Skydriftin
Apparently you must be into "speed reading" because you had obviously missed the point! The issue was not "about money" (Though I could make that issue too) the issue was about the misconception that was used by WDFW to get the legislation passed to get that "extra" money.
I know a ton of fishermen and the guys that were concerned about paying for additional salmon cards; have already figured out how to "beat" that one! The law allows them to get free "additional salmon cards" up to and until July1 2003. I known of several people who have already gotten at lease 3 additional salmon cards, and it was done legaly. Personally, I didn't do so because I have learned never to count all your eggs before they have hatched, so why worry about getting extra cards when I haven't even filled out my first card yet.
Apparently you also missed my point about filling out extra salmon cards on the Cowlitz. Like I said before, WDFW spends next to nothing on the Cowlitz River fish hatcheries that produce those huge runs of Coho on the Cowlitz River. Why should WDFW be able to charge a person for an extra salmon card when Tacoma Power pays 100% of the cost to raise and release these coho salmon? If the State were the ones who were picking up the tab, then that would be a whole different story!
Rob:
WDFW already make you "quit" fishing for salmon once you have caught your limit of adults in our rivers, so what's the big deal if they included steelhead too? Get your 2 or 3 fish and you are done unless you hold a "special hook and release card" and then you can continue fishing for wild steelhead
THINK OF ALL THOSE STEELHEAD SMOLTS THAT WOULDN'T BE GETTING HOOKED when a fisher has gotten his limit and has to stop fishing!
Cowlitzfisherman