The Skagit also once had a harvestable amount of wild steelhead.. well we harvested them now they are gone and the Skagit no longer meets it escapment goals..
it's not because of fish that have been maimed by CnR it'e because of harvest plain and simple

Harvesting wild steelhead anywhere in the state is a stupid and greedy thing to do.
the state spends millions to make sure that there are millions of hatchery salmonids to harvest and eat.. NO ONE NEEDS TO HARVEST WILD ONES.. It's a freaking no brainer!!!
you take them out of the river put them in your freezer and they don't spawn. DUH!! it really is that simple!!

Anyone who harvests a wild steelhead in the state of Washington cannot claim to care about the future of the species..
you cannot kill what you are trying to save. Duh again it's a no brainer..

there were once hundreds of rivers that had healthy populations of wild steelhead then there were 34, then there were 16 and now how many half a dozen?? the MSY model has failed in every instance it has been used and is beginning to fail on the penninsula.. how many emergency closures the last few years???

again harvesting a wild steelhead is a stupid and selfish thing to do..

As far as CnR mortality goes.. thoes anglers who catch many steelhead at all are more skilled anglers who know how to handle fish.. when was the last time you saw an unspawned floater??? CnR mortality is so small that it isn't an issue. you can cry about it all you want but thats the truth..

I am convinced that the Anti CnR groups are that way simply out of revenge for having catch and kill seasons limited..


If all you want from a day on a river is a cooler full of meat then you don't get it and should take up golf and buy fish in the market...