Well folks, those of you that are waiting to enjoy the coho fishing in your favorite tributary of the Columbia River better not hold your breath. The "big run" of coho that has been entering the Columbia for the past 2 weeks has all but been given away to the commercial gill net fishermen.

The "compact" has just given the Columbia River Gill netters another 2 week 24 hour a day extension. That means that except for Saturday and Sunday the nets will be in 24 a day for the next 2 weeks.

WDFW demands that we must release all unmarked Coho. The gill netters get to keep them. Isn't it about time that sport fishing groups file a joint lawsuit against the compact and stop this practice once and for all?

The nets go back in at 7pm Oct 14th to 7am Oct 18th and back in again 7 pm Oct 21 to 7am Oct 25.

It's way past time to get another initiative together to rid these nets from our rivers. Who will be the first to start? When will sport fishermen ever get their act together and unite?

Cowlitzfisherman
Is the taste of the bait worth the sting of the hook????

And to add more insult to that decision, I'm predicting that the late timing of that run will result in significant numbers of fish taken by the netters. And then the WDFW/ODFG will once again get on their soapbox and brag about the success, the supreme cooperation of all concerned and the management of that fishery. Sarcasm intended!

And to add insult to injury

NEXT YEAR OUR FISHING LISCENSE GO UP IN PRICE!!!!

What pure crap - doubt they will get 10 cents a pound for those fish, except for the eggs they strip, of course. On another post Stlhead suggested a ban on egg exports. Bet that would be easier to get than a ban on nets and would be even more effective

The real trick is that these guys can now buy a permit from WDFW to sell their fish to the public right out of their truck!

Now how many of you really think that they will report the amount of those fish that they caught and sold to the public to WDFW? Now they can catch 3 times what they actually report!!

And someone asked me why I felt that WDFW was incompetent!!

BTW, these guys are selling their catch locally on the streets for $1.50 a pound. Why in the world would they report their catch now when the market is playing them .30 cents a pound? The market was the only place that really showed how many fish were being caught by the gill netters.

Cowlitzfisherman
Is the taste of the bait worth the sting of the hook????