12/07/2021

Pearl Harbor Day, 12/07/1941.......Not many on PP, were born......I was, born 09/05/1940.

Many know my story, been in Aberdeen since 1968.....no Wynoochee Dam, No Bolt Decision, No gill nets in Humptulips river, no Cill nets during steelhead season in the Chehalis, Humptulips, Wynoochee, Satsop all had steelhead, many in the 25-30+ pound, late hook nose silvers Wynoochee and Satsop, Chehalis river during late November, December, January, many high teens, State Record Coho, at one time came off the Satsop.

During late 70's - early 80's there was a VERY active Chapter of North West Steelheaders.... I was club treasure for many years. Like Tug 3, I spent many hours brood stocking winter run steelhead on the Satsop, the program was working but like many fisheries, when the fish started to return.....the pressure on the river to "catch and kill" got to be more than the brood stocking could keep up with...

WDFW....after the 1994-95 merger of Dept. of Wild Life and Dept. of Salmon, steelhead took a back seat to salmon, WDFW was run by many UW people with lots of emphasis the commercial salmon bit.....steelhead took a back seat and to this day still do.....Salmon was where the $$$$$$$ were/are --- Willapa Bay, Columbia River, Puget Sound gill nets got way to much time....NOF, ugh some input but all about killing fish.......NEVER any WDFW lead meetings on how to protect steelhead, didn't want to stir the Bolt Decision 50/50 bit, afraid of the tribe, still are....tribes for sure took wild steelhead, even netted December to March/May

So here I sit, 82 in December and can't even fish salmon above Fuller Bridge, hell of a way to spend the latter part of my life....can't walk, balance problems or I'd be on rivers to the South, bank fishing..... Thanks WDFW for not doing your jobs 30-40 years ago....go ahead backup to the pay window, then tell everyone what a great job you're doing..............I think not, why not run a poll, only license people can vote..... 1 question, Is WDFW doing a good job???? Yes or No....

I vented.....now bed, only to face, another home day, with a paid for license that won't even give me "opportunity",,,,,,grrrrrrrrrr