Whew, Ralphy-me-boy, got yer stem up Eh? Well yer right, they should close the upper portions of steelhead streams to sport fishing, and you know what ralph? In many cases they do. And your allso right about all these sport fishermen hammering the rivers. If they would close the rivers and leave the fish alone they would do alot better. Yep, just the fish the river the poachers and the indians.I don't mean to make light of your comments, I have felt many of the same things recently. But after spending a little more time getting involved in the politics of fisheries I have come to some new conclusions. If W.D.F.W. Is going to do anything they are goning to need more money, If they close the fisheries they will get less money. They won't even connsider going manditory catch and release on wild fish. By your own admission C&R is less damaging than a kill fishery(C&R fish suffer a 5% mortallity c&keep fish don't do so well). If you look around ralph, you will see that catch and release fisheries have been very succseful in many area's with many differnt fish stocks, including steelhead. Rivers with critically low stocks should be closed to all angling, and patrolled. In rivers with stronger stocks what is the harm in opening up certain sections to catch and release only angling. It reduces the crowds and gives a person a chance at a more relaxing angling experience. And the fish a better chance at making it up to the headwaters. Are you telling me I shouldn't be allowed to release a fish even if I don't want to kill it? Or that I shouldn't be allowed to fish? Oh, yea one more thing, I have never had the oppertunity to release a thirty pound steelhead, but I released a pretty damn big fly caught native on the Sol Duc yeterday, and if he had been twelve pounds heavier I still would have. I couldn't kill a thirty pound native.