I am still finding it hard to beleive the battle over a fish I had seen this past Sunday. I have been fishing the Skokomish for the last few days with limited results. I am not as efficiant as others at the bump and jerk method as its not something that I practice often.

Where I had been fishing is a popular place, a short distance down river from the bridge. At that point the river is very narrow, maybe thirty feet, with a very nice drift. On the opposite side of the river is the Reservation, and on the side I was fishing, I assumed private property with a generous owner. Numerous fish were being caught, the nine or ten guys and gals fishing elbow to elbow as often occurs. It was a very enjoyable day. Listening to the stories, the hooked fish moivng up and down the hole with the loud yell of "coming up" and "coming down" and of course the occasional muffed neoprene fart that always seems to bring a good laugh.

This would all soon come to and end as the local Reservation Natives came to their side of the hole with their famous weighted treble hook. Fish after fishe began to be remooved from the hole via the "look, snag, and drag out method" so famous of the tribal members. I was appauled at the sight. The one fish that will haunt me is one snagged by a young tribal boy of maybe ten years of age. The fish ran up stream under the lines of fisherman on the private side and was hooked again by non tribal fisherman. The battle was on for this doomed fish. As the fight went on, the fish rarely moved from the middle of the river as both fisherman did not want to lose the fish. Both poles bent to nearly breaking. As the time went on, the tribal boy's father was beginning to make comments about letting his boys fish go. Following his dad's comment the tribal boy lashed out at the legal white fisherman calling him a jerk. Some time later the non tribal fisherman on the private side of the river broke lose from the fish, only to get hooked by another fisherman on the private side of the river. Only, this man was an aged man with no fight in him and released the line to the other side of the river. The fish was lost to the tribe with a belly snag.

I was shocked at the whole scene. I am saddend to see the fish snagged by the tribal members. They don't have a chance. The tribal members are like eagles, they sit at the top of their bank, eye the fish and snag it. Where is the sport in that. The fish have no choice to bite or not to bite. I witnessed more fish released than kept on our side of the river due to bum hook ups. I had seen a female landed with a leagal hook up that had 2 corkies sticking to her back that were broken off due to bum hook ups.

I am not sure what bothers me the most about the whole thing. Sometimes I am ashamed about what happened to the Indians, but when I see abandoned dead male salmon that were dumped from the inidans nets under the bridge, and watch as they sit there and snag, snag, snag I am not so ashamed as much as I feel hate. All humans destroy and create waste, but to waste with no regard is horrific.

I think that if this kind of over harvest continues, where will the fish be. After seeing the wasted make fish under the river, I am convinced now that the sport fisheman makes very little impact on the fishery. The netting by both commercial and tribal fisherman is the main cause. But the worst thing to do is to throw out fish that have no monetary value to them as the tribal fisherman have done.

I am going to throw out an idea that many of you will think I am crazy and may have some harsh words for me, but it is just my opinion and we are all intitled to our opinion. If we stopped fishing for 5 years, I mean completely stopped, everyone, indians, commercial, and sportsman alike. Think about what the fish could do as far as recovery. I would do that just to know that fishing would be improved not only for me, but for my kids and your kids. The fish need a chance to recover. One whole generation of fish could return with no impact, while four others gained strength.

Anyway, fish on...