The Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association in partnership with the Barrier Dam Campground and WDFW continued a very successful program this year that tracked recycled steelhead in the Cowlitz River east of Castle Rock, WA.
“This program is very important for sportsmen so we can continue to have chances catching these fish,” said Scott Weedman, NSIA board member and one of the owners of Three Rivers Marine and Alaska King Salmon Adventures. “By taking these fish back down and allowing them to swim back up the river again, we can get three or four chances to catch a fish, instead of just one. It’s a great program.”
To promote the catching of these recycled fish, NSIA offered $25 per radio tag that was brought to the Barrier Dam Campground. Then at the end of each week, anglers who turned in tags were in the running for a $100 drawing. In total NSIA supplied $2,000 for the program.
“It was very successful,” said Don Glaser of the Barrier Dam Campground, who administered the program. “It helped big time. We put up fliers all around the area letting people know about the program and we had a lot of fisherman do it. It was an excellent program and without it, we wouldn’t know what was happening in the river.”
Glaser said the program proved that recycled steelhead swim back up the river and are not straying to the areas frequented by native fish. He also said that recycled fish are biting fish, and that the second time through they will bite.
“I would hope that we could continue to do this program,” Weedman said. “Anytime you can increase the chances of catching a fish, that’s a good thing. Continuing this program will come down to if we can find funding.”
For more information about the steelhead recycling program, and how you can help next year, contact Liz Hamilton at 503-631-8859 or nsializ@aol.com.