Post by: MeepDog on March 23, 2022, 12:06:05 PM
Smallmouth & largemouth bass
Walleye
Perch
Bluegill, crappie, & sunfish
Catfish
Shad
Carp
It has become an all too common practice to release large walleye and bass and this is wrong. There is no limit for these species for a reason and that's because they do not belong in our rivers. Many of these fish are extremely predatory to small fish such as salmon smolts and native minnows. Don't get me wrong I love catching these fish, but if you catch and release these predators don't complain about poor salmon runs.
Post by: Norman89 on March 23, 2022, 12:12:50 PM
Post by: Woodchuck on March 23, 2022, 12:15:31 PM
Post by: Ridgeratt on March 23, 2022, 12:15:40 PM
And pike are already there.
Post by: MeepDog on March 23, 2022, 01:29:47 PM
Just wait til the pike get here.If Pike get in the lower Columbia basin were even more screwed. There's so much for them to eat.
Post by: pianoman9701 on March 23, 2022, 01:33:29 PM
Post by: MeepDog on March 23, 2022, 01:46:08 PM
Having grown up on the east coast, I've always caught and released bass. I'll stop doing that. Bass are great eating.Oh man smallmouth are under appreciated. Battered and fried with tartar sauce and I'd take it over halibut.
Post by: pickardjw on March 23, 2022, 01:50:02 PM
Having grown up on the east coast, I've always caught and released bass. I'll stop doing that. Bass are great eating.Oh man smallmouth are under appreciated. Battered and fried with tartar sauce and I'd take it over halibut.
Used to eat largemouth growing up in the south all the time. They just don't appeal to me anymore at all as a food fish. But I'd try a smallie for sure. Must be the cold water...and the fact that they're not green.
Post by: Chesterdog on March 23, 2022, 02:04:51 PM
Post by: Roosevelt walleye on March 23, 2022, 02:05:54 PM
Post by: MeepDog on March 23, 2022, 02:08:14 PM
If you eat bass be careful when feeding kids. There's a statewide consumption advisory on bass and pikeminnow. All other fish consumption advisories are waterway specific, but these predatory fish across the board tend to accumulate mercury... someone had to say it.Yeah pregnant women can only eat 2 meals of bass a month. Luckily I'm not a pregnant woman
Post by: MeepDog on March 23, 2022, 02:09:53 PM
I guess if I have to follow your rules I will choose your last option and not complain about salmon runs.I'd take a healthy salmon fishery over an excellent, but misplaced walleye fishery any day.
Post by: Roosevelt walleye on March 23, 2022, 02:13:47 PM
Post by: MeepDog on March 23, 2022, 02:17:10 PM
And I will take the healthy Walleye fishery that doesn't rely on millions of dollars in hatchery fish to stay healthy. To each their own!Hatcheries are like a bandaid on a gunshot wound
Post by: Russ McDonald on March 23, 2022, 02:24:08 PM
Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk
Post by: Chesterdog on March 23, 2022, 02:46:01 PM
Post by: Woodchuck on March 23, 2022, 02:52:21 PM
We're fighting over the table scraps of mismanagement and overdevelopment if you think pulling a few bass or walleye out of the system will lead to better salmon runs. If the real problems aren't addressed we're just killing more recreation opportunities.Truth
Post by: Bullkllr on March 23, 2022, 02:54:00 PM
We're fighting over the table scraps of mismanagement and overdevelopment if you think pulling a few bass or walleye out of the system will lead to better salmon runs. If the real problems aren't addressed we're just killing more recreation opportunities.
Lotta truth right there.
Luckily, walleye, bass and catfish seem pretty resilient. I hate to say it, but those species may be what anglers depend on more than ever in the future.
Post by: MeepDog on March 23, 2022, 03:03:18 PM
We're fighting over the table scraps of mismanagement and overdevelopment if you think pulling a few bass or walleye out of the system will lead to better salmon runs. If the real problems aren't addressed we're just killing more recreation opportunities.Releasing big breeding size female walleyes sure aint helping salmon. It's a multifaceted problem with a whole lot of forces at play but if every bass or walleye caught didn't end up back in the water it would have an impact. Those warm water fish have to eat to get as big as they are getting and they aren't going to pass up a smolt.
