Personally I've practiced C&R all year. And thanks to these efforts the spawning run of barnacle-covered rocks will be stronger than ever.

If I could insert some rules into the books for 2002 I would do the following:

• 12" minimum length on ALL trout
• bank fishing leaders no longer than 36"
• no catch/size limit on Columbia and Willamette river bass
• triple snagging fines

Plus, I would look into the potential effect of using too light of fishing tackle on the mortality rates of wild fish. Sure, we all laugh at the bass anglers and their 30lb test for 6lb fish but what we need to remember is that by bringing them in quickly they are reducing the stress on the fish. After a long battle the fish might be able to swim away under its own power after some recovery time but who's to say if the fish doesn't belly up downstream?