if a river has a strong run of wild fish and has a WSR in effect and also has a hatchery on it and all of a sudden hatchery funding is cut off, wont the river close because a WSR rule is meant to have people let wild fish go when they are fishing for hatchery fish, no hatchery fish would mean there is no reason for anyone to be fishing.

Huh?

if thats to hard to understand try this,

if a river has a healthy run of wild fish and a hatchery and those are the only fish that populate the river and with the new WSR rule in effect all of a sudden the hatchery closes and the hatchery fish disapear, what would you call the fishery that targets the wild steelhead for releasing them ? and remember, the wsr rule is not the same as cnr.

An example:

Prior to a few years ago, the Skykomish above Sultan remained open into March to the retention of hatchery steelhead under standard gear rules eventhough on March 1, the lower river (from the Sultan River down) went to catch and release, selective fishery regulations.

The WDFW felt that there were not enough hatchery steelhead left above Sultan to keep the fishery open after the last day of Febuary (the reason behind the open season into March was to cull out the last of the hatchery fish).

However, the traditional catch and release fishery remained open.

sparky, the rivers that are going from bonking rivers to the new WSR rule have no traditional catch and release seasons, so, if a hatchery on any of those rivers close with the new WSR in effect, what will you call the fishery that targets those healthy wild fish to release them, a wild steelhead release season, a bycatch season ??, it cant be a catch and release season because from what everyone has said, this is about wild steelhead release, its not about catch and release.

Let's turn this around boater and perhaps you'll get your answer. How come when one retains two hacthery fish you must quit fishing. But regardless of the time of year, anglers that retain their one wild fish under current rules will continue fishing for hatchery fish that everyone knows are long gone?

i guess the state feels that the wild steelhead population is in good shape and can handle unlimited catch and release fishing ??, if they didnt feel that way they would include the fish that were caught and released in the daily limit and the angler would have to stop fishing.

Okay, then why not apply it to the hatchery fish as well. That's what they are there for ... harvest and opportunity.

Keep your two and kep C&R'ing as long as you thereafter?

bob, why not put a 2 fish daily catch and release limit on wild steelhead ??

Perghaps we need it. Mortality rates can vary quite a bit under different gear and handling methods.

If you fish divers & bait you are allowed to C&R one fish daily.

If you fish drifted bait with larger barbless hooks, you can C&R two.

If you fish artificials of any sort with larger hooks, no barbs, and ar least 10 lb. line, you can C&R five.

You're allowed one extra C&R'd fish if you use a C&R style net, one less if you don't.

Welcome to the world of regulations that people in this state have never seen the likes of ... kind of like Alaska.

Or maybe we just all fish "smart", kill all the brats we can legally take, let the wild ones go ... and those rivers that aren't faced with messes of other troubles will likely many more years of viable fishing