Did anyone here used to fish the Methow, back when it was open for steelhead fishing?

That river is still teeming with hatchery steelhead.

Why is it not open for us to "bonk" all those hatchery fish?

Because the wild fish in there are listed under the Endangered Species Act.

There are two ways that we will be able to fish for and harvest hatchery steelhead in this state. First, a river will have a healthy enough wild run that incidental impacts during the hatchery harvest season will not endanger it, or second, all the wild fish are gone, and we can pump a million hatchery smolts into the river and fish it.

There aren't many examples of an in between, where the wild run is a remnant and hatchery fish are pumped into the system and the river is opened to harvest (maybe the Cowlitz). Technically speaking, the ESA would probably prohibit that.

It depends entirely on your perspective and reason for fishing as to which one of those you'd prefer. Personally, I value wild fish, and I value them enough that I volunteer a lot of time and energy to a group that values them as much as I do.

If you fall into the first category above, then you should appreciate what the WSC is trying to do on behalf of the wild fish. If you fall into the second category above, then the WSC is not for you.

Most folks, it seems, have formed their opinion as to which category they fall into long before this board ever existed, so arguing about it doesn't seem to get any of us anywhere. However, I doubt that'll stop us all from doing it anyway... :p

And please, if anyone has any questions or concerns about the WSC, go to the website and check it out, and if that doesn't answer your questions, go to the contact information there and fire off a question to the board. Someone will get back to you soon about it.

I hope to meet a few of you folks at the meeting Wednesday...please come up and say "hi" if you're there!

Fish on...

Todd
Wild Steelhead Coalition