This is really eating at me..anyone feel this way?

I have been struggling over this for a few years now. I can't with good conscience target our beautiful wild Steelhead any more. This decision is not an easy one to make. I've had my share of fun for 25 years and caught my share of fish. I just don't want to be part of the problem. I don't buy the mortality rate numbers that the "experts" have come up with. I don't really care fishing for brats, but I'm sure that will fit the bill when I want a tug. I can see more trips to Yakutat in the future. I'm not preaching to anyone who wants to fish for Nates, just venting. Does anyone else feel this way?

I do it a lot less, and don't fish nearly as hard as I used to when targeting wild fish...a bite or two a day suffices.

Fish on...

Todd

If I can make it past June 1 I may actually not buy a punch card for the first time in about 30 years .

My freshwater days are decreasing each year. No steelhead trips so far this year.
Thank goodness for saltwater......
SF

Steelhead are just a fish, just my favorite fish. They seem elusive and ghostly at the bottom of the river. Once you know what to do - they are highly exploitable - extremely vulnerable. People make their living selling the fish themselves, and everything associated with them. I fished almost every day as a private boater on the Olympic Peninsula through the 2015 season; I'm not sure I'll be back. I caught lots of steelhead, but I'm not sure what fishing means to me anymore...

I truly believe that in many instances a few expert anglers can effectively fish out a stream nearly as well as a crowd of people. Try boating behind 3-4 excellent guides on any stream, clear or glacial. You can still do very well, but the experience definitely changes. You often start "re-catching" darker fish by changing techniques or by targeting different water. Steelhead love to bite things - they travel great distances to inspect and bite objects with reckless abandon. They are so vulnerable...

I think that the reality of it is that near maximum exploitation is occurring whether or not I decide to fish. With the number of anglers out there I can't see how it matters whether I catch the fish, or client X in a guides boat catches the fish, or whether a bankie gets the fish...

As an experienced boat angler, I believe the best thing the sports angler can do is limit fishing from a floating platform. At the very least if you have to get out of the boat to cast, people can't race through the river catching the most aggressive fish... How can you "leave a bankie his hole" if he was low-holed at first light before he ever got there?

I'm not sure what I want - I don't want steelhead fishing to close! But with the number of people it simply doesn't always provide a quality experience for everyone... The pie is cut up so many ways... If there are no fishermen, I worry that there will be no advocates for the fish...

Yes it really eats me up.
Good work guys, we got em.

To end on a positive note and reflect what Todd said:

Do I plan on quitting fishing for wild steelhead - absolutely not. Do I plan on finding mellower ways to enjoy catching less of them - DEFINITELY. It's something I'd like to apply to many parts of my life - instead of constantly wanting more I'll try to get more out of less.

Nice post, Supertrout.

What is best for fish is not best for anglers.
I'm an angler.
But I love fish.

I'm not sure how it all balances out but the times they are a changin and if the time isn't now, it is right around the corner. In general, money wins so I'd say there will always be opportunity for someone. Now throw in native rights that trump it all. All you can do is give a dejected laugh.

I've had the same thoughts for the last 5+ years. Especially in years where I hear the returns are low. I've told friends I'd feel guilty even hooking one and I do my best to make sure when I do, that I impact them as little as possible.

The problem is, I'm also feeling that way about OP Chinook for 10+ years. I was lucky enough to fish out there in the late 80's and early 90's. And I think I worry more about the King runs than I do about the Steelhead. Last year I made 4 multi-day trips, fished hard, did good on Coho and I NEVER saw a King hooked never mind landed. I know there were a few around but it was dismal and scary.

Yep, I didn't wet a line after ps closure, wanted to go but decided not to.

I applaud this attitude.

Making a commitment to tread lighter on a precious and limited natural resource.

BUT...

At what point of depletion is it no longer acceptable to put ANY pressure on them? This where the consumptive user (yes, even CNR guys are consumptive in the sense of "impact' from release mortalities) must look long and hard in the mirror and make a very personal decision.

If there is reasonable certainty that the resource will rebound, then "treading lighter" in times of cyclical or periodic scarcity makes sense. But what if the trajectory points to constant and perpetual depletion?

Are we there? I don't know for certain, but it's looking more and more like that all the time. If so, are we called to even greater restraint?

It is also like, when is enough enough. Just because there is a limit, does one have to take it? As an example, one OD I got 3 geese, the limit was 4. Took quite a while to process them and then quite a while to consume them. I am now pretty satisfied with just one. At the same time, a friend served some really good goose pepperoni made from Canadian Snows. From something like 200 of them as the group hit a really good spring hunt.

