Hey, I'm starting to know what it feels like to be a worm under a bobber in an overpopulated bluegill pond! Oh well - I knew it was coming with the posting.

Having said that - I use the words "overabundant" and "healthy" with an eye as much towards the future as towards the present.

We do have a few healthy runs of steelhead at present.

Some of these runs are in Eastern Washington in the tributaries of the Upper Columbia. These fisheries have been severely limited or shut down to to ESA considerations since 1997 - despite record or well above average runs for four years ina row.

Re. overabundance - anglers were told to go fishing on the Methow last December to harvest hatchery fish that were crowding the spawning grounds there. Unfortunately, only a minority of the hatchery fish were clipped, and the run was closed days later when an estimated number of wild fish (defined as both wild fish and hatchery fish without a fin clip) were caught and released with a 5 percent mortality rate.

So at least in one case - we did have an overabundance of fish on the spawning beds.................though perhaps this story needs to go on a whole other topic.

As usual...I ramble...and I'll pay the price for it in the sharp dissecting posts to follow I'm sure.