Aunty

You are right!

I don't think a lot of fishermen realize just how many people fished the Cowlitz. For years now, the Cowlitz was the number one winter run steelhead fishery in the State. Each month from late November to January, thousands of fishermen hammered the Cowlitz on a "weekly" basis. It was not uncommon to have over 100 boats a day at Blue cr during Nov-Jan alone. Now where do you think that all those fishermen and boats will be heading for, since they have decided to eliminate that Nov-Jan run of hatchery fish? I bet you that 90% of the total winter run steelhead that were harvested on the Cowlitz were harvested during that same time periods.

Just think about it, all of those people from Boeing that used to come down to the Cowlitz during Nov-Jan will now be looking at and fishing in the rivers and streams that they had never had to before!

You can also bet that all those guides who everyone gets so mad at will also all be looking for the best rivers to take their clients, and it surly won't be the Cowlitz during Nov-Jan anymore. For sure, there will be a lot more people fishing rivers that never had much pressure on them before. And they will wonder where all that new pressure has come from?

But then again, some one will undoubtedly accuse me of drumming up another one those "conspiracies" theories again. . . . but this time I will be the one who is left chuckling!


Cowlitzfisherman