How much (fill in your game of choice) is enough?

It's all about the numbers for far 2MANY.

If those people measured their dicks some other way the fish would benefit.

I don't feel this way. Oh, I find it plenty depressing that the state of our fisheries has come to this situation. And I used to have a reverence for steelhead that exceeded my interest for all other species. Then I came to realize that I'm just a steelhead addict, and that steelhead are just another salmonid. The things that makes steelhead special is that they are usually the least abundant salmonid, and they take artificial flies better than salmon do, but not any better than cutthroat and bull trout.

Although fishing regulations still allow wild steelhead retention on the OP, a survey report I recently read inidicated that only 3% of the wild steelhead caught were killed and retained. This makes CNR incidental mortality the primary sport fishing impact on wild steelhead. Who'da' thunk that 20 years ago? The upshot is that sport fishing mortality barely registers as a factor affecting wild steelhead abundance in WA state. I'm not saying that incidental mortality from CNR fishing doesn't matter; rather I'm saying that at this point it doesn't appear to have enough of an effect to be affecting population abundance.

The crowds of steelhead anglers have a more degrading effect on the quality of the steelhead fishing experience than they do on the wild steelhead resource. What that means for the future is that management of recreational steelhead fisheries is more about social engineering than it is about steelhead ecology and meeting spawning escapement objectives.

I still fish for wild steelhead. And I will continue to do so as long as I find satisfaction in doing so. I've long since selected a fishing method that limits my direct impact on the resource. If the time comes where I have reason to believe that my impact is having an adverse effect on the resource in terms of reducing population abundance, I'll quit. However, I expect that the continuing reduction in the quality of the angling experience will drive me away from steelhead fishing before the lack of steelhead does.

Sg

It blows my mind now days with the CnR fisheries we participate in. To most of the anglers nowdays it's a numbers game, people want to rack up the numbers of fish they hooked and released. Myself am getting up there in age 56 this June. Now days I am just happy getting a few bites and maybe landing a few Wild fish during the season,Hell I am happy to just have gotten out on a river enjoying the scenery and sharing fellowship with those I fish with. I have had my days of racking up the numbers on my old zipper lip rivers on the coast. Which there is almost no access to these days because of gates across the logging roads.

If the "HAWK's" keep winning and playing well into January I'll be fishing less & less each winter............When they start losing again in a couple years I'll have to scratch my itch for a tug. Cause the tug is the drug.Good luck,

SZ


PS, My winter run trips are becoming fewer & fewer each year.......

Like Sg, I'll keep fishing until it's no longer worthwhile, feeling confident in that my impact is essentially negligible.

The troubling thing about steelhead is that we don't really understand the reasons why they don't seem to respond to our (fairly honest) efforts to recover them. I don't think there's good evidence to suggest that us stopping fishing will keep them around any longer than what we're doing now, so I think overall, it's better for the future of the fish to have a voice in the human community. Without sport fishing, there will be no voice, so I say keep fishing, and be as respectful to the fish you catch as possible.

I sure fish wild fish a lot less than I use to when Sol was around, but I don't plan to, nor hopefully have to, quit all together

I've probably had more than my share of time with wild steelhead for one life time and will always remember the perfect days of 33 degree snow on an unoccupied pristine river and a battle with a fish of unearthly beauty. I'll leave my space for others ............for the most part.

So many trees to hug.
So little time.




Fill the rivers with hatchery fish or soon we will have neither.

I never targeted wild fish, I didn't see the logic in killing what you enjoy most & still don't... But the nets don't care either...

Good post! Memories are a powerful thing.

Jonas and Edgar.....fawk roll me a pinner cuz.

What blows me away is how sensitive fish runs are. Seems like yesterday when the Sky was choked full with Chum Salmon, now that run seems almost depleted.....it's crazy.

Ya,the chum runs were certainly sensitive to the price of ikura.

I definately don't get out as much but it could due to the fact all my favorite rivers are closed that time of year. I will continue to fish if I get those opportunities again, these fish are just awesome and I can't see myself stopping. Yakutat here I come

1968 - 2015.....

Early years, lots of wild and hatchery steelhead....fished all the rivers within 80 miles of where I live, but I was MUCH YOUNG and could do the walk in to places that many wouldn't walk to.

Can actual say, have not fished North of Humptulips in 20+ years. Do I miss the Hoh, the Queets, the upper Quinault ???? sure I do, but memories I have from the good days are still in my memory banks.

