Sacrifice Zone?

[NWFloridian]

Here's a link to a thread on another forum that some of you might find interesting. The gist of the thread is that an ODFW biologist recently characterized part of the McKenzie River as "a sacrifice zone" where wild fish were given up in order to increase "angler opportunity." No matter what you think of ODFW, there are some interesting and important points being made here.

http://www.westfly.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=545237&page=1

Dave

[Slow and Low]

Wow, being from Springtucky...nevermind.

I started my obsessive compulsion on this river in 1994. I swung my first steelhead on the mac. I fished at Hayden Bridge down below the island nightly. I have fished this stream up the south fork and up to Belknap and always been successful. I have caught many fish longer than my best fish on the deschutes. This is a great stream that has been managed poorly if you believe what you read on Wfly. I fished the Mbrown 2 years ago and caught many, many native redsides well above Bellinger. I hope the part about not being able to hook, catch and release native redsides is not true...I will asume that it is.

Not sure how many peoiple traverse the state in search of hatchery steel on this river...I know I don't and never would as it sucks outloud unless you have driftrod. The Salmon were in trouble back when I lived there and seasons never happened.

Anyhow... this stream will never produce ten pound fish (sorry pick a river like the malheur), the growing season is very short. Fish reach max just above 20" then die naturally. That being said the Mac and MF Willy are or I guess were great fisheries when I fished them. Regardless, there are native trout at risk on the Mac and ODFW should manage it for wild trout, Spring Chinook, and Bull Trout. They should be managed not for economic gain but for the fact that they are rare...very rare. How many streams west of the cascades have a strain of fish like this? None.

If a few locals don't buy liscences I think that can be made up with a headcount reduction at the ODFW and the trout factory. If not I for one am willing to pay an increased fee even though I don't fish there, so that these fish can be protected. As for the guides who make their living on the Mackenzie, they can guide somewhere else or do something else.

Anyhow, that was a good read and it's a worthy cause. Thanks for posting.

Best regards to wfly users.

[FlieFreak]

UN ReAL!!!!!!!

I fish the mckenzie ALOT, and i could care less to catch a pellet head. if i am not catching a nate then i am not catching at all.i could spit in the river and get a stocker to rise to it.

[NWFloridian]

If any of you are interested in participating in a live discussion with Jeff Ziller, head district biologist for the Springfield District, and Erik Moberly, STEP program bio., please come to the Cascade Family Fly Fishers meeting next Wednesday, 1/28 at 7:00 at the Eagles Lodge 1375 Irving Road in Eugene.

I know a lot of you guys don't fish the McKenzie, but this is potentially a watershed moment for the management of our fisheries. If you care about the protection of native salmonids in Oregon, please do everything that you can to show up and ask questions of the bios.

Thanks,

Dave

[elkthumper]

wow.......wow. there's still great trout fishing here. I can walk 200 yards and have a wet line in this river. I dont see there being enough people drawn to this river to see such a gain in economy where they would want to put so many dough eating trout in here. There are some reallly nice natives in here. beautiful fish.

[Slow and Low]

wow.......wow. there's still great trout fishing here. I can walk 200 yards and have a wet line in this river. I dont see there being enough people drawn to this river to see such a gain in economy where they would want to put so many dough eating trout in here. There are some reallly nice natives in here. beautiful fish.


That's how I remeber it as well. Just spoke to one of my local buddies and he said he still slays them as well.

[Chas]

ODFW, simply an acronym for the Oregon Department of Failure and Waste. They cease to amaze me with their consistent mismanagement of the resource.
It's about on par with the concept of entertaining a native steelhead kill fishery on the main Umpqua when the South Fork retains endangered listing status.


Chas

[Whiskey Dick]

Interesting but does not surprise me, Many years ago i had a discussion with the then ODFW biologist for the crooked river and was told that all ODFW worry about was license sales. They put license sales before native fish, Sad really.

[NWFloridian]

Just want to remind everyone that Jeff Ziller and Erik Moberly will be presenting at the Cascade Family Fly Fishers meeting tomorrow at 7:00 at the Eagles Lodge 1375 Irving Road in Eugene. For those of you in the Eugene/Springfield area, it would be really helpful if you could make it to the meeting.

If you want to show ODFW that you care about the resource, please make every effort to show up.

Dave

[clarkman23]

bump...

remember, this is pretty important...just making sure people are thinking about it.


~Randy