Steelhead Ethics by Pat Micek

Ethics pay a role in angling, as in life. Just the other day several fly anglers debated angling for summer run steelhead. The conversation revolved around the appropriate conditions for hooking a summer run steelhead. Based on the conversation this brief summary is provided for consideration.

In general each angler felt that it was fine to pursue summer run steelhead that were recent entries into a river system. The condition of the fish at this time is excellent. Their body weight has not suffered by enduring a summer full of hazards. Consideration is given to fighting and releasing the fish quickly. Every attempt is made to keep the fish in water.

Among the factors that influenced these anglers were water conditions. Rivers with good flow and cool temperatures allow for the taking of fish prior to spawning. However, there was consensus that repeated angling for steelhead in a single area was debatable. It was felt by some that despite the method of taking fish, the care in handling the fish and good water conditions the fish could be stressed beyond their capacity to survive. Warm and low water conditions mean avoiding a river entirely for all the anglers.

So, what about during the spawning season? The anglers generally felt that any steelhead preparing for or in the process of spawning should be left alone. Under no circumstances should the fish be jeopardized by anglers during this important time. However, prior to spawning the fish were considered fair game by most anglers, especially during early spring.

One of the questions that surfaced raised the issue of angling in streams where winter and summer runs exist. The difficulty is targeting fresh winter steelhead over summer fish. For those anglers that wished to avoid summer run fish prior to spawning this presented a deleimma. Everyone agreed that winter steelhead just entering a river were appropriate to hook. However, the problem is maintaining the health of summer fish hooked while pursuing winter fish. One angler reasoned that angling pressure on the stream and the summer water conditions should be considered. Another angler suggested that summer fish tended to be found in different areas of the stream particularly as the winter fish entered. Several anglers suggested
that it was always prudent to fight and release the fish as quickly as possible.

A few anglers thought that based on historical data it was possible to close rivers during parts of a year to provide summer run fish a rest from anglers. There was some discussion about considering the quality of the fishery and the angling pressure in making a decision to close a stream. Every angler had experiences to relate regarding anglers abusing summer runs during low water conditions. Closing a stream to angling would provide safe guards for steelhead. "After all, we all want to hook a summer run.", one angler pointed out.

The discussion ended with more questions than answers, as many do. The value in this time was exploring the questions surrounding one of the great joys in freshwater angling, hooking a summer run steelhead.