Category Archives: Washington

New Sea Run Cutthroat Research

Anyone who’s followed Angler’s Tonic over the years knows that I appreciate sea run cutthroat trout and consider them to be an extremely overlooked fish. Just last year I caught some of the largest sea runs of my life, fish … Continue reading

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Olympic Peninsula to Close For Steelhead March 1

This should not arrive as any surprise. Washington State blew up its ability to manage wild steelhead when the 1974 Boldt Decision went into place. Wild steelhead populations declined immediately. Hatchery steelhead production shot through the roof. Tribes destroyed what … Continue reading

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New Washington State Coastal Steelhead Rules Restrict Anglers To The Banks

If you want to see a great example of poor fish and wildlife management, you don’t have to look further than Washington State’s Department of Fish and Wildlife. The mess started back in 1974 with the historic Boldt Decision, which … Continue reading

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Fishing Closed in Washington . . . AT Feels Your Pain

This is exactly what we at Angler’s Tonic have feared, and we hope that the idea doesn’t spread to some of our favorite waters in other states, as getting out of the house to throw a line on nearly deserted … Continue reading

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Washington State Steelhead License Plates

In much of Washington, wild steelhead are listed for protection under the federal Endangered Species Act. The above quote came from an article announcing the availability of Washington State’s new steelhead themed license plates, which are available for $28 bucks … Continue reading

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The Pacific Northwest’s Most Overlooked Fish

Sea-run cutthroat are mostly overlooked by anglers headed to the coast with the goal of catching steelhead or salmon. And those who ignore them are missing out; sea-runs are beautiful, hard fighting, and they can grow to five pounds. You … Continue reading

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Mandated: Release Wild Steelhead on the Hoh, Bogachiel and Sol Duc

If you follow this blog and my writings in other places, you know that more than anything I love wild steelhead. Love the country they live in, love their life history stories, love the way these fish fight, and I … Continue reading

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Northern Pike Make Their Way to Lake Roosevelt

What some people see as a nuisance, others see as opportunity. Now, I’m not saying that northern pike belong in Lake Roosevelt, let alone the entire Columbia River system, but if they are there they can be caught. Here’s an … Continue reading

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Five Minutes of Bliss

This came across my bow this morning and it pretty accurately sums up a day on a coastal steelhead stream, which is about the best way of spending a day that I can imagine. And I’ll have to imagine this … Continue reading

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Welcome to 2015—Another Search for Skagit Steelhead

Ok, technically, I fished western Washington’s Skagit River system on December 29, not on the first day of 2015, but it felt more like an introduction to the new year than a wrap up of the past. That’s because there … Continue reading

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