Silt is bad for fish eggs. Removing silt benefits egg-fry survival. WDF used to have "Gravel Gertie" that went down streams removing the fines put in by logging. Fish do it better.

Bonaro _
I just checked out the information that you provided the link for. You had made the statement -

"The link below is to a report studying all possible effects of suction dredging on stream habitat, water quality and biota..."

Clearly the information provide only partially addressed all the possible effects of suction dredging on stream habitat, water quality and biota. That lack of fish information was only the most glaring omission (and yes I understand there were no fish there).

I did not bring the issue of heavy metals to the discussion, that came directly from the link you provided and clearly they thought it was an issue. BTW the lead sinkers like those that you removed (thank you!) are inert forms of lead and represent virtually no threat to fish life (unlike some of the copper, amnesic, etc. released during the dredging on Fortymile creek.

I applaud both the state and the mining industry for the huge strides made over the last decades in the habitat protection regulations for the recreational mining industry/activity. However in this era of ESA listed fish it is just good stewardship to review existing rules (whether regarding fishing, logging, flow management or dredging) protecting those fish to insure that they are meeting the expectations of protection when they were developed.

I support those reviews (and changes if needed) for all those activities and have always encouraged all interested parties (regardless of which side of the fence they may sit to take part in the process). I have noticed that when folks attempt to misrepresent or "cherry pick" the "science" in support of their case it often backfires and undermines their creditability.

Curt

So to summarize the fisheries biologists, who post here regularly are skeptical, to say the least. But not to worry, the gold miners tell us not to worry, everything will be fine. If you're a fisherman it's pretty easy to decide which side of this issue you should be on.

Smelt. Are you related to Tarleton?

This is a direct question. Pretty simple to answer.

No answer might be the answer.

Pretty much what I was thinking.

Bob?

Didn't mean to scare you away, Smelt. Most of us here know who everybody is in real life, especially those of us who have been part of this community for 13 or so years. I've had the fortune to fish with many folks here, as well as hunt. Who here have you fished with? Where do you fish? Do you even fish?

Stopping by to be a one hit wonder kind of raises the suspicions of many of us, and the fact that we are grown-ups, for the most part, we are pretty smart and we have seen this tactic a time or two Maybe even employed it.

Feel free to step back into the fray.

I'm still around: in fact, I made a couple of comments yesterday on somebody else's thread about fishing spoons for steelhead. Although I'm newly registered on the site, I've been reading this forum for years because it's an excellent source of information, especially on gear and techniques. Despite the impression you may have gotten from my posts in this particular thread, I'm actually a reserved, private person. So I'm not about to announce my name publicly. And on the subject of dredging, I don't have anything more to say.

Since you asked if I really fished, I do fish and I do it regularly throughout the year. My dad took me fishing as a boy and the bug never left me. I've been fishing "seriously" since about 1982, but I get skunked more times than I actually catch anything worth mentioning. That's okay. I enjoy fishing for sea-run cutts, humpies, silvers, chums, and steelhead. I've been fishing spinners for steelhead in recent years, but just got into spoon fishing for them in January...wish I'd done so before now. I've been encouraged by my spoon experiences so far this year, and actually landed two steelies (including a big buck) and lost another while bank fishing on the Sol Duc on February 22. My main fishing companion now is a very large dog (weighing more than I do), but she loses her mind when she realizes a fish is on my line, and that can be a BIG problem. I've already lost one tip on a Loomis rod when she tried to establish inter-species communications with a salmon I had just landed!

Welcome to the website Bob. Stick around.