Does the WDFW recycle any winter steelhead after they reach their egg-take goal? If the Bogey has an excess of 2000 steelhead at the trap, that they can't give away to the tribe, it seems that they should truck them downstream to run up the river again for another opportunity at being caught by fishermen.

I know the ODFW recycles summer steelhead in Oregon and it seems successful.

That is what they do indeed, they make them run the guantlet again!! :p

In talking with "Tom the fish checker" out of Forks who knows the situation very well, I learned that they have NOT been recycling Bogey Brats. The reason stated was that it has been discussed, and the hatchery managers want to do it, but alas there is no "truck" for transporting the fish, and no funds available to get one up there...

...unless something has changed in the last couple weeks...

Steelheadman:

This was done on 1 of the Grays Harbor rivers, I watched 3 times as WDF dumped the fish. A few looked very nice but the vast majority, wouldn't be taken home "by me".

The option was to "truck them up to the lake". The placement of steelhead and coho from the trap to the lake has been going on since the dam was built, about 30 years now. Its just been in the last few years, 2002-2003, that the hatchery steehead are being recycled. The recycled fish are again marked, not many were trucked down a 2nd time. Would be interesting to know where they went????

"Worse day sport fishing, still better than the best day working"

I have to say, the idea of trucking fish downstream seems wierd, regardless of how many times I hear about it.

Maybe we should just take them back out to Swiftsure so we can all have a shot at them.

Maybe if I fished the rivers I would feel differently.

Actually I just talked with Scott Moore who runs the Bogi hatchery last night and they just recycled 100 fish yesterday at Leyendeckers. The first time they have done this in years. To bad the rivers are going to be out for a few days after this weekend. It's not that they dont like to do it. They have to give the indians first crack at the fish in the trap once they meet there quata. They just sent 500,00 eggs over to the snohomish system and sending more to the Green this week. Scott said they will replant 400 more next week as well.

The tribe already gets its shot of over 50% and they get well over 50% in their fishery. WHy should they get first dibs on the excess fish that made it by them instead of the sport anglers who dont even get a chance at 50% of the run because over half have already been netted down below.

Pat & Rich G., as you know its all about timing, if the fish are in the hatchery at the right time, the river isn't blown-out and the truck is there then the fish will be put down-stream and available to boat & bank fishermen for a short time again. If not, they will hot-foot it upstream and will be picked-off by the tribal gill-nets or rot in the hacthery holding pools & be recycled into feed....