Post by: WALLEYEGUY on March 23, 2022, 03:09:39 PM
Post by: full choke on March 23, 2022, 03:10:30 PM
Post by: MeepDog on March 23, 2022, 03:20:54 PM
I would like to throw a separate daily bag limit on mergansers apart from other waterfowl into the argument as well. Oh, and a push for controlled hunting of cormorants. That is all. Carry on...Now you're speaking my language! Don't forget special draw tags for sea lions by the dams.
Post by: MeepDog on March 23, 2022, 03:30:08 PM
We have had one of the greatest walleye fisheries in North America with lake Roosevelt and one of the greatest trophy walleye fishery in the lower Columbia.
It really is one of the greatest walleye fisheries in the world, but no matter how big they get or how many there are they still don't belong in the river. My father took me out walleye fishing just like you will take your kids out. There's resources in this world that are under threat from over harvest and in this river walleye is not one of them. Under harvest is more like it. 10,000 years ago there wasn't walleye in this river.
Post by: Bullkllr on March 23, 2022, 03:31:32 PM
I would like to throw a separate daily bag limit on mergansers apart from other waterfowl into the argument as well. Oh, and a push for controlled hunting of cormorants. That is all. Carry on...Now you're speaking my language! Don't forget special draw tags for sea lions by the dams.
Commissioner Regan says "HI" :hello:
Post by: Chesterdog on March 23, 2022, 03:34:20 PM
Post by: Bullkllr on March 23, 2022, 03:40:25 PM
We've sacrificed the most heavily used duck hunting spot on the Westside (Skagit Island Unit) for salmon habitat restoration along with lots of other proposals being thrown around that completely change the way many of us recreate. I can't imagine driving 4 hrs to Banks lake just to fish whitefish! I think these drastic changes would be easier to swallow if the city dwellers were forced to sacrifice something for this cause. We keep on developing. The cities grow. Car tires keep rolling despite evidence that they are contributing to dwindling salmon size. I notice in every major rain storm, the treatment plants overflow millions of gallons of untreated sewage into the sound. Where's the outrage? No one is jumping to kick the homeless out of critical salmon habitat on the Duwamish. We sports enthusiasts have to make big sacrifices that result in a drop in the bucket or nothing. Lets share the burden or be realistic about what's causing the problem.
Yes! Especially considering the recent emphasis from some groups and even the Commission that "wildlife belongs to everybody". It is true, so we should share the responsibility and we should all shoulder more of the impacts when populations tank.
Post by: Mr Mykiss on March 23, 2022, 03:43:23 PM
Just wait til the pike get here.Amen brother. Yer gonna be begging on your knees for SMB and walleye!!!
I doubt any of you actually know what yer talking about anyway. Good luck.
Post by: GASoline71 on March 23, 2022, 04:11:57 PM
We have had one of the greatest walleye fisheries in North America with lake Roosevelt and one of the greatest trophy walleye fishery in the lower Columbia. I am a big walleye proponent and hope with all my heart that my grandchildren get to enjoy what I have had. The current management is appalling to me. Will there ever be salmon above Grand Coulee I have no idea, but you do not have to try to kill every walleye in Roosevelt till it is a possibility. All I can say is :bash: :bash: :bash: :bash: :bash: :bash: :bash: :bash: :twocents:
Even with the 16 fish bag limit at Roosevelt, anglers barely put a dent in the Walleye population each year. Love fishing for Walleye on that lake. They are fun to fight on the line, fairly easy to catch, and great table fare.
Now that there are Northern Pike in the lake, I'm sure they are doing way more damage than any of the Walleye and SMB.
Gary
Post by: Cylvertip on March 23, 2022, 04:23:17 PM
We have had one of the greatest walleye fisheries in North America with lake Roosevelt and one of the greatest trophy walleye fishery in the lower Columbia.
It really is one of the greatest walleye fisheries in the world, but no matter how big they get or how many there are they still don't belong in the river. My father took me out walleye fishing just like you will take your kids out. There's resources in this world that are under threat from over harvest and in this river walleye is not one of them. Under harvest is more like it. 10,000 years ago there wasn't walleye in this river.
