Russian River Steelhead

[Dustin Revel]

I don't read fishing magazines... can't afford em, and they are always checked out of the library. Instead i read fisheries journals, and pay attention in my fisheries class.
I look at data, and the data tells me to kill hatchery fish. They take up valuable spawning habitat in some streams and in other streams they just stick to the main stem where the wild fish wouldn't spawn anyways. I don't really know the situation on the russian but in the trinity river system where I've found hatchery fish where they could possibly reduce the total recruitment of wild fish I will kill it without hesitation. That being said if I caught a nice hatchery hen in douglas city that was full of eggs I'm not sure I'd be able to poke my blade into its rakes.

[East Bay Ed]

Now that we've talked the relative merits of releasing or keeping a hatchery fish, let me as this question? Is anyone going up to fish the Russian in the next week? I'm going to try to make a run when there is a break in the weather. If I'm fortunate enough to catch a hatchery fish, it will help supplement my retirement income by giving its all for dinner.

East Bay Ed

[Pez]

I don't read fishing magazines... can't afford em, and they are always checked out of the library. Instead i read fisheries journals, and pay attention in my fisheries class.
I look at data, and the data tells me to kill hatchery fish. They take up valuable spawning habitat in some streams and in other streams they just stick to the main stem where the wild fish wouldn't spawn anyways. I don't really know the situation on the russian but in the trinity river system where I've found hatchery fish where they could possibly reduce the total recruitment of wild fish I will kill it without hesitation. That being said if I caught a nice hatchery hen in douglas city that was full of eggs I'm not sure I'd be able to poke my blade into its rakes.

The American and the Russian are the closest rivers tho the bay area (except smallers creeks that I won't mentioned and everyone knows) and they provide us with decent fishing for steelhead and salmon without having to drive 4 or 5 hours. For these reasons and many others ones I don't see them as viable as others ones to pursue a pure strain fishery. thanks for releasing that hipothetical fish and althought for some may not be the "perfect fish", I'm sure will provide you with a smile and a reason to go back to the river.

[Pez]

Now that we've talked the relative merits of releasing or keeping a hatchery fish, let me as this question? Is anyone going up to fish the Russian in the next week? I'm going to try to make a run when there is a break in the weather. If I'm fortunate enough to catch a hatchery fish, it will help supplement my retirement income by giving its all for dinner.

East Bay Ed

There you go! That's a compelling reason for the hatchery fish. I maybe there between the storms. Good luck.

[mr. 3 wt.]

Kill em' all, release em' all, whatever. Killing a fish now and then to eat is cool. It's the guys who kill everything they catch, show off to everyone that they are the best fisherman in the world, throw it in the freezer and throw it away a year later. Those are the truly pathetic ones out there. Unfortunately, here in the Sacramento area, in an around the American River and I would imagine the Russian and Feather as well, there are hundreds if not thousands of these "poor excuse of an angler" type running around poaching our resources.

[Pez]

Kill em' all, release em' all, whatever. Killing a fish now and then to eat is cool. It's the guys who kill everything they catch, show off to everyone that they are the best fisherman in the world, throw it in the freezer and throw it away a year later. Those are the truly pathetic ones out there. Unfortunately, here in the Sacramento area, in an around the American River and I would imagine the Russian and Feather as well, there are hundreds if not thousands of these "poor excuse of an angler" type running around poaching our resources.

Right on the money!!. I used to keep one a year. Nowdays I don't, however, if you want to keep some here and there, that's healthy. Aren't we suppose to eat fish twice a week?

[Dustin Revel]

Right on the money!!. I used to keep one a year. Nowdays I don't, however, if you want to keep some here and there, that's healthy. Aren't we suppose to eat fish twice a week?

dpeends on the area. the trinity river area was mined pretty extensively and mercury was commonly used. Check the regulations if your concerned by it, if not eat up and like 3 wt said don't keep 'em unless you're gonna eat 'em

[590Mike]

Dustin are you saying the fish in the Trinity aren't edible?

[Dustin Revel]

thats not at all what I'm saying. trinity fish may have a small amount of mercury in them check the regulations. if it is an issue dfg will list the max you should eat per week (somewhere in the beginning of the booklet)

[Bruce Berman]

Last year when the Trinity was clogged with steelies, a well-respected fisheries biologist in a boat pleaded with a few of us waders to keep our limits of hatchery fish. Why? For many of the reasons already listed AND because if too many excess fish make it back to the hatchery for too many years, hatchery funding will be lost. The hatcheries CAN do too good of a job.

Funny how this year that all got blown out of the water.

I also heard that some agencies were advising guides to encourage their clients to keep hatchery fish this year. All the reasons for that have already been discussed in this thread.