Todd - I don't think that's entirely fair...I have never tried to "justify it." Truth be told (here's your answer Direct Drive) I am torn on how I feel about flossing. My home river is a terminal fishery, meaning 99% of the fish are hatchery and there is no true wild strain left (we're talking Chinook here). The river has two dams above the hatchery - totally impassable to the fish beyond the first dam which is a few hundred yards above the hatchery entrance. There is little to no viable spawning gravel left in the portion of the river accessible to the fish. Bottom line...it's a hatchery river and always will be because those dams are not coming down anytime soon -they are actually considering building a third up higher in the system.

In terms of the fish, the hatchery only needs a very small sample of the tens of thousands of fish that enter this system in order to meet (exceed) their egg quota each year. The remaining thousands of fish basically die in the river probably after unsuccessfully spawning because there is no good gravel. These are hatchery fish - you know, the ones that EyeFish always says "must die" and everyone here celebrates when they get to "bonk" one because then they won't spawn with true wild fish. So...these fish are basically just going to waste and possibly spawning with any few remaining wild fish, further diluting that stock.

There is no chance of removing the hatchery from this equation, as I said there is no viable spawning gravel in this river and the commercial fishermen rely on this river as part of the Sacramento River system for the second largest producer of commercially caught Salmon on the West Coast. In other words, these fish are caught in the ocean and feed our families. The hatchery is necessary.

So...for years I have been OK with the flossing on this river - why waste a fish if it can feed a large family? And..up until recently, the flossing scene has been fairly laid back. Many of the guys doing it are hard core anglers that love to fish for other species and get a kick out of wrestling with a big Salmon for 1-2 months out of the year, but they are good people and have a strong passion for the sport.

Recently, in the last few years, it seems like it has gotten way uglier though. The crowds are now insane, the fish get hammered on big time, and the mentality has changed. It's not just a few guys out there having a good time...it's hundreds of guys out there acting like the fish on the end of their line is a matter of life or death. Bunch of cranky bastards out there that have forgotten (or never knew) what fishing is all about.

So...like I said at the beginning of my post, I am torn. I don't like the thought of so many hatchery fish going to waste - same thinking as the Sockeye fishing in AK. BUT, I really don't like what the fishery has become as a result of the flossing mentality.

So there you have it. Full disclosure. Hopefully this helps paint a picture of where I have been coming from in all of these debates over the past couple of years. Flame away if you must, but understand I am trying to be honest here. A "kinder and gentler Nor Cal Drifter."