Salmo-
I agree and that was a point that I was making it certainly is obvious that water temps carry a huge impact on all salmonids. I'm certain that with the higher water temps and lower oxygen levels that the statistics "should" be much higher than that of the conclusion they came to on the Kelogh sp? river...

We need to watch what we're doing or we won't have a fishery in the future....

ie. the Columbia typically runs 70-73 degrees in the fall (August-September).. It's one of the largest fisheries we have on the lower Columbia basin. We now cannot keep native fish in this system so you have a high catch and release ratio all the way down to the estuary. I know I put 2 days in last year and CandR'd nearly a dozen native silvers... It's hard to stomach the fact that someday down the road once the game department does some studies that it too will be a fishery that will likely be closed... Or perhaps the game department recognizes the issue and will just stick their nose up and look past it do to the revenue it creates...
Keith