Petition: Statewide Protection of Resident Forms of Wild Steelhead

[skyrise]

This is Total Bull Shit and a Lie. They want complete control with almost all rivers shut down year round. Note: No spring bear hunts, no cougar hunts trying to shut down hatcheries its all about the Elites (wsc, others) shutting us Anglers out from rivers then saltwater. Fight this garbage at every level or you will be sitting at home deciding weather to take up golf or skiing. Take note the same garbage is being tried in Oregon and California. NW Sportsman magazine has articles on this throughout the year.

 

[speedbird]

I want to make sure that I understand what you are saying correctly.

You rarely see resident female rainbows spawning in areas where anadromous (steelhead) females are spawning or where anadromous (steelhead) males would be fertilizing their eggs. Is that true?

I think that is what you wrote above.

Other thoughts of mine:

I suspect that the size of the fish corresponds with the size of the gravel. Small females push smaller gravel. So, maybe we miss identify 5+ lb resident rainbows as anadromous (steelhead) because they look like steelhead at that size. So much is sampling done by helicopter and boat, that here is no way to say that it's anything else. I mean no one is going to be looking at a 5 or 6 lb spawning resident rainbow and be able to say, that it is not a steelhead. Could that also be the case? Maybe that is also why you used the 15 inch mark above because at some point in size, one can not really tell them apart? I have seen 5lb rainbows in PS streams, so they are there. Certainly some streams have more than others.

The question that I was trying to get at is whether resident female rainbow offspring are likely to go to the ocean and if so at what rate. I am betting that we rally don't know. Any thoughts?

If they do go to the ocean at some rate, do they return as summers or winters? Seems like the Elwa fish came back as summers. Could an increase in female resident spawners lead to a greater population of PS summer runs? Probably another unknown?

We hooked salmon on all types of gear yesterday. So, eggs (bait) are really not needed to put fish in the boat. I have only really started salmon fishing a few years ago. I use plugs more than anything. They work. Spinners, spoons, jigs, plugs all work well for coho. I don't fish for kings in the river. I don't know how much less effective angling without bait is for them. Certainly chums and pinks do not require bait. I guess what I'm saying is that selective gear seems to not get in the way when fishing for most salmon species in rivers.

Even spring kings that have the strongest predisposition for bait are caught on artificial lures sometimes. Saw an equal number of bead fishermen as bait fishermen on the springer river I fished and they did just fine

 

[Salmo_g]

This is Total Bull Shit and a Lie. They want complete control with almost all rivers shut down year round. Note: No spring bear hunts, no cougar hunts trying to shut down hatcheries its all about the Elites (wsc, others) shutting us Anglers out from rivers then saltwater. Fight this garbage at every level or you will be sitting at home deciding weather to take up golf or skiing. Take note the same garbage is being tried in Oregon and California. NW Sportsman magazine has articles on this throughout the year.

You can relax. The Commission rejected the petition at its last meeting, along with instructing staff to look for a better regulation package to protect resident fish.

 

[charles sullivan]

You can relax. The Commission rejected the petition at its last meeting, along with instructing staff to look for a better regulation package to protect resident fish.

They did, and that is good. There are other issues with this commission. They are no friend to hunters or fishermen, that is for sure.

At this point, hunting and predators have been their primary focus. They will turn to anglers at some point as well. It may take a few years, but they will.

I try not to be super affected. I try to give people the benefit of the doubt. This commission is what it is and it is not he same commission that you and I spoke before to get the Skagit opened. In fact, I don't think that effort would get one bit of traction with this commission.

 

[HauntedByWaters]

You can relax. The Commission rejected the petition at its last meeting, along with instructing staff to look for a better regulation package to protect resident fish.

This is great news.

 

[skyriver]

I assume this is from that petition. From the email I received-

The primary goal of the Feb. 12 town hall will be to share information about the scope, development, and timeline of the new policy, which will apply to resident native rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, and their subspecies including coastal cutthroat, westslope cutthroat, and redband rainbow trout. This policy will not address native hatchery-origin trout, bull trout (a native char), or any non-native species.

“In October 2023, the Fish and Wildlife Commission directed staff to initiate development of a resident native trout harvest management policy for commission review and adoption,” said Steve Caromile, WDFW’s inland fish program manager. “Management of recreational fisheries for resident native trout throughout Washington is complex, as we must provide fishing opportunities while meeting conservation objectives for multiple species.

“A resident native trout harvest management policy will provide staff with consistent guidance for future rule making.”

Members of the public can participate in the Feb. 12 meeting online. Pre-registration is required for all public and internal guests. For more information on this and other upcoming virtual town halls, or to provide comments or suggestions online, please visit wdfw.wa.gov/events.

Be good if lots of us are there.

Thanks,
Stacy

 

[Rob Allen]

It's not complex. Wild trout populations year around catch and release, one single point barbless hooks and no bait.

 

[Matt B]

It's not complex. Wild trout populations year around catch and release, one single point barbless hooks and no bait.

I can get behind this. But still kill all the brook trout you want.
Not sure about Westslope cutthroat in Washington. I suppose they can be spared.

 

[Dustin Chromers]

It's not complex. Wild trout populations year around catch and release, one single point barbless hooks and no bait.

I can get behind this. But still kill all the brook trout you want.
Not sure about Westslope cutthroat in Washington. I suppose they can be spared.

I wish it said some amalgamation of the two of these under a rule section in the regs flyer.

 

[doublespey]

Thanks for the heads up Stacy - I'll be there!

 

[SeaRunner]

Yes I received the same and have registered as well.

 

[skyriver]

See my update in the General Discussions. Here's the last 2 slides they shared concerning timeline. Today was the Town Hall #1-