Attention Wynoochee Anglers

On the night of May 30th from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. we are holding a meeting at the Aberdeen High School lecture hall to discuss the different opinions of the proposed motorized boat ban above Black Creek. The meeting will discuss where the deadline should be placed, whether it be Black Creek, the water intake, or some other place. We will also be discussing whether or not we want an all out ban during the summer, or after the river drops below a certain level. This process will take a while, but if you guys are serious about the future of the Wynoochee you will join us at the meeting. There are more and more guides that use their sleds for guiding on the Wynoochee than ever before, not only for winter run steelhead but for summer runs also. Lets take this one step further and make a difference. If anyone knows who I need to contact to attend the meeting please let me know asap.

Thanks,
Andy Matthews


[This message has been edited by Andy Matthews (edited 05-15-2000).]

Way to go Andy! I think a lot of us will be watching to see if anglers can get together and compromise resolve an important divergent issue without government intervention. This has the potential to set a VERY FAVORABLE PRECEDENT here. 'Nooch fishermen & guides would do well to attend! - Steve (BTW- I think your "brain fart", as you put it, of spelling it Whynoochee makes for an appropriate topic heading- short for Why the 'Nooch, or Whine 'nookie).

[This message has been edited by Reel Truth (edited 05-15-2000).]

[This message has been edited by Reel Truth (edited 05-15-2000).]

Andy
It's obvious you didn't spend much time on the nooch last summer for there wasn't one guide fishing from a sled. A few local sleds and they didnt hurt a thing. And for the winter time sled traffic it may be heavy at times but thats no reason not to catch a fish.

Fishing Junkie

I was just wondering if anyone thought of having a speed limit on the river, rather than just SAY NO to jet sleds. It seems to me the people that are conserned with safety? would be happy with this? I think the real problem is with the Guides when they get in and try to take multiple passes at a hole, blasting up and down like there at Blue Creek, and then you got Drift boats anchored in the same hole, another trying to drift through, and some Bank Angler that just hiked 15 min. in to the hole to fish. All that is needed is a little common sense and COURTISY? Just my .02. See Ya Fish.

Fishing Junkie,
since you seem to have a very strong opinion about this. Should I expect you to be at the meeting? There are alot of people that like to voice their opinions on here, but never in person. I don't think you are one of them though. All I am doing with this meeting is to get somewhere other than the bitch fest that has been going on here. We are not trying to look down on sledders, we are trying to compromise things in a mature manner. I don't want this to start a huge fight at my high school. Hell if we get a small turnout, we can bs about fishing in general. Jim Bain, I know you are really really busy with WAA, but can you try to make an apperence at this meeting? I know you have talked with a few people about this before and you have alot more insight than I do, being only 17 years old. I am not the best speaker by all means, but I think I can get the job done. If anyone has any suggestions or comments, email me or post it on here. Maybe we can come up with some food or drinks or something to snack on during our conversation. It will be interesting who shows up and who doesn't. I am curious to see how many guides that guide on that river will show. Fishin Junkie, you are correct, I stayed off of the Nooch last summer, due to the crowds, alot of people think they own the river and or fish! I have been told countless times that I am fishing someone elses water and I am taking their fish, and these guys are serious! I don't get it... My parents pay taxes on that river just the same that they do. I pay the same license fee's they do to pay for these fish. When it comes time for broodstocking, I am always there to lend a hand and to do my part. I think the nooch is just becoming Cowlitz junior. let me know what everyone has to say. I expect to see everyone at the meeting that contributed to the bitch post about the nooch...

Thanks,
Andy Matthews
360-533-1449
answer@techline.com

Friends of the Wynoochie...weather or not we agree or disagree we need to attend and make our feeling known ,personally I think the boundry should be Black Creek and not the spill way,it's a tough run in less than ideal water conditions ( low )just my .02

------------------
Row Quietly and fish a Catraft( formerly Steelheader boy)
<'))>><

Good job Andy you can bet i will be there!
The nooch is getting way out of hand. If we dont start doing something soon its going to just get worse.

Andy

You can bet I will be there. I would like to know what we are going to do about all the driftboat traffic every time I went to the river I ran into twice as many drifters then sleds.
As for broodstocking I didn't see you on the satsop this last winter.

