Wild Olympics for Our Future

A Wild Olympics Video highlighting the local effort to safeguard new Wilderness and Wild & Scenic Rivers on Washington's Olympic Peninsula. The video showcases the special places, stunning scenery, ancient forests and free-flowing rivers that would be protected under Senator Patty Murray and Representative Norm Dicks' landmark "Wild Olympics Wilderness and Wild & Scenic Rivers Act." It highlights local voices and the diverse economic, conservation and recreation benefits the proposal would bring to the Olympic Peninsula and Puget Sound region.

LINK

Twilight for Forks Steelhead

Any angler who has recently spent time in the Forks vicinity has seen first hand the dramatic increase in angling pressure on the Peninsula's hallowed steelhead waters. Closures to all the major Puget Sound watersheds due to diminishing wild steelhead returns, combined with media and social network (including this site) pimping of 20 pound chrome, is driving OP angling pressure to heights never seen before. Something is going to have to be done to relieve the hammering these fish are seeing day in and day out. No fishing from the boat would be a good place to start along with eliminating forever the ability to retain wild steelhead.

As Northwest Sportsmen points out in this piece, the trend is not good for anybody, including the fish. The piece also features the perspective of longtime Olympic Peninsula steelheader Dick Wentworth and a reference to a lively discussion surrounding the topic on the Steelhead Nation radio show which I've embedded below, definitely worth a listen.

Feb SOTM Winner: O.P. Steel

This fish sure rattled the monkey cage.  Well done Aaron - congrats on a Feb. winner.

Protecting Olympic Penninsula Rivers and Wildlands

Some good news from the homefront regarding the Olympic Penninsula.

U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., are out with a draft plan that would designate 130,000 acres of additional wilderness in federal forest lands on the Olympic Peninsula.

The proposal would also put 23 rivers – including such well-known streams as the Elwha, Sol Duc, Hoh and Bogachiel rivers – into the federal Wild and Scenic Rivers System.

LINK (Via: The Seattle PI)

March SOTM Winner - Oly Penn Steel

Eric Zanmiller, as right he should, takes the bacon. All hail the Bozeman swingers!  

March Slab of the Month Entry: OP Prime Genetics

"This fish was caught by Nic and I's good friend Eric Zanmiller on the OP last week.  Eric was laying his rod on the bank when I handed Nic the net and the fish after I had netted it.  I snapped a few pictures with my camera as Nic grabbed the tail to pull the fish out of the net and prepare it for release. This was his first reaction as he pulled the fish from the net.  I think it was the best tail he has ever grabbed!  The fish taped at over 40 inches and we believed weighed between 22-24 pounds.  It maybe could have weighed more?  We did not take a circumference measurement.  What a beast!"

Gentlemen-

As you may know, this is our backyard.  We know no other fishery better than this.  And, this is quite possibly the most impressive specimin we've ever seen.  You've no doubt made the 406 proud.