Land Tuna

Hooking any smolt with or without a barb is flat bad news for the fish! frown So why not close all fishing during the smolt migration time if we really want to protect wild steelhead? Then we all can have more time to figure out new fishing restrictions and rules! laugh

Sometimes I think fish are gods! They are only fish! Wild fish have been exploited for years in an attempt to shop the over fishing by the commercials and Indians. Now so many people have forgotten that issue and are only fooling themselves. It all started when everyone was looking for a ways to stop the over fishing by the gill netters and the tribes. rolleyes

Now it's become a personal issue with many people because it is "their cause". Don't take me wrong, it's a good cause; people just need to learn how and when to compromise. wink

When will the different sides ever get together and reason on the how we can have both a Kill fishery and c&r fishery at the same time? One real simple way that it could be done is to allow a very small limit of wild fish during the fishery. Let's say one or maybe 2 per year, per fishermen. Some will cry and say that you are "targeting" wild steelhead, but think about from the other point of view. That view also makes common sense. When a fishermen hooks a wild steelhead and the fish is bleeding badly (real badly) why release it when you know there is a 99% chance that it will die in short order? Don't even say it, because I know that the reply will be "It's 100% killed if you don't release it". There's not a true fishermen on this bb that has not hooked a wild steelhead and released it knowing that it was probably not going to make it. God, I can hear the c&r guys already screaming!

When will fishermen ever learn to compromise and work together? It seems to always be the "my way or the high way" when it comes to wild steelhead harvest. I suspect Salmo G. will jump in and reply even those we have had this same debate numerous times when is comes to Wild Steelhead and harvest. Differences of opinions are what make this such an interesting board. Who knows, maybe someday this bb will solve this problem. laugh

Cowlitzfisherman

Is the taste of the hook worth the sting of the bait????
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Cowlitzfisherman

Is the taste of the bait worth the sting of the hook????