Not too long before that, in the grand scheme of things, salmon where few and far between in the lower sections of the river and non existant in areas like where Roosevelt is today. I will stop short of calling salmon invasive - maybe. Probably no more invasive than Northern pike.
If the warm water fish are the problem, why are systems that have no influence by those species still on the same rate of decline? And why would you target "native species" with a bounty? Native being a relative term based primarily on time.
Finally, why are there thriving "non native" salmon and stealhead populations in The Great Lakes and their tributaries? Systems with far more warm water predatory species than you will ever see here.
Post by: Jingles on March 23, 2022, 04:50:20 PM
Post by: MeepDog on March 23, 2022, 04:57:12 PM
Everyone is talking walleye but have not seen Bull trout mentioned as detrimental on the trout and salmon. Maybe folks need to quit looking at the forest and start seeing the treesThe forest is full of invasive trees like Russian olive and scotch broom. Same problem with the same solution: kill them not plant them.
Post by: 10Key on March 23, 2022, 05:10:24 PM
Post by: HUNTIN4SIX on March 23, 2022, 05:16:07 PM
You sound like a WDFW biologist. After working in hatcheries for many years I disagree....hatcheries are the only option.And I will take the healthy Walleye fishery that doesn't rely on millions of dollars in hatchery fish to stay healthy. To each their own!Hatcheries are like a bandaid on a gunshot wound
In fact WDFW has actually cut production over the last 20 years...you see where that got us. I know the above mentioned “predators” are the least of our worries. These predators have been in the Columbia long before the decline. Your many years late for the party on this one.
Post by: Russ McDonald on March 23, 2022, 05:42:21 PM
You my friend are exactly right I grew up in the mid west. Salmon and trout all around in area with alot of walleyes and northern pike.We have had one of the greatest walleye fisheries in North America with lake Roosevelt and one of the greatest trophy walleye fishery in the lower Columbia.
It really is one of the greatest walleye fisheries in the world, but no matter how big they get or how many there are they still don't belong in the river. My father took me out walleye fishing just like you will take your kids out. There's resources in this world that are under threat from over harvest and in this river walleye is not one of them. Under harvest is more like it. 10,000 years ago there wasn't walleye in this river.
Not too long before that, in the grand scheme of things, salmon where few and far between in the lower sections of the river and non existant in areas like where Roosevelt is today. I will stop short of calling salmon invasive - maybe. Probably no more invasive than Northern pike.
If the warm water fish are the problem, why are systems that have no influence by those species still on the same rate of decline? And why would you target "native species" with a bounty? Native being a relative term based primarily on time.
Finally, why are there thriving "non native" salmon and stealhead populations in The Great Lakes and their tributaries? Systems with far more warm water predatory species than you will ever see here.
Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk
Post by: Karl Blanchard on March 23, 2022, 06:08:11 PM
Post by: Skillet on March 23, 2022, 06:33:09 PM
Due to the way the Pacific Salmon Treaty is written, my living up here in AK depends largely upon a healthy chinook salmon run in the Columbia River. I should be one of the loudest on here about eliminating the invasive walleye, smallmouth, channel cats, and others.
But I say - keep your eaters and let the ones you don't want to eat go. I'll never, ever, bust somebody's chops for killing a 15# walleye. But I wouldn't do it myself, as I'd much rather have half a doz 20-22" fish to eat. That class of walleye is probably some of the best eating freshwater white fish there is.
The days of the native runs returning to the historical watersheds are over, boys. The combination of dams, human population growth in watersheds, predation of outbound smolts by both native and non-native predators, and over harvest of returning fish have all combined to crush the runs. You can try to limit the predation by fish (ie., pikeminnow derby, lifting limits on all invasives), but unless you move human populations out of critical watersheds and/or remove the dams you're pissing in the wind.
People and the dams are here to stay. The first salmon runs to recieve ESA protection in the Columbia watershed were listed in 1991, back when the population of Washington was 5 million people. Today it's 7.74 million, a 50% increase. Population will continue to increase, salmon abundance will continue to go down.
