I've heard a lot of pros and cons on this subject. I am definately against a broad ban ban on c&r of wild steelhead. It has to be a case by case basis, based on biological data from a given system. The regulations imposed on the Quillayute system the past few years are great! If there is a need for more protection then fine......if needed.
The biggest beef I have on this issue is the people who are pushing it the hardest. Who?....the guides! I have lived on the West End of the Peninsula my whole life. Every year there seems to be SEVERAL new guides using the Peninsula rivers as their income source. Why should somebody be able to make a living catching wild fish day in and day out....netting them....pulling them onto the beach for a photo or two then releasing them hoping they survive? I like most locals I know who have fished these rivers for years do not keep a small percentage of the fish they hook. It sure is nice though to be able to legally keep a fish caught for a weekend meal when company comes to town in late winter or early spring....not to mention the ones hooked in the gills.
As stated earlier....if there is a biological reason to protect a certain run then do it! I don't feel catch and release is the answer though. If a run is in need of protection then shut the system down completely. Don't let the poachers have a chance to be on the river and don't let the guides harass the depleted run day in and out for a profit.
Somebody said it in a earlier post.....pressure getting heavier all the time.