see ya
Fishing Junkie

Fishin Junkie,
May I ask what your name is? I may know you and I may not. I am just curious who you might be? Hell we may have even talked or fished together. I am not making this a drift boat versus sled war. I am saying that by knocking down the horsepower it will eliminate alot of the guides... You cannot disagree with that... I don't have a problem with sleds in general, they are very fun and effective to fish from, and I do quite often,, on rivers that can handle that kind of pressure. I do not feel in any way that a 20ft Woolridge powered by a Chevy small Block is a great option at fishing the nooch, period! If you beleive it is, then you are out of your mind. You may or may not own a smaller outboard engine, 50hp or less, but that is all that you need in that river, hell you honestly don't need that much power. I take it that most of the contriversy is because alot of sledders like to put in at white bridge and run up or down right? I rarely see any sleds above the intake on up until I get to White Bridge, then there they are again. I guess all I am talking about is some common courtesy while sledding... Is it all that hard to ask to motor down when moving up or down past a drift boat or banker? As far as the drift boat traffic goes, I will look into that and we can discuss that at the meeting, I can probably count on you to bring it up. The traffic on the Nooch is outright bad, but by eliminating the larger sleds we can eliminate some of the traffic and make to a more peaceful day on the river... As far as broodstocking goes, your right I didn't do the Satsop this year, did a few years back though. There is another local river that they broodstock for salmon, where you there?


Andy Matthews

Andy,

50hp may be the best sized sled for the nooch but I don't know many guys who can afford 2 or more sleds. I have a 16 ft sled and by you Idea of good rules would not be able to fish the river. Besides size of the motor is not near as important as treating the river and others with repect.

I am of the opinion that flow is a big issue when the river is high say 2200cubic feet I don't do well out of my dift boat and like to use my sled. I Also think it would be an inforcement night mare so the Idea of a cut off makes sense. and I think the diversion down is the right place.

Takedown,
I like your outlook on things. You are right, it is not so much a problem at the higher levels but when the river drops and the sleds are still running up high it gets quite dangerous. The water inatke does seem to be a good place, but the main thing that the sled party is complaining about is that there is only 3 miles of fishable water from there on down, adn then we get the other 20 miles? I see where that could be a problem also... will you be at the meeting to share your interests?

Thanks,
Andy Matthews

Andy
Just something to think about - why not do something positive like trying to get more fish planted or getting a run of springers started.

Fishing Junkie

Junkie,

The dept. of wildlife's "wild salmonid policy" won't allow it even if they had the money(which they don't). Too bad. Did you know the satsop historically had a run of spring chinook? Long since wiped out but wouldn't that be something!

Fishing Junkie,
I guess I don't see where I went wrong. I thought I was doing something positive, and alot of people told me I was, you should see alot of the emails I get saying that I am doing a good job, but ohh well. I guess they are all wrong and you my sir are correct. I guess having a meeting to try and save a river that is loved by alot of people is for the worse. I guess by having a peaceful meeting trying to get some hotshot @$$holes off of the river is a bad thing. Hell let them run all 200h.p. up and down the river, you won't see me there. It is just a matter of time until some jack@$$ gets hurt caused by a maniac sled driver, I guess until then you can all have your fun. Why won't you just tell me your name? I have a feeling who you are, I just don't want to assume any longer, that's all. If you are all gun hoe for 200h.p. 20ft Woolridges on a small little river like the Wynoochee, then maybe you and your buddies should try and turn the Nooch, Satsop, Hump into if you aint packin 200h.p. you aint [Bleeeeep!] rivers. I didn't think a friendly meeting to hear both sides of the story was going to piss of so many people. What the hell happened to freedom of speach? I guess that went right out the door after a nice day on the river did.


Andy

Andy: Chill, you have to understand that the freedom to fish in a way a person feels the "most" comfortable, might not be what the vast majority of people want. I have major concerns with the "water intake" boundry. I have used the internet for stream flows for 4+ yrs., it gives the "flow" and the "height"....flow is not what I look at, its the height of the water. White bridge area, at a certain height, winter/summer, and my boat has no trouble going to Carter CK., Black Ck. area, even at most summertime lows, row down, or use electic motor.....I can run back up..More realitic, ban all jets, above Carter Creek.
Spring Chinook, (Wynoochee)there was a run of spring chinook in that river. Myself, my wife and 2 boys, "babysat" springers, at a place on the Satsop, after they were taken from the Wynoochee fish trap. We watched them most of the summer.....big fish 40+. Then help "pull eggs" when the fish were ready. Eggs were taken to Lake Aberdeen hatchery, and fry then taken to Mayr Brother ponds on the Wishkak to be raised...."some how" got out of net pens and ?????Interesting how the WDF works if they don't want something to happen...."Old trap reports" would show this to be true.
Good luck with any meeting, I'll hear the results. 30 yrs. a teacher, many Boldt decision meetings, meetings with WDF personnel.....have left me "meeting out" let you young kids do the meeting bit, I'll just keep fishing out of my 14' jetboat.

DrifterWA,
Bill... nice to see ya active on here. I know you are all meeting out... I totaly understand that. I know not everyone will ever agree... I am going to do my best at trying to control this meeting, hell I need some big guy like you there for my body guard... j/k Well I will let you know how things go... Springers are going to be a thing of the future on rivers that you and I both fish... I know you know what I am talking about... Terry is going to help Jim and I out with this one...

Thanks,
Andy