I used to live in tri-cities and fish very regulary for the skamania stock hatchery fish that were planted there. Several years ago the broodstock was changed to wells stock fish, and now fisherman can't even fish for them, even if it is catch and release. The wells stock is supposedly what the wild stock fish is in the upper columbia, but come-on these are fish raised in a hatchery and fisherman aren't allowed to even fish for them. Does anyone understand the logic for the removal of the fisheries, the continued mass planting of smolts?? Here is the future of the regulation in the ringold area http://www.wa.gov/wdfw/fish/regs/regchng/apr1001b.htm
Can anyone shed some light on this? As I understand it, the wells fish aren't even going to spawning areas up river, they are just congregating in mass, at the spring creek they were planted. Like hatchery fish tend to do. It seems to me as a WDFW screw-up.

Oh and I love the timing of the message by the WDFW. Lets wait for all the steelheaders in the Tri-Cites to buy their licenses, before we announce we are shuting down the only summer run fishery for many miles.


Mike K
(I have changed my displayed name from KORE)

[ 04-14-2001: Message edited by: Mike K ]

Mike K,
I agree with you whole heartedly. The Ringold Hatchery is a joke. With it's perfect location at the beginning of the Reach it should be a world class Hatchery like Dworshack Hatchery on the Clearwater and many others, instead it's a couple of holding ponds dug in the dirt with a pole building for it's headquarters. The changing over to Wells fish is criminal. The Skamania strain was better suited to a put and take fishery as it spawned at a different time than native stocks so cross breeding was at a minimum. The Ringold Hatchery is the most mis-managed Hatchery around.Lester

Hey Lester,

I will be moving back to that area for a while due to a good job offer. When I started looking at what has happened to Ringold I was shocked. I grew up fishing there and in the reach. Those skamania fish were a class act(10-20lbs). As I understand the wells fish are coming back around 4-5lbs, and are not spawning but returning directly to the hatchery.

If they really want to bring back the wild fish that spawn in the reach, above Ringold. They should catch or trap some of the wild fish that are currently spawning in the reach, and use those for the brood-stock. And not use a clone strain that is similiar to the wild stock. Like you said Ringold could be a world class hatchery, for brood stock, with the location of the many miles of spawning area just above.

I just don't understand not having even a catch and release fishery; 181,000 wells fish are planted at Ringold, 172,100 wells at Wenatchee river, not to mention the other plants(around 60,000 wells). Those are all lot of hatchery fish being planted with no fishery. It is a shame.

Mike