Hey Oregonarcher,
That mentality will only perpetuate the killing of natives. I can see it now, people saying it had the hook way down its throat so we had to kill it. I would still release it. It will have a better chance of survival in the river rather than in the bottom of your boat with a frickin lump on its head! The rivers need the nutrients. Get over it THERE IS NO GOOD EXCUSE TO KEEP A NATIVE! What the hell is so important about killing them? Is driving 200 miles a good excuse? NO! People fly around the world to fish and practice catch and release. Why is it different on the Peninsula? How is it that even the most undereducated people at those destinations realize the virtues of catch and release yet here, it seems like so many have trouble realizing that it will help to insure survival? I’m so f*#king sick of people coming up with ridiculous excuses to kill a native. I say this, if you can’t handle catch and release… get another hobby!