I'm sure most people know I, and the other boats I have out working for me from time to time, working strictly C&R on our trips for wild steelhead. It's advertised, and required.

Why? The state's & tribes numbers and models stink, the Indians are netting the hell out of the fish in many systems, haibitat problems are present in some areas, and so on and so on ... and as a user group that has the POSSIBILITY of having one of the greatest impacts on a fishery that is slowly disappearing, I'm going to do everthing I can to minimize my impact.

That means full C&R ... if a prospective client doesn't like it, too bad. I tell them up front! I go to bed at night knowing that I'm trying my best to see that the resource does the best it can. I may lose a few new people each year, but oh well, I don't sell out on this one, period.

That also means a shift of fishing tactics, no bait divers, no double hook set-ups, no tiny hooks and itsy-bitsy baits that get swallowed easily. Sometimes it means a little more work on my end to come up with the same number of fish that I could with some extremely effective, yet potentially fatal tactics, but it's worth it.

It's funny, the ones who often whine about poor fishing and tribal netting are the ones constantly bashing the nates over the heads (hmmm, a few guides come to mind).

I see all sorts of extremes, take me, and then there's fella from Orgeon who comes up this way to fish every year who is a nice-enough guy and a good fisherman, but he kills, and kills a lot. To top it off, he solely freedrifts eggs ... maybe that's why he only kills hens, and lets the buck go. Assinine! Maybe practices like this is why he has to leave the streams there to come here??

Guides are responsible ... if you have the kahunas to say no, you can, and should when you know things aren't going well in the fisheries, Period. I do, and I haven't had trouble keeping my seats full long in advance.