We need more of this kind of work. Looks interesting. As I recall, WDG tagged steelhead at Kalama Falls and there were fisheries above. Don't know if they looked at the rec catch.

I thought, at least conventional was, that steelhead were hard to catch. Exploitation rates of 33% for wild and over 50% for hatchery don't seem low to me.

As to catching more than once, a friend was out sampling steelhead. Catch, take scales, get a DNA sample, release. Caught this dude on a fly, worked him up, released him, and cast the same fly at him. Caught him again, hit the first cast.