Twenty years ago a guy used to sell poached springers out of the back of a truck at a tavern by Newaukum. Maybe he still does. Around that same time I was told by a reliable source that most of the springers don't make it past the traditional Doty night time net fishery. Pipe bombs are the bait of choice farther upstream by Pe Ell, I saw that first hand 10 years ago. Snaggers pull them out of a few smaller tribs where they still exist, I've seen evidence of that too within the last 10 years.

Even with the extra pressure there are still a few of these fish making it to spawn, but there is no excuse for a season targeting them. There are too few left, and they represent the last of the unpolluted native run. If all of the illegal harvest was accounted for, perhaps the productivity data would support setting a higher escapement goal and no fishery for a while.

Talk to the old-timers down there. This river used to be a premier salmon and steelhead producer.