As I'm sure you're all aware by now with the stink I'm raising about this, the Quillaute River has been closed to all fishing until water levels get back to near normal. This is what is posted at the Leyendecker County Park boat ramp:



From what we saw for kings in the lower end of the Sol Duc today, it's probably a very good thing that this went through. BUT, you walk down the ramp to this:



I proceeded to spend the next 15 minutes trying to explain this to my guests, one from California, the other from Seattle ... appalled would be a tame description of their response. My reaction wasn't much better.

Pretty sad state of affairs that we have on our hands sometimes ... a big thumbs down for the Quileute Tribe! And a pat on the back for the Hoh's for backing off to the south!!

Did you really expect them to obide by a state motivated closure with the best interest of the fish in mind. They net and hunt because they can and it's a federal issue, until they get involved nothing will change. The state of Washington needs to get with the powers to be and work on a buy out program. Pay the tribes of this state to stay out of the forests and off the rivers. They generate plenty of a cash flow to sustain a comfortable living for thier members generated by these casino's. There has been way too much unnecessary killing of elk, deer, fish, shellfish and what ever else over the years, it has to come to an end some how. Some of the young tribe members might look back to the elders for guidance on what it means to only use what you need to sustain your family for the year. Instead of how much per pound egg's are selling for.

The last couple of days, I've seen tv reports, and articles in our local paper (South County Journal) about the positive impact the sport salmon season had for communities near Hanford. I would think they could find a story in your situation, where guides, small businesses, and the communities they live in are devastated by a WDFW emergency closure; a closure ignored by some tribal fishers. The tribe/tribes that have pulled their nets, because of the emergency closure, certainly deserve to be recognized, too.
Why don't you email your pictures to KING, KOMO, and KIRO TV stations? Some of us could make follow up phone calls/emails to encourage them to do a story on this.

COME ON BOB, your surprised???
Most of the tribes don't give a rats ass about the enviorment or their "Brothers" the deer, elk, bear, or fish...PERIOD!!!

I can take you to a local indian housing development where they dump their GARBAGE! in the STREAM!!!!

They would RAPE this land to death if it wasn't for the white man taking care of most of it!

I don't dislike all indians, just the ones who don't care about nature as much as I do.

The thing that suprises me is that so many local sportsman are willing to go on down to La Push and buy fish from these guys. I am aware of two prominenet Forks guides who buy both salmon and steelhead from the indians. I would rather let the fish rot than pay 1 cent to these gillneters.

A lot of floats missing in the middle huh?

This makes me wanna puke!

Downriggin'

Unbelievable! Bob thanks for posting that these people are simply unreal.

Keep putting the pressure on them Bob. Maybe its time for a little covert action, I've got some full camo gear and some face paint!

i too am jus sick of this netting issue, so i call state senator steve johnson, and get a few answers from him, he says the netting issue is a federal issue, but however, if any of you read " the reel news" newsletter, there was a federal magistrate judge who ruled against the tribes about there shellfishishing on public and private waters, such as commercial plots, the tribes thought they had a right to fish it since they say "its on our rez or its our ancestors territorial fishing grounds, well the judge told the tribes to back off, maybe , jus maybe we can have a chance at removing the nets someday..the treaties are not totally set in stone..anyone got pics of the waste of fish by the skoks, or the nisqually tribes, or how about footage?

Ya know, we can all sit around and piss and moan about this, or we can do something in protest. Historically, it has always taken an act of cival disobedience to bring on change. Look at what the Blacks did in the 50's and 60's with the sit ins and such. Look at what the great men who founded our country did in protest to taxation without representation (Boston Tea Party), etc, etc. If you want to bring change, then you must collectively do something to let everyone know that the current situation is unacceptable. Now, I'm going to take some heat for saying this, but oh well, here goes...... Ya got to do something drastic, something that makes a very strong statement, something that some would consider criminal. Start pulling nets whenever you find them left unattended, cut them loose if you have to, float debirs into them, causing them to sink, cut holes in the mesh, send the netting boats adrift when their left on the bank. Yeah, I know, it sounds like a bad deal, and it will be if only a few people were to do it. But if 10,000 people were to do it all at the same time, it might make a strong statement as to how we, as sportsmen really feel about the current system. Don't confuse my remarks, this is not an anti-Indian post. The tribes are only doing what the government is letting them get away with..... Its unfortunate that they have to get caught in the middle. Sooooo, That's what I think, now go ahead and tear me apart.

