Edited to...any small river.: Steelheader.net- Steelhead, Salmon and trout fishing

Note: This is another one of my long posts

but I think something definitive needs to be done about this recurring theme. .....

This subject is one that gets re-cycled a lot on all the internet fishing discussion boards. I don't recall seeing the post that was made, but it seems obvious that he asked for a report about a smaller or less crowded river that get a few salmon and steelhead in it. I agree that he didn't do anything wrong. I think it's more a matter of how new people are alerted to the fishing cyberworld's "unwritten rule" that it's best not to mention those types of rivers where thousands of fishermen access info. Those "rules" don't have a clear cut line though. One man's 'zipper' stream may be to other's just one of the smaller rivers that most fishermen know about already. My .02 opinion is that 'when in doubt' about the amount of fishermen awareness of a less crowded place on a known river, or a smaller less known river, that it's best not to bring it into discussion on any of the internet fishing forums - especially what's commonly referred to as 'the big three' boards. All get a lot of attention from fisherman, and we don't want to bring 'X' % of them to such places where solitude is more important than the larger fish runs that are common in the well known rivers. But I think that some people have been jumped on a little too harshly for mentioning a subject they didn't know many fishers hold sacred. Let them know tactfully; preferably by email. Making another big issue about it here in public could just draw more attention to it.

For you new members or novice fishers, I suggest learning to fish on the rivers with bigger fish runs. The small rivers have less fish and a lot more landowner disdain of fishermen on them. Some guys will tolerate those negatives just to get away from other fishermen.

We can't edit posts past a half hour of posting them (at this point anyway), so if anyone wants to reconsider an edit then email Marty and the mods to do it for you. Perhaps a written rule, or at least a significant suggestion, should be put into the site rules page for new members that it's better not to mention more delicate small rivers or lesser known places? Then if one comes along, the first of the regulars that see it can click on an icon that alerts all moderators about it - then the first mod that sees it can take care of business. Just my opinion; likely shared by a lot of serious fishers.

As for most of the popular rivers, my opinion is they are fair game on here when someone asks about whether it's worth a day to fish it or not, including whether decent numbers of fish are present and what condition a river is in. And also fine to post about a successful day on those. They get way more smolt plants in them, with more fish for crowds to catch. And when a post goes out about good fishing occuring on them, such as the Cowlitz summer steelhead threads last year, then the extra people that thus go there won't go where I like to fish. Something to think about.

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Steve Hanson
www.reeltruthfishing.com
(see 'RT's Insider Page there - occasionally)

NOTE: We've sold out of our inventory of books. Watch for the 2nd edition, sometime this year. Thanks! ... btw, there are still a few of the books left at the Guide Shop (Tillamook) and Bob's Outdoor (Longview).