With the current discussion about lost opportunity I thought it would be interesting to compile a list of fisheries we have lost in the last 10 years...Here are some of my favorites that we have lost:

Snoqualmie Hatchery Summer Run
Snoqualmie Wild Winter Run
Skykomish Wild winter Run
Tolt - All Steelhead
Skagit - Hatchery /Wild Winter Steelhead
Cowlitz - December Winter Hatchery Steelhead
Elliot Bay Chinook

Quickly I can add in the summer runs on the Green rivers (king and Cowlitz county, winter runs on the Puyallup, Nisqually chum, Tahuya coho, Burley creek and many others small streams, the Sol Duc brood stock program, the upper river summer runs in the Kalama, Sturgeon, even smelting . This is not to mention the reduced plants, restricted runs, current restrictions on Coho and many other opportunities lots. If I thought about it, I am sure I could post a bunch more. In the last year they even greatly reduced harvest ( from 12 months to about 2 months) on multiple beaches I clammed on. We could toss in the Skokomish kings and wild steelhead retention if wanted to, even though those restrictions have more merit, they still are opportunities lost.

Lots of bank access on coastal rivers thanks to idiots leaving garbage.

Confidence! I have lost confidence. Lack of fish and opportunities have really zapped my desire.

Smelt

Miss the ability to go and do "the dip".....another fishery way over fished!!!!

Backtrollin- your list matches up with mine. Missed the raging on there.

Brings up a point- powers that be are going to be cutting the sky summer run plant starting with this year's smolt release. We need to get on top of this!

This has happened everywhere, it is my biggest annoyance when I see guys dumping garbage and parking in dumb ways obstuctingting roads or even railroads (not shitting you I saw a truck tailgate hanging over a track that gets a train or two a day). It's a testament to how the Internet age hands the keys to the Kingdome to some people with no respect for it and act entitled to it.

The only one I don't see here that I miss is the Samish. A really fun small river with mega trout.

Same here, those are the main ones lost for me. Used to fish Bear Creek and the Sammamish River too back in the day. Those are gone with Hershel and just plain development. The others were affected but not as much by those things. Just plain sucks!

Don't forget Nisqually steel and now even the lowly but always fun Mr. Chum.

So I have much less motivation now. I've taken up other hobbies. But I sure do miss those early mornings of first water, a headshake, and a chrome missile exploding on the surface. [/quote]

Same here. Strange how that works. I havn't got my drift boat wet in 5 years. I'm amazed it happened in my lifetime.

From eleven months of fishing a year now down to around four with marginal fishing for only two of those months. And here's the one's I no longer do:

Upper South Fork Nooksack-Summer fishing
Nooksack C & R Steelhead
Skagit C & R Steelhead
Skagit Summer Chinook C & R
Skagit Coho- they only seem to leave crumbs for me now, or close it early.
Sauk C & R Steelhead
Upper Cascade River C & R Summer Coho
Fraser River- Early and Spring Chinook and very limited now Sockeye Fisheries

I use to pour a lot of money and time into this hobby, not so much any more.

Duckabush Steelhead

Dosewallips Steelhead

Hamma Hamma Steelhead

everything in the upper Puyallup systems

screw it, im going fishing for browns... see ya

Don't forget the Upper Columbia and her tribs this year....pretty quiet around these parts. Miss the ability to fish the upper Wenatchee below the lake through Tumwater Canyon.

All the "S" rivers as mentioned above and real winter crabbing...

Don't forget all the Job opportunities you've lost.

Same as you folks, winter and summer steelhead on the "S" rivers, diminished opportunities for salmon along with the lack of access. I moved to the eastside about 10 yrs ago and glad that I did. Many old timers told me that the writing was on the wall and it would all be over in the not too distant future......they were right! I wouldn't have traded the experiences growing up on the Sky for nothing. Sad part was, watching the steelhead empire burn to the ground. Better to have experienced it than not at all. I'm not 110% saying it's all over with over there, however it is all over as far as the way we remember it and the way that it was. There may be seasons in the future but they will be on quota systems and limited entry, and/or very crowded.

I have caught more salmon and steelhead in one month on the Big C, than I'd have caught in 10 yrs on the S rivers, but there remains a deep feeling of something missing everytime March rolls around and the cottonwoods start to blossum, or missing the long walk back to the truck after a day of summer steelhead in the canyon.....

Ah, yes and Tumwater Canyon

Born and raised in Port Angeles losing the Elwha River with a false hope that it will ever re-open hurts the most.

Why can't we sue for utter and miserable mismanagement and lost opportunity... at least to replant our Rivers. Maybe they'll fear us for once and not just the tribes.

Whatever, I don't have the energy anymore... no faith in the Washington Department of Failed Wildlife. All the money in this rich ass state and all they can do is fail us.

Why can't we sue for utter and miserable mismanagement and lost opportunity... at least to replant our Rivers. Maybe they'll fear us for once and not just the tribes.

Whatever, I don't have the energy anymore... no faith in the Washington Department of Failed Wildlife. All the money in this rich ass state and all they can do is fail us.

So who wants to be a overpriced license this year?

Maybe you should take up being a "conspiracy theorist" , Gnome or Bigfoot hunting are all respectable and suitable hobbies as a substitution. Gnomesayin?