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[Gooey]

Here is a little article I bumped into recently.  I have booked a 2 day float down south this year and by the sounds of things, it should be a fabulous experience.

More importantly though, this article show a huge difference in the way the US and BC manage their fisheries.  Granted that this scenario seems to have a corporate entity (Tacoma Power) some how backing the stocking of the Cowlitz, it seems that they stock some rivers specifically to create fishing opportunities.  I understanding is that the hatcheries at work on various BC rivers augment/protect wild stock but no activities are currently done to create a fishery where there wasnt one before...


OLYMPIA - Two small lakes in southwest Washington are about to become regional hotspots for steelhead fishing.

During the past two weeks, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) stocked 486 hatchery-reared steelhead in Kress Lake, a popular fishing area near Kalama in Cowlitz County.

At the same time, employees of Tacoma Power stocked the South Lewis County Park Pond near Toledo with 355 hatchery steelhead transported from state hatcheries on the Cowlitz River.

It is expected that hundreds more steelhead - weighing an average of 10 pounds apiece - will be trucked to the 30-acre lake and the 17-acre pond from the Cowlitz River in the weeks ahead, said Craig Burley, WDFW regional fish manager.

Anglers may catch and keep up to two steelhead per day as part of their five-trout limit in those waters, Burley said. Anglers are not required to record steelhead caught in Kress Lake or South Lewis County Park Pond on their catch record cards.

"Returns of early winter steelhead are expected to far exceed our hatchery broodstock needs at the Cowlitz Trout Hatchery," he said. "These are high-quality fish, and we want to maximize opportunities for anglers to catch them."

Burley noted that WDFW has already increased the catch limit on the Cowlitz River below Mayfield Dam to six hatchery steelhead per day. Even so, he estimated that up to 2,000 surplus fish may be available for stocking in lakes or distributing to food banks.

Burley said the anticipated surplus of hatchery steelhead at Cowlitz River facilities is largely due to new provisions in Tacoma Power's dam-licensing agreement with the Federal Energy and Regulator Commission that took effect this year. Those provisions call on the power company to end "recycling" hatchery steelhead downriver pending genetic studies on the effect of that practice on wild steelhead.

In past years, Tacoma Power has transported excess hatchery steelhead downstream to give Cowlitz River anglers another chance to catch them.

Burley said fish managers decided to plant surplus steelhead in Kress Lake and South Lewis County Park Pond because they are both popular fishing areas relatively close to the Cowlitz River.

"We want anglers to know that these fish are there and available to be caught," Burley said. "That's the whole point."

 

[searun17]

sounds like a great idea,it would be nice to see something like this go on here in BC using excess fish from some of the hardier steelhead runs in the province,i can think of a number of positives from such  a venture.

[Gooey]

I'm just a little bitter after such a crappy coho season 2 years in a row now.  We pay a good chunk of change for the various fisheries we access and I really don't think that the amount we pay is excessive but but I would feel a whole lot better about paying those fees (and even much more) if I new that FOC or DFO was actively trying to put fish on my table. 

The last sentance kinda sums the US's mind set on stocking etc: "We want anglers to know that these fish are there and available to be caught," Burley said. "That's the whole point."

In BC, I just don't think they have that mindset.

[searun17]

I have to agree gooey ,there are way to many political scenarios in BC that put the fish stocks close to the bottom of the priority list,we keep paying increasing license fees ,conservation stamps ,etc, etc ,and the number of fish on some systems seems to be decreasing,bottom line is the sportfisherman are a minority and our voice needs to be louder,i know there are groups that are working to solve some of the current issues and some progress has been made but the gov gives just enough to keep the majority of sportfisherman quiet.

[dennisK]

This may sound naive, but do most employees at the DFO even fish?

I do not think it's a requirement in any job application there but maybe it should be at the top of the list.

[rln]

you should all be aware that nowhere in any form can you find any wording put out by MoE or DFO claiming that they will or want to offer you any sort of sport fishing opportunities. They are there to try and make sure we have fish returning to rivers but not necessarily fishing opportunities to fish for those fish. In Washington state, when you get a copy of the fishing regulations, the very first page with any info on it tells you how hard they have worked to try and provide you with some sort of fishing opportunity. On that page is a list of the top people in their system with phone numbers so you can call them and tell them how good or bad they are doing. It is a totally different mindset down there. Limit on the Cowlitz for steelhead where all these hatchery fish are returning is 6 a day right now. They have taken fish down stream and released them to be caught again twice already before putting them into the lakes mention so anglers can have a chance to fish for them. As of January 4, the Cowlitz has had 2970 hatchery steelhead make it back past the fishermen into one of the hatcheries. Not a bad return at all.

[troutbreath]

If I remember right, about 15 years ago the put 10,000 steelhead smolts into Hayward lake(above Stave Dam). We went over the lake a few years later with a fishfinder and 3 of us in the boat with thoughts of fresh steelhead frying. What we got was a lesson in how greedy and cleaver we were and weren't. Saw a couple small signals on the fish finder and a large case of boatbum.I guess the hatchery people got a lesson in fish going over the dam.

[Geff_t]

My ex-wife had a uncle that worked for the hatchery on the chehalis and he used to tell me about a lake up by the stave that they used to stock with the extra steelhead. Extra meaning the total steelhead above the allotted that they where aloud to release into the river. They did this for years until the lake got too full then they switched to other less known lakes. Most of the lakes are gated and require a bit of a hike. Lakes that for obvious reasons do not get alot of fishing pressure. I think that I will make a trip out this spring to the one by the stave to see if the fish are still doing well. Maybe searun and I can get into a couple on the fly. Will have to strap the pontoon to my back and searun the float tub with his new fly rod that he won at the derby  .

[troutbreath]

Caught some nice ones from those lakes as well as bigger ones from Stave itself. A good lake with a bad rap.

[rln]

you guys are comparing stocking steelhead smolts into lakes instead of taking the "extra" returning adults and placing them in a llake. These will be the 6-15lb size fish vs 6"-8" fish. Different type of fishing oppurtunity