Hey Mike, great report ! I used to be about the only boat on the water there back when it was not a closed fishery during the spawn and there was no federal campground. I am in the sporting goods business and there are lots of articles coming out in various publications by various writers and agencies bemoaning the fact that "CATCH & RELEASE" has actually done "great harm" to many a fishery across the nation... The latest in Fishing Tackle Retailer even says that the industry is going to soften it's stand on C&R and start to push take limits again... I have personally seen good and bad from various forms of fish management over my many years on the water. I believe that the slot style limits when set properly are the best way to go about it. The problems many fisheries are seeing as a result of C&R ethos is usually an upset to the natural balance of the top of the food chain species and the end results almost always work out to be lots of smaller fish to the point of creating crash-boom cycles. The most unfortunate thing about many government run fishery programs is they manage the resource for $ rather than for the health of the fish... I personally practice both beliefs given each circumstantial fishery I engage. Klahowya! ~ BMGW

Good report!
I am heading that way myself on the 11th for a week. We stay a Fort Spokane and fish the lower river and lake mainly. Seems like the water is a little cooler this year. Hope it warms up a bit by then. Thanks again forthe report


Elk