Grandpa,

Why do you call the Yakima a boutique fishery? That labeling strikes me as too similar to Rob's extremism (everyone who disagrees with Rob is wrong. Sorry Rob.). The Yakima is a productive trout stream, however, no river is productive enough to permit a general harvest of wild trout these days. It's the too many people thing that you often mention. In a state of too many people, full time C&R on the Yakima apparently is the best way of maximizing angling recreation. Otherwise, it would be in a perpetual state of being nearly fished out, as each fish reaches the minimum size limit, it gets bonked, keeping the spawning population, perpetually too small. It seems like the Yakima regulations aren't boutique, they are simply a reflection of how to have quality fishing for wild trout in a state with 6 million citizens.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.