On the Cowlitz River, WDFW apparently now has 2 different set of rules on how they define what a chinook "jack" is. According to there own rules on page 13 of there 2000/2001 pamphlet, WDFW defines a fresh water chinook jack as a "chinook less than 24" in length". They do not say that its may be 12-16 or 14-18 inches in length, they just define chinook jacks as anything less then 24".

I would like to ask this BB for their opinion on WDFW's policy concerning a "jack fishery", or maybe I should say the "lack of a jack fishery" on the Cowlitz River below Mayfield Dam. The current WDFW policy does not allow fishermen to keep or harvest any spring chinook jacks below Mayfield Dam on the Cowlitz. Why is that? Since these "jacks" don't contribute much, if anything at all to the hatchery needs or production, why not allow them to be harvested in the lower Cowlitz by fishermen? Currently, we have a good fishery going on for summer run steelhead on the Cowlitz and lots of these jacks are being caught in that fishery. Last week, over 459-spring so-called chinook "mini-jacks" was trucked from the lower river up to Riffe Lake for fishermen to harvest. In the lower river, fishermen are not being allowed to keep or harvest these same exact fish that are now being trucked to Riffe Lake and the upper Cowlitz for harvest! What is WDFW's logic for doing this?

So why hasn't WDFW been honest with us and told us the truth about this "jack trucking fiasco"?
If you read WDFW weekly escapement reports at http://www.wa.gov/wdfw/hat/escape/escape.htm you will notice what WDFW total jack count for the Cowlitz River is only 55 fish. When you read Tacoma's News Release, they report that over 203 jacks have already been passed into the upper Cowlitz where they can be legally harvested. Last week (6/21) Tacoma's weekly News Release stated that WDFW had taken over 459 "mini-jacks" up and released into Riffe Lake for a sport harvest. According to the rules pamphlet, these "jacks" and mini-jacks" can all be harvested behind the dams?

Currently, WDFW are taking all the spring "mini-jacks" up to Riffe Lake for harvest under WDFW's "Landlocked Salmon Rules". In the Lower Cowlitz, these same "jacks" and "mini-jacks" are being "protected" from harvest. WHY? None of these jacks have originated from Riffe Lake, so why is WDFW making Tacoma truck these harvestable "jacks" up to the upper Cowlitz and Riffe Lake to be harvested? The trucking of these jacks are costing thousands of dollars, which Tacoma could be better using in promoting a better and healthier sport fishery in the lower river. If WDFW were trucking these fish into the upper river above Mayfield or Riffe Lake for natural production or for adding "bio-mass" enrichments, we could understand their actions, but they are not doing it for that reason, its being done only for harvest! WDFW's current actions cannot be supported by any logical fishery management plan and should be stopped immediately! If there logic was to keep it closed to protect any possible accidental catching or possible shortfalls of adult spring chinook escapement retuning to the hatchery, then why have they allowed the current fishery on the summer runs? Are we going to face this same problem again this fall when we have tons of fall chinook jacks returned back again like last year? What do think the answer is? Should we have an open fishery for jacks or not? What's your opinion? What are the Friends of the Cowlitz (FOC) opinion about opening up a sport fishery for spring and fall jacks on the Cowlitz?

Cowlitzfisherman,

Is the taste of the bait worth the sting of the hook????

[ 06-23-2001: Message edited by: cowlitzfisherman ]