Letters To Action Jackson

Every now and again I like to pass on the feedback I get regarding my weekly article. This gives me a chance to clear up anything I write and add good information to previous articles. As always, feel free to call me or drop me an e-mail.

Basic Advice For River Running – You Left Something Out!
A reader in Mapleton recently pointed out something I should have added to my recent article on River Running (2/20/08). It’s not so much about safety as it is about etiquette: when you’re in a boat passing through water that someone is fishing, pass AS CLOSE to their boat as possible. If there’s room, try to even sneak behind their boat. The reason is this: floating right through the slot the other boat is fishing might spook the fish they’re after. Beginning driftboaters may not know why you’re passing so close, but experienced anglers will say “thanks”.

More On Smith River Stripers
I received a ton of feedback and questions regarding striper fishing in the Smith since those stories ran. If you went down recently and didn’t have any luck, don’t be discouraged. I went down and night-fished a couple of weeks ago without any luck. We bank-fished a couple of different spots between Hwy 101 and the North Fork, trying herring, plastic swimbaits and plugs. Take my word for it – good fishing for stripers will happen during the next few months in Smith tidewater. There’s not a lot of bank access, so if you have a boat, put in at one of the improved boat ramps, follow the tide, and troll plugs and cast swimbaits. I’ll probably wait a few weeks for bigger juvenile salmon out-migration and some nicer night-time weather.

Clarification On Regulation Changes Submitted To ODFW
I got a phone call last week from a concerned reader regarding the article I wrote on regulation changes for 2009 (2/6/08). A point I’d like to clarify: I wasn’t advocating dropping the salmon/steelhead tag to 10 fish per season, just limiting anglers to 10 wild fall chinook from the Siuslaw and tributaries. Use those other 10 spots on anything else you want: fin-clipped steelhead, sturgeon, halibut, ocean coho, etc.

I can understand that some folks don’t think recreational fishermen should give up anything. And in a perfect world those folks would be right. There are many factors that affect how many fish our rivers get back; including freshwater and ocean productivity, estuary conditions, commercial and recreational harvest, predation and more. But I can’t control any of those. A lot of folks feel strongly that commercial over-harvest is one of the biggest factors, and that commercial interests need to curb their take, leaving more fish to recreational fisherman and to re-seed the population. I’m not going to get into that argument here. But I will say this: all groups need to work together, share, and leave enough to ensure the population can sustain itself. Otherwise, we may soon be fighting over fish that aren’t here at all.

See you on the water,
Action Jackson

(Please send comments or questions to Action Jackson at 268-6944 or www.actionjacksonfishing.com)