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The guide regulations were initially met with quite a bit of skepticism, and have evolved into something that appears to be quite reasonable. Even though I don't guide anymore, I definitely would have heard if there were any major concerns coming from the guiding community.

Attending these meetings gives us insight into the way the current commissioners think. That is valuable if we want them to make different decisions.

The commission has to sign off on regulations and management decisions. I don't think they are involved with the volunteer work I do, so everything except the volunteer work.

I mentioned that tenkara fishing is widely accepted as a method of fly fishing, and it was added to the fly fishing only definition in the regulations pamphlet. I have also worked with the department to rescue stranded lahontan cutthroat from the spawning creek when it gets too warm...

I've had several positive experiences. It's definitely not just in how many meetings you go to, but you definitely don't get heard if you don't go (or if you don't submit a comment). Complaining on the internet certainly doesn't work.

I think it's a collective "we." If we don't show up to meetings, there's always a better chance for the people who do show up to get their way.

I'm 100% with you on what you said. I'm also glad to see we're on the same page regarding a dwindling resource. Fighting over the last fish is not something I'm interested in, and I would hope the rest of the stakeholders in our fisheries would stop fighting for who gets to fish right now and...

The tribes are equal co-managers of the state's fisheries through treaties and the Boldt decision. Since the tribes are considered sovereign governments, I believe that the OPMA would not apply - intergovernmental negotiations are not open to the public by law, if I'm remembering correctly. We...

Thank you for correcting me, as it is important to have accurate information - and unless they didn't list their fishing and hunting activities for some weird reason, I was wrong. If we can keep the discussion focused on the issues (and leaving the partisan political talking points out), I...

I sure did. I've been working on other things for the last few years, but I definitely agree that Darc and Bill are great resources for anyone looking to fish carp.

Our legislators are not paid very well - certainly not rates that would allow them to live comfortably when accounting for cost of living in Washington. https://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=43.03.013 Last time I checked, anglers and hunters are a majority on the commission. Please...

It's like you don't even hear what other people say.

Most people only learn about the controversial decisions, and base their opinions on those items alone. There have been, and there always will be, decisions by the commission that many people in the fishing and hunting communities don't agree with - but that's part of democracy. If you think...

It gets said, but you have to remember that over half the state budget is spent on education due to our state constitution declaring basic education must be fully funded. This stuff doesn't have to be a mystery to anyone. The budget is public, and you can look through it whenever you want. I...

We have lots of water here in Grant County that either opens March 1 or is year-round. Growing up, I would always head over to Lenice or Nunnally for my first early spring trip. Lenore can be good - it's been hit or miss over the past 10 years, but you have a chance at really big fish and...

Most road maintenance is the responsibility of the county. Government budgets are very complicated, and it's certainly reasonable to be critical of how money is spent. That's a different discussion though, and the salaries paid to WDFW commissioners wouldn't have any measurable effect on the...

State revenue has been consistently beating expectations by a significant margin over the past several years. The state has plenty of money for salaries of commissioners.

Usually these things work out for the best. It's amazing how much your time spent in the fly fishing biz can contribute to your success doing other things. Particularly if your job involves working with a lot of new and different people all the time (like guides or customer service people do)...

It's hard for me to understand why they would open a fishery with an acceptable harvest rate of only 6 fish. As much as I want to fish UC tribs for steelhead again, I don't think I'd go if the excess fish numbered less than a few hundred.

We don't need a full time lobbyist. All it takes to make a difference is a few dedicated people to organize and a reasonably sized group of constituents to be willing to travel to Olympia and speak with their legislators. The trouble comes in when choosing who to speak with legislators...