Wild Steelhead Handling and Release

[Mike Carey]

Reprinted with permission, this article has some good information on care of wild steelhead and proper release:

http://www.washingtonlakes.com/ReadArticle.aspx?id=615

[Mike Carey]

Can't take credit for writing it but definitely important to get the word out and that's what is most important.

[skagit510]

Good information. I think wdfw should post the mortality rates. Though I doubt it will change many guides and anglers practices as it's really all about their glory shots. Also I agree with you springer on the fishing from a boat and in spawning water. I amazes me that there are some streams closed that are not spawning water and others that are obviously spawning water and they remain open. Then again I don't expect an enigmatic organization like the wdfw to adhere to logic and science.

[skagit510]

Wow I thought there would be a lot more opinions and insight on this thread. Still very helpful info to both new and old steelhead anglers.

I'm not surprised.

[RiverChromeGS]

Good article, and finally some real facts to support claims for once. Certainly if you keep a fish out of water for 60 seconds i can see why they die.... Even when you get a photo with a wild fish, other than its back and half its face it should really never have any reason to leave the water for any time at all... I aint gonna lie I take photos for myself and for clients with wild steelhead, but the time between being netted and released is 20-30 seconds, and if a photo is taken, lifted half way up for 5 seconds. Anything else is just unneccesary and harmful. I have seen some INSANE bad fish handling out there, much more often than Id like.... Hopefully more can read this article and understand. We cannot expect people to go out there and clip fish off at the boat, and thats not what this article is suggesting. Safe handling is important. Good read!

[spoonman]

Wow I thought there would be a lot more opinions and insight on this thread. Still very helpful info to both new and old steelhead anglers.

what is there to add? Do you assume people will disagree with this? Im going to go out on a limb and say people want wild steelhead to live. Or maybe no one wants ask any questions knowing there are certain people just waiting to pounce on anything posted.

[jonb]

I believe the best steelhead handling technique is to not target or catch steelhead at all. With the run at 4% of its historical average, steelhead fishing should be banned. Hooking them in the face and reeling them in doesn't help them survive. Leaving them alone until they rebound, fixing wdfws management to be more sustainable is what will help steelhead. Abstainance, not just in spawning ground , but everywhere is the best policy. Some may not like this, its radical, but it's what needs to happen. The best steelhead handling is to not handle them or tamper with them at all.

[jd39]

Can respect that perspective jonb, I do. Sadly I take the perspective that we need to get out and experience these great fish while we still can. Obviously respect the fish and practice the handling techniques mentioned in the article, don't help make the situation worse.
I have zero trust other stakeholders will abstain, in fact, without the sportie impact, I think they'd just increase thier allowable impact and harvest/kill more wild fish then with sporties C&Ring. In a roundabout way I think sportie C&R seasons are helping these runs survive longer then they would otherwise, at least we're releasing. Ever see one released from a gill net?
I think it'll take a crash before OP rivers are closed to all harvest/impacts and this crash will happen with or without sporties help. In the meantime I'm going to try to get close to these awesome fish while I still can. Sorry for the doom and gloom, just how I see it going down sadly.
I think a much preferable future is for our WDFW to pull thier heads out and start learning from Oregon's broodstock programs, increase opportunity on hatchery fish as well, you know save wild steel through good management and dissipating pressure on them by creating better options/opportunity but I'm too old to believe in miracles.

[jonb]

I see your point jd39, and I understand the get 'em while you can sentiment. But it does all boil down to management and the lack there of weather it be the sporties natives or commercial, the management is so bad that I will not target steelhead. My opinion is that the salmon runs should be doubled down on in certain rivers to give anglers better opportunity, but close steelhead completely to everyone for 10 years or until the run has improved to a realistically managable sustainable level. I think that the runs are already depleted, and to continue to let people steelhead fish is simply procrastination and irresponsible. Yes, lots of people will be heart broken and angry, but it is inevitable, needs to happen. Best way to handle steelhead is leave them alone, and actually protect them. More enforcement for commercial fisherman and natives, again more hatchery salmon introduced to make the loss of steel a little less painful. That's the right coarse in my mind.

[Mike Carey]

Not fishing the wilds at all is certainly one approach. I stopped targeting wild steelhead back in the early 90s. Last fishing trip was on the Sauk when it was open. (beautiful float...). That's a personal decision each of us has to make.

I didn't want this thread to turn into a wild/hatchery debate, really just wanted to get out the article. It hasn't been read as much as I would have expected, perhaps steelheaders already know the information, IDK. We'll be featuring it in our monthly newsletter coming out shortly, so that will be another blast of people that will see it. Every little bit helps.

[jumpinjim]

I was impressed on a recent trip to see quite a few folks releasing fish well, not holding them for photo ops and just really getting them back in the water quickly. At one point my dad and I were running plugs against a wall and another guide passed by and pulled out below us. They politely waited for a turn to do the same, which was my first indicator that these were not like many of the people I have seen on the water around here. Shortly later we ended up hooking one, eddied out and landed it, turned out to be a smaller 8lbs hatchery fish. We kept it and then waited for our turn to row back up and hit it again. The guide was using divers and bait which my dad kept asking about, honestly I told him, there are alot of natives in the water right now and although bait is legal for another 10 days the chances of a safe and quick release drop quite a bit when the fish inhales a hook with bait really deep. Plus using a certain type and color of plug seems to increase the ratio of hatchery fish to native quite a bit. We chatted and waited. Sure enough this Guide gets his client hooked into a real dandy of a fish, probably 15 to 16lbs native. When they brought it near the boat and saw it was a native the client was yelling, can we bonk it, can we!!!! I can understand, but sure enough the Guide whipped out his scissors and just cut the leader right off the diver as close to the hook as possible. No net used, and literally only a moment of holding the tail. It was awesome, we gave them Air High Fives and I decided to split without running it again because of how much disruption the whole event had caused that run. As we were rowing away I could hear the client complaining about not getting a photo and the Guide basically said, you pay me to put fish on your lines for memories and hopefully dinner, photos are over rated and you shouldn't eat them either.

