I am in total agreement that ALL wild steelhead should be "Catch & Release", state wide, no exceptions, end of story.

I just don't understand this labeling of "Purist" or "Responsible" though. Is killing a wild steelhead by accident, rather than on purpose, any different to the steelhead itself? Is it any worse for the resource?

I've been fishing with guides for 23+ years now. If you fish when wild steelhead are in the river system, sooner or later, you are going to end up killing one or more of them. EVERY guide and fisherperson knows this. They're going to head slap it and get eye hooked, they're going to swallow even an artificial bait to deeply and get tongue or throat hooked, they're going to fight so hard they won't recover, ect. ect.

Is it better because you didn't mean to? Yes, I believe it is. Intent makes a difference, but not to the fish. Making the choice to fish when natives are in the system means you are putting them at risk. It's a risk we all take and we all know it. Thats why I don't understand these labels of "Purist" and "Responsible". They might make us feel better but they don't matter to the fish. We knowingly take that risk. We know we're going to kill native fish, sooner or later, too.

BDR