All I know is, that on one trip to La Push a couple of years ago I stood next to one of those bins that the Indians put their fish in after a days netting. I think they are about four to five feet square and about four feet deep. It was full of native steelhead 5lbers to 20 plus. I figured that in my whole live I will not be able to release that many. They had it in one day of netting. One life time of releasing gone in one day of netting. I felt so discouraged.

Don't get me wrong I think Native Steelhead should be released.

One thing you all forget also in the environmental impact we all have. I've been fishing steelhead now for 44 years. The two main things, I feel that have impacted the fish is netting technology and population.

The fishermen before Bolt kept natives all the time with very little impact. When the nets went in boom the fish populatons plumeted. Really lean years. Then when the populations started to rebound because with the lack of fish there were not as many Indians fishing, too hard of work for too little fish. Then came the population boom houses, stores, cars, septic, more logging etc. etc. The populations of fish now again are struggling. There are 10 times the sport fishermen and guides on the rivers now than ever before. Sleds with erosion, gas and oil slicks. Banky's with shrimp containers and plastic lure wraps. What about the amount of lead that is left in the rivers each year leaching into the water? Just a little lead in solder in copper pipes in a house they say is unaccecptable for drinking. The new houses means tared driveways and asphalt roofs.Last year on just one Sunday I counted 22 rigs at the Fall City ramp on the Snoqualime.This is an average weekend in the winter. More toilet paper and packaging means more logging which silts up the streams. The list is endless. This is also one of the main reasons for thier decline.

So I believe before I can point fingers or get on a high horse about what another fisherman should do or not do I need to clean up my act. Which is really hard to do becaue I live in a house,drive a car, use toilet paper and buy packaged goods.

Todd are you as passonate about those "greedy" things as you are about C&R of native fish?

Just my 2 cents worth and just remember how much my oppion costs.