Skagit Steelhead CnR 2026

[Shad]

It’s a classic case of the state of WA being hyper aware of the little things and missing the point entirely. Our state over thinks everything and delivers unsatisfying and expensive results every time. They don’t focus on the result, they focus on hypothetical liability and shit that we as the users don’t care about. We just want to go fishing, but that isn’t what this is about.

The treaty tribes say catch and release fishing is playing with our food. They might be right at the end of the day, but that WDFW calls steelhead "sport" fish while the tribes consider them food and kill every one they can catch points out a key fallacy of the "co-management" paradigm.

Crazy as it sounds, I think steelhead sport fisheries would be a higher priority for WDFW if they considered them food. Like @Salmo_g laments, WDFW (the "Department of Salmon") manages all salmon (food) fisheries for maximum harvest, and they fund (paltry) enforcement for salmon fisheries without question. "Sport" fisheries are an afterthought at best, and they're the first to hit the chopping block when funding is scarce. Leaves both sport anglers and our state fish off the table (so to speak).

A fishery where at least a vast majority of anglers are conscientiously trying to avoid killing the target species simply doesn't merit the enforcement harvest fisheries do. Poachers only poach more when they know there is no enforcement around. Any honest analysis points to WDFW closing this fishery to hit us where it hurts and "punish" us for not providing their bloated, misguided agency with enough revenue. And oh yeah... we'll all be paying more for our licenses next year just the same.

What's the Skagit word for bullshit? I bet it's fun to say, and I think it applies here.

 

[offensivename]

WDFW didn't cut the program. The State cut the program and tons of other programs. Whining about WDFW probably feels good, but it doesn't get anything done. Write your state reps and tell them that you think its important it gets funded as a permanent part of the WDFW budget.

 

[ChrisC]

The program is poorly designed and will not scale if other rivers have returning runs at a level to resume C&R fishing. Hypothetically if this is what WDFW believes necessary to enable C&R fishing, it would mean asking legislators to approve incremental funding for the Skykomish Spring C&R fishery, the Wenatchee and Methow autumn fisheries should they ever become viable. I highly doubt legislators would go for that. At this point we should just start over and just ask WDFW and the feds to adopt a much more sensible approach to allowing C&R fishing on rivers that can support it.

 

[Salmo_g]

WDFW didn't cut the program. The State cut the program and tons of other programs. Whining about WDFW probably feels good, but it doesn't get anything done. Write your state reps and tell them that you think its important it gets funded as a permanent part of the WDFW budget.

WDFW has the flexibility to prioritize programs and functions within its departmental budget. They have choices. And they choose, for instance, to raise hatchery salmon to be caught in Canada over managing an instate recreational CNR fishery for steelhead. By the evidence of departmental actions, steelhead are not a priority for WDFW.

 

[HauntedByWaters]

WDFW didn't cut the program. The State cut the program and tons of other programs. Whining about WDFW probably feels good, but it doesn't get anything done. Write your state reps and tell them that you think its important it gets funded as a permanent part of the WDFW budget.

Many of made a stink about it and did write letters and have meetings with the powers that be. We honestly did a lot. It doesn’t matter. So I am going to blame WDFW for some of this, they definitely don’t want to get creative. They could have accepted private funding but working out that plan was too much brain power and headaches for them.

 

[_WW_]

Does it really matter? Laws are now optional in this country.