Chehalis EMERGENCY!: Steelheader.net- Steelhead, Salmon and trout fishing

I will march in here as I have now read this entire thread and must say this is nuts.

The most blatant show of ignorance is the statement by Brian that after three years maybe we need a new committee. Let me explain why. In working with WDFW on this issue it is literally all about numbers, right??. When you first start off not only are the numbers brain numbing they are 2 years old and then extrapolated in an attempt to make them work for today. For the most part the first year is one of wide eyed, brain popping, head shaking learning curves.

The second year is the one where you believe you have at least a quasi grasp on the numbers and once you do and can sound relatively intelligent in addressing them, WDFW starts pulling numbers out of hats that don't exist or at least you have never seen that hat. The feeling of being absolutely railroaded is common. Now the fun begins.

The third year normally finds you confident in the numbers, ready for that oncoming train to only find out that it really isn't about numbers or being derailed. You find out that there are higher beings, beyond your scope that are really controlling this fishery. Now the work really begins.

Year 4-10. You can talk the language, you can do the numbers in your sleep, there are no more trains, you have built strong working relations with some trusted WDFW folks and then...the people you have worked so hard with take a job in...Olympia...or Wenatchee or who knows. Now you are back to square one with someone who sees the numbers differently, who interprets the results differently, who has built new and different trains etc...

Reality is this: We all have a passion in this case for the Chehalis, motivated by different sources in our lives. We go to bed at times thinking about it, we wake up thinking about, we drive our spouses/friends nuts talking about it. The WDFW on the other hand has a job, he or she has been assigned the Chehalis. Its a job not a passion big difference!

Now onto the other big issue that I see prevalent in this thead and its easily enough addressed but I know after years and years of being in this fight let me just say this and primarily to Superfly and Fishguide Brian but to all of us to some extent.

CHECK YOU EGOS AND ATTITUDE AT THE DOOR THEY ARE IN THE WAY AND DETRIMENTAL IN ACCOMPLISHING THE ULTIMATE GOAL THAT WE ALL HAVE.

Enough said about that.

I may be wrong with this next statement but I don't think so. Many of us have joined the CCA and for good reason. However, I do not believe that the Chehalis or any other river not connected to the Columbia will get much attention for quite sometime. If the CCA can help win the battle on the Columbia others will fall in line and they are fully aware of that. They need our money and our support but don't get disheartened if they don't seem interested in our local passions.

So, in closing. Do we need a new committee?? No. Do we need new members on the committee? No. What we do need is a tact that gives us the upperhand in all that is the Grays Harbor Management issues. We all need to think outside the box...way outside the box. I believe we all need to be willing to not only have it cost us our time but our pocketbook as well. Most importantly, I believe that no single person should feel superior to any other person in this process. Every person, every contact, every network is vitally important in the long haul. Passions are extremely emotional and some of us are more vocal in our emotions, some of us tend to put people down when talking about our passions, some of us point fingers of blame when talking about our passions and some of us get quiet when dealing with our passions. We are all different not all wrong. I implore you to all think outside the box, come up with what you believe to be a potential solution, lets work together and quit this craziness.

You could say that I have known the Chehalis since before I was born. My family settled here in the early 1800's. Most of the piling that you see in her and along her banks were driven by my great uncles Tony and Pat. The first known sport caught sturgeon in the Chehalis was by my uncle Pat...it made the news. My first salmon, steelhead, dolly, sea run, whitefish, squawfish, sturgeon, duck, goose, deer, elk, bear all came from her or along her shores. This is my passion pure and simple, lets git 'er done!

This has been, I am sure my longest post ever and I am impressed if you read it in its entirety. If you have some thoughts that you want to share privately...feel free to email me or call me at: 360.520.1175

There is so much more to this subject, this is just a scratch but you know what they say...if you have an itch...

Sincerely..............Doc

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If we always do what we've always done, we'll always get what we've always gotten.