Well, I just got to agree with you. Waaay to many guides/skippers knocking these big FEMALE spawners in the head. They just don't realize that those females are the ones that make the little ones. To many trying the be the "big cock on the walk" hanging them for the tourists to see. Yes, I need the tourists too. I do all my own processing for my clients and the 25-60#ers are the ones that have the best filets. Those 100-200#ers are just to grainey.
Most Cook Inlet skippers knockem'all. They must like the sound of the 410. Thinking that the other boats heard them shoot one. Hey, Joe Kool shot another one!!! Can't blame it on the indians when they are all gone.
Most S.E. lodges release the bigun's and I commend them for it. I wish it would be the law. Go out and catch a couple of nice size Halibut and filet them and then you have 20-30#s for the winter and that's enough. Want more:go twice and get 20-30 more pounds. Expensive, yes. But how expensive when they are all gone. I could go on for quite awhile on this but this is enough. Thanks for bringing it up. fp