Killing the big walleye by sportsmen will do absolutely nothing to change that.
What we can do to change the abundance issue in the near future is to dramatically pump up hatchery production, increase predation control below Bonneville, install technology that maximizes smolt survival when passing all of the dams, and spill more water from those dams during the peak outflow periods. And my personal favorite, get back on the nuclear power program to make managing the dams for salmon passage much less costly to the ratepayers.
This is, of course, just my $.02 from an admittedly biased point of view - but even I can see that destroying an emerging/established world-class fishery for walleye isn't going to do anything in the long run for the fish I depend on to make part of my living.
Post by: NRA4LIFE on March 23, 2022, 06:36:36 PM
Post by: Trapper John on March 23, 2022, 07:09:09 PM
It isn't just Predator Fish that kill the salmon. River Otter eat 2/3rd of their body weight every day and most times it fish.
Our human population is going to keep growing (We doubled our population in America in the last 40 year)
and the fish population is going to keep going down, Fact
Killing walleyes is not the solution unless you are feeding yourself and family.
Just my :twocents:
Post by: Karl Blanchard on March 23, 2022, 07:13:49 PM
Post by: duramax on March 23, 2022, 07:22:52 PM
My name is Karl and I love killing walleye. Feels good to say it out loud :chuckle:
Post by: Caseknife on March 23, 2022, 07:47:19 PM
Post by: HUNTIN4SIX on March 23, 2022, 08:30:29 PM
Suddenly an issue? Most salmonids (out migrating smolts) travel in deeper part of the water column and warm water fish will be shallower. Most smolts travel in large schools and are in a hurry to get to salt as they start to smolt. The last thing to blame is this wonderful fishery of bass and walleye we’ve had for years. Anyone ever heard of the studies done on bird predation on the lower Columbia? Pretty much the islands down there have a layer of coded wire tags from birds crapping them out....millions of them. Like I said WDFW has significantly reduced hatchery production. Wdfw won’t tell you that because some in charge are caving to special interest groups that want a utopia of only wild stock salmon.
Post by: Skillet on March 23, 2022, 08:53:34 PM
Did the OP not know these species have been in the Columbia for probably 60+years?
Suddenly an issue? Most salmonids (out migrating smolts) travel in deeper part of the water column and warm water fish will be shallower. Most smolts travel in large schools and are in a hurry to get to salt as they start to smolt. The last thing to blame is this wonderful fishery of bass and walleye we’ve had for years. Anyone ever heard of the studies done on bird predation on the lower Columbia? Pretty much the islands down there have a layer of coded wire tags from birds crapping them out....millions of them. Like I said WDFW has significantly reduced hatchery production. Wdfw won’t tell you that because some in charge are caving to special interest groups that want a utopia of only wild stock salmon.
Well, let's not get it twisted. Walleye and smallmouth absolutely eat smolts, and are classic ambush predators. They go where the food is, and don't worry about where they are "supposed" to be in a 100' vertical water column (big hint there for people who are having a hard time finding walleye in "classic" walleye habitat). The outgoing scenario you describe only applies to free-flowing rivers - large impoundments like those on the Columbia change the calculus significantly. These non-native predators are definitely a factor. Saying they aren't part of the problem isn't going to help have an honest discussion about the realities of the situation.
The real questions, as I see them, are
1. Would removing them be effective?
2. Is there a better way to ensure a bigger salmon return (the ultimate goal, right?) than tearing down another thriving fishery?
I loved walleye fishing. I've done it my whole fishing life, and tournament fished as well. I traveled to Minnesota and Manitoba just to ice fish for them. But if I could trade the Columbia River walleye fishery away for a consistent 1 million king return to the Columbia I'd do it in a heartbeat. The problem is, in trading it away now, there's absolutely no way we get the king salmon back as a result. We just lose a great recreational opportunity on a world-class walleye fishery.
I don't think that the juice is worth the squeeze there.
Post by: Skillet on March 23, 2022, 09:29:20 PM
My name is Karl and I love killing walleye. Feels good to say it out loud :chuckle:
Hi Karl.