I was rolling with delight, I couldn't have said it better myself. I can still understand the dilmena caused and I can see how it would affect business when most folks from the City want the Glory Shot. At the ramp later in the day this guy came up to me to talk about a large fish I had swung later in the day that they watched. I had to ask, does not letting clients keep or photo natives affect your business? He responded, nope not really a bit. I tell them at the beginning of our trip, if you want a photo of a native fish you better be faster with your camera than I am. I was surprised and asked how is that possible, wouldn't all the guides loose clients to other guides that are different. He laughed and said, we run those guys out of town and in the few times they have come back, we have made real sure they understood how we operate and what will happen if they don't follow our local rules.

I was blown away. My Dad was waiting to split back to our vacation pad so I didn't want to get into a full blown conversation about DFW regs, enforcement etc. Before we left he did mention he came over originally to ask why I had not bonked the larger fish I landed, keep in mind on this run of the river all species were open for retention, even natives. We exchanged numbers and stuff but I was over all impressed with almost every aspect of the encounter.

My dad and I discussed the rogue side of this guys enforcement and while I can see every perspective and the reasoning behind them, one thing is certain. I don't want to be a rogue enforcer but I do enjoy fishing in "protected water"!!!

[jumpinjim]

We'll be featuring it in our monthly newsletter coming out shortly, so that will be another blast of people that will see it. Every little bit helps.

Oh hahaha this was the whole reason I came and got suckered into sharing that little story above. Mike best of luck in getting that information into the hands of as many people as possible!!!!

[jd39]

Sorry didn't intend to derail. On the content of the article, i'm in complete agreement.
jumpinjim - find that story interesting. I'm by no means a steel expert, not even close, but have heard it said and practiced by guides that they wont fish diver/bait with wilds around because of risk of deeply hooking them. Found it interesting that guide was so pationate about wild fish care but still employed that method. I have no idea which drives more mortality, deep hookings or bad handling but i would think both should be avoided.

[jumpinjim]

I have no idea which drives more mortality, deep hookings or bad handling but i would think both should be avoided.

Totally agree!!! I wasn't about to lecture someone in their backyard though, and technically the hatchery run was in full swing, I had just heard natives were around which was why I went a different route.

[spoonman]

Was a very good read, especially the part about mortality related to time out of water. You always hear people say " well he swam away fine ". Imagine fighting for your life with every fiber in your being, then, after you're totally exhausted have someone dunk your head in a bucket of water and hold it there for a minute. Now if only the guys on tv would set a better example.

[4steelhead]

Im glad I read that article. Thanks for sharing.

[RiverChromeGS]

Definetely a good thing to note that this study was on trout in a lake (which has less oxygen for recovery than a river) in 30 and 60 second increments. There is a HUGE difference between 30 seconds out of water and 5 seconds half way out of water for a photo. Also, 57 degree lake water is much warmer with much less oxygen than steelhead in a river. My point being this study is on trout in a warm lake in 30 second increments...... Even those Tv hosts that hold them up for 10 seconds are not doing nearly the damage this study shows. Very different situation... (Not that i agree with that handling)..... Just be careful, but do not think that holding a fish for a few seconds in the water for a photo is going to kill them. Steelhead are a very hardy fish. Just be careful and smart

[RiverChromeGS]

Either way keep em in the water. It's best for the fish and besides holding em outta the water is ILLEGAL.

Agreed

[spoonman]

Good points danny. My comments about tv hosts is mostly aimed at Glenn Hall, I've seen him standing there with a steelhead gasping in his hands while he non chalantly pimps his p line or fetha styx. It pisses me off.

[jumpinjim]

Wow I thought there would be a lot more opinions and insight on this thread. Still very helpful info to both new and old steelhead anglers.

what is there to add? Do you assume people will disagree with this? Im going to go out on a limb and say people want wild steelhead to live. Or maybe no one wants ask any questions knowing there are certain people just waiting to pounce on anything posted.

I don't think that there are people waiting to pounce on others, I think it is more that certain folks are so passionate they want to teach or educate others when their approach is not conducive to the goal. I agree that while most people want Wild Steelhead to live and many would say, I won't take my 1 fish even if I am allowed, the gray area is the in between which comes down to handling and fishing techniques.

On the handling side you have great photos like Danny posted in another thread with the fish in the water, hopefully safely released in a quick fashion. Then you have others folks that are out everyday doing this.


On the angling side you have folks that are purposefully going out to target the fishery while you have others that will purpose to leave them be, I won't lead into that debate because I understand both sides and agree with various parts of both arguments.

I am not saying anything new here, I know. But what I disagree with is the idea that everyone on this website is doing it right. The reports section is enough proof and I also know, because there was a time when I made poor releases from a lack of experience too. Its a learning process. No one wants to get beat up online and they shouldn't be. At the same time when you have a large community such as this with many newer anglers getting started getting this information out and more importantly fostering an understanding with discussion and photos / stories is very helpful.

I think that was what the original posts were about, why not many people were crawling in to discuss and elaborate on such a great topic.