Grande Ronde River steelhead fishing rules have a catch

Steelheading regulations regarding catch-and-release fishing in the lower Grande Ronde River are incorrectly published on page 68 in Washington’s 2015-2016 Sport Fishing Rules pamphlet.

Officials say the pamphlet neglects to show that fishermen, as in the past, must release all steelhead caught until the end of the year in the lower 2.5 miles of the river.

A Fish and Wildlife Department manager says a correction is set to be posted on the agency’s emergency rules web page this week to require mandatory release of steelhead in the lower river through Dec. 31.

LINK (via: The Spokesman Review)

The story also covers proper etiquette when it comes to fishing crowded areas on the Ronde....or any where else for that matter.

Tell the WDFW to designate the entire Skagit, Puyallup, and Elwha watersheds as Wild Steelhead Gene Banks

If you’re a long-time Chum reader you’re properly well aware of our disdain for the genetic miscreants dubbed hatchery steelhead. You might even own one of our limited edition bonk hatchery steelhead shirts. Or you may have shared our post about Chuck Norris taking out hatchery fish with a grenade.

For those less informed about our decade-long slugfest against hatchery fish and their proponents, here’s a cursory rundown. Hatchery fish are an environmental disaster. They were intended to cover up the loss of wild steelhead but have only made the problem worse because they have a negative impact (both ecological and genetic) on wild steelhead and are a major hindrance to the recovery of wild steelhead – a federally listed threatened species in the Chum’s Puget Sound homewaters. Plus, they’re a huge economic boondoggle with hundreds of millions of dollars being spent every year to return fewer and fewer fish.

In all of our years waging war against hatchery steelhead, we’ve never had an opportunity like this to effect positive change for wild steelhead in Puget Sound. But we need your help to make it happen. Please take a minute to submit your comment to the WDFW telling them to create strong, effective gene banks in the Skagit/Sauk, Elwha, and the Puyallup/Carbon/White watersheds.

It's fairly easy to comment but according to the latest from the WDFW you must use their online comment form for your vote to actually count.

Here is the link to the WDFW page where you can vote for the Skagit/Sauk, Elwha and Puyallup/Carbon/White.

Be sure to hit the "comment on another population" link below the first comment box to add additional boxes so you can comment on the selection of all the population groups called out above.

You will also be required to "briefly" explain your rationale for selecting a particular watershed. You can use the talking points from the info-graphic below to fullfill that requirement, if you click on the image you can view it full size for easier reading.

Vote for the Skagit/Sauk, Elwha and Puyallup/Carbon/White.

Research Suggests Wild Columbia/Snake Steelhead Do Better Than Hatchery As Repeat Spawners

Further proof hatchery steelhead suck.

Naturally born steelhead trout of both “winter” and “summer” stocks from the Columbia/Snake river system that try a second run at spawning do much better than their hatchery origin peers, according to preliminary research results presented Tuesday at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Anadromous Fish Evaluation Program annual review in Walla Walla, Wash.

LINK (via:CBB Bulletin)

Hatchery Steelhead Remover

This Kombo multi-tool is a bonker, filet knife, gut scooper, and sharpener, all with an easy-to-grip handle. And just because it's plastic doesn't mean the bonking side won't pack a punch—three brass plugs have been inserted into the device's head to let you give a good, strong whack with ease.

And it floats!

LINK (via:Gizmodo)

Matt Foley Steelheader

Diet of government cheese, thrice divorced, and living in a van down by the river!

Chuck Bonks

We still have a few shirts left - get em before they're gone.