Well, Randy, you are making some Spokane River fans a little miserable as well. Not sure what 'islands' you speak of, but the majority of the Spokane River is Catch and Release only for all native fish. The two lovely trout you have in your photos are natives due to their un-clipped adipose fin. While you may have released those, that is not the way you hold a trout that is destined to return to the water. Please learn how to properly handle the few Redbands we have left and get them back in the water promptly. That Poison Oak is Ma Nature getting back at you...

Beautiful fish. I don't understand where you are fishing, I don't want to know the exact area. My concern is you have just killed a wild fish of the spokane river that could have continued to increase the build up of the population of the redband trout. Most areas of the spokane mentions to release all wild fish, identified by a clipped adipose fin or a healed scar.

The spokane river needs all the help it can to restore its self to the fishery it once was.

And if you tell me you released it, then you need to learn how to properly release a fish, by not putting your fingers in its gills.

I messed up,, I meant to say a hatchery fish has the clipped adipose fin or a healed scar... Please release all wild fish

Wow, what a shame. Why do people fish this w/o knowing the rules or how to care for the fish. I have read, at least a couple reports now, like this one on the Spokane River. Keep it up, and you won't have to worry about fishing the river, they will all be gone! We thought Kaiser Aluminum did damage, this is just as bad!

I know EXACTLY where that spot is, and Ive caught and gently released numerous trout there... It is sad to see a thumb shoved in the gills of a trout....

I dont believe those are RedBands, Just native trout, that should also be treated gently.

okay guys... we all know that this is not the way you handle a native fish, but where or when did he ever say he killed it? in Deepbuzzer's comment, he states that he just killed those two fish. when did he say that?

Yeah bassmaster, I dont see him mention killing them, I believe that was a bad assumption on deepbuzzer's part. Im sure "randy" released the fish, his last report said that (i think) but still trout are not as hardy as a bass .. they dont like to be handled that way.. oh well .......... , i fished in there enough to know there's a ton of nice trout in that stretch of river., a mishandling of a few wont hurt the overall fishery, but still, those fish need to be handled gently so they can get back into the water safely !

i agree jamming you fingers in the gills is very wrong, but i also sure they are fine becasue there is no blood, so they are not bleeding out. Very nice looking fish, way to go i bet they put up a nice fight, there a lot of fish in the river so don't let these guys bother you on this topic, but certinly for now on get your hands wet before touching the fish(keeps the natural slime they need on thier body) and craddle them in the palms of your hands, makes for a harder picture as they like to jump out of your hands but whatever. I would like to try for one of those big guys, where about on the river are you fishing? Stay safe out there.

Do you guys have to be so damn negative all the time. No wonder why so many fisherman have dropped off the site.

Hey Randy, you look like a young fellow. Take the good advice from some of these guys but don't let rude comments piss you off. We all started fishing at some point and we have all made our mistakes, deep hooked a fish or even taken home fish that should have been released. Keep on posting and definitely don't stop fishing. I have mis-handled trout in the past but have learned how to properly handle fish, especially those to be released. The older I get (40+now) the more protective of our fisheries I get. I have kids that I would like to see have the same opportunity at big fish as you and I have. I think a lot of these guys feel the same but may not express it very well. If you ever want some tips from an old timer feel free to email me. No persecution here, just some pointers. Maybe you could teach me a few things too! Lord Bless and take care out there!

geez those are nice fish. where are "the islands"

bazzdude,
I stated those fish were killed because the likelihood of a trout surviving having a finger shoved up their gills and having the fish flopping around on the finger in his gills and also creating bacteria in the fishes gills from his fingers. 80-90% those trout will die. Possibly not immediately, in the future good chance.

The upper stretch of the Spokane river (the stretch which opens in June- check the regs) has a LOW fish count in terms of the redband rainbows that inhabit this stretch of the river. I am not sure which stretch of the river this young man was fishing, but the notion that "killing a few fish" will not hurt the fishery is not true in respect to the upper section of the Spokane. Trout Unlimited is trying hard to protect the redband rainbows so they have a chance to naturally reproduce so the numbers of fish per mile increases. I heard that in a recent electroshock survey there was less than 100 fish over a multi-mile stretch of the upper Spokane. Poor fish handling increases the mortality rate, and given the low numbers of trout in that section, ALL fish must be handled carefully. If you are going to fish the Spokane river, especially in its upper section, you must be aware of the situation and handling fish accordingly. Ignorance is not bliss for the trout and the fishery overall. Banging on this guy will not help, but a little respect for the river, its fish, and the others who want to fish the Spokane and maintain it as a viable fishery will go a long ways. Tight lines.

