I floated sections of the Sol Duc and the Hoh over the weekend and didn't see a single boat or bank fisherman on either outing. Had the place completely to myself and caught fish. If you are willing to move around a bit and get creative from time to time, it isn't impossible, rarely even hard to get away from the hordes.

The popular spots would be popular without the internet and I don't it has single handedly lead to much of anything...except decreased productivity in offices across the world For many it is a useful tool to figure out what is going on where, and can certainly be used to help avoid crowds if solitude is what you seek. It often seems that there is this perception that any mention of good fishing or a hot spot in X river will lead to a flood of internet lurking, hole stealing, line crossing, meat heads looking to fight for elbow room. I just don't think that is the case. I have been surprised to find both solitude and crowds when expecting the opposite, and that is just the way it goes.

The Bogey is the most productive steelhead river in the state. That isn't a secret and hasn't been for a long time. It is going to be busy for a while and I think most folks that fish it are well aware of that. If you put in at the hatchery expecting to have the drift to yourself, and your day gets ruined when you see a boat in every hole, don't get pissed at the folks that beat you to the punch, get pissed at yourself for having unrealistic expectations.

With regard to traveling fisherman and the territorial mentality that we can all feel from time to time, visiting new rivers and seeing new sights is one of the great benefits of the sport. Without that, I think most of us would get bored after a while. I doubt that there are many that can say they haven't been the new guy a few times. I think the underlying principles should be, 1. be respectful of the resources (fish, land, water) and 2. Be respectful of your fellow man be they neighbor or visitor. Look for opportunities to kindly help educate and inform rather than ridicule or belittle when you see something going down you don't like.

A perfect example from a few years ago comes to mind. I misread the regs and my spot on the map and was fishing with bait in a selective gear area unintentionally. A crew in a boat pulled over on the way by after seeing my sandshrimp dangling in the wind. They kindly reminded (informed) me of the regs. I was exceptionally grateful and had no intention of breaking the rules. It would have been much easier for them to flip me the bird and toss an "ahole" my way as they cruised by. Be cool to someone and they might return the favor somewhere down the line.