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Re: What's killing our fish?

webmaster@fishingnw.com (glock) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:31:13 GMT

I am giving this thread a bump and a move into our "most views" area. I am curious to see opinions.

Culled Out - no more public input for federal fish strategy

webmaster@fishingnw.com (glock) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:08:58 GMT

Obama administration will accept no more public input for federal fishery strategy

Quote::

This article was written by Robert Montgomery
ESPNOutdoors.com

The Obama administration will accept no more public input for a federal strategy that could prohibit U.S. citizens from fishing the nation's oceans, coastal areas, Great Lakes, and even inland waters.

This announcement comes at the time when the situation supposedly still is "fluid" and the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force still hasn't issued its final report on zoning uses of these waters.

That's a disappointment, but not really a surprise for fishing industry insiders who have negotiated for months with officials at the Council on Environmental Quality and bureaucrats on the task force. These angling advocates have come to suspect that public input into the process was a charade from the beginning.

"When the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) completed their successful campaign to convince the Ontario government to end one of the best scientifically managed big game hunts in North America (spring bear), the results of their agenda had severe economic impacts on small family businesses and the tourism economy of communities across northern and central Ontario," said Phil Morlock, director of environmental affairs for Shimano.

"Now we see NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and the administration planning the future of recreational fishing access in America based on a similar agenda of these same groups and other Big Green anti-use organizations, through an Executive Order by the President. The current U.S. direction with fishing is a direct parallel to what happened in Canada with hunting: The negative economic impacts on hard working American families and small businesses are being ignored.

"In spite of what we hear daily in the press about the President's concern for jobs and the economy and contrary to what he stated in the June order creating this process, we have seen no evidence from NOAA or the task force that recreational fishing and related jobs are receiving any priority."

Consequently, unless anglers speak up and convince their Congressional representatives to stop this bureaucratic freight train, it appears that the task force will issue a final report for "marine spatial planning" by late March, with President Barack Obama then issuing an Executive Order to implement its recommendations — whatever they may be.

Led by NOAA's Jane Lubchenco, the task force has shown no overt dislike of recreational angling, but its indifference to the economic, social and biological value of the sport has been deafening.

Additionally, Lubchenco and others in the administration have close ties to environmental groups who would like nothing better than to ban recreational angling. And evidence suggests that these organizations have been the engine behind the task force since before Obama issued a memo creating it last June.

Anglering for access united we fish rally capitol washington fishing
AP/Luis M. AlvarezOne sign at the rally of recreational and commercial fishermen summed up the feelings.
As ESPN previously reported, WWF, Greenpeace, Defenders of Wildlife, Pew Environment Group and others produced a document entitled "Transition Green" shortly after Obama was elected in 2008. What has happened since suggests that the task force has been in lockstep with that position paper.

Then in late summer, just after he created the task force, these groups produced "Recommendations for the Adoption and Implementation of an Oceans, Coasts, and Great Lakes National Policy." This document makes repeated references to "overfishing," but doesn't once reference recreational angling, its importance, and its benefits, both to participants and the resource.

Additionally, some of these same organizations have revealed their anti-fishing bias by playing fast and loose with "facts," in attempts to ban tackle containing lead in the United States and Canada.

That same tunnel vision, in which recreational angling and commercial fishing are indiscriminately lumped together as harmful to the resource, has persisted with the task force, despite protests by the angling industry.

As more evidence of collusion, the green groups began clamoring for an Executive Order to implement the task force's recommendations even before the public comment period ended in February. Fishing advocates had no idea that this was coming.

Perhaps not so coincidentally, the New York Times reported on Feb. 12 that "President Obama and his team are preparing an array of actions using his executive power to advance energy, environmental, fiscal and other domestic policy priorities."

Morlock fears that "what we're seeing coming at us is an attempted dismantling of the science-based fish and wildlife model that has served us so well. There's no basis in science for the agendas of these groups who are trying to push the public out of being able to fish and recreate.

"Conflicts (user) are overstated and problems are manufactured. It's all just an excuse to put us off the water."

In the wake of the task force's framework document, the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation (CSF) and its partners in the U.S. Recreational Fishing & Boating Coalition against voiced their concerns to the administration.

"Some of the potential policy implications of this interim framework have the potential to be a real threat to recreational anglers who not only contribute billions of dollars to the economy and millions of dollars in tax revenues to support fisheries conservation, but who are also the backbone of the American fish and wildlife conservation ethic," said CSF President Jeff Crane.

