Harvesting native fish

[OnTheFly]

A discussion in a recent thread about keeping native fish has sparked my curiosity about other opinions regarding the subject. In some circumstances would it be OK to keep native fish? For instance, if a regulation on a particular body of water allowed you to keep one native out of a two fish limit would you go for that? Or do you think the release of all native should be done? ..What are your thoughts?

 

[Throbbit _Shane]

Im gonna start fishing the rogue and they'll allow me to keep 1 a day over 24inches. I think ill keep it if i get lucky enough

 

[halibuthitman]

I would never keep a fish with the genetics to turn into a 3 salt 35 pounder, I even release hatchery fish unless I want to smoke a fish. But there are rivers with very strong native runs so if the powers that be say its ok.... I wouldn't harrass a fella for doing it.:cool heck, I wish there was a way to catch and release elk hunt...

 

[autofisher]

It depends for me. I'm all for boosting the native numbers, but I'm also for making sure that there's fish on the grill too. Just depends on the certain situation, and river I guess.

 

[bigsteel]

im strictly catch and release,,,i do it for the sport....natives are too gorgeous to throw in a smoker

 

[TTFishon]

I'm assuming you're talking about steelhead. I'm not sure. I'm on the same page as Autofisher.

 

[OnTheFly]

I'm assuming you're talking about steelhead. I'm not sure. I'm on the same page as Autofisher.

Salmon And steelhead.

 

[TTFishon]

Salmon And steelhead.

That's what I figured. It also depends on if I am fishing with a C&R person if that person takes me to their spot because I hate it when I take someone to one of my spots where I practice C&R and then they catch and keep. I don't know why but that really bugs me.

 

[Fishtopher]

In some circumstances would it be OK to keep native fish?

Yes.

 

[Mike123]

Never keep native steelhead.

What poodle paws me off, is why they had the fall chinook run open this year, but had the coho season closed? There were WAYYYY more native coho than native chinook. I just don't get this thinking.

So I'd keep a native salmon. But I think ODFW needs to do some thinking this next season.

 

[adambomb]

A perfect example is the Molalla river. ODFW allows retention of wild steelhead from July 1 - August 31. The reason they do this is to provide a fishery for native steelhead that are a bi-product of previous hatchery stock. ODFW has not stocked steelhead in the Molalla since 1998. They chose the opening date as to avoid harassment of outbound winter steelhead, and the closing date to protect spawning spring Chinook. In this circumstance I would bonk a native. OMHO, most of the "native" fish in the more popular rivers are also a bi-product of hatchery fish.

 

[Irishrover]

As a general rule I release non hatchery fish. With chinook down at Warrenton I used to keep a non fin clipped fish. I haven't fish there for two years so I am not sure what the regs are for that location now. I'm not a big believer that all non clipped fish are natives. They have been putting hatchery fish in the Columbia system since 1877 so whats really a native? However I'm more than happy to kick loose a fish that has a non clipped adipose fin.

 

[ClearCreek]

harvesting "native" fish

harvesting "native" fish

Are we talking about native fish or wild fish? What about native steelhead hatched in a hatchery and stocked into a river?

 

[Thuggin4Life]

If the river is sustainable and the law allows then yes. I like fishing and I like fish so its always nice to take one home. Something better about eating your catch than buying from the store. As for the coho they did open up some a bit but there were way more coho where i was fishing for nooks last fall. Wouldn't suprise me if they open up some rivers again this year. Many "native" fish aren't real native's but if they are spawning in the wild and there aren't many of or the run is depleting and odfw is trying to keep the run alive then we should help keep it alive. Now when there is an abundance of wild fish being able to keep a few a year should be ok esspecially when they can't get it together with the hatchery fish.

 

[autofisher]

There are some river systems (Salmon) where it is ok to keep one native nook. Problem this year on that river was the fact that the entire coho run was native. With all the native coho's in the water, catching a nook was few and far between for most people. I can understand people's frustrations on that. It's hard to pick a needle out of a haystack with your hands let alone with a rod and reel.

 

[Thuggin4Life]

1 nook to the boat and a few dozen coho. Should have gone where they opened up the coho runs but then I wouldn't have spent so much time at the lakes. C&R coho fishing is a blast hoping each one to be that mythical nook

 

[juggaloxxl]

all this talk about genetics makes me LOL a hatchery fish is the result of 2 NATIVES right?

 

[Thuggin4Life]

Yup sure was years ago no a days its just 2 hatchery fish with ancestry to native fish. Not all the hatchey fish were breed from the wild fish in the river that they are destined to. Been some genitical engineering as well.

 

[Troutski]

Native fish...

Native fish...

It is my opinion that there are no native fish left, with the unchecked stocking programs in our history here in the Northwest; the best we can ever hope for is a wild fish (hatchery parents ((one or both)) most of my Steelhead waters are reclaimed waters; water sheds that were brought back after decades of wilderness abuse.
I must admit I do have a very nice Chinook Salmon hanging on my wall above my fireplace I caught on the Umpqua a few years back. Totally legal catch and keep fish, I doubt it is a native but it does have all its fins; a wild fish indeed. My favorite creek has a wild run of Steelhead in it and those fish are just a pretty and feisty.
75 years ago this thread would have been worth while but at the stage we are in it is a mote point, but 75 years ago we didn't have the internet...maybe we could slingshot around the sun and go back in time and bring back a pair of adult Wild Chinook/Steelhead/Coho to San Fransisco and well ......you get my point.

Chuck

 

[ZeeBorn]

heck, I wish there was a way to catch and release elk hunt...

There is, it's called a paint ball gun!:lol: