After weeks of closure, I’m finally able to wrap my head around the difficulties of our future as fishermen.  The WDFW closed the steelhead season on the North Olympic Peninsula early for the third season in a row and south of the Hoh never opened after Coho season.
Last three years of closure:
2020 was covid, as if that wasn’t harsh enough our Governor closed the outdoors, yes, he did that, (we can’t have people social distancing in the campgrounds or on rivers fishing). Zero data collected and only tribes fished unencumbered by sportsmen on the river.
Predictions for 2021; Oh my not sure if enough fish made it to spawn (no data collected) after we were closed in 2020 and ocean survival looks bad. We have to close fishing from a boat and restrict rivers to the south of the Queets. Zero data was collected again by either of the co managers on closed waters and only the tribes fished.
What was reality: Great season one of my favorites!  But ended up closing steelhead fishing from the Queets on south to the Chehalis basin in Feb. Forks rivers fished well into closure March 31. Reduced data collected in closed areas.
Predictions for 2022: We have another shortened season based on ocean survival both commercial and sport fishing is shortened up along with no boats (Sol Duc and Hoh only). Boat fishing is allowed on the Bogy and Calawah below hwy 101. The upper Calawah is shut off due to slides so we lost 10 miles of river there too.
What was reality; The season is going well, people are fishing with kindness and not over crowded, fact I rarely seen more than another few anglers on my stretches. We are catching fish but not pressuring the recourses. Early in Feb we have cold low water, stalemating the entry of fish. By week two large numbers begin entering even on low water. Week three numerous new spawn begins, fresh fish entering every day. Water low enough to make the Calawah un floatable. WDFW suggest it might close, by Feb 23th they decide on a phone call to co managers to closedown the fishery. 

WTF moment in time, are these folks on the same planet?

Managers Quote ” We used a combination of creel, Tribal catch and trap counts to make these decisions”
What was Reality: Creel Census from 3 persons on the Hoh and 1 person on the Quilliute system, that’s only 4 people for all that water.
A simple phone call to the tribes seeing how there catch was, answer; reportedly 30% less than expected.
Reality; In low flows the nets do not work as well, and I’m sure effort was not taken into consideration. The tribe was mostly crabbing due to low flows.
The traps: These were traps on Fork Creek in the Willipa basin three hours south and Skookumchuck creek even farther which does not get a run until April and tribal fisheries did operate on the Chehalis which the Skookumchuck flows into.
What really happened: Sports are closed March 1st, tribal get’s one last day as well, moved that 1 day to better conditions and crush it after good rainfall and dropping rivers a mere 4 days after closure. Quote from tribal angler ” we killed it the last day why do we need to stop fishing and why aren’t you guys sportfishing” end quote!

Bottom line; The WDFW has the toughest job of any state having to operate with Co-Management and poor budgeting. They can only dictate sportsmen so they do. On top of that is the special interest groups whom some are pushing hard for ESA listing which will close sport fishing for quite some time, maybe a lifetime. ESA listing does not mean no gill nets just no public sport fishing. Special interest groups appear they want to replace WDFW and cancel public sport fishing. They seem to have a revolving door at the courthouse.

Reality; Every time we talk with WDFW management they point to budgeting and I believe them. In season data is the only thing that will allow continued sport fishing as there models suck and are always wrong.

#1. Monitoring of the fish run is highly needed to allow a sport fishery and correctly manage the run size. In short the narrative has turned against sportfishing, now we have to prove there are solid over escapement numbers of fish to fish on even though we operate as a catch and release fishery with a tiny mortality rate.
#2. Mortality rate has been overly played by co-managers and special interest groups. There is no real solid % evidence of kill on a catch and release fishery, 10% was adopted to appease co-management who says it’s 30% without any proof and whom rarely sport fishes anyway. The special interest agenda is now looking at catch and release having a negative effect on egg survival instead of looking for REAL numbers of mortality.