Morlock, a member of the CSF board, added, "There are over one million jobs in America supported coast to coast by recreational fishing. The task force has not included any accountability requirements in their reports for evaluating or mitigating how the new policies they are drafting will impact the fishing industry or related economies.

"Given that the scope of this process appears to include a new set of policies for all coastal and inland waters of the United States, the omission of economic considerations is inexcusable."

This is not the only access issue threatening the public's right to fish, but it definitely is the most serious, according to Chris Horton, national conservation director for BASS.

"With what's being created, the same principles could apply inland as apply to the oceans," he said. "Under the guise of 'marine spatial planning' entire watersheds could be shut down, even 2,000 miles up a river drainage from the ocean.

"Every angler needs to be aware because if it's not happening in your backyard today or tomorrow, it will be eventually.

"We have one of the largest voting blocks in the country and we need to use it. We must not sit idly by."

ESPN LINK

Re: Grand Ronde

townsend96@hotmail.com (The_admeral) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:51:14 GMT

Me and my neighbor drove up early to fish the wallowa river by Minan State park. We did pretty good. I went 2-3 and my neighbor went 12-13.
There was allot of people fishing but there were plenty of fish.

Re: salmon and steelhead

dryside@drysideoutdoors.com (aflyfisher) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 04:58:15 GMT

I inow your post is a little old but you have a whole season in front of you so here goes...

Best is highly subjective.

There are many factors you've left out of your question such as whether you're banking it, have a boat of some type, gear fishing, bait fishing, fly fishing or any combination of the three. All of these can and will affect where and how you fish.

Assuming from your message header you're only looking for places to salmon and steelhead fish you have quite a few options within a short distance of Vancouver that can offer fair to at times excellent fishing.

Just to the north of town you have both forks of the Lewis River ~ the East Fork and North Fork. Further north (about another 20 minutes) you have the Kalama River. Further north but still within range for a days outing is the Cowlitz River.

East of town you have the Washougal River. Further east you have the Klick, it's about a 2 1/2 hour drive from Vancouver but well worth the drive. Though you can and will pick up fish in this system earlier in the season it fishes best in the fall.

Don't overlook the obvious, the mighty Columbia. You could spend a lifetime and not uncover all her secrets.

If you decide to expand your options to trout and/or warmwater species you have dozens of more options to explore.

As with all fishing you will want to really study the regs because there are some confusing rules in place.

aff

Re: walleye in febuary

frankvaughn.vaughn8@gmail.com (frank) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 03:20:07 GMT

went to burbank walleye fishing pulling bottom walker and smiley blade in 30 feet of water caught 2 carp????????????

Re: walleye in febuary

townsend96@hotmail.com (The_admeral) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:59:51 GMT

frank wrote:

been out walleye fishing got skunked 4 times in the last couple weeks over by burbank HELP

Sorry I'm not much help. If you wanted to fish the Irrigon area below McNary P.M. me. I can get you started. I have been wanting to get out walleye fishing but the steelhead have been biting so well I keep going after them. This is a great time to go after them. Good luck!!

Re: Grand Ronde

townsend96@hotmail.com (The_admeral) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:46:12 GMT

SteelHead wrote:

Yes just a corky peach in color tyed 1/2 inch above your hook. All so try two small red beeds fished under a jig n bobber set up. There is a 5 fish limit on the Snake and Grand Ronde right now. Best of luck to you. All most forgot my brother was having luck drifting eggs too but the jig n bobber was better.

Awesome!! Thanks again. I'll give it a try. I just confirmed plans last night. I'll be there sunday.

Re: Grand Ronde

ir-mech@hotmail.com (SteelHead) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 01:18:24 GMT

Re: Grand Ronde

townsend96@hotmail.com (The_admeral) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 18:09:08 GMT

SteelHead wrote:

Well I just got back from fishing the Grand Ronde. We had a great time over there.We fished up above the 2.5 mile bridge on the Grand Ronde. All together we caught 10 Native and 6 Hatchery steelhead. We were using a peach color corky or just two red plastic beeds on a #1 wide gap gamagotzo( Please forgive my speelling) hook. Fished under a slip bobber. It was a good time to be out with the Bro's.

Thanks for the Report!! I am probably heading up there this sunday. So just a corky? No yarn or eggs? 6 keepers is a great day!! Nice Job.

Grand Ronde

ir-mech@hotmail.com (SteelHead) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:10 GMT