B
bigfootfish
Retention is irrelevant to me, cuz I'm not a big fan of salmon/steelhead/trout eating. I usually toss them right back in.
Wow! How come? Isn't the steelhead the best tasting fish out there? Or, you just don't like the seafood at all???
Im really puzzled as to why ODFW is allowing retention on native coho above the falls.. A wild run is returning in good numbers finally.
From what I have read on the subject, ODFW is convinced that the willamette never supported a native run. They began stocking it in the 50's (i think) and continued up until the early 90's(again not sure on the years). But, the bottom line is that they think that all the coho that run up the willy are descendants on hatchery fish from years ago, therefore a non-native species for that section of river.
On Oct. 3rd, off of the dock at Robert's Landing boatramp at Newberg, supposedly several thousand Coho were milling about there. Teens were catching them off the dock, I hear. I talked with a friend(who is a heck-of-an-angler) who told me this. The Coho were chasing lures(Blue Fox #5chartreuse, but not biting very often). They are probably in the lower Yamhill, waiting for rain. They are also piled up at the mouth of the Molalla River, where it flows into the Willamette close to Canby. The fish can't make it up the Molalla yet as the water in the river/creek is too shallow. As is the same case most everywhere.
Im really puzzled as to why ODFW is allowing retention on native coho above the falls.. A wild run is returning in good numbers finally.
I think because they dont think anadramous fish could of naturally made it up the falls... they arent "native" to them.