The Never Ending Saga of English Pete
Wednesday, April 14, 2010 at 12:06AM 
Over a year ago the story of Peter Harrison, AKA English Pete, and his,"world record" Hoh River steelhead, was making the rounds on all the fish blogs, forums and porn chat rooms. In a nutshell, Pete hooked a REALLY big steelhead on the Hoh, claimed it was mortally wounded, clonked it, and then proceeded to submit the fish to the IGFA for world record certification. At the time many people called bullshit on Pete's claims that the fish was, "bleeding heavily from the gills" and he dispatched the fish purely for his personal satisfaction in recording a "world record" fish. Ultimately Pete got his IGFA record even though we've all seen images of larger fish that were released by serious steelhead anglers. Why the IGFA even issues world record status to endangered fish is another whole topic of conversation.
Then, through advancements in modern print media, Fly Rod and Reel published Pete's story over a year later in their most recent issue......with an intro from none other than Joan Wulff. We heard about it from the Chum nation and never quite got around to calling bullshit on Fly Rod and Reel for reviving a story that did not deserve the to be on the pages preceding the Ted Willliams conservation column. Celebrating the killing of a magnificent wild steelhead on a river that has not met its escapement goals 4 of the last 7 years shows a complete lack of understanding of the plight of wild steelhead in this region.
Now Fly Rod and Reel has posted English Pete's story front and center on their website and is asking for comments pro and con about the whole affair. To continue to flog this old story is a thumb in the eye to all of us who volunteer our time, donate our dollars and fight on behalf of wild steelhead. Even the title of the story, "A Change of Tackle, A Happy Ending" is insulting to all conservation minded anglers. As others have much more eloquently pointed out, will the loss of that one fish make a difference in the grand scheme of things? No.... but that fish is a symbol for everything that is wrong with the current path we're on when it comes to wild steelhead and Fly Rod and Reel should be ashamed of themselves for keeping the story alive.
Reader Comments (41)
Fully support Moldy Chums position on this issue, and images of grinning anglers displaying their catch, irrespective of size or species just looks plain stupid, out-moded and innappropriate.
Peter's record is a hollow achievement.
Fish barbless, practice C&R and tread lightly.
"There are no passengers on space-ship Earth - we are all crew"
Marshall McLuhan
I think this guy is a fucking joke. In my opinion he wanted a fish on his wall
Not being a steelhead fisherman i don't know much about them but that looks like a male fish with great genes that will never be passed down. i don't think he mentioned anything about trying to revive the fish. maybe take a few less pictures next time and keep your hand out of the gills. congrats on the fish of a lifetime but just remember it was the fishes lifetime too.
That pretty much pisses me off! There's a reason I don't get those fly fishing advertising rags.
I hope that Pete slips and falls next time he's wading, only to "bonk" himself.
Why are some of us humans so fucking stupid? It's like all our education and experience goes out the window when the competition of "I caught more" or "My fish is bigger" comes into play.
Too many anglers get into a cowboy competitive mode. Secrets, competition, who's better than whom, who caught more fish?. It's fucking retarded.
Education! That is, and will continue to be, the crux of change in relation to the publics view of our fisheries here in this great country. If you are a Conservation Minded Angler, then use every chance to talk up that point. Let other anglers as well as Joe Public know where you stand AND why!
I apply and promote 100% C+R to all my angling and urge others to consider the same.
I hate to play devils advocate here, and to make matters worse I'm not a steelhead fisherman so I probably don't get it, but if the fish are so endangered and so valuable why fish for them at all? There is an inherent mortality risk in catching any fish under even the most careful circumstance. The comment about why records are issued for endangered fish begs the question why is ANY fishing for endangered fish legal or right. If steelhead anglers are serious about keeping fish runs up they wouldn't fish rivers that have not met escapement goals in the previous years. Okay, that would probably eliminate all steelhead fishing in the lower 48 and most in Canada and Alaska but, hey that's the state of the fishery. Does the drive for a steelhead fix just barely out weigh the risk involved in hauling in a magnificent and rare species? The point is, any steelhead fisherman on any given day could remove, whether accidentally or not, irreplaceable genes from a ever shrinking gene pool.
I know the argument against this too. Activism in steelhead fishing leads to environmental activism which saves more steelhead than are lost in the long run. I'm just saying, accidents happen and could you live with yourself if you killed that magnificent fish and lost forever the millions of years of selection that made that fish what is was?
Even worse, you may never know that the fish never made it up stream.
It's quite simple to catch and release a wild steelhead. The odds of success when the appropriate protocol is followed are quite high. After many caught, I have never killed a wild steelhead--intentionally or otherwise. The odds of a fish surviving after given the rock shampoo are considerably less.
Most fish for these fish because they are confident in their ability to have little to no impact on the resource. That, to me, is pretty simple, and I don't get this argument that continues to come up.
Disgusting. And FR&R deserves to have their feet held to the fire on this one, imo.
And DDH, it may seem like a bizarre conundrum, but steelhead anglers are the single group by far most responsible for steelhead conservation measures. I fear the day that the situation becomes so dire that we cannot fish for wild steelehad at all anymore - but I don't think we're there yet in most places. With a strong catch and release ethic in place, and with all of the continued efforts of a number of anadromous fish and watershed conservation groups, we can sustain a steelhead fishery.
Catch and release anglers are not the threat to steelhead - dams, commercial fishing and other forms of habitat degradation are. And, unfortunately, so are anglers who kill wild steel.
Couldn't agree more... well said Moldy Crew.
If no one had notice by now, we, as humans, are pretty much destroying everything in nature that we hold dear. And doing alot of it in our lifetime. No, this one fish will have little impact on the fishery as a whole, but its symbolic as the big picture. Personally , i would relish the opportunity of dispatching english pete and all his tackle in a very deep swift river
Just sayin it like it is
I am going to have to side with DDH on this one. If we all are so concerned about the steelehead, why mess with them at all and let the numbers recooperate? you are right, they should stop talking about this english dude. But what about the guy 1-2 years ago with the monster on fly fish mag. or some other, with 80 pictures of his pig flopping on the gravel bar before release? put your money where your mouth is. if you care, never take them out of the water. not even for a photo. I say put a hold on targeting them at all until numbers can come back. thats the solution to all your fish handling bitching. I understand your conservation side of it, and that makes sense. but think about this side of things for a bit. not all steelheaders are so gentle and considerate with their catch
Here is my response to this topic. Have steelhead fishing closed in spring and only fish for them in the fall. There are to many idiots that gravel rake because that's the only way they can catch anything. They can't catch anything unless it's lying right in front of them. Then they stick it where ever the hook penetrates. They are the fisherman "If you want to call them that" that kill. Only fall fish are true fish. Those kind of people are also the ones that walk all over beds and destroy what might have been a sucessfull spawn. This is pissing me off. If you rake gravel you can go and die as well.
DDh and Herb,
So if you do that how do recomend money be raised to help the fish? Some of you are so damn dumb its not even funny. By doing that you would cut millions of dollars to programs that are working with the real problems like sediment erosion and dams. Seriously? Don't comment on things you don't know anything about. As it said this one fish might not mean much in the grand schemes of things but the more this type of crap happens and we let go on the worse it gets. Get real man!
DDH - Yes steelhead are becoming increasingly more rare in many areas, and yes there is an inherent mortality associated with even the most careful catch and release fishing. However, with individuals like those discussed above aside, steelhead fishing on balance promotes steelhead conservation through increased awareness and the promotion of angler activism (including activism by steelhead anglers and non-steelhead anglers). Simply put, if there was no steelhead fishing, the single largest motivator for steelhead conservation would cease to exist.
