WOW! What a subject and what a different point of view. Myself, I fish mostly with bait. I also fish with lures. Someday, I would like to try my hand a flyfishing. At this point, I still purchase a hunting and fishing license yearly, but the future is in question.

According to the annual stocking reports, quite a large number of fish are being stocked in Washington lakes. Are these fish not for catching and keeping? What exactly will happen to a lake that is overpopulated and feed becomes short? It seems as though you are going to have alot of fish floating. Hmmm......

I don't begrudge someone the right to flyfish. I think someday I might really enjoy it. I also don't expect to be told that I cannot fish with bait. What's really bothersome to me is that nomatter where I turn, someone is trying to shove their point of view down my throat. How many years have we not had a problem with bait fishermen? Now it seems as though we have a few grumpy old men that believe that flyfishing is the ONLY way to conservation. I don't believe that eliminating the use of bait is going to solve the problem.

Quite a large number of lakes are stocked. Where does the revenue come from for the stocking, the jobs that are created by stocking, the maintenance of lakes and boat launches? Maybe if the general public was offended by issues like this, there would be even MORE budget cuts due to reduced revenue of lost license sales.

I am not opposed to making some lakes a restricted fishery with tackle and take restrictions, but taking the opportunity for children to effectively catch fish is wrong. Fishing is something that is especially handed down from father to son. The children are our future. Don't take this away from them.

I think by far, the problem of "floating fish" comes from the lack of enforcement. If there is no fear of consequences of regulation infraction, the few people that are causing the problems will continue their nasty habits of releasing fish that are caught using bait.

Although I do mostly use bait, yes...I do keep the first five fish that I catch. After that, my fishing day is over. The fish come home to be cooked for the family or go in the smoker.
Now I can come down off of my soap box...Thank you!