One thing to keep in mind, Take-Down, as regards the F&W Commission, is that while they are tasked with being a voice for sport interests, they are also tasked with being the same for the other fisheries interests in the state. That, plus the fact that WDFW has ultimate authority on management decisions, causes the Commission to be a less ineffective avenue for long-term changes that favor sport fishing interests.

The reasons why our government favors co-management aren't hard to understand from a business standpoint; words like cheaper, faster, and easier come to mind. Changing that thinking will be the exact opposite of those adjectives. Whatever momentum we had toward the change we agree is needed was lost when we rolled over and signed on to a plan that was barely better than what we had stood firmly against, just so we could go fishing.

If we ever want the situation to change in our favor, we're going to have to show some resolve. The way things work, the only effective way of doing that is to put our money where our mouths are, or, as the case may be here, NOT to put our money into WDFW's coffers when they fail to provide us with what we believe is fair opportunity. A severely reduced budget would cut into hatchery funding, which would force a few hands to fold in a hurry. The Legislature controls how much general fund money WDFW gets, but they have no control over whether or not license revenues materialize. Either we spend less (by giving up a year or two of what will be crappy fishing anyway), or we spend more on lobbying. Either way, money is what motivates change, today more than ever.