Part 1 - Spearfishing on the Coquille River with ODFW

[@blessedwithchallenges9917]

I want to go!!!

[@seanfalconer7182]

Man, they ain't never gonna get those damned things outta there

[@Fandangodrive]

If you discovered them there in 2011 that means they were likely present at a minimum 10years prior and who knows how they got there originally. What's happened on the Umpqua because of these is an epic disaster.

[@MikePierce170]

Good job ODFW. Nothing like waiting until populations are in dire straits before using some forward thinking to help turn the tides. Us spearos came to you over 5yrs ago explaining this very concept and were turned away because we were considered "fringe". Now, suddenly, it doesn't seem like such a ludicrous concept with 275 spawning salmon. You people sat on your asses waiting until numbers became critical before introducing change. You should be ashamed of yourselves. We are your friends! Use us to help clean up the messes created by bucket biologists. There's no reason this shouldn't be a state wide regulation.

[@fenrirunshackled4319]

Not even just for bass, there should be a mandatory kill on sight policy for non native species in rivers. In some rivers 35% of returning smolts are eaten by bass, combine that with other barriers such as pollution and dams, and it isn't hard to see why salmon, steelhead, and trout populations are declining. Oregon has had several world class trout fisheries ruined by bass, but ODFW still refuses to act statewide.

[@thems_the_brakes]

@@fenrirunshackled4319 Government is always a day late and a dollar short

[@gt3910]

WOW you went from like 5000 to 250 and then you decided to do something. Since you are so on top of it, just a thought, Small mouth could of been introduced via eggs on a ducks foot, or on a boat?

[@joydoyle2152]

Kind of hard to do that since Smallies sit over their redds guarding them. Sticking to a boat is highly unlikely, same as a duck. Smallies are extremely protective~

[@jesseq70]

I hope to see this on the umpqua and lower cow creek soon.

[@fenrirunshackled4319]

@Hugh Jaynuss The salmon runs are far from fine, they're declining statewide. The lack returning smolts forces stocking, those fish then interbreed with the native populations destroying native strains. In some rivers bass have been shown to eat up to 35% of returning salmon smolts.

[@jesseq70]

@Hugh Jaynuss Also how about the declining numbers of springers in the south upmqua pretty sure those numbers have gone down since the 50s and summer steelhead in the south umpqua is extinct when 10,000 were supposedly counted in the 40s just at SU falls then to extinct in the 80s/90s. So tell me again "there ok they been here since the 50s" when thats about the time everything started getting fucked up. You are ignorant.

[@bwon4440]

it should be legal state wide

[@MrMsmartin86]

Glad to know this happened years too late. Spearos have asked for what seems like an eternity for the ability to spear in freshwater, even if just for invasive. Win win for everyone, so I’d love to know why this has been such a struggle? We all want a better eco system for our fishing industry and habitat for our water. Help us help you, ODFW. Let’s try more waters/species.

[@jeffhernandez3190]

Nice Hawaiian sling. Been a while since I used one of those.

[@johnbolton9957]

Oregon Dept of FRAUD AND WASTE... Needs to put resources into PLANTING FISH!!! NOT on videos and RUINING FISHERIES

[@lukeamuchastegui9702]

First off, YES!!!! Second, how about the Umpqua? There are thousands of smallmouth per mile, particularly in the mainstem. Every time I float that river, I wonder how a single salmon/steelhead smolt can make it through with how many smallies you can see from the surface. I know the smallies have become their own fishery on the Umpqua, but if you want to maintain that river as a premier salmon/steelhead fishery, we have to make some serious changes now.

[@MyODFW]

Hello Luke, in response to your question our fish biologist from the Charleston area shared the following info: The systems aren’t analogous. The Umpqua has adult spring chinook and summer steelhead present that do not occur in the Coquille. The temptation for anglers to spear an adult salmonid vs the protections of harvesting more bass needs to be considered and we just aren’t there yet as to say if it would be worth it. Also, due to the sheer size of the two systems and the bass density differences, it stands to reason that the Coquille has a better chance to see a dent in the population. We are going to be following this closely and use the Coquille as the “canary in the coalmine”. In other words, it may be something we pursue depending on how it goes there.

[@fenrirunshackled4319]

@@MyODFW That doesn't explain why there is a limit on how many smallmouth can be kept on the Umpqua. Even without allowing spearfishing, a regulation lifting the limit on smallmouth bass, and requiring them to be killed on sight would aid in population management. Why on the Columbia should there be a bounty on native Northern Pikeminnow, but a limit on how many non-native bass can be kept/killed?

