I think I must be missing something here? Isn't the steelhead catch record card INCLUDED FREE with the freshwater license. I'm not sure how the statistics in the first post were arrived at, but ANYONE who buys the freshwater license can legally fish for steelhead if they wish. Think of the hordes of people who buy licenses to fish for salmon. You know that a majority of them also try their hand at steelheading as well. Thank God some aren't very successful! But the fact that they are even out there trying is what makes everything seem so crowded nowadays. With the population growth that WA has experienced over the last 20 or so years that I've lived here, I find it very hard to believe that there are LESS steelheaders than in 1968. But then again, what the hell do I know.