Come on now....You pay any guide don't you? All about the same price? You catch hatchery fish that your tax money pays for and you pay the white guide but you won't pay the indian guide??? Sour grapes me thinks. I have a few fishing buddies who think the same way and I respect that. I also respect any honest hard working guide who knows how to show me a quality day of fishing. I like the Quinault because it is pristine and quiet and has no houses or people on it...I have seen maybe 5-10 people total on a trip down that river. To me that is worth every cent.

Another endorsement in the form of a story:

Last fall (2002) I took an important client for two days of fishing with Robbin on the Quinault. We stayed in his rental house. On the first day he drove from his house which is right next to the bridge on 101 at Amanda Park up river to the lake which is not very far at all. We tossed spinners near the pilings. I figured ..oh well..Robbin is going to make out on this trip as he is right next to his house. After fishing for an hour or so he said let's go...he walked over to his house and got his truck and trailer and pulled the boat out of the water. We followed him on a really long drive through logging roads and eventually came out at a backwater on the river where we launched the boat. We proceeded to get into tons of Kings and silvers and had a ball. We came back to the house at dark after spending all day fishing. The next day he did it again. My customer and I had a blast and really appreciated how Robbin put out 110% when he really didn't have to so we could have a great experience.

That my boy is why I fish on the Quinault with Robbin Rhoades. Not because he is an indian but because he is a good guy and a pro.

I also appreciate his side of the story concerning tribal fishing rights. He knows the heritage he comes from well and can express himself well too. He doesn't seem to hold it against me that I am disappointed with most of what the tribes do when it comes to fishing. I guess the lesson is to listen to both sides. Make your beliefs known and stand up for them with all you've got. I know I am going to have to work with the tribes and look forward to trying. Refusing to talk to them is not the answer just as much as caving in them when they are wrong.