[@MyODFW]

@@fenrirunshackled4319 There is no limit on smallmouth bass on the Umpqua River - check page 39 on the Sportfishing Regulations. There is no limit on the size or number of bass on the Umpqua River system.

[@lukeamuchastegui9702]

@@MyODFW Thanks for the reply! It's really cool to see the ODFW engaging with community like this. . It seems like another big obstacle is that there's not much of public perception that bass are a problem in the Umpqua, or at least that they are an important fishery on their own. It seems like this program on the Coquille is what it takes for the public to take this problem seriously. In terms of the true population impact goes, I would think that even if spearing removed a few hundred or thousand large bass from the system every year, that would easily make up for any illegal spearing of salmonids that may or may not occur. It would be interesting to see some basic population dynamics math on this situation. Do we have any rough estimates on how many smolts an adult bass eats per year, the likelihood that a smolt making it to the ocean makes it back as an adult, or the number of bass that reach maturity in the system per year? An estimate on the number of salmon/steelhead that would be speared every year would be arbitrary, but I would put it in the low double digits; probably not a notable impact. I obviously don't have any data to drive these assumptions, so I very well could be wrong here. However, it seems like a numbers game, and I would be willing to bet that spearing bass would at least result in a net positive for salmonids. Having grown up in Oregon, it's been sad to see so many thriving fisheries go down the drain. Invasive species often seem to be implicated, and the response often feels perfunctory. It's really encouraging to see the ODFW taking this problem seriously on the Coquille, and hopefully it provides another management tool that costs the state nothing. I don't know that spearing specifically is the answer, but it would provide a really unique and fun experience at the very least, and probably draw some attention to the problem. Thanks again for all you do and for taking the time to engage in public discussion on this issue!

[@fenrirunshackled4319]

@Hugh Jaynuss They're a non native species, and the salmon runs are unhealthy. If you like bass fishing that is fine, but the native fish take priority over introduced fish. The same goes for non-native salmonids such as brown trout. The place for bass fishing in Oregon is in reservoirs where they can be contained. Bass fishermen should have their hobby, but it must be regulated to have a minimal ecological impact. P.s. Where's your river? I'll come down and kill some big bass first chance I get.

[@stephenricci5201]

ODFW.. where exactly are the ever troublesome, ever elusive stripers that are wrecking havoc on the salmon? Haven't they been in the systems since 1890?

[@mikestanton7757]

Any possibility of catching and relocating the smallmouth into bodies of water that already have them such as Green Peter or other reservoirs near by?

[@raavaolinorman6518]

What is the point of catching an invasive species just to put it back somewhere else? Seems like passing the problem. Bass just don't belong in Oregon.

[@Artmesa]

Relocating them onto my frying pan!

[@fenrirunshackled4319]

Why take a harmful invasive species from one place where it doesn't belong to another? ODFW should be doing it's best to eradicate bass statewide. They belong in ponds, not Oregon's rivers and lakes.

[@Artmesa]

This is great! I love spearfishing and can't wait to help out!

[@GarciaTheresa-t1o]

Johnson Richard Martin Dorothy Martinez Eric

[@zachwebb6879]

So when are you going to do it to the south umpqua there not native and there killing the lamp ray off and the salmon and steelhead are suffering to and with the blue green algae killing all small fish we should be able to regulate the fish with spear and gun I've seen the fish with sores in there mouth and floating

[@cmdrefstathiusplacidus9003]

yeah, and how about bringing back bounties. Fishing isn't exactly cheap in Oregon. Haven't even check on a sportsman pack in a while once it got upward to 200 for residents. What happened to the bounties on those other fish, squaw fish or something? Why not do that with these. At least enough to cover gas and stuff.

[@Artmesa]

Nice try but they don't have enough money dude.

[@wtfwhereami]

I live on the north fork, and I go fishing almost every day to catch smallies. I’m going to have to learn to spearfish now lol

[@jamisonacelowe]

Shock the streams and pull the bass out. Spearfishing is a drop in the bucket.

[@fenrirunshackled4319]

This is good, but regulations need to be removed on bass in all rivers, and natural lakes. Bass are a scourge on native trout and salmon populations in every river, and a strict kill on sight policy is the only reasonable policy towards them. Bass do not belong in Oregon's rivers, and any regulations protecting should be removed. There is a place for bass fisheries in Oregon, but it is in reservoirs where the population can be contained. Specifically reservoirs where there is no upstream river habitable by bass.

[@jimheinrich2638]

Rotenone.

[@jesseq70]

Lol