Lower Columbia River Springer lockdown

[rathierry]

It's decisions like this that make me want to hang up my rods. This makes me sick. Clear some riverbank up in the OP for me and the kids, cause I'm not staying down here anymore. Last year they shut us down on the main river and the trib's. This year they will do it again!

http://www.tdn.com/articles/2008/01/11/this_day/doc4787978bf35b9328445716.txt

[hooknose]

Hope you're coming down to the meetings tomorrow to let them know how you feel? 
Tomorrow morning is the chance to speak to the commission about allocation.
http://www.wdfw.wa.gov/do/newreal/release.php?id=dec2807a

[rathierry]

YES. I will be there!

[hooknose]

Awesome!   

[Chum Man]

well, that just means it's going to be another nightmare year on the kalama for me.  it's gotten pretty rediculous in the last 3 or 4 years down there from a bank fishing perspective.  never used to have to get down at 4 am to get a rock to stand on...

[Streamer]

I won't be surprised to see a closure below I-5. I think what a lot of sport fishermen were endorsing was limiting commercial fishing to the (SAFE) zones like Young's Bay, Deep River, ect. This would allow the commercials a chance to maximize their harvest of hatchery fish while reducing by catch on the non-target species. Sportsmen obviously have much lower mortality rates... and should be allowed to fish below I-5.

Kyle, I completely agree. Last year was the first time I ever stopped fishing the Kalama for springers. I have never seen so many people fishing there in my life. In speaking with others, it was a great year, but the amount of people fishing it was BEYOND ridiculous.

[J and L Fishing]

Here's what going to burn my you know what.  I'm willing to bet that they close the Big C below I-5 due to low returns on the Willamtte River.  Anyone want to wager there will be a fishery in the Willamette?

[Todd]

The Kalama has been a joke for well over a dozen years...it's gotten worse over the past five, but it was already reduced to an overcrowded snaggery by 1990.  I go down there four or five times in May, and most of the time don't even float it anymore...I just hump it down to Deadline in the dark, and fish hard down to Italian Creek, and walk back on the road...and call it a day.  Usually I can get a hole or two to myself in that whole walk, so long as it is a weekday. 

Weekends?  No way.

Closing the LCR to protect the very depressed Willammette wild springers shouldn't have any effects on the other LCR tribs, so long as they are getting their numbers...it might even make some of the fishing better in the tribs since I think there won't be any commercial nets below I-5, either.

Fish on...

Todd

[rathierry]

"Closing the LCR to protect the very depressed Willamette wild springers shouldn't have any effects on the other LCR tribs, so long as they are getting their numbers...it might even make some of the fishing better in the tribs since I think there won't be any commercial nets below I-5, either."


I wish that you are right Todd. But this is what happened to us last year and they < the WDFW > closed the tribs for Nookies so fast that I'm still spinning! And then they let the death nets scrape the LCR. The by catch that the netters threw overboard were atrocious. . The fact is is that the WDFW will still let the netters go out down stream of I-5 and the Willamette will be fished, but us sporty's on the LCR will be closed out again. That sucks big time, My kids and I love to be on the beach catching springers. I can only hope it works out for the best for all.

[Todd]

rathierry,

Did you go to the WDFW meeting today to testify on the LCR fisheries?  The allocation meetings were in Vancouver this morning, along with the public testimony period to make your feelings known to the managers.

Last year was completely the opposite situation...the Willamette springers were in good shape, and the large hatchery run there was being targeted by the commercial netters, below I-5, which is where the Willamette springers are.  Seems to me that the Kalama was open for springers last year, too, as was the Lewis, Toutle, and Cowlitz...which ones weren't open?

Fish on...

Todd

[rathierry]

We were heading down for the meeting, but got called to head back up north. As for the Kalama last year is was closed to springer retention. The Lewis and Cowlitz had on again off again fishing, depending where you were fishing and for what.

[Chum Man]

the kalama was most definitely open to springer retention.  maybe not wild retention(it's been closed a few years i think).

i'd like to see the cowlitz fishing well again like it was in the early '90s, but i'm not holding my breath with the whole tacoma power situation down there.

[J and L Fishing]

We were heading down for the meeting, but got called to head back up north. As for the Kalama last year is was closed to springer retention. The Lewis and Cowlitz had on again off again fishing, depending where you were fishing and for what.

Wrong! The Kalama was open all year last year and definately for Springer retention as long as it was clipped.

Chum Man, I'm afraid the days of limits on the Cowlitz for hatchery fish are over due to the new FERC agreement on the Cow.  Get them ( hatchery fish)now before it goes away!

[camo drifter]

you guys complain about your lower columbia situation but at lest you have a few rivers open every year.  I live in Idaho and we have been dealing with short seasons and closed rivers for a long time.  I also have no idea what springer fishing in an uncrowded situation is like.  I am forced to fish a 4 mile section of river and at times it is the only springer season open in the state.  I wish I could get to the river as late as 4 am and still have a spot to fish.  I normally never leave the river bank.  I eat and sleep there.  just what I have to do to enjoy my favorite fish on the planet.  Combat fishing is the rule now so get used to it or find a different hobby. 

sorry for the rant  , but crappy tudes dont lead to anything productive!

[rathierry]

Hey Chum Man And J & L Fishing, Sorry you guy's are right The Kalama was open for springers, but wasn't it closed later in the season? I know they enforced the gear restrictions and night closures later in the season. The wardens kept telling my son and I that we couldn't fish in the lower Kalama below the first hatchery. So we just trotted on down to the Lewis!