For the record, I do support the use of safe fish handling technique. Poor handling is second only to fatal hooking location in fish mortality rate in catch and release fishing.

Bk paige,

How many times can a winter steelhead be caught and released before reproductive efficacy is affected or mortality occurs? The reason I ask is because I think the answer is that no one knows. If the primary cause of mortality is fatal hooking location, hypothetically the more times a fish is hooked the greater the probability is that it will be hooked in a fatal location. However, statistically the odds of hooking in a fatal location are exactly the same each and every time an individual fish is hooked. If the odds are relatively low of being hooked in a fatal location, and they are, then the odds of being hooked numerous times are not additively higher with each subsequent hookup.

I think it's worth noting that the USFWS and NPS estimate that the average cutthroat trout in the vicinity of Buffalo Ford is hooked 7 times a year, and the water termperature - coming off the surface of Yellowstone Lake - is far, far warmer than any winter steelhead stream. So the cummulative stress on those cutthroat could reasonably be estimated as being higher than on winter steelhead on the Hoh or any other river.

Redhook,

As pointed out frequently, neither common sense nor logic are your strong points. Latic acid build up in steelhead and trout is a risk when water temperatures warm up, like in the 60s or thereabouts. A winter steelhead river at 52*F and usually in the 40s is cool enough that a winter steelhead could theoretically be hooked and played for 24 hours and not die of lactic acid build up. I'm not saying that no build up occurs, just that lethal levels don't. Therefore common sense and logic tell me that lactic acid build up is the very least worry in regards to catching and releasing winter steelhead. Please pay attention to hooking location and time out of water and poor handling techniques, as these are the factors that contribute to CNR fishing mortality in the winter. In the summer, avoid fishing when water temperatures exceed 68*F to avoid lactic acid stress in trout and steelhead.

Sg