Most of this post has been a long time coming and my good friend Joe Willauer posted on his blog about steelhead popularity, a great read and a fantastic person to follow. This prompted me to speak up with OLD MAN experiences even though I am but 51, I hope that’s not old.
Some of this post will be a little of memory lane, for those of us that were steelhead fishing in the 70-80’s, younger generations may not believe it.. Please bare with the history lesson, I’ll get to the point eventually..
Fishing pressure as we see it now is NOT what it used to be, it used to be much more. In the 7o’s the rivers were lined with hip boot wearing egg tossing old men and there boys. It was commonly a very sociable occasion, everyone talking on the river bank and enjoying company in the outdoors. I remember many days on the Puyallup or Green river hanging out with grandpa and his fishing friends, often around a campfire on the beach. One fond memory at Antones Bar on the Puyallup River: About fifteen bank anglers were at upper Antones, ( lower bar had at least 30) only five or so guys were fishing and rest of us were at the fire, telling lies of course, the angler at the tail out hooks a fish, the next guy up hooks a fish and by the time a third was hooked up we all had ran out to the river bank casting for our catch, no cussing , no evil eye, no attitude just sociable angling. At the time I thought that was the lesson in how steelhead move, but it was a lesson in how it did not matter weather you were first or last it only mattered that you were there when it happened.
Back then gear guys would post up just as now, but only because of so many people, not because of being stubborn or un-respectful to the others that were just fishing through. A guy moving through would simply play through with communication and respect. Antones Bar was near the junction of the White river and named after the restaurant adjacent to the river. It also was a hatchery plant site, as well as 121st, McMillian bridge, and others up and down river. This is were the bulk of the fishing pressure congregated, boats and bank anglers spread out in between. On any given week end over 200 hundred anglers would be fishing steelhead between three hatchery plant bars and drifters in eight miles of river, not one gravel bar would be empty. The limit was three steelhead and no difference between hatchery or wild, on good days everyone limited other days it was the 10% factor.
In comparison some of today’s anglers become visibly distraught when there are thirty boats and maybe ten bankies in the bottom twelve miles of the Hoh river, that’s a busy day that happens maybe 2 or 3 week ends in the season. From these most boats would expect to fish only half the water as bank anglers now expect a full run when they occupy it standing there alone no matter how long it is to the tail out, well most spey anglers do. The same boat respecting the bank angler would receive warm regards from only half the people and the evil eye or total verbal disdain from even being there from the rest (the angry spey dude). Not at all the sociable event from years past, even though we now have social media, reality TV and the outdoor channel. Purely a result in popularity of English rules as a means to hold public water, private (more on this concept and conservation later) . This conflict and increased pressure has become the norm since the closure of the Skagit and the other Puget Sound streams for winter steelhead. I myself totally understand desire a buffer zone free from the low hole approach and have enforced it myself for my guys when needed, but very seldom from intentional low holing. Its a complete double standard, when I am swinging a run I have had guys walk two hundred yards down to me and ask about stepping in up at the top out of courtesy, which is totally un needed at that distance. That never happens when I am in my boat. 
Now that I either have you pissed off or understanding the division of angler attitude, please read on.
In the ’80’s the hardcore list of anglers wanted more wild fish to catch, we were experiencing less wild steelhead for a few consecutive years, popularity was high and kill rate along with it. Some of us touted the virtues of catch and release before it happened. The popularity of the subject had been rejected for three years straight on the Puget Sound streams were it was first suggested. WDFW introduced the idea of public meetings on the subject of rules. They were held in Chehalis of all places and this subject was “Closing the Skagit and many others for wild steelhead season”. We packed in, standing room only, into a 30×30 room in Chehalis Wa to discuss the rule changes. We were there about steelhead and how to keep the season open by promoting C&R. Kill fishermen and the WDFW wanted to close the season for a few years and let it rebound, of course the tribe would have kept fishing. That sounded as if it was going to happen, rejection of catch and release, until one speaker. A guide named John Farrar stepped up to the rickety old table and SLAMMED a huge book down, it landed with a boom like a cannon shot. That got everyone’s attention, he repeated what we all had been saying at the meeting, but now people were listening. He adamantly preached that C&R will work and that sport fishermen are not killing the run and any guide or angler still killing them should step up and see the writing on the wall. Quote: ” This bull shit of closing a river instead of killing fish is pure stupidity”, “stopping sport fishing will be the death of wild steelhead”. Without steelhead fishing the steelhead themselves would not survive, that was the outcome of the meeting. It was not until years later did I realize the complex truth of the statement and issue.
By the late 80’s brought on the reduction of steelhead fishing popularity due to C&R, it was this reduction the WDFW feared. Less people fished Puget Sound trib’s because they could not be killed. In fact nearly nobody fished and in a knee jerk reaction the WDFW started closing rivers in April , then March and so on. The budget was reduced for redd surveys and for wildlife officers, river closures resulted but were not implemented for the protection of steelhead. It was my hay days, I could fish the rivers in Puget Sound nearly all to myself pre-closure, the wild steelhead were still there and so was I, you could only imagine the success. Post-closure I voluntarily operated a C&R crew collecting steelhead data and scale samples for biologists that had lost there subjects due to closures.
As the rivers closed the pressure became insurmountable on the coastal waters were killing and open seasons was still allowed (1990).
