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One of the days we caught fish on the Smith was in March during a very warm and wet storm. We would make a cast then have to take a step back before casting again because the water level was rising...

What about the Smith. I have caught fish there on the rise and it fishes better when flows are over 6000 cfs as the fish move to the sides.

I have always considered the fishing license as a take permit, not a possession permit. Otherwise you would need a license to purchase salmon from your local market. When I have given away fish I...

Seems plausible but this is in direct contradiction to the authors' first stated assumption that has to be true for the impacts of stripers to benefit native fishes, which was "1. Striped bass...

Not entirely sure what you mean by this sentence. Interpreting though, a scientist can explain complicated concepts to the public in basic terms without going past what can be supported.


I do...

I did not look at it as a scientific paper either. That was not the crux of my point. Dr Moyle is a scientists and scientists generally avoid speculation even in non-scientific forums. Here are 3...

I have not seen it but cannot believe the main stem Eel River is low and clear. 3000 cfs is very fishable from the bank and should be loaded with fish. A rare opportunity to fish this section of the...

No doubt the authors know a lot and are widely respected. That is why it was surprising to read so much speculation in their comments. Scientists usually do not do that. They hypothesize then...

Darian, were you being sarcastic with that statement? Yes it was reasonable but objective it was not. Certainly the point that the system is a lot more complex than just stripers and salmon and...

I think what is unethical, or just plain arrogant, is to be tossing hatchery fish into a river that has a threatened wild population for the sole purpose of a put and take fishery. The unethical part...

Call me a pessimist or a realist, but I do not see it happening. Our economy is tied to population growth. Until we get a handle on population growth, everything we do to conserve is just a band-aid....

Not necessarily. If the science continues to build showing a negative impact of hatchery stocks on wild stocks, look for groups to start court actions to stop hatcheries from releasing hatchery fish...

Again you seem to be under the illusion that over fishing by sports has somehow caused the declines in these fisheries and that all we need to do is limit take. This is a false presumption. If this...

I agree. I just do not know why you would limit it to fly fishermen only. Sport fishermen overall have had minimal impacts to salmon and steelhead runs except in a few specific instances.

Studies have shown lowered fitness at least 2 generations out when hatchery fish spawn with wild fish.

http://www.physorg.com/news163845102.html
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I won't rehash it again here why C&R is not effective management. Below is a link to a earlier discussion on this forum where some good points were made. Relevant discussion is from page 5 on.
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Is there data for the levels in the 1960s for the Smith? The reason this river had take of wild fish was because it was the only river that had a sustained run until recently. Hard to believe the...

I agree it is an old issue. Reading through the page that was linked though, I found many misleading and hard to believe comments. For example


Hardly. What about flow and habitat quality.

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Just drove to So Cal down I5. Very little non-tilled land all the way to the Grapevine. Lots of signs blaming Congress for the "dust bowl", specifically singling out Boxer, Pelosi, and Costa. Seems...

Without a doubt commercial fisheries can and does have huge impacts on fish populations. This is why I specifically noted sport take only.

Whenever I view images like those in this video or talk to those who experienced fishing back in the day, I am amazed at just how abundant these fish were. I read that the steelhead population on the...

I'd bet flow and water temp are as great of a determinant in which river these fish decide to spawn in as the river of origin, especially when they are released downstream or in the bay/delta. With...

Totally agree, but I would not limit it to fly fishers. Is there a steelhead or salmon population in California that has collapsed due to sport take? Reversing that, is there a run that has rebounded...

Maybe for hatchery salmon on good years on the major river systems, but there are not that many wild salmon. Last I looked, commercial fishing was not a selective fishery.

I am perplexed by this thread, the recent Smith River thread, and this post. In that Smith River thread everyone was cooing about how great it was that they finally stopped the take of wild fish. Lee...