Originally Posted By: kevin lund
Stew,

The rivers i'm refering to are............

Nehalem
Salmon (lincoln city)
Drift Creek
Smith
Miami
Trask

The Wilson had a huge return of wild steelhead two years ago. How did the broodstock program effect that return?


The Nehalem isn't hatchery influenced huh? How about the NF hatchery.
The Trask has so many strays and you said so yourself that it is definitely hatchery influenced and the Miami hasn't had a big wild steelhead population for years even in the good years.
What would you call a huge return? I don't fish the Wilson much for winter steelhead anymore but a few of my friends do and they would dispute what you say.
SalmoG has it right. The decline of wild steelhead cannot be totally linked to the broodstock programs but from the surveys we have done on the Nestucca specifically we have noted a sharp decline since the programs began.
Do I think ODFW is lying about the returns? Absolutely! Do I think guides are exaggerating the amount of wild fish they hook? Yes!
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RELEASE WILD TROUT and STEELHEAD