Todd -
What would be the fun if we all always agreed? It is the healthy debate of issues that explore all sides that results in the increase of the collective knowledge of those in the debate. It is only those who unwilling to look at the various sides of an issue that are doomed to remain in ignorance.

To your points
1) I have long (back to the 1970s) made the argued that CnR fisheries often produce more man-days of fishing per day fish. However not all anglers wish to participate in such fisheries. It may well be that more license buyers wish to bonk the occassional or not so occassional fish on the Chehalis. The fact that the steelhead advisory committee voted more or less evenly on this issue it may be a close call on this basin.

2) In the Bolt case area when there are not harvestable wild fish the fisheries have been managed under wild steelhead release (WSR) regulations. Such regulations remain in place until there are few hatchery fish (at least unspawned fish) available. In rivers planted with Chambers Creek type fish that is the end of February. While I'm not very familar with the Chehalis system and its fisheries management it would appear that a latter timed brood stock is used thus the end of March end of WSR on the Satsop/Wynoochee and the end of April on the Skookumchuck. Additional spring fishing may well not provide much additional opportunity at hatchery fish. Do you or any locals know if many fresh winter hatchery fish are entering the Satsop/Wynoochee at the end of March or the Skookumchuck the last of April?

There may not be many hatchery fish to kill.

3) While your proposed hooking mortality rates may be appropriate with highly skilled and conscious anglers many are not. Those that frequent this board undoubtly are more passion and better informed anglers than the average angler but one doesn't have look very long to find photo examples of fish not being handled in a manner that would insure its best chance of survival. Bob Hooten the guru of steelhead and steelhead hooking mortalities studies (source of much of your mortality estimates) from BC has recommended that in general fisheries the values from his studies be doubled - ergo the 10%.

Given all the miles of water that would be open to the catching of wild fish how a day do you think might be handled? I continually hear of multiple fish days per boat.

Again I enjoy these debates and it is through them that I'm have been able to expand my limited knowledge.

Tight lines
Smalma