The 90’s introduced the spey rod, a lot more fishing outside the box and the re building of steelhead popularity. Within ten years the spey rod grew in popularity by leaps and bounds. My first year fishing only a spey rod was a disaster I landed 10 steelhead fresh off a 300 fish winter the season before. I learned to overcome the handicap and soon respected it and understood “it just don’t work as well” that did not matter I enjoyed the difficulty. New anglers that have never even fished before started by just standing in the river flailing a spey rod. This coincides directly with the mass movement of Californians into Washington state. To be fair there were lots of moving into Washington State just a majority from California. As popularity grew some were discovering the lack of effectiveness in the swing game. Unknown to them the lore of the game through literature about the good ol days may have not been so good. You cant just pick up a swing rod go stand in the river and catch fish. But you can dream a lot while casting away, think of how things can be better, more fish, where one can go next with this big ass rod and catch a fish.
Ah Canada, yep BC to be exact, was the place to be and still is at times. In BC big ass aggressive steelhead bite the swung fly like no place else. It was easy to catch fish on the swing, well when the river was in shape and all the other stuff. While dreaming along, casting to the wonderful wild steelhead of our neighbors some asked “why not in Washington”. Enter the NEW era of regulation change by wild steelhead advocates. Never mind those fish are completely different from our winter run in nearly every way but one. I know what some of the NEW steelheaders ramble amongst themselves as they stand in the river making there 1000th cast w/o a fish, “if we can make this like Canada we would catch fish like in BC “or ” them damn gear boats are killing all the steelhead” or “those guides are crowding the fishery with there photographs” or one I like is ” that fish is out of the water he is dead now” I have herd them all. Or may favorite one I over herd while pissing in the woods while my guys were swinging the run one day, “if we beat the nymphing guides to this spot we can catch a fish for sure”. For all there good intentions too many rules are made out of resentment and jealousy and many will amount to zero steelhead saved. Popularity of steelhead fishing gone wrong. I once found myself saying “if we take this trail through the woods we will beat the guys coming from the bridge” (1984) and no I wont tell the creek. Popularity meets competitive anglers meets social media (anonymous tough guy behind the screen) and the popularity of notoriety (look at me dude) in the world of steelhead recovery. Sorry, not picking on spey guys as I am one of them, I am just more exposed to those ramblings in my line of work. I know intentions are to help the steelhead but its what happens in retrospect that is damaging. The only increased regulation on the sports fisherman should be total C&R state wide for wild steelhead and Outfitter regulations. Closing fishing is not an option!
As in anything popular there is always someone figuring how to make a profit from it, I do, I make a livelihood in what I love the most in life, fly fishing and all the cool stuff that comes with it. I also want to protect that livelihood and to protect that, I want to protect the wild steelhead and by protecting them, in turn fishing for them. I first wanted to preserve wild steelhead in the 80’s, thousands of volunteer hours and fishing club activity C&R became a reality. With the acceptance of C&R I directed my life toward being a fishing guide. Just as the steelhead needs the angler $ to help provide their survival, the fishing industry needs to promote the wild steelhead survival to maintain a livelihood. Organizers of some conservation groups have found a way to profit from the popularity of wild steelhead recovery, their true passions for wild steelhead should not be underestimated. The snowball of effect should be cautioned, ” be careful of what we ask for, if we get it we wont be fishing”. Money is what will save wild steelhead, whom you give that money to will determine weather we get to fish for them or not. I am amazed at how the finger is pointed at what is easy to repair at the time, presently its hatcheries, and rightfully so when it comes to the Chambers creek fish (thank you NFS). But pointing the finger of popular opinion on ALL hatcheries is like comparing WWII medicine to todays medical developments. In the past with the OTHER popular steelhead woes (logging, habitat, ocean harvest, gill nets, polution etc..) when we overcome the results of our own intentions and get back to fishing the steelhead have been there. Unlike prior conservation movements there seems to be a distraction from the pink elephant in the room. Meaning while some conservation groups forge divisions of the sport fishermen why has nobody found it possible that the aqua culture industry (net pens and fish farms) could been doing what it has done everywhere else in the world it exists? Is the Puget Sound somehow immune to the same horrific results that have plagued wild fish when fish farms are present? Maybe money can also buy the finger of opinion! Just saying.
So, to put this altogether the popularity of steelhead fishing is resulting in a competitive struggle amongst user groups fueled in part by those that claim to love the fish the most. In the early 70’s there was a turning point in Washington called the Bolt decision. History in the books will not reflect the reality of the situation, in a nutshell, conflicting user groups led to the results of the Bolt decision. What seemed like a fair result will accumulate in the destruction of sport fishing for steelhead. If we remain on the path we are and continue to give away our rights and responsibilities for the popularity of opinion. That path being complete fracturing of the sport fishing industry by regulation and popularity of hatchery hater opinion, with your donation money. The more we point the finger at the sports fisher the more we must not want to fish, because that will be the result, we will regulate ourselves right out of the picture. We must turn the popularity of steelhead fishing into the recovery of steelhead angling. We cant continue to point the finger at all hatcheries, they are not all the same. Each river each tributary has its own situation. We cannot continue to point the finger at our fellow sports men they are all in this together. We need to have some unity as a popular group or we will not change the direction of wild steelhead survival. Which will result in the loss of angling for them all together. In the past forty years we have tackled so many obstacles in the way of wild steelhead survival there are not that many left, aside from population reduction, and I don’t see that happening.
In hindsight the Bolt decision not only took away 50% but it also gave us 50% of the management rights, a big spot at the table so to speak, what we do with that responsibility will determine the future of steelhead fishing, nothing else matters. Utilize the lessons learned from the recovery efforts on the Columbia river
The future has never been brighter; riverine habitat is only getting better, the mighty Columbia is once again the king of Salmon and Steelhead production, an outdated hatchery system has been defeated and we have a huge following of dedicated steelhead fishermen what could be better?
Thanks for subscribing and enduring my RANT, Jeff Brazda..
