Hi Rich,

No problem about your post. Salmontackler was the primary person I was respondong to. I only keep maybe 2 kings a year, usually the first legal above 15lbs, and another one some time later on in the year if I am running low on fish in the freezer. I average about 10 to 30 kings a year as bycatch when targeting silvers, usually in the mornings. I love the way they fight, but I like silvers much more for tablefare, so I concentrate on them. Some folks may call me crazy, but you get a good feeling after a fair fight and letting that pig swim away.

I agree with you on the hatchery issue as well to a certain extent, but anything short of shutting down all harvest won't make an immediate impact on escapement. As long as we allow fishing, the hatchery fish are needed in some areas to provide the fodder for the masses.

The alternative would be to collect all of the hatchery fish as they come in, allow no reproduction from them for 5 or 6 years to "clean out" the system and for everyone to go after the natives only. Then EVERY fish caught would be one less native, as opposed to primarily hatchery fish being taken.

I may be oversimplifying things, but I believe that most of us are working for the same goal, and many of us "go both ways", (river and salt, get your minds out of the gutter! ).

BTW, I stopped in at that sporting goods store in Forks when I went to Sekiu last weekend. The older fellah in their fixed my broken rod tip in about 2 minutes, and gave me a brief rundown on what was happening in the local rivers. Nice shop and a nice little town.

Andy