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70 °F 5 Day Forecast Saturday, October 25, 2003 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | eSouthernOregon | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend October 16, 2003 Advocates seek to rescind steelhead bait bans By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune Steelhead bait-fishing advocates believe they laid a good foundation Friday in their efforts to win a repeal next year to the fall bait bans on the Rogue River. Five members of a group seeking the bait-ban repeal made a 25-minute presentation to the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission during its meeting in Roseburg. The group plans to ask the commission next year to rescind the bait bans in effect since 2001, saying there is no biological justification for the rule aimed at reducing catch-and-release mortality on wild summer steelhead. Opponents say they are betting heavily that high turnover on the commission will help tip the scales their way. Advertisement "We spent some time with them to get to know them, particularly the new commissioners," said Roger King, a Shady Cove man who is part of the group. "They do the voting and we need them in our court." The group is also circulating a petition and already they have amassed more than 2,000 signatures, says King, who hopes to have more than 10,000 signatures by next spring’s regulations hearing. "It’s to make a point that there’s a lot of people who want this changed," King says. The commission adopted some of the bans despite statements from Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists that the changes would provide only token benefits to wild steelhead populations in the Rogue. In the Lower Rogue Canyon between Whiskey Creek and the area near Foster Bar, all bait is banned throughout most of the 34-mile stretch during September and October to help protect "halfpounders," immature steelhead 12 to 16 inches long. The ban also hurts fall chinook salmon catches in the canyon, where fall bait-fishing is a popular attraction. In the upper Rogue, all bait is banned during November and December between Gold Ray Dam and the Rogue Elk County Park boat ramp just upstream of the mouth of Elk Creek near Trail. Flies and lures are allowed, but not the small clusters of salmon roe favored by the river’s steelhead. Fishing with roe in the upper Rogue during November traditionally generates excellent catches of wild and hatchery-reared fish. The change was championed on the commission by Don Denman, a Medford attorney who has sat on the commission the past six years. Opponents say it unfairly and unnecessarily skews angling opportunities toward fly-fishermen at the expense of bait-anglers and the fall tourism they bring. The ban has created a divisive schism between traditional bait-fishermen and fly-fishermen blamed for the ban. Opponents of the bans sought a repeal in 2002, but commissioners said at the time that they wanted to see it in place a few years before it gets revisited. Next spring, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife plans to launch a statewide revision of its angling rules to go into effect in 2005. And when it does, the issue will be new to a majority of the seven-member commission. Two commissioners, Marla Rae of Salem and Zane Smith of Springfield, were not on the commission when the issue was debated in 2001. The terms of commissioners Jeff Feldner of Logsden and Paul McCracken of Portland expire in November, and new appointments by Gov. Ted Kulongoski are likely by spring. Only Denman and commission Chairman John Esler of Portland will be hold-overs from the initial debate. "All the regulations are up for grabs next year, and we’ll certainly keep an open mind to everything," Denman says. "You have lots of different commissioners making this decision than last time." Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times