Monday, January 14

Looking ahead to the weekend, heading down to Pasco for the Tri-Cities Sportsmen's Show is a pretty good option.

The forecast for the week is for very cold temperatures.

This would make fishing pretty darn tough.

This is the first of three shows that will take place in Eastern Washington.

The Tri-Cities Show is celebrating its 20th year, and I have been going to this one for many years.

There will be a very good representation of guides, outfitters and outdoor organizations.

The seminar schedule is full of excellent presenters.

The 3-D Archery Range is always a big hit, and you're invited to bring your own bow and try it out.

I like to see Cee Dub's Dutch Oven Cooking demonstration while at the show.

Kids can have a blast here, too.

There are many activities just for them, including the Lunker Lake Fishing Pond, Bow and Arrow Balloon Shoot, and the Cabela's Young Sportsmen's Journal, which is a scavenger hunt with a prize.

For more information about the show just go to my Home Page and click on the Pepsi logo.

This will open a calendar with links to this show and others coming up this winter.

Wednesday, January 16

If you haven't heard the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Commission unanimously adopted a policy that established a new framework for salmon fisheries on the lower Columbia River.

Key provisions of the new policy will allocate more of the catch to sport fisheries, gradually shift non-tribal commercial gillnets to off-channel areas stocked with more hatchery salmon, and spur development and use of new selective gear for commercial fisheries on the main stem Columbia River.

The new policy also requires anglers to use barbless hooks when fishing for salmon and steelhead in the Columbia River. The commission directed the department to adopt rules to make permanent a temporary barbless hook rule that took effect Jan. 1.

Miranda Wecker, commission chair, said the new policy is designed to support conservation of wild salmon and expand the economic benefits the state derives from sport and commercial fisheries.

My fishing buddy and WDFW Commissioner Rollie Schmitten told me that in his 40 years of fish management this is the most important action for recreational fisherman.

For decades anglers throughout the Columbia River system have complained about the commercial fishery on the lower Columbia River, particularly the gillnet fishing.

The action taken by the governing bodies in both Washington and Oregon have been applauded by recreational fishing organizations in both states.

Friday, January 18

I was at a meeting recently and Capt. Chris Anderson, an enforcement officer in Region 2.

He told me a great success story about a December 28th operation on Banks Lake.

There has been problems with gill nets being placed in Banks, and he decided to dedicate some time there and see if could catch someone at it.

He set up one evening near the Coulee City Marina and was about to give up when he heard a boat moving across the water.

The occupants of the boat were all wearing night vision goggles and were running without lights.

He watched them stop and place a net.

He could actually hear the fish they were taking thumping in the bottom of the boat.

He had some other officers stationed on the far shore, and they were in place when the boat came back into the marina.

The illegal netters had 50 fish in the boat.

Anderson had them arrested and their boat seized.

"The bad thing about these nets is that they take everything, not just the whitefish they are targeting in the winter on Banks," said Anderson.

"Successful operations like this one have resulted in reduced netting incidents on Banks. We're pleased with that, but are trying to get it stopped altogether."