While I don't want the conversation to turn ugly, I just get frustrated when so many feel like this: "that the lack of pressure from the derby gives the salmon a deserved break".
There is no question that putting 1000 boats on the water for a single weekend targeting salmon from daybreak to sunset puts a LOT of pressure on the fish. Anyone fishing in the weeks following the derby will support that assertion.
However, I talking to some of the organizers (and if you don't believe me - speak to them yourself) about how many fish are brought to the weigh station...his answer was "hundreds" as in 300-ish he said was a good estimate.
Now if you follow Winni trolling boards as I do, you see that the overwhelming majoring of anglers are taking home their limits of these beautiful 4-6 year old monster salmon this year. If we do some simple deductive math we get this:
-100 anglers on the lake each weekend day bringing home a limit (legally and ethically). That's 400 salmon a weekend (probably less because weather keeps some off...lets just cut it in half...200 salmon a weekend.
-6 weeks leading up to the derby would be 1200 salmon lifted out of the lake and filleted....just before the derby. Lets not count how many more are killed from June-Oct.
If we accept these number as reasonable...how can we suggest the derby is a major factor in the salmon numbers?
Hook wounded fish need to go home. They are a drain on the resource and need to be harvested but I'm seeing beautiful healthy fish being hoisted with no hook wounding. With the numbers down as they are this year. We should be encouraging folks to put healthy fish back while understanding they have a legal right to take 2 home rather than bashing the derby.
My told you so moment will be when we don't have a derby this year and in late May we are still reporting the fishery declining. It won't recover until the new age class fish take hold.
All this is one mans opinion but I'm hoping all can see the math and logic and I welcome any adjustments to my numbers based on anything observed or learned from reliable sources. I really wonder what Rick Davis would say about all this - RIP.
Tight lines all and be safe out there!
|