Say the mortality rate of wild steelhead released after being caught is roughly 5%. Is that 5% mortality rate acceptable if this one fish has been so wildly controversial? The mere fact that we are still talking about one harvested wild steelhead (whether intentional, unintentional harvest) is a comment on the state of wild PNW steelhead as a whole. If one fish cannot be overlooked, can the mortality rate of responsible catch and release fish be overlooked because the industry keeps us employed or we enjoy our recreation? DDH and Herb have a point.
give the fish a break, the steelhead apocalypse is near and any mindful angler knows it.
Hypothetical question, if all the awareness raised by fishermen groups made the federal government enact a ban on all fishing of steelhead to protect the wild population would this be ok? I know this would never happen but what are you trying to conserve wild steelhead or quality fishing of wild steelhead?
Unfortunately these fish face bigger issues on a multitude of different fronts that have little to do with the average person fishing for them (dams, commercial fishing, and habitat destruction were listed above, but the issues don't stop there). Educating individuals is important, but without a general shift in perspective that education won't mean very much. I fear that the perspective that is currently held by a large part of fishermen will look at that article not as the awful example of claiming a ridiculous legal right that exists in Washington, but more as "Whoa, there's world record steel in the Hoh. When can I get there?"
Just the other day I was wondering how long it would take for this to come around again.
What a fuckstain. What a total Scrote. And I don't give a shit if Joan Wullf is the patron saint, wrong move girlie - o....
Total bullshit, in the first story he was quoted something like, "And because it was the fish of a lifetime" after the bullshit about it being a bleeder. It was so obvious it was all about his 10 seconds of fame it was rediculous-
This guy's a tool , period - There was no excuse for this except selfish greed- Nuff said-
Sad this topic is up again and even more sad that this fish was lost. However, I believe I read in a couple of comments above where the writers would just assume see this guy dead. Is that where this is at? Lets hope this guy dies or even kill the fuck for killing a fish. I thought the Earth Firsters or PETA was radical. Is steelhead enviro terrorism the new thing. I guess I better arm myself. Someone may not like how I handle a fish or god forbid actually kill one.
How about we just stop fishing for them. Completely lessen the risk of us hurting the fish. Take the money saved from not spending tons of it on gear or travel and donate it to a conservation group. Lobby for changes in the law. Take the moral high ground in the battle against other forces that are destroying the fishery. Or, we can just kill the fucks we don't approve of and bitch about the rest.
I'm going fishing. If I'm good enough or lucky enough to catch one you can be assured it will be carefully released. I'm not part of the fraternity of steelhead fishermen above. Just a dude who likes to fish.
while i find brit pete's story full of holes, the trophy fish mentality that pervades to this day archaic and in the end, the killing of a northwest icon just flat out-deplorable, the notion of stopping all steelhead fishing does little to foster the culture of wild, native fish advocacy and conservation.
lose the culture of advocacy and we'll lose the advocates with it, putting these gems in a much worse place without gatekeepers and stewards looking after them on a daily basis. the fisherman, both gear and fly, are the eyes and ears of the river in a time when industry and politics would sooner see wild salmonids just go away so they can keep the profit machine rolling. shutting down the fishing to fishermen would exacerbate the downcycle.
moreso, at the moment, just isn't necessary. ending the kill of wild salmonids, however, is. hopefully we're on the cusp of a widespread political voice that favors wild salmonids over the proven ineffective reproduction of hatchery fish. whether you're pro-hatchery or not,without wild fish you can't manufacture fake fish—a powerful reason for all of us to become wild fish advocates no matter which side of the wild fish debate you stand.
I find it interesting how this post on the chum gets so many responses and yet an issue just as big as C&R such as the post about the pebble mine has no conversation from the crowd...unfortunately I feel the base of sportfishers no matter what rod they hold is more bark then bite...I know how many hours I put in actually saving stream but how many does everyone else??? I found it hard to get enough volunteers from FFF and other groups when real work needed done...in other words I think the world just has too many armchair quarterbacks to save anything these days
Fucking dusch bag, bet it wasn't bleedin' before all those pics.