I've been fishing in Washington now for about 30 years of the 34 years of my life and thankfully I have never been in a situation where a firearm was needed. Sometimes I'm a little jittery during the summer while stalking steelhead on the upper reaches of the Sky in cougar country, but no incidents so far. In fact the only heat I pack in Washington is in my shorts after having mexican the night before eek My friends usually don't walk behind me unless my waders are on.

Alaska different ballgame. Been approached by more than one brown bear out in the middle of nowhere and I was very glad to have a shorty full of buckshot & slugs, just in case.

BD
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Bobber Down

"It makes no sense to regulate salmon habitat on land while allowing thousands of yards of gill nets to be stretched across salmon habitat in the water"

John Carlson, Gubernatorial Contender, Sept. 2000 speech at the Ballard Locks