations like you have about the native americans and "out of towners".

If you poach and I see you, i will make sure you are photographed, and reported to the authorities. I will make sure to wait for you to go to your rig so I can also get your license plate number. I am very patient.

There are many folks like myself out there on the river, and you never know when we are watching you. You might think twice about bonking that nate!

Better keep an eye out if you intend to break the law and poach wild steelhead!

SA

OPLocal you've really got a problem. First of all, you're not above the law. Second of all, you're missing the point. You're either very young, very uninformed, or both.

The populations of wild fish are diminishing. The science indicates that there has been and continues to be a downward trend. If everybody takes the same position as you, we'll see the continued decline of fish populations.

Like it has already been stated, if I see you or anybody else poaching, I'll be sure to let the authorities know.

You would really do yourself a favor and become more educated on the issue of fish preservation.

I currently have a BS in Wildlife Ecology and am 1 year away from having my second BS in forestry how many degrees do you have. Obviously I am well educated. My promblem is with people not affiliated with the OP rivers doing everything they can to make them catch and release only. I rarley keep natives but feel it is my given right to keep a few if a so wish and I will not hesitate to do so because people from outside the area tell me I must, also there are indians netting the **** out of natives with no regard to sustaining future runs. I beleive anyone who thinks locals poaching a few fish are driving the populations down needs their head checked. have you seen the nets on the Quilliute and Hoh, all of them not just the few you can see from the road.

I hold multiple degrees so don't try to "one up me"...

How is it that a person who proclaims to be so well educated can be so ignorant?

Your claim is that it is your heritage that puts you above the law and yet you argue that same point when the natives have their nets in...can you say "hypocrite"?

Quote from OP..."Where do you fish? I know a number of guides including bob pound the **** out of the upper rivers catching fish off of their spawning beds,"



Nice lies about Bob will get you no where, including staying on this board!!

You may have some valid points OPLocal from Pullman,

But comming on this board for the first time and making up lies is not one of them!!!

In this day crowded fishing conditions can be a fact of life, you can either deal with it or find somewhere new to fish.

Non of us own any river but it is a great privledge for us to have to fish them!!

If you read my previous post you would have saw that I rarly keep any natives but feel it should be my right to keep a few if I wish. I am not stringing nets clear accross the river with no regard to what days I am supposed to be netting. If you think I am taking as many natives with sport tackle as the indians are with their nets I'll just take that as a compliment.