I hope all will remember the services of our vetrans and sacrifices made in all the military in past years, and those now serving in today's conflicts.

And give some thought to how sports fishing used to be and figure out how to improve things.

Memorial Day frequently was a good weekend for the Hat Island early kings. Limits were the rule, usually by noon. This was not all that long ago...about 15 years.

Fathers Day was good on Mission Bar for Snohomish Kings. Crowded, but good fishing. Again, not all that long ago.

Every night in the summer dozens of tribal netters pounced on Mission Bar etc. They don't bother now of course. No fish.

The Bubble?? Nobody bothered because it wasn't all that great.

Crabbing was open year round.

Halibut was open all summer.

Lings season was long.

Bottom fish was open.

Port Angeles had great king fishing.

All these things are gone, primarily because of how our state managed the fishery in favor of netting, tribes , commercials etc. These are people who were voted in to office.

I will never forget taking out of state visitors for lunch in Mukilteo and watching their dismay at lines of purse seiners running their huge boats and nets by the old Taylors Landing, now Ivars. Their first comment was ususally "Is this legal? How can the fish survive?"

But it was legal and they took everything they could net..

Another favorite seiner trick was to run their nets right at the "line" by the bait box. They put in and forced the sport boats out as their skiffs pulled in the purse.

So...Washington state had its chance. It had the ability to have a great fishery and reap the economic benefits. It chose not to.

The good news is my expense budget has huge surplus of funds because I don't buy boat fuel, parts, fishing stuff anymore.

Newcomings will probably not belive the above, but it is very true. In fact one of the best king holes as right at the mouth of the Snohomish and could be fished in a very cheap small boat. Lots of derbies (king derbies, remember them?) were won in that spot in he wee hours of the morning. All you had to do is go out early and compete with the dozens of tribal nets stretched across the river and area but they left at sunrise.

Even after the Navy Base ruined that hole and they dredged the river and so the fish didn't lay out front any more, there were still fish to be had....for a while. Now the tribes don't even bother to net.

I haven't even bothered to buy a license, can't see the magic of competing for the several hours and few days of the "openings".

The 6 inch trout openier is looking better alll the time.