New Idea... Master Angler Licence???

[AnglersRental]

Rather than a native fish lottery, as some have very valid objection(s) to that, or perhaps even in conjunction with a native fish lottery. (but probably not, I still can't see killing native fish to raise hatchery ones)

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Master Angler Licence . (similar to master hunter licence)

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Requirements:

1) Additional fees - ($50 -$100 per year) to support habitat restoration / hatchery broodstock.

2) Sucessfully complete a class on safe catch and release methods and techniques, and a class on safe fish handeling methods (maybe in conjunction w/ #3 below). Maybe a class on regulation complience? Stewardship?

3) 10-20 hours volunteer work per year helping out at a hatchery or doing stream restoration work on ODFW supervised projects.

4)Mandatory participation in research programs, provide logbook for scale samples, catch records, etc...

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In return: Increased Angler Oppertunity .

The Master Angler Licence would allow you to fish extended seasons or areas currently closed where there are high or exclusive populations of native fish.

For example:

Clackamas River above North Fork Dam. All hatchery fish are recycled downstream at the North Fork fish trap. Native Fish are allowed to pass. Area is currently closed. Open this area to catch and release steelhead fishing with Master Angler Licence.

Sandy River above Marmot Dam. Same as above.

Salmonberry river (Nehalem tributary) high to exclusive population of native steelhead, Close to fishing w/o master angler licence.

I am sure there are many more.

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If you want to sell a lot of these and raise a buncha money do the following: :

Perhaps open all waters to year round fishing with Master Angler Licence.

Allow year round retention of any hatchery (clipped) fish caught. Especially in "native fish zones".

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I can't see that there would be any losers in such a program. Provide boat / vehicle stickers for those with an ego. (like guide stickers)

UG

[ 11-09-2002, 06:48 AM: Message edited by: Uglygreen ]

[husker]

no keeping of nates.......period......just keep the hatchies open for all to enjoy the fishing in put and take rivers...

the extra pole idea isnt bad.....but whatever the added resource we purpose all monies must fund the fisheries only

[MasterCaster]

Sounds great to me UG.

That would make it so the hatchery strays could legaly be taken out of the native fish populations and stop them from spawning with the native fish and at the same time make it catch and release only on the native fish. If all they say is true about the hatchery and native fish spawning and the fry not being healthy, then even if there is a few fish that dont make it after being released in the long run by taking out those strays it would be helping more than hurting. One thing I think should be added though. No matter what shape the hatchery fish is in, If caught in a NATIVE ONLY area it has to be retained to get it out of the system.

I would jump on this kind of a program in a heartbeat! $100 is well worth that kind of oprotunity to me. Many places/species would benifit from this type of program.

my .02

Jon :smile: :grin: :smile:

[The Fishing Geek]

Existing angling rules are hardly being enforced as it is. Making sure that every steelheader above mile marker whatever on the Clack has Master Baiter...I mean, Angler status would be next to impossible.

Nice idea, but too much policing needed.

That reminds me...I sure do miss trout fishing on the upper Clack. :depressed:

[MasterCaster]

I agree it would be hard to inforce but what if all members of the MASTER ANGLERS had to wear a highly visable hat or jacket or some kind of unique item so they could be easily identified?

Jon :smile: :grin: :smile:

[AnglersRental]

One of the other reasons for the vehicle stickers, plus the "Stewardship" class, teach those people who are on the river to police there own. Plus, I think programs like this dont have much of that sort of problem. All the lunkheads usually go to the usual lunkhead spots (like below hatcheries).

And yes, sometimes I am a lunkhead lookin to catch a hatchery dinner on a gob of bait as well.

UG

[ 11-08-2002, 11:39 AM: Message edited by: Uglygreen ]

[Nanook]

[ 11-08-2002, 02:12 PM: Message edited by: ****** ]

[AnglersRental]

******... do tell?

UG

[KingFisher85]

The Release of All Wild Fish!
The hatchery's should clip ALL of there fish. At least 98 percent of all hatchery fish should be clipped.

Uglygreen has a good idea but I still think that no one should be able to keep any wild salmon or steelhead.
Just my thought.

[lucky man]

I have no problem with paying extra money to help keep hatchery programs running. This is some of the best fishing in the world and everyone should be working to help enhance these programs by volunteering to help as much as possible. We all should already be practicing safe release of wild fish. A bonus system as stated would be a kick and people who would spend the time to acquire such a license probably would not have to be policed rather they would end up making the calls as police, to help a program such as this work so the 10% would ruin it for the others. Cell phones on the river are great as long as your not in a hole.

[garyk]

I applaud your creative thinking there UG, that's an interesting proposal. There would have to be some closures to minimize harassment of spawners and gear restrictions to accidental mortality.

In all it's an idea worth exploring.

BTW, on the issue of 'enforcement', you could use the hard-to-enforce argument to rationalize tossing out the whole regulation book.

Please keep in mind that when year-around fishing was proposed for the Deschutes and Metolius, OSP was the biggest naysayer - saying that enforcment would be a problem.

Let's not get derailed by that argument.

[riverrat]

the motive behind 2 poles is more money for hatcheries...master angler license is more money plus education......both are great ideas.....however here is the most unpopular idea but the best for the fisheries.....stop all fishing for an undetermined period....no sport fishing, no commercial fishing and no native american fishing (netting).....without a complete shutdown of sport fishing, commercial fishing will never end, nor will the natives stop their netting practices....without all the money provided by sport fishermen and countless hours of voulenteer work by many our fisheries would be almost depleted....on the same note all the money and hard work provided through sportfishing to keep these fisheries viable the netters are not only the big benefiters through profit, but also the most destructive to native populations.....just my rant......

[Perfect Drift]

I heard a blurp on the news several weeks back as to why politicans hit the hot buttons first. It is about raising taxes. They target what they believe will be a hot issue and say they are going to cut budgets, so as to get sympathy and approval to raise taxes. This, to me, seems underhanded but it must be working. Is there anyone with more information on this method to gain support for higher taxes ?

[Jennie@ifish]

I think this is an interesting concept.
One of the problems I see, is that it costs more money to put on these classes, wouldn't it? Or would it be out of an existing positions at ODFW... They would just squeeze and extra task in?
How many of you would participate?
Would I? I dunno....

Jen

[OldRedSled]

Any increase in anything related in my opinion would be worthless without the Leg's commitment to specifically allocate that extra revenue toward hatcheris or ODFW.
There is a perminant reisitance toward that earmarking funds because a general fund is harder to police for waste.
So extra revenue would only serve to buff the general fund where sports fishing is DEAD LAST on the totem pole.... without significant changes in accounting of revenue in this state your just increasing the amount of Gov waste...

but i like the principle of the idea..application, specifically where the moeny goes, is where the rubber meets the road.. and were just not there yet

ORS