I needed some eggs" Any thoughts on this? Last year I ran into a gentleman with a dead 17# Wild steelhead. When asked why he killed this beautiful wild hen, his reponse? Hmm, "my friend needs eggs for next weekend's trip to the Penninsula" I personally find this behavior repulsive.

Pathetic

Was it legal to keep the fish if so I would probably have kept it too.

My first reaction was to say "neck". I must say too many people are uninformed. Although, very extreme I would like to see bait bans, I have heard this a number of times or seen the release (by swift kick) of bucks because they need eggs to catch fish, again uninformed. Additonally half of the crap left at the rivers edge appear to be bait containers. I hate to penalize those who pick up after themselves I just hate the pigs. Sorry off my soap box this stuff just pisses me off, just like the guys who will keep wild fish because they can and are against C&R seasons.

thick

I agree that too many fishermen are uninformed. I have actually had a fisherman ask how I knew a fish was hatchery. This makes me think back to when I use to hunt geese at Ridgefield. Before you can hunt there you must pass a goose identification test. Would it be so hard to, before you could get your salmon or steelhead card, to prove you can identify one from the other, and wild from hatchery.

Peace

SalmonTackler did this event take place on the Green River last year you and a friend were each rowing a cataraft? If that was GET OVER IT!!!! If it wasn't I appoligize and please ignore the rest of this.

I believe when it happened you posted this story on the reports page or your friend posted it on their. First off your story has changed a little since the first time you told it. 1. You never saw a fish because it happened the week prior. 2. I didn't kill the fish my buddy did but you talked to me. Let me give you some history on my buddy lets call him "Dave" When Dave saw this story posted in the reports last year he was extremely pissed. You see he has been fishing these water here for the last 25 years. During steelhead season he fishes the Green Just about every day from the bank. During the Summer and fall he spends all his free time in South Sound fishing Salmon. In between all that he tries to make a few trips to the coast. It would take me 3-4 years of fishing every weekend to catch the number of fish he does. Guess how many steelhead he kills each year. You could probably count the number on 2 hands. All of them are hatchery except 2-3. This guy has been releasing fish since the day you learned to wipe your ass. We was doing it before C&R was the popular thing to do and he was doing it before everyone with the same attitude as you started viewing Steelhead as the "Holy Grail".

You seem to think you are better than anyone who chooses to keep a wild fish when it is legal to do so. I would imagine 99% of the people on this board have taken a wild steelhead at some point in their life. So I guess your better than 99% of this board. Those that have taken one great it was probably legal to do so but now your not as good a person as salmontackler. I would also wager that many of those that have kept a wild steelhead have probably released a lot they could have kept.

I personally keep 1 - 2 steelhead a year and its ussually a hatchery fish since their smaller and I don't like to freeze fish so it gets cooked that night. Maybe one day I will want a wild fish, I never know if I will keep a fish until I get it to the boat. My opinion on this whole Wild issue is that if its legal and someone wants to kill a fish so they can take it home, roll it in grease, and sleep with it thats fine by me. They have that right. Its not my right to be rude to someone because their opinions do not agree with my own. I do think catch and release is a good thing and if I could I would spend most of my time fishing C&R waters because the fishing is always better and its less crowded. Salmontackler I don't disagree that C&R isn't a good thing. I think its great that someone makes a choice to let a fish live to spawn. Letting a fish go is a great feeling on a personal level and it does help the species. On the other hand I think its also great for a beginning steelheader who has been fishing for a year trying to figure out how to catch a steelhead, that when they finally get one, and its wild they are still able to take it home. They are so excited to show the family who thinks they are crazy, to be standing in the rain and snow every weekend and never catch anything that they have finally succeeded. They can finally announce that tonight we Barbecue. 4 weeks later the wife can hear all about how you need a drift boat , 3-4 GLoomis rods, and 4 boxes of tackle so you can catch 2 steelhead next year.

Now that I have said my peace you can continue your preaching

IamRubber, first off, you have the wrong guy. Regarding the rest of your rant, why would your friend be pissed if he is such a do-gooder? How is giving facts being rude? I don't give a rats *ss about how many fish your friend catches. Did he kill a wild hen for eggs? It sounds like he did, so he is an *ss in my opinion. I think your "1st steelhead theory" if flawed beyond belief! Yeah, tonight we will eat wild steelhead on the BBQ, take a frigin picture, it will last longer. If you are fishing for food, go to McDonalds, it is hell of a lot cheaper. Or is the theory "my friends think I am stupid for fishing in bad weather, but if I bring home a steelhead. They won't think I am crazy." The whole theory is *ucked! Or is it the wife theory "if I bring home fish she will let me spend more money on gear" aargh!

This post wasn't intended to be a wild steelhead debate, but what the hell.

why would your friend be pissed if he is such a do-gooder?
I would have been to if someone had assumed I kept a fish purely for eggs, and then used the only statements they wanted to hear and posted that on a public bulletin board. Do you really believe that fish was fed to the dogs and only the eggs were kept?

How is giving facts being rude?
FACTS? Once you heard "Needed some eggs" I bet you turned around and walked away. You had your story. You would probably make a great reporter.

I don't give a rats *ss about how many fish your friend catches. Did he kill a wild hen for eggs? It sounds like he did, so he is an *ss in my opinion.
Yup we knew your opinion when you started this post.

blah blah blah about theorys
They were not theorys, It was one situation where I would be happy for somone that wanted to keep a Wild fish. What you think is a gear theory was a little humor. How many of you after that first steelhead became so fanatical about it that you would do whatever you thought it took to help you catch more fish? My first fish took me a year and it was a late summer run hatchery fish I caught on the Snohomish plunking for chums. When that rod went down and that fish took off it was the first time I have ever heard my fishing line sing. I have never been the same since that day.

"plunking for chums" hmmm? Sounds like fun!

Look salmontackler, in his first post he said if it wasn't you, then to disregard what he was about to say. You obviously didn't do that, but it's not to late. On the matter of taking a hen, if i had the choice and it was hatchery fish, i'd take the hen every time. If not, then where do you get eggs? You can buy them, but guess what. Those eggs come from the same place you get them from. Hatchery hens. So it boils down to this. Either you can take the fish yourself, save some money on eggs, and have a nice fish dinner, or you can buy them pre-cured, from a supplier that probably gets them from the natives. You tell me which one is better.

Bait Ban!!!!

David,

Didn't the original post say the fish in question was a native fish? Who DOESN'T keep hatchery hens??

The question was, is it ethical or "acceptable" to bonk a native hen if you need eggs? Insert your opinion here:_______


Fisn on......

Wondering,,,, are those natives practicing c/r? hmmmmmmmmmmmmm

My question is this: Do two wrongs make a right??? Just because the Natives don't practice C&R, does that mean that you shouldn't also??? If you don't practice C&R yourself you are just making the problem worse.

Tim

P.s. Steelheaddude-If I interpreted your post wrong.......disregard this, but to me it sounds like you are justify the killing of steelhead.

no no Tim,,, thats what this board is for,,, we ALL have are own opinions... we cant allways agree huh

Steelheaddude-
Yes I have my own opinions.....but I also don't believe in slamming people just for the heck of it. If I just get mad at someone or make them mad, they are never going to want to change there opinion. By having debates IN A REASONABLE, CIVIL, manner......you can sometimes make people see your point of view better. Lator

Tim

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"Walk softly, but carry a big steelhead"

uh,,, who's slamming people?