TedR:

I was born in Seattle, raised in Kent and then teen/high school years in Redmond. Fishing has always been something I enjoyed.....Redondo Beach, Tacoma in different areas.

Met wife, during the Seattle World's Fair, she was from S. Dakota. We were both working but I wanted to go to college. Her folks still lived in South Dakota.....so I went there for my college degrees. When I was applying for work, at that time, my choices were Seattle, Port Angeles, Longview, and Aberdeen. Got map out......Aberdeen had the most rivers, plus Ocean.....so that's where I worked 1968 - 97.

I was here before the Bolt ruling, when gillnetting was done only for salmon, and the netting was done by end of October. The Wynoochee had no dam on it, steelhead limits on Humptulips was 3 steelhead, Wynoochee, Humptulips, Satsop, Chehalis, Upper Quinault and others were full of native steelhead.....lot's of fish 25+.

Economy was great....mills running 24/7, jobs everywhere........now, well everything changes......not so good in Grays Harbor......lots of changes in salmon and steelhead numbers, compared to the old days....most numbers are way down.

If not for the summer run fishing, locally......many people couldn't afford to do much fishing for salmon and steelhead, during the summer months. I like the ability to be able to fish, almost year around.....without driving more than 7 - 10 miles.

Its a "on going battle" to make sure the fisheries we have....don't get cut any more. Lot's of wars being fought, right now.....to make sure sports fisherpersons get a chance during the salmon months. Summer run steelhead has been on the "cutting block" more than a few times....I hope never, really a good program for the dollars invested.