You're among friends here. :tup:
Post by: Karl Blanchard on March 23, 2022, 09:31:06 PM
🤣🤣🤣 A fellow brother of the corn meal :hello:My name is Karl and I love killing walleye. Feels good to say it out loud :chuckle:
Hi Karl.
You're among friends here. :tup:
Post by: HUNTIN4SIX on March 23, 2022, 09:48:25 PM
I think you'd be surprised how much of the same page we are on.....I bring up these arguments for sake of conversation, that most don't know. I have studied. worked with and caught salmonids my whole life probably like you. You are little more hardcore than me :chuckle: I grew up fishing salmon in the glory year of the 70's and 80's. Fished all over the coast, strait and heck even the hood canal when it have fish. My family migrated to bass fishing tournaments in the 80's. For years I have put countless hours on every Columbia river pool fishing bass tournaments and meat fishing for walleye. I even found myself throwing baits mimicking smolts :chuckle: so I understand bass and walleye eat them. Had the opportunity to fish every inland lake on the coast with smolts running through it too. I am passionate about this subject....like you, I lived it. Unfortunately I was a casualty of the mandate. I even recently testified against the recent stupid bill that was going to take half of my farm ground in stevens county for salmon and steelhead recovery. Nothing like getting kicked in the nutz by the state twice.....Did the OP not know these species have been in the Columbia for probably 60+years?
Suddenly an issue? Most salmonids (out migrating smolts) travel in deeper part of the water column and warm water fish will be shallower. Most smolts travel in large schools and are in a hurry to get to salt as they start to smolt. The last thing to blame is this wonderful fishery of bass and walleye we’ve had for years. Anyone ever heard of the studies done on bird predation on the lower Columbia? Pretty much the islands down there have a layer of coded wire tags from birds crapping them out....millions of them. Like I said WDFW has significantly reduced hatchery production. Wdfw won’t tell you that because some in charge are caving to special interest groups that want a utopia of only wild stock salmon.
Well, let's not get it twisted. Walleye and smallmouth absolutely eat smolts, and are classic ambush predators. They go where the food is, and don't worry about where they are "supposed" to be in a 100' vertical water column (big hint there for people who are having a hard time finding walleye in "classic" walleye habitat). The outgoing scenario you describe only applies to free-flowing rivers - large impoundments like those on the Columbia change the calculus significantly. These non-native predators are definitely a factor. Saying they aren't part of the problem isn't going to help have an honest discussion about the realities of the situation.
The real questions, as I see them, are
1. Would removing them be effective?
2. Is there a better way to ensure a bigger salmon return (the ultimate goal, right?) than tearing down another thriving fishery?
I loved walleye fishing. I've done it my whole fishing life, and tournament fished as well. I traveled to Minnesota and Manitoba just to ice fish for them. But if I could trade the Columbia River walleye fishery away for a consistent 1 million king return to the Columbia I'd do it in a heartbeat. The problem is, in trading it away now, there's absolutely no way we get the king salmon back as a result. We just lose a great recreational opportunity on a world-class walleye fishery.
I don't think that the juice is worth the squeeze there.
The decline of salmon has so many complex issues....I don't have it all figured out.
But what i do have figured out, is working for WDFW I sure learned a lot about the inside and their policies...trust me. I also figured out hatcheries are very good. We can, in some regards, propagate our way out of this decline....But never legislate our way out. I will bring up hatchery production till I'm blue in the face. So many other factors are sadly out of our control.
Post by: Skillet on March 23, 2022, 09:51:34 PM
I think you'd be surprised how much of the same page we are on.....I bring up these arguments for sake of conversation, that most don't know. I have studied. worked with and caught salmonids my whole life probably like you. You are little more hardcore than me :chuckle: I grew up fishing salmon in the glory year of the 70's and 80's. Fished all over the coast, strait and heck even the hood canal when it have fish. My family migrated to bass fishing tournaments in the 80's. For years I have put countless hours on every Columbia river pool fishing bass tournaments and meat fishing for walleye. I even found myself throwing baits mimicking smolts :chuckle: so I understand bass and walleye eat them. Had the opportunity to fish every inland lake on the coast with smolts running through it too. I am passionate about this subject....like you, I lived it. Unfortunately I was a casualty of the mandate. I even recently testified against the recent stupid bill that was going to take half of my farm ground in stevens county for salmon and steelhead recovery. Nothing like getting kicked in the nutz by the state twice.....Did the OP not know these species have been in the Columbia for probably 60+years?