You know, for the price they getting for the fish, I can't believe that they would sacrifice the public relations debacle they create for themselves. But, I guess maybe they don't give a rip about how the rest of the world views them.......

Kudos to the Hoh's

Little zozo,
I'm not gonna roast you because I completley agree with you. But if anyone tries something like this, please do not cut the net loose. These nets will continue to kill fish as long as they are in the water!

What a bunch of sorry-ass individuals.

Shows you that all their talk is simply that, talk.

Forward your pics to the local news channels, Bob. See if any of them has the sack to broadcast the evidence that the Quilayutes are a bunch of WORTHLESS pukes.

I fart in their general direction.

Ouch!! The netters at least, right Dan??

Why don't you tell us how you really feel!

Yep, the netters. For crying out loud, can't they show a LITTLE bit of good faith?

I try not to get all spooled up about things like this, but sometimes enough is enough. If I lived in Forks, my head would be flying around right now.......just ready to explode.

Must find a beer.............

I am appalled...

Just cannot believe they are getting away with this...and they're supposed to be "brothers" with wildlife.

wonder what they would think if some of their nets started to "dissappear"...maybe the cost of replacing them would outweigh the revenue generated by them?

I'm a 5th grade teacher and today we studied Native Americans of the northwest before the European invasion. We studied their way of life, historical accounts, and quotations taken from various primary sources that they left behind. The whole time I couldn't help but think of what is going on right now. The kids had a debate pertaining to "who had the right to the land: European settlers or Native Americans." Overwhelmingly, kids sided with the native american perspective citing that the earth would be in much better condition if we had let them stay. They went on to talk about the "deep respect" native americans had for their land and their resources. It's amazing to me how off those students are. All summer I fished and witnessed a bounty of horrific acts carried forth by these so called "land lovers." Whether it be snagging fish after fish. Shooting birds and seals, or gutting hundreds of chrome kings for their eggs only and leaving them to rot in the river. Wake up everybody......Somethings got to happen. I will do whatever I can to help with this cause.

ONLY if time had stood still. Why do people think that the earth would have somehow remained unchanged if the Europeans had not settled in North America? We didn't settle in China, and they have environmental issues of their own......none of them due to "outside" invaders. It's called an expanding population on an Earth that hasn't grown.

Sorry, but what our forefathers did to their forefathers is completely irrelevant to THIS situation. And this situation STINKS.

I have some nice pictures of a net I pulled last month that was unattended for at lest a week.
The net had several nice kings and one big steelhead in it. Some of the fish were so rotten you could see their bones!
Many times we saw some kings lying on bottom of the water at the launch. I guess they didn't have enough fish to make them feel "responsible" to take care of what they've killed.

I've pulled and have cut nets for 20+ years.
I've pulled them right in front of the indians when they wern't suppose to be in there. They didn't say anything, guess they didn't want a boot kicking!
The gammies know I do it, but without a complaint against me what can they do? And do they really want to do something? No. They feel the same way about these issues as we do, but since they work for the gov't they can't speak out. Becides, they got more important things to deal with other than me.

Little ZoZo-you are right on! If they don't attend a net, I guess it was abandoned We should remove it before it gets sucked into someones jet! LIKE MINE!!!
And if there is a boat on the bank without state numbers on it, it to was abandoned, and thus so must be removed before someone hits it. Hits it with a SHOT GUN IN THE BOTTOM
I like to roll the net up in rocks then sink it!
Or cut the top rope every 2 feet and leave it piled on the beach!
If you put it in a pile and spour about a cup of gas in the center then light it real quick It melts real good

I say PULL EM!!!!!

BOB, What if about 5-6 of you guys (or 1 Timber )go down there and pull that frickin net and cut it up right in front of those indians? What are they gonna do? Tell them if it's in there again you'll do it again!