Life is really hard if you only assume the worst about people.

There is lots of people on the Satsop so going there means you need to be ready to mentally deal with other folk in (god forbid) a different water craft than you are in. The internet has created a competitive situation, where there should not be one. Everyone is scratchin' for a small resource in the name of "fun".

If it is hard to have fun fishing under the current sh!tty situation, then by all means don't do it. If I do something for fun and it makes me pissed off, then I was better off doing yardwork at least that makes my old lady happy.

Strong effort 2MANY.

Steelhead is fun, but I've been day dreaming about fishing with my kids in a lazy lake for the past few weeks. That's where the true joy is.

Awesome pics dude, thanks for sharing...




Tyler

It'll never fly……..too simple and makes sense. Exception being the Sky and Skagit. Forget the hatchery component up there and just revive the spring c-n-r seasons.

they tried stop sleds above the forks on the Satsop a few years ago. the county said no it would cost them to much to patrol it.

Hard to see how with the G.H. Sheriff regularly patrolling the Chehalis in their shiny new $45,000 sled. Be a simple thing to hang a left up the Satsop or Nooch.

don't think they had that sled back then. might be time to try again
also all new commissioners now

I'm all for banning sleds. let me know if something gets going. they are Loud, obnoxious, destructive, polluting, and bad for redds and fish. anyone that doesn't see that has their head in the sand.

Larry or Swing, organize the effort, and I will join your forces

Wonderful pictures of the kids. I wonder where and how they'll get to fish in 20 years?

Our steelhead fishing problem is two fold. 1) There aren't as many viable streams to fish as there once was, and the seasons are restricted. Years ago we had GOOD fishing on the Skagit, Sauk, Stilly, Green, Puyallup, Nisqually, (our) Deschutes, Chehalis, Cowlitz, Toutle, Kalama, Elokomin, Grays, Naselle, Willapa, Satsop, Wynoochee and ALL the Peninsula streams including the Lyre, Dungeness, Dose, and Duck. The Skokomish was awesome years ago. Where are we now? Only a few of those rivers are worth fishing now, or even open to steelhead fishing? So we crowd ourselves onto the best places that are open. Why? Because we all love our sport.

The evidence is clear: WDFW has MANAGED the steelhead streams to the terrible condition that they are now in and we have allowed them to do it. Look where much of western Oregon has gone with their steelhead programs with brood stocking! They get good fishing without seriously harming their fish genetics. We could too.

We need to DEMAND what we want from our steelhead fish managers. The tribe has their share, but we need to DEMAND that our share is managed properly for the betterment of the fish population and the sport of steelheading. Who is an advocate for steelhead and steelhead fishermen? It's not WDFW. We're PAYING dozens of biologists to fail, and we're also electing gutless politicians who don't support even the most basic of conservation principles, nor the best thing for economics. Stupid is as stupid does!

I admit that this rant is painted with rather a broad brush, but look at our history of our steelhead the last thirty years. If we had even the most basic of steelhead management in our state, the Satsop wouldn't be crowded. There would be smiling steelheaders spread throughout the state fishing the rivers that are now closed or who have few fish in them.

And, don't swallow all the hogwash that you hear about losing habitat. We have lots of great habitat with NO STEELHEAD swimming in it! Our over all habitat is significantly better than it was 40 years ago. I should know, I was in charge of protecting a lot of it.

Lets do something! Look at the great example of the leadership at FISHING THE CHEHALIS and what they've begun to accomplish. It could be done.

With almost 50% of the fish destined to the Chehalis intercepted up North by Alaska & Canada, we get to scraps after the tribes net Wild fish we cannot keep!!!
This is where the red line should be drawn, with those damn Yankees!!!

Tug3, sounds like it is time to Organize a grass roots organization, for the Betterment of our Steelhead, one that wants to protect and produce both numbers of Hatchery and Wild fish like we see in Oregon. 40-50k wild fish this year returning to the Umpqua, it has meet it's wild carrying capacity for 30 years along with hatchery supplementation.

Even the Native American guides on the Quinualt see the amount of netting as a problem, and are even lobbying thier own Tribe for fewer net days on thier river, to allow numbers to increase.

Why does California and Oregon have no Native gill netting off reservation? These are things we need to look at, and try to emulate.

I will join your organization Tug. Let get it rolling.

If you look at the numbers from pg 8 from this WDFW 2009 Sports Catch Report on license sales since 1971 table, it is appears that participation over the years has remained fairly level? I had thought participation had increased significantly along with the poulation, but unless I am missing something it does not appear to be the case?
It is a fact, opportunities around the state have diminished this time of year and the WDFW is directly responsible for that. To many fishermen on to few rivers available to fish causes Satsap issues everywhere. IMO more PS area rivers could be open for total CnR with selective gear rules Feb. and March. I know I would participate and not travel to wet a line.

http://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/01448/wdfw01448.pdf

I'm reading a lot of posts alleging that WDFW has managed WA steelhead fishing into the ground. I'm not a fan of every decision WDFW makes by a long shot. But I'm curious about exactly how WDFW has mis-managed steelhead, and exactly what actions WDFW could have taken that would have all the rivers full of steelhead today and keep all the steelhead fishermen satisfied. The reason I am curious about this is because I don't think it is possible. What would you have done differently?

Sg

if there is no steelhead in say puyallup river to protect then why not let cnr open and waste my time and keep me off the further away rivers

To Salmo G, WDFW is responsible for managing the fish right? There is a problem with the viability of many fish runs. They managed them till they were gone!

To answer your question asking what could have been done differently....Stop harvest of fish that are becoming scarce. Seems like a no brainer.

How about the downward spiral of hatchery smolt numbers planted for one!!!
Look at ALL hatcheries on WA rivers and tell me they are doing the right thing by cutting way back!!!

Are you a WDFW employee Salmo g.? Or just a cheerleader?

Why not keep most rivers open until the end of March? Is there a difference between releasing a fish now and in January ?

I'm not too keen on changing regs/extending seasons on particular streams because people notice. About a decade ago WDFG extended the season on a certain stream and it got mobbed later on in the season. The same stream is closed in winter above an arbitrary point, cutting off a couple of miles of prime water. Another creek was (inexplicably) closed in winter completely recently. And there is another stream with a healthy run of wild fish (according to locals) that isn't open that could be. But I wouldn't want to see it suddenly opened for winter fishing because it would be mobbed.

Have a general stream opener until the end of March unless otherwise posted on the larger stream systems.

BTW Running sleds on a busy river has as much charm as a day driving on I-5. To each their own.

Blah Blah, have a nice day.

Back on topic, any intel on the blockage since last weekends rain?

A few ideas....
1. Leave PS rivers open until the end of march with (selective gear rules)
2. Recycle "excess" hatchery fish downstream on PS rivers with hatcheries once egg take is met
3. Implement brood stock programs on the skagit, skykomish, snoqualmie systems to increase catching opportunity

http://www.piscatorialpursuits.com/forum...html#Post888985

Fish on...

Todd