Suddenly an issue? Most salmonids (out migrating smolts) travel in deeper part of the water column and warm water fish will be shallower. Most smolts travel in large schools and are in a hurry to get to salt as they start to smolt. The last thing to blame is this wonderful fishery of bass and walleye we’ve had for years. Anyone ever heard of the studies done on bird predation on the lower Columbia? Pretty much the islands down there have a layer of coded wire tags from birds crapping them out....millions of them. Like I said WDFW has significantly reduced hatchery production. Wdfw won’t tell you that because some in charge are caving to special interest groups that want a utopia of only wild stock salmon.
Well, let's not get it twisted. Walleye and smallmouth absolutely eat smolts, and are classic ambush predators. They go where the food is, and don't worry about where they are "supposed" to be in a 100' vertical water column (big hint there for people who are having a hard time finding walleye in "classic" walleye habitat). The outgoing scenario you describe only applies to free-flowing rivers - large impoundments like those on the Columbia change the calculus significantly. These non-native predators are definitely a factor. Saying they aren't part of the problem isn't going to help have an honest discussion about the realities of the situation.
The real questions, as I see them, are
1. Would removing them be effective?
2. Is there a better way to ensure a bigger salmon return (the ultimate goal, right?) than tearing down another thriving fishery?
I loved walleye fishing. I've done it my whole fishing life, and tournament fished as well. I traveled to Minnesota and Manitoba just to ice fish for them. But if I could trade the Columbia River walleye fishery away for a consistent 1 million king return to the Columbia I'd do it in a heartbeat. The problem is, in trading it away now, there's absolutely no way we get the king salmon back as a result. We just lose a great recreational opportunity on a world-class walleye fishery.
I don't think that the juice is worth the squeeze there.
The decline of salmon has so many complex issues....I don't have it all figured out.
But what i do have figured out, is working for WDFW I sure learned a lot about the inside and their policies...trust me. I also figured out hatcheries are very good. We can, in some regards, propagate our way out of this decline....But never legislate our way out. I will bring up hatchery production till I'm blue in the face. So many other factors are sadly out of our control.
:tup: :brew:
Post by: HUNTIN4SIX on March 23, 2022, 09:57:46 PM
I think you'd be surprised how much of the same page we are on.....I bring up these arguments for sake of conversation, that most don't know. I have studied. worked with and caught salmonids my whole life probably like you. You are little more hardcore than me :chuckle: I grew up fishing salmon in the glory year of the 70's and 80's. Fished all over the coast, strait and heck even the hood canal when it have fish. My family migrated to bass fishing tournaments in the 80's. For years I have put countless hours on every Columbia river pool fishing bass tournaments and meat fishing for walleye. I even found myself throwing baits mimicking smolts :chuckle: so I understand bass and walleye eat them. Had the opportunity to fish every inland lake on the coast with smolts running through it too. I am passionate about this subject....like you, I lived it. Unfortunately I was a casualty of the mandate. I even recently testified against the recent stupid bill that was going to take half of my farm ground in stevens county for salmon and steelhead recovery. Nothing like getting kicked in the nutz by the state twice.....Did the OP not know these species have been in the Columbia for probably 60+years?
Suddenly an issue? Most salmonids (out migrating smolts) travel in deeper part of the water column and warm water fish will be shallower. Most smolts travel in large schools and are in a hurry to get to salt as they start to smolt. The last thing to blame is this wonderful fishery of bass and walleye we’ve had for years. Anyone ever heard of the studies done on bird predation on the lower Columbia? Pretty much the islands down there have a layer of coded wire tags from birds crapping them out....millions of them. Like I said WDFW has significantly reduced hatchery production. Wdfw won’t tell you that because some in charge are caving to special interest groups that want a utopia of only wild stock salmon.
