This is the thing that annoys me. I've accepted that salmon need a break this year, and I'm just about prepared to give it to them. That State managers don't go to the mat to preserve some semblance of fishing opportunity where it would be perfectly reasonable, sound management to do so strikes me as proof positive that what the Tribes propose is what goes. Whether that's due to apathy or legitimately having their hands tied, I wonder more and more as the seasons start to take shape.

As someone who just paid over $100 for my new license plus a Discover Pass, under the assumption that SOMETHING would be fishable while salmon weren't, I feel straight up duped. It also makes it pretty clear to me that the reason for the PR campaign WDFW waged to convince anglers to buy their new license early was, indeed, an effort to secure as much revenue as possible before the pathetic excuse for a fall fishing season they knew was coming was announced.

Oh, well. At least I can take comfort in knowing Alaska and BC will get theirs (and ours), like they always do. Who knows? Maybe this will be the year they finally finish off a few endangered Coho runs. This topic always reminds me that the Tribes, obstinate and hypocritical though they have been, are NOT the ones ultimately screwing us out of our opportunity.