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Anglers argue against bait ban By Mark Freeman Rogue River bait-anglers got their day in fish court Friday when they tried to persuade Oregon natural resource managers to back away from efforts to ban bait-fishing on two popular steelhead stretches during parts of summer and fall. About three dozen people testified during a special 2�-hour public hearing held Friday in Portland by the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission on the controversial Rogue bait-ban proposals. About twice as many people testified against the proposed bans as for them. Opponents included Grants Pass tackle shop owner Jim Broman, who told the commissioners that he has collected about 4,000 signatures from anglers who don�t want to see worms and roe excised from the Rogue during popular summer steelhead fishing seasons. Friday�s hearing was granted after Broman petitioned the commission to reconsider its September decisions banning bait-fishing Sept. 1 through Oct. 31 in the lower Rogue Canyon and during the months of August, November and December along the upper Rogue. Commission members asked questions of some of those who testified Friday, said Meghan Collins, an Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman. However, the commissioners did not deliberate or discuss among themselves how to set the angling rule, Collins said. The commission was to only gather comments Friday. It is scheduled to discuss and decide on the issue during its Feb. 16 meeting in Portland. No added testimony is scheduled to be taken at that time. The commission is considering whether to ban all bait-fishing August through December on the upper Rogue, and Sept. 1 to Oct. 31 on the Rogue�s Wild and Scenic stretch as ways to help more wild summer steelhead survive catch-and-release fishing. The proposals call for flies and lures to remain legal. Some studies and other anecdotal evidence suggest that they are less lethal than roe or worms to wild summer steelhead that are caught by anglers and released. The ODFW has offered a series of alternative proposals for public comment as well. They include trimming some of the time and the locations for the bait prohibitions or shelving the idea while the agency seeks some sort of anglers� consensus for new rules. Commission members have so far received about 100 letters, closely split between those favoring and opposing the ban. Written comments will be accepted through Feb. 9. Mail comments to: ODFW, P.O. Box 59, Portland, OR 97207. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.