I'm certainly not a fish expert, but have heard that almost all repeat spawners are females because the males beat themselves up so much fighting other males for mating rights to survive after the spawn.

All the spawnouts I've hooked have been females.

I'm guessing that fish missed his chance to pass on some great genetics.

Sad~

99.9% odds that this was the first spawning run for a fish of that size.

Repeat spawners (which are nearly all female) typically are not much larger on their subsequent runs ... but can carry up to 30% more eggs (egg carrying capacity is known as fecundicity).

gay!

Some of you are saying it may have been a bleeder. No way! The chance of a guy flyfishing and having a bleeder is MUCH lower. Almost impossible if the guy was swinging flies. If he was fishing flies below an indicator there is a very small chance of the fish getting the fly down deep in his gills.

There is no way this was a bleeder.

What a shame!

Take a picture and let the fish reproduce on our vanishing O.P. Rivers!

Just as he shouldn't give a bad name to PT folks, I am pissed as a fellow fly fisher that this %^&*^%^* killed this fish.

Plain and simple this is a SELFISH and IGNORANT fisherman!

The guy claimed he was unaware that reproduction mounts could be made from color photographs. Funny that after having surfaced for five or six years, such conservative alternatives were unknown. What a waste; thousands of years of evolution, ceased to sit upon a mantle or shelf.

That really makes me sick to hear this! How can we get this law changed to CR on all native Steelhead in Wash? Bob? Doc? anyone? This [censored] has got to stop ASAP!!!!!

'Nuff said!

a deeply swallowed tuble fly or a fly with a stinger hook will hook a fish in the tongueor in the gills. i had it happen to a couple of fish on the Dean about ten years ago.
i cant untderstand for the life of me why the whole HOH riverisn't under selective gear rules and C&R. There is no way we should be allowed to kill any wild steelhead.

cut the fly off and give the fish a chance. Anyone want to tell the most sentamental fisherman that has every lure he's hooked a memorable fish on hanging on my desk how its not ok to give any native steelhead a chance>?

interesting. didn't know that. I guess I was assuming the larger the fish the more spawns likely. I've often read comments like "three-salt...etc" for larger fish. It's interesting biologically since it would suggest females have an advantage passing on it's genetics unless it were offset somehow.

ok i wished to avoid associating myself with this event, but some outlandish ideas expressed here have forced me to chime in.

the fish was caught by an unguided BANK ANGLER. originally from England, and yes it was his first ever steelhead. swinging a fly. it was hooked in the lip. i rounded the corner above where it was caught just in time to see the guy bashing it on the head w/ a rock.

i'm not sure who the Port Townsend references were aimed at, but if it's Jim Kerr you couldn't be more wrong. You could be less presumptuous and considerably more informed. Jim is a good friend of mine, and strongly supports WSR, to the tune of killing ZERO wild fish last year. Also, he lives here in Forks.

I weighed the fish out of morbid curiosity. It hung my spring scale to over 30 but under 31 pounds. my slightly beat up but originally 30 lb anchor weighed in at 29 lbs for comparitive purposes.

some photos exist. i'd like to get Bob's opinion on the posting of them before doing so.

for the record i support WSR and this whole thing really bummed me out.

also, it was not a bleeder.

This just freak'n ruined my weekend.

I'll pray that bad karma crap like whacking a 30lb native is the fast path to get a$$ cancer...

If it is then there will be more than one person running around with ass cancer. There was more than one plus sized fish wacked over the weekend, guaranteed. Guys, the regs have to change...... If they don't, we all need to stop bitch'n now...

christ, some of you people just need to get a life.

it's a damned shame that a fish like that isn't still in the river, but the posts in this thread are starting to remind me of the idiotic comments on youtube hunting videos.

I think you have a good point, CM. The rookie probably was thrilled to death, as well he should be. No need to bash him as a knowledgeable local. Had he known better, he may well have released the fish.

Always How Never Where!

brewer completely concures on the regulation change. what sickens me is how many still go out and target nates period. the steelhead season should close statewide on say jan.15 and not reopen till may 1st. being a true nate purists as i am i don't even wet a line during nate season. a self imposed nate steelhead vast. a cleansing. nate abstinance is a great terminology. however i will eat my frozen fish. got several packages left of my "november springers"

i personally belive this was a multispawner. say at least 3 runs. as for the size not so much genetics but simply age made this fish 30 lbs. just as in mother nature, big bulls come from mature aged elk. big bucks come from mature aged deer.

Is Barlow's on the Skok?



A bit extreme, don't you think?
He probably checked his regs like a good boy before he went fishing, not that it's ok, but just sayin'. I'd save that caliber of comment for the ones that get bonked in a guide's boat. (ps. it happens)

The stupid newspaper fishing report last Thursday said the Hoh fish checkers counted more than 5 natives KEPT.