This is not a hard concept...focus.

The commerical guys fish first, and in front of us, and using "live capture methods", harvest far more hatchery fish. Read every single non-CCA press release about it, they mention it every single time.

Fish are reserved for the tribal fishers, as always. No less than now.

We fish in between them, over less fish...yet for some reason there are some who equate that with "better sportfishing"...KK's analogy was apt, it's like having a bow season following a fully automatic machine gun season in the same game unit, and expecting better archery hunting.

Live capture methods will be a boon to non-target species like steelhead and sturgeon, and those who fish for steelhead in the tribs or for sturgeon will be happy with the result...I, for one, am one of those who will benefit from more steelhead being in the tribs.

However, for those who fish for springers in the LCR, or in E.Wa, or God forbid, Idaho...those guys are screwed, and big time. Same with those who fish for springers in the LCR tribs, the Lewis, Kalama, and Willamette...bend over.

Wait until they implement it for coho and fall Chinook, too...we'll go to fully marked selective fishing on those runs, and then, once again, we'll fish behind the user group that has the ability to harvest far, far more of them than we will.

As I've said many times before, "selective fishing" (as this pilot program is incorrectly called) is a tool, not a panacea...in appropriate circumstances, it is appropriate, and can account for longer seasons, more wild fish, and better fishing. When it is used in inappropriate circumstances, it may cause damage to fishing opportunity, and may not provide any benefits whatsoever to wild fish.

In the LCR, this is what will happen.

The good thing about these discussions, at least, is that no one will be able to come back after the commercials load their totes, we go out and have horrible springer fishing, and then say "Wow, didn't see that one coming!"...you have been forewarned, repeatedly.

Fish on...

Todd
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Team Flying Super Ditch Pickle