It seems to me that the fishing in the canal and its tribs is soley a hatchery fishery any more.If you were to do away with the hatcheries and the smolt plants in the tribs there would be no fishing.The rivers are catch and release exept hatchery steelhead.Catch and release with no controls on methods,a treble hook and a worm is just fine but release it.The salmon seasons are planned around the hatchery returns on either end exept for a limited blackmouth season which I believe are for the most part are penn raised.I am not as sure about the blackmouth but with the chinook salmon being listed by the feds I cannot imagine that they would allow a fishery targeting the imature endangered fish?

This makes no sense to me and never has.This is why I get a little uppitty about the snagfest that the canal has turned into.I know and love the canal with all my heart and hate to see it turned into what it is being turned into.Every fall I get to hear about the Quill,Skoke and finch creek atrosities.If you were to take these away none of you guys would even bother with the canal because the state has alowwed the sportsmen,comercial,and tribal fishermen to take so many fish that they are coming close to becoming a thing of the past.I asked Bill Herzog what he thought was wrong with our favorite rivers.He got to fish them in all there glory.His answer in a nut shell was the they allowed way to many fish to be taken out of the systems.I know this because while everybody has been having there fun at "the zone" I have been hiking the rivers counting fish.I have done this for up to ten years now.Instead of admitting this the state is covering it up with these snag shows.The east side of the Olympic mountains has alot more to offer than that and it would seem that the state does not want you to know about it.

This leads me to wonder why?Why is the state afraid to tell the truth about the condition of the Hood canal?I have often wondered what recoarse the Skokomish tribal nation would have if they could put the blame on the state.It was the state that sets the rules controlling logging.It was the state that alowed tacoma power to dam the north fork and continues to liscinse it.It was the state that established the numbers that decide the 50/50 split between the two interests.And those number,in short order decimated the fish stocks in the hood canal.It is the states fault.

I am done ranting.I hope this gives everybody a little bit to think about.I know you guys are ethical fishermen that are just having fun and am sorry for sounding like a jerk,but honestly I have hiked the canyons of the canal since I was a little boy and has brought tears to my eyes as I watch all this happen.

peace