I have to agree with what Obsessed.

I looked back at my old punch card return reports (I knew I would find a use for those someday). Up until 1994 they would report how many people returned there cards, what % caught fish, etc. On the average only about 50% caught fish and of those catching fish 2% caught 21 to 30 fish. That means 1% of the anglers were catching 20 to 25% of the total harvest. I'm not sure that we want to further skew the catch distribution!

In fact it would be my personal preference to reduce that difference by lowering the annual catch limit, say to 10 or 20 fish per year. Now I hear folks say "we got to get those hatchery fish out of the system!" Yes we do but somehow I think if we limit that 1% that is catching more than 20 fish the other 99% might be able to catch those uncaught fish and have better fishing for it.

If you insist on getting additional cards at least be willing to pay for those fish. It cost at least $0.50 to produce each steelhead smolt (the cost varies from hatchery to hatchery and it may be even higher than that). But at 4 bits a smolt and a 3% smolt to adult survival (a high average - current returns statewide is much lower than that) it would cost $16.67 for each adult hathcery steelhead returning to our rivers. 30 fish times 16.67 is $500- a fair price for an extra card!! It is unfair to expect the rest of us to subsidize your catch if you want more than 10 or 20 steelhead a year.

Tight lines
Smalma