i'm not gonna speak for anyone, but my understanding of the fly-only regs for a couple months in the summer on the elwha (and hoko for that matter) were simply the only way to keep the river open to any fishing. there was and continues to be large numbers of anglers targeting these king salmon that the state and nmfs has decided need serious protection (both fly and gear... so the regs may not be having the neccessary effect). we've already had one poster admit to targeting these fish (dr. pepper, i'd like a defintion of spring, because the elwah is closed to all fishing in march, april and may) and that is the primary reason for the gear closure on the elwha.

as for the numbers of fish quoted... i might be mistaken, but i believe bruce brown in "mountain in the clouds" also quotes the 1 million sockeye number when it comes to the quinault (and it was prior to the federal sockeye hatcheries that were built on the lake). i believe he also mentions some large harvest numbers during WW2.

of course, we have to take people's observations with a grain of salt. but to me, saying things just aren't possible is just as false as inflating numbers or sizes of fish. to be honest, we really have no idea about most historical run size data on the OP rivers (much less those throughout the rest of the state). i for one think that the recollections of those who were around prior to some of the most damaging habitat alterations are interesting, and while can't be proven in any scientific way... can give us some idea of what the fish runs were like (and i don't disagree with taking some of the comments with a grain of salt... but do disagree with dismissing much of it because it's not verifiable).

just some rambling thoughts... and don't forget to write letters and e-mails about the upcoming wdfw rule proposals... it's an opportunity for us to give some input on future management directions.

chris