Originally Posted By: billjr64
Unfortunately it`s not just the new {outlawed} selective commercial fisheries. Hatcheries are being assaulted on all sides. From reform that basically means minimal plants to out right closures. My favorite stream had a weir put in at the mouth this past winter. Wondered where all the fish went, even the coho weren`t there, then I fished down to the mouth after 4-5 trips without success. Weir was stopping ALL fish migration. I guess they were passing the natives as I caught a few upriver. Real shock though to see NO christmas coho where before there were many. ALOT fewer native steelhead too, wonder if the weir at the mouth made them change there minds. Heard of a few more of these weirs in local streams near the mouths. Has our fish and wildlife people gone crazy? They`re about to bite the hand that feeds them and they have no clue as to the consequences. Bill

Long day at work today, like to expand on this a bit. This is a perfect example of what could happen on the Columbia with weirs and seines. Proponents of the change to these methods have been saying all kinds of things such as we`re chicken littles or we`re watching for the black helicopters. Or that the fishing will somehow be more productive if the hatchery fish are removed.Yet in this example some think it`s funny that I wasted my time fishing above a weir. Wonder how funny they`ll think it is when thousands of sports waste their time fishing above weirs and seines? The gillnetters were the ones who pushed to outlaw those methods because they couldn`t catch fish above them with a GILLNET. Sports aren`t gonna have a prayer. And the upriver tribes will be pissed. Bill