Well, let's not get it twisted. Walleye and smallmouth absolutely eat smolts, and are classic ambush predators. They go where the food is, and don't worry about where they are "supposed" to be in a 100' vertical water column (big hint there for people who are having a hard time finding walleye in "classic" walleye habitat). The outgoing scenario you describe only applies to free-flowing rivers - large impoundments like those on the Columbia change the calculus significantly. These non-native predators are definitely a factor. Saying they aren't part of the problem isn't going to help have an honest discussion about the realities of the situation.
The real questions, as I see them, are
1. Would removing them be effective?
2. Is there a better way to ensure a bigger salmon return (the ultimate goal, right?) than tearing down another thriving fishery?
I loved walleye fishing. I've done it my whole fishing life, and tournament fished as well. I traveled to Minnesota and Manitoba just to ice fish for them. But if I could trade the Columbia River walleye fishery away for a consistent 1 million king return to the Columbia I'd do it in a heartbeat. The problem is, in trading it away now, there's absolutely no way we get the king salmon back as a result. We just lose a great recreational opportunity on a world-class walleye fishery.
I don't think that the juice is worth the squeeze there.
The decline of salmon has so many complex issues....I don't have it all figured out.
But what i do have figured out, is working for WDFW I sure learned a lot about the inside and their policies...trust me. I also figured out hatcheries are very good. We can, in some regards, propagate our way out of this decline....But never legislate our way out. I will bring up hatchery production till I'm blue in the face. So many other factors are sadly out of our control.
:tup: :brew:
:tup:
Post by: HUNTINCOUPLE on March 24, 2022, 12:59:11 PM
Post by: Stein on March 24, 2022, 01:02:13 PM
Post by: bassquatch on March 26, 2022, 06:06:02 PM
And I will take the healthy Walleye fishery that doesn't rely on millions of dollars in hatchery fish to stay healthy. To each their own!Hatcheries are like a bandaid on a gunshot wound
and targeting warm water species and not the political and anti-lethal meatheads managing the wildlife in this State is a band-aid on a howitzer wound. Same ---- different year.
Post by: metlhead on March 26, 2022, 06:34:43 PM
Post by: MeepDog on March 27, 2022, 09:40:36 AM
What's an anti-lethal meathead? Like an animal rights activist? Check out these hens I'm going to catch and release into some hot fry oil. Caught them last nightAnd I will take the healthy Walleye fishery that doesn't rely on millions of dollars in hatchery fish to stay healthy. To each their own!Hatcheries are like a bandaid on a gunshot wound
and targeting warm water species and not the political and anti-lethal meatheads managing the wildlife in this State is a band-aid on a howitzer wound. Same ---- different year.
Post by: NRA4LIFE on March 27, 2022, 11:30:21 AM
Post by: metlhead on March 27, 2022, 03:47:57 PM
Post by: 206 on March 27, 2022, 03:58:05 PM
Are walleye eggs any good to eat? Salmon eggs and scrambled eggs are a summer Sekiu staple.
I've make keta caviar when I get the ripe hen, which is labor intensive. Can you splain the double egg scramble?
Post by: MeepDog on March 27, 2022, 04:09:26 PM
Are walleye eggs any good to eat? Salmon eggs and scrambled eggs are a summer Sekiu staple.I think walleye eggs are great. Scrape them out of the skein and brine them. I mix them with flour and chicken eggs and fry it like a pancake. Just had them this morning with butter and syrup.
Post by: metlhead on March 27, 2022, 08:22:32 PM
Post by: huntnnw on March 27, 2022, 10:11:05 PM
Post by: Skillet on March 28, 2022, 12:14:02 AM
Are walleye eggs any good to eat? Salmon eggs and scrambled eggs are a summer Sekiu staple.I think walleye eggs are great. Scrape them out of the skein and brine them. I mix them with flour and chicken eggs and fry it like a pancake. Just had them this morning with butter and syrup.
Looks tasty. I've never eaten walleye eggs, but if I get the chance again I'm going to try it.
