And about the whole "See you on the OP" thing I keep seeing getting tossed around? Its true, everyone is heading that way, with each closure another set of fishermen head that way. Every Sound river is done, I would say not one is going to have a healthy population in a year or so. And with that every steelheader will head to the O.P., and all your opportunities belong to us. One collapse after another, California in general, South Puget Sound, North Puget Sound, The O.P. is next and then your favorite zipperlip.
Just a warning which any cognizant or however you spell that person would be able to conclude. But alot of people live in denial.
All the more reason to place an emergency order to ban wild steelhead kill on the remaining OP streams that the masses will be displaced.
The extra angling effort those streams will have to absorb is hard to fathom. Along with that increased effort comes additional impacts to wild fish even if NONE are retained. Some will surely die... and moreso with the increased pressure.
Another weird thing happens to fish-deprived anglers.... after a long drought of catching nothing, that primal predatory instinct kicks in the moment a legal fish is landed. Resist the urge!
Remember that Puget Sound is NOT alone.... even coastal steel populations are on a decidedly downard trend. Please, if you are coming out west because your local fishery is closed, discipline yourself to release ALL wild fish.
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"Let every angler who loves to fish think what it would mean to him to find the fish were gone." (Zane Grey)
"If you don't kill them, they will spawn." (Carcassman)
The Keen Eye MDLong Live the Kings!
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