I grew up on the Washougal where the Skamania (mongrel) steelhead was fabricated. This is the fish that destroyed the Washougal native runs and cemented my opinion on hatcheries. Keep in mind that most runs in the great lakes area are still being planted with skamania steelhead. After talking to many of the people from that area it is my opinion that natural production based off hatchery plants is extreme;y limited and rare. In their home river, the Washougal Skamania have been of absolutely no benefit. Since the late 1980's returns have been extremely small providing only a token fishery for locals. Skamanias will typically move very quickly through the system and when they do hold up it is in the deepest slowest water. It is my not so humble opinion that the production of skamania steelhead should be halted imediatly and at the very least the outplanting of these fish be discontinued.
I have seen hundreds of skamania steelhead spawning in the Washougal yet there is never an increase in unclipped fish. I think their reproductive suceess has always been and still is next to nothing. The good point in this is that any wild fish in areas where skamania steelhead exsist are very likely completely unaffected by skamania stock genetics.