Post by: Mfowl on March 28, 2022, 07:09:01 AM
Post by: Jake Dogfish on March 28, 2022, 02:56:53 PM
Furthermore I don’t see the evidence that walleye are invasive on the west side of the state outside of the Columbia. Bucket biologists have been trying for years. :twocents:
Post by: MeepDog on March 28, 2022, 07:34:56 PM
As a salmon advocate, I don’t see dividing fishermen by what species they fish for as helping anything.I'm saying they're invasives specifically in the Columbia River system. I could give a rip what someone puts into a manmade lake as long as it stays there. I'm not trying to divide fishermen, just convince them to actually eat the walleye out of the Columbia. At this point we couldn't get rid of them if we wanted to.
Furthermore I don’t see the evidence that walleye are invasive on the west side of the state outside of the Columbia. Bucket biologists have been trying for years. :twocents:
Post by: metlhead on March 28, 2022, 07:53:13 PM
Post by: plugger on March 29, 2022, 04:51:32 AM
Post by: huntnnw on March 29, 2022, 06:43:07 AM
Post by: buglebrush on March 29, 2022, 09:02:12 AM
It is UNREAL how many sea lions are in the lower river right now. There are hundreds at the Cowlitz mouth alone. They are going to decimate this years runs if they don't leave. Eating walleye is great but killing them won't save the salmon! Those sea lions are going to starve the walleye out too!
Exactly. Reducing sportsman opportunity should always be the last resort, but in WA it's always the first. Need to reduce sea lion, wolf, cougar, and bear populations instead of reducing and eliminating hunting & fishing opportunities!
Post by: dilleytech on March 30, 2022, 11:40:26 AM
salmon runs have been pretty consistent over my life time. We get good years and bad years. Keep doing what we are doing works fine for me. Keep hatcheries pumping out fish. Kill as many fur bags and fish eating birds as we can, and hope the ocean stays in good shape.
But I always wonder about the shad. They hit any shiny little thing that swims in front of them. We don’t think they are smacking a bunch of down river smolt? Where’s that cat food shad fishing industry at?
Post by: buckcanyonlodge on March 30, 2022, 08:47:46 PM
Post by: plugger on March 31, 2022, 05:01:24 AM
Post by: MeepDog on March 31, 2022, 02:12:36 PM
But I always wonder about the shad. They hit any shiny little thing that swims in front of them. We don’t think they are smacking a bunch of down river smolt? Where’s that cat food shad fishing industry at?And if these fish aren't eating the smolt itself, they're certainly eating something. They are getting big from eating something out if the river. Outcompeting for resources is just as dangerous as direct predation.
Post by: MeepDog on March 31, 2022, 02:21:17 PM
It's more nuanced than just a reduction of opportunity. The walleye, bass etc season is literally year round no limit. The salmon season is heavily restricted so it's pretty obvious which species needs some help with opportunity.It is UNREAL how many sea lions are in the lower river right now. There are hundreds at the Cowlitz mouth alone. They are going to decimate this years runs if they don't leave. Eating walleye is great but killing them won't save the salmon! Those sea lions are going to starve the walleye out too!
Exactly. Reducing sportsman opportunity should always be the last resort, but in WA it's always the first. Need to reduce sea lion, wolf, cougar, and bear populations instead of reducing and eliminating hunting & fishing opportunities!
Post by: dilleytech on April 01, 2022, 08:54:40 AM
It's more nuanced than just a reduction of opportunity. The walleye, bass etc season is literally year round no limit. The salmon season is heavily restricted so it's pretty obvious which species needs some help with opportunity.It is UNREAL how many sea lions are in the lower river right now. There are hundreds at the Cowlitz mouth alone. They are going to decimate this years runs if they don't leave. Eating walleye is great but killing them won't save the salmon! Those sea lions are going to starve the walleye out too!
Exactly. Reducing sportsman opportunity should always be the last resort, but in WA it's always the first. Need to reduce sea lion, wolf, cougar, and bear populations instead of reducing and eliminating hunting & fishing opportunities!
Man if you tell me I can fish for salmon from April to October one year then the next only walleye and catch as many as you can. I’m going to be catching way!!!!! More salmon. Salmon fishing is sooo good on the Columbia. I have never had a 20+ fish walleye day. But you can do that day after day with fall salmon.
Post by: plugger on April 02, 2022, 04:46:11 AM
Post by: Gettin Birdie on April 02, 2022, 06:53:30 AM