Hey, all...

Wow...nice thread. Smalma, I have to admit that when I see your name as author on a thread titled "Confused!!", that it makes me chuckle. I haven't found you to be very confused, or confusing, in all of our conversations, either here or in person!!

I wish I could have have chimed in earlier in the discussion, but here goes anyway. If I repeat stuff from above, as I'm sure I will, it's only for clarity in my own mind...

Reasons for creel check results...

1. Specifically inaccurate

If the data is used to extrapolate harvest predictions/results...then it makes sense to collect it in harvest areas. Many CnR fishermen won't be checked, even if those fishing in in CnR areas are greatly outnumbered by those downstream.

Just as the gamies are faced with the dilemma of more responsibility with less resources, creel checkers would do well to check in areas of high angler concentration so as to collect more data points. Those areas tend to include popular bars, terminal areas, and popular takeouts. For reasons already posted above, accurate data taken at those places may not extrapolate out well for the entire river, much less the entire watershed or region.

2. Generally inaccurate

This naturally grows out of the "specifically inaccurate" heading. Taking data collected and using it to make more general assumptions could be very misleading in this case. The rivers cited in the creel checks are the only ones open for harvest in our state. At this point in the season (mid-February), a fisherman that wants to harvest any steelhead, especially this year, would be fishing those rivers. There just flat out aren't many to catch anywhere else.

Also, at this time of year, fishing is still open statewide. I personally do not even start fishing out on the coast until March, after my local rivers close. As Obsessed pointed out, the relative concentration of CnR fishermen will rise sharply in a few weeks.

As Bob pointed out, since the other rivers are all still open, most the OP fishers are locals. At the Commission hearings last winter, while the overall support for WSR was overwhelming, the small minority of harvest advocates were very concentrated in two areas: the OP and Sedro Wooley. If the majority of anglers are local at this point of the season, then it makes sense that samples taken in those areas will be very skewed.

Sample the Skykomish River and you'll find that the release rate of native fish is 100%. Of course, this is by regulation, but if it were open for harvest, I think you'd still find it to be a very high number.

3. Inaccurate data providers

This probably should have gone first, but since I'm here, I'll write it here. This deals with inaccurate data being given to the creel checkers. Without examining the relative merits/demerits of the reasons, there are reasons why some fishers would give inaccurate data.

First, folks with fish in hand are more likely to be proud of their catch and want to show it off. Second, a lot of fishers just don't want to advertise at all where they are catching their fish, or the numbers they are catching.

This results, respectively, in increased likelihood of harvested fish being reported, and decreased likelihood of released fish being reported. When we're talking such a small sample size, these fundamental inaccuraces are greatly magnified.

Conclusions

If we start with data providers whose data is skewed to harvest, then give it to creel checkers who are more likely to run across harvested fish rather than released fish, and do this in a region and time that is greatly more likely to be a harvest-oriented region and time, we are faced with results that don't likely show the whole picture, perhaps don't even come close.

More accurately, I suppose, is that the data very accurately reflects the amount of fish being retained on the Quillayute system the first week of February on the more popular fishing bars and at the more popular takeouts that are downstream from 101.

What it doesn't show at all, however, is what the general preference of steelheaders is in the state of Washington.

Fish on...

Todd.

P.S. Smalma, are you coming to next month's WSC meeting? Bob G. will be there as speaker, and it would be great to have you, as usual.