I agree that there are more "BED RIPPERS" than I care for. I cut my eye teeth fishing for steelies on the North Shore of Lake Superior. About 23 years ago, so I'm getting to be an old fart. Most of the fish caught in those rivers are rarely seen. High spring time flows and turbid waters limit "sight" fishing to the smaller creeks. I prefer to fish when I can not see fish. The "wild fish" on the North Shore are mandatory catch and release, and have been for many years. There is a movement right now to change that, and I hope it fails. These river systems are very fragile, and can not support a catch and kill fishery. That's why the plant loopers, but that's a whole other story. The regs on the Brule in Wisconsin do a real nice job of taking care of their fish.

I doubt that we will ever see "rotating" through holes as an option in the Midwest. Lots of guys get up at O dark hundred hour to fish in necked down areas of rivers where taveling fish will be. I highly doubt if you ever get them to give up that spot. I prefer to move as much as I can while fishing, but a guy is pretty limited as to where he can move and still be productive. Especially on the weekends. Hey DT, what do you think the chances of getting someone to move out of the run below Horlick dam, the Wier hole at the Root, Kletch, Capitol, or Estabrook at the Milwaukee? It's a novel concept, but I doubt if we'll ever see it. It would be sweet to be able to move around those rivers, as a guy could really pile up the numbers in a hurry.

Unfortunately these rivers are part of a put and take fishery, that also provide the cities of Chicago and Milwaukee with enough fish to keep people spending money and coming to the communities where the river and charter fishing is good. Don't know if you fished either one of those rivers 15 years ago, but they pale in comparison to what they use to be. Increased pressure on the lake and rivers have taken care of the excellent river fishing we used to enjoy.


We need to do a better job of teaching our fishermen the proper way to catch and release fish. No fingers in the gills, holding them out of water for 5 minutes of pictures, no milking loose eggs, no dropping them on the rocks, no laying them on the bank for a picture, no release in silty water. Too bad guys don't respect the fish and the fishery.

As for being to catch fish without seeing them, I agree. Lot's of the guys I see on the Wisconsin rivers would struggle to catch a fish on the North Shore of Lake Superior, much less Washington. They have been spoiled with huge numbers of fish in small river systems. if you want to be humbled, go bank fish the Skagit as a newbie, and you'll appreciate those real slow 10 fish days during the spring run on the Root.

Hey DT, curious if I have ever met you before on your home river. Peace