A couple of thoughts from the Big One on this:

1) Virtually every premier steelhead river in the world is managed under what Washingtonians know as "selective rules": no bait, no barbs. I fish bait a fair amount, I do think it does give an adavantage under certain conditions. I also fish under selective fishery regs the majority of my wild steelhead trips. I could live with no bait, I won't say that I'll start a crusade for a ban, but it wouldn't break my heart seeing it either.

Why? I feel I try to be "responsible" in my bait usage. Fact is I don't fish summer-runs anymore in this state, so I don't run across the summer smolts as have been brought up in this thread, so that doesn't really apply to me. I don't fish stinger hooks or tiny hooks / baits that are easy taken deep by fish, both adults and little guys. And I NEVER run divers any more for steelhead ... frankly, I was sickened to see what happens to fish with them in my first few years of guiding. As effective as they could be under certain conditions, their usage was bad news for the fish.

And that's the very reason I could live with a ban. I see how many people use them during wild fish season and try to release fish hooked with them and I know all too well how many of those fish are hooked deep. I know the impact that the pocahing plunker crowd has with it. I could go on, but I won't

2) I would support a no removal from the water reg. I fish for kings that way in AK and the steelhead / rainbow regs are the same way there in most areas.

You can still get pic if you like ... simply kneel down and keep a portion of the fish in the water. You're not breaking the law and the fish will be handled better ...

Why?? Look through bulletin board pix and see how many release pictures are taken on board boats with the net on the floor. You know that fish came aboard and then was taken out, I see it on the water all the time.

I've handled tons of fish and watched thousands of other fish handled by folks over the years ... I know how often they slip out of your hand and by our "policy" (not really, but always our routine) of lways holding over the water, any one that does squirm and slip way lands in the water. I cringe when I think of how many fish have beat their heads on the boat bottom in these circumstances.

Frankly, I'd like to see tickets issued for poor handling of released fish. That's to be taken with a grain of salt ... it ought to be discetionary on the part of the warden. If he watches someone release a fish and it swims the wrong way up onto the rocks (yes, it does happen), someone ought not be ticketed. BUT if someone drags a fish ten feet up on the rocks, lets it flop around for 30 seconds and boots it back ... there ought to be a ticket.

A no removal from the water reg would probably take care of this one

PS ... a salmon is a salmon, a steelhead is a steelhead. They're NOT the same