Well said Gooose, on both posts. I fish bait most of the time (when legal), I too very rarely hook smolts/trout while fishing with bait. I fish size 1's or larger, even in the summer, while drift fishing. A size 1 hook with a bait of eggs, shrimp, or prawn is usually "too much" for a smolt to handle, let alone swallow. The only time I jump down to a 2 or 4 is when I'm free drifting (boondoggin') out of the sled on rivers such as the NF Lewis or Cowlitz. Even then, rarely do I catch smolt.

This brings me to what Lead Thrower mentioned. Just because bait is banned doesn't mean you can't walk up to a river and catch the living sh!t out of smolt/trout. A person throwing small spinners, size 1 or 2, or whipping small flies can do MORE damagae than a person targeting steelhead with bait due to hook sizes. A hook restriction size makes more sense to keep EVERYONE in check. Say, no smaller than a size 1 (gap measurement, due to the varying size between hook brands)?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't it the WDFW Commission that turned down statewide steelhead release? The same people that imposed the new rule on the EF Lewis? Maybe their "science" is right after all stlhd20. Maybe next year I'll just go ahead a take my season limits of natives on the all the OP rivers. After all, their "science" says the escapements can handle it. Whatdaya think? It'd be kinda sad if a guy like myself who has always released natives to start beleiving in "science" without much fact.

James