Tis the season to gear up for Winter steelheading. For us in Washington, it comes in two phases - the hatchery run followed by the wild run. And when Moldy Chum prioritizes its calendar weekends for the next six months, February, March, and April take pole position. It's not a priority fueled by quantity or percentages rather one defined by experience. It is this experience that has incented Trout Unlimited and Moldy Chum to ask for your help.
We invite all Moldy Chum friends and followers to take 1 minute to answer this survey that asks how much anglers in Washington state value wild steelhead as opposed to hatchery-reared fish. The data gathered, non-scientific though it may be, will be provided to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
“We’d like to find out just how important the experience of catching a wild steelhead is to the recreational angler in Washington,” said Rob Masonis, vice president of Western Conservation for TU. “From a conservation standpoint, we worry that hatchery fish are diluting wild stocks and reducing the hearty nature of steelhead in the Northwest. But we recognize the overall importance of steelhead to the recreational angler. I guess it boils down to a simple question: would you rather catch a wild fish or a hatchery fish?”