My local rivers, while I still fish them, have been taken over by the I5'ers and ohhhhhhhhhh so many guides. Nice to be able to fish during the week, gets away from some of the pressure.

Memories are good......just don't taste very good!!!!!!

WDFW X 1 + 0

Thanks.......those 2 together was great and that song, one of my favorites....

I agree!!
Sent it to me mommy for mothers day.
She called me crying.

At true classic with both of them in their prime.

Sensitive? Pretty hard for chum to reproduce when they've been netter to historic low numbers. Set a low bar, and there's not much room for error.

Hell, I am thinking of buying a bass boat.

Wouldn't go that far.

With neighboring states producing quality fisheries, I'm lucky to get 4-5 days a winter targeting nates on Puget sound rivers. Dont feel the desire to put anymore stress on a limited resource. Started fishing the Sky just as it was starting to fade. Lots of great memories... Wish we could have a turn the clock back day. Guess I'll have to settle with fresh hatch springers for now......

Sensitive was the wrong word.

Whoa whoa whao.... lets not let this thing get out of hand now, people talkin crazy like.

If I wanted to really limit my impact on wild fish, I would just fly fish. On the rivers I fish, numbers are pretty stable. I've caught a couple dozen this year; have not had a bleeder or fish I suspected wouldn't make it. I think avoiding bait and using smaller hooks does a lot to limit impact. Hook size seems to get little attention in this arena, but I think it's a factor.

Wild steelhead are a superior sport fish IMHO.

Joined you in 2007. Feel the same way.

I'm pretty much all salt all the time these days. Maybe a fresh water day or two for winter hatchery steelhead on the skykomish, a few days down on the hump in the fall with a buddy and that's it.

My sled gets very very few hrs these days.

-t

My own opinion comes pretty close to this.

I'm still willing to bushwhack remote areas that keeps me acquainted with these fish just enough to keep the interest there. Fishermen are few and impacts are low where I go but I don't go near as much in winter as I used to either…..partly due to epic crowds and limited options(river choices) but also because as I get older I just don't need a fish bad enough to get out of a warm bed at 3 in the morning in 35 degree rain on a January day only to play bumper boats down the river.

More and more, summer and fall fisheries are where it's at for me.

Don't see any reason to stop fishing. My limited time on the water won't affect a thing. Plus using the bug rod most of the time is even less of an impact. if the WDFW could do more good just by making it mandatory statewide to release wild steelhead then it would be start. But they are stuck in the same old game. Make few happy & the heck with the rest.

I'm jacked to go steelhead fishing. Getting prepared to go after some chrome bright hatchery summeruns for an extended Memorial Day weekend. I live for this and love this time of year. Haven't fished since the end of last year when I caught some winter brats and released a nice wild hen. I don't target wild fish. Usually leave them alone this time of year when they are spawning.

After over 50 years of steelhead fishing I too am wondering if fishing for wild steelhead is right. There are so many factors that have discouraged me including targeting wild fish. The overcrowding, poaching, netting etc. It's all a cluster fawk and I'm sick of it. Sadly there are still groups out there that will be more than happy to fish them out if given the chance. One of course is the tribes. The tribes have already asked for more wild fish since the sport fisherman is releasing them. Such intelligent thinking.

So from reading this thread ive got that most of the older generation think everyone should stop fishing for them cus it isnt what it used to be back in the day when they all fished non selective and that its overcrowded. Sounds like a bunch of burned out steelheaders now think everyone should feel burned out.

Some spots/times are more crowded than they were 30 years ago...but plenty are less crowded, too...that's not really the issue for me, though the west end streams get pretty clogged with boats on some days.

I'd rather just fish less than prime days/conditions when the crowds start to bug me too much.

I still love doing it, and catching fish...I just don't try quite as hard any more, and am more easily satisfied with a few fish here and there, fishing when/where I want, in whatever way I feel like fishing that day, conditions and "best technique for today" be damned

Fish on...

Todd

Tru dat! I have given up on the wild fish. They are pretty important. The gillnets at the mouths of the rivers are doing a great job of getting rid of them.

I see even some experienced guides netting fish before releasing. Just for the money shot I guess.

"They managed them till they were gone"

Without hatchery fish you can kiss your fishery and the native fish goodbye.

yup

You've reached Larry Dahlberg's final stage in the evolution of a fisherman:

1) I want to catch a fish
2) I want to catch a lot of fish
3) I want to catch a big fish
4) I want to catch them the way I want to catch them

The final stage leaves open numerous minimal impact methods for those who care: fly, drift, float and jig, others - take your pick.
(Diver and bait, uh no....)