Ok, let's talk about the logic!

Without any "public comment" for well over 20 years on the "Willapa", someone in WDW or WDG (now WDFW) apparently made a rule that to this day has not been supported by the fishing public. I have never talked to any fishermen that supports the rules to ban the type of fishing that would be done from a float tube or drift boat. If we were talking jet sleds, I can and do understand your feelings about that issue. You may be one of those people that always except what WDFW does or tell you! I am not one of those people!

I can not understand why some of you would allow your fishery agency to "dictate" the method in which you choose to fish. If the public is aware of an issue, and then has an open opportunity to fully debate the plus and minuses of the issue…I have no problem with what the majority than decides to do!

But when there is no logic to maintaining such a stupid rule that now exists on the Willapa, I do have a problem with that one!

More logic… You said "If the river is navigable, you can float hole to hole, and still have a considerable advantage over the bank angler who has to drive and walk into the holes." So now you talking about who gets or has the "best" fishing advantage…right? Well what study can you relate to that showed that WDFW has ever done to support taking such an action? Any "public meeting" or "hearings" that you can recall on approving such a rule? Or was it just done in the "good old boy" fashion behind some WDFW staffs chose door? This is 2003 now you know, and we can questions the past actions of our agencies…right? Aren't we supposed to know WHY our agencies makes such rules or laws, or do you propose that we just accept what ever they say is "the right thing to"?

I see that your profile says that you are a "retired teacher". Wasn't it part of your responsibility to teach your students to ask "why" when there appears to be no logical reason for an action? You say; "CF, I don't understand the logic of your protest." My protest is a simple one. All you needed to do was to read my profile! I am not only concern about "public access" on the Cowlitz …I am concern about "all public fishing access"! So that should explain my protest!

You've made a statement that I can't agree with. You said; "Friends of mine floated the Cedar River for years this way, and the only complaints I heard from them were about the lawbreakers they encountered who were fishing from a boat. Well, I had been a guide for well over ten years, I seen just about every way that you can imagine that a fishermen can be a "lawbreaker" and believe me boaters are no more of a "lawbreaker" than the "bankers" are. You don't need boats, rafts, or platoons on the water to create what you call "river rage" either, just look at what happens with the bank fishermen at "Blue Creek" each year!

You also suggested that the rule was possibly created to keep "fishing guides" off the smaller rivers. I don't believe that was WDFW's logic in creating the no-float fishing rules. All they (the guides) would have needed to do is take their clients down to the many fish holding holes which are usually totally surrounded by private property and let their clients out on the bank to fish.

Finally, you asked me; "Got a better idea?" My answer is yes, I do!

It's a simple one, and one that is far overdue. Do the words "public meetings" or 'Public comment" sound familiar to you? My suggestion is this; WDFW should make a list of every river that currently holds any float-fishing restrictions. Secondly, that list should also give their "reason or justification" for such restriction on each river on the list. Thirdly, WDFW should take "public comment" on each river and make those comments available on their web page. Finally, WDFW should adjust or remove the restrictions from the rivers that the majority of the "public" believes should be changed.

Thanks for your reply CedarR, I appreciate your impute on this issue and maybe someone else can also add to why this rule needs to be changed, or at the very least, be validated.

So far, only Eric post has given me an answer that really makes sense to me!


Cowlitzfisherman