I'm trying to have a little new year's optimism here, at least on the Cowlitz.

Last spring I saw more late winter run smolts (3-4") and summer run smolts (5-6") released on the river than I have in years. I'm hoping we are beginning to climb up from the bottom of the steelhead fishing we've seen the last few years on the Cowlitz. Count me among the many who've been slinging mud at WDFW the last couple of years for their previous ineptness running the Blue Creek trout hatchery (pens wide open to bird predation, out of cert fish counters, etc.), but I saw the smolts with my own eyes, and there were lots in the river.

I'm involving myself in the Cowlitz River Advisory Group and seeing a major challenge to improving the relationship between the WDFW, TPU, and the sport fishing public, but just the same, I have reason for optimism when I see the passion by the sporties for restoring some if not all of the runs on that river. It's going to be a long slog, but nothing will happen if we don't make ourselves heard.