Bravo Bravo,, well said dbk. Let's not forget the lower also..

Only us as fisherman can prevent the demise of the fish population in the Spokane river.

Randy, please read dbk's post and school yourself on it. Do not let these other clowns fool you into believing that the Spokane is loaded with trout for it is not. I have seen some of the electro shocking reports from F&G and there are a few stretches that have counts as low as 65 fish per mile,65, while the average is only 85 with some hitting just barely over 100 fish per MILE! To put that into comparison, ID and MT rivers have on average 3-4000 per mile. A few guys who posted up really need to educate themselves on fish mortality and the Spokane river drainage. Randy, one day you will want to take your kids fishing, conserve now for the future!

randy isn't a registered member so he can't respond to these comments, but he did send this to me:

"Just wanted to say, I did catch and release those rainbow they were just fine. Yes, I did gill a rainbow for a second in a pic, and feel bad for it. Sorry if I pissed you guys off, I didn't really think about it at the time; and I feel really bad after reading everyones comments. It wont happen again. "

Let's move on, shall we? Mike

Mike,
I think that is great he responded to you about the comments, and he realizes his errors.
We still have the right to educate everyone that needs to be educated on the population of our urban fishery or if fish should be released and how to properly release the fish.
There are several of
us that have put in hours of patrolling the river to turn in poachers and to educate them. Install better signs so fishermen can clearly see the regulations. We have the right to protect our fisheries
We all have a right to protect are fisheries.

Mike, we need to move one from the "bashing" or "venting" types of comments that this situation will inevitably provoke, but we can"t move on from educating people about the situation of the redband rainbows in the Spokane river, and our need to protect them as best we can lest we lose what remains a viable fishery and precious natural resource in our area. Hopefully, this will spurn us to be more "proactive" and less 'reactive" so we can help others to avoid making the same mistakes this young man did., regardless of his intentions. This site is important as an educational tool for purposes such as this, and I hope it remains "open" to the types of dicussions on threads like these which help people to become more aware of the situation of the redbands in the Spokane river.

I have seen instances like this for years now, usually through unwitting fishing reports like this one. It's really a sad story, makes you wonder if the Spokane will ever recover. Makes me wonder how much poaching/illegal fishing is going on that doesn't reach the internet. Often times these folks are locals who should know the local regs. But for some reason they don't or they simply do not care. Last year one of my co-workers bagged a monster 5x5 whitetail in a closed GMU.....and came in with pictures, bragging about it! He's lived here his ENTIRE LIFE! Education is the key, but how do we go about it? This may sound ridiculous, but I've often pondered that WA needs a "Sportsman's Certification" or something of that nature. Make it impossible to purchase a license until you've completed that requirement, say just a 1-2 hr. class that makes you brilliant! Focus it on how to read/interpret the regulations. I get it, most of us don't need it, but something has to be done. At Medical Lake alone I've run into dozens of people fishing illegally just this year, many of whom have had a regulation pamphlet on their person or in their tackle boxes! Oh well, enough rambling. dbk, my friend, as always your post are informative, educational and inspirational!

I agree with raffensg64.
If you are going to fish washington state waters or any states waters, you need to fully understand the regulations for that specific area. I too fish Medical lake, and I have the fish and game on speed dial, and have had quite a few fishermen cited for illegal fishing.

Be responsible and learn how to better serve the area you are fishing. Learn to properly hold and release a fish.
Generally you wont see many pictures from indidviduals releasing fish, because the best way to do so is to never touch the fish.

Randy, we are just trying to educate you and to help you in the future. There are several of us on here dedicated to protecting the valuable resources we currently have, and hopefully to be there for my children and their children.

I'm probably going to catch a lot of grief for this, however the handling law reads as follows.

Salmon and Trout Handling Rules -
Freshwater: “It is unlawful to totally remove salmon, steelhead, or Dolly Varden/Bull Trout from the water if it is
unlawful to retain those fish, or if the angler subsequently releases the salmon, steelhead, Dolly Varden/Bull Trout.”

The fish he is showing in those pics do not appear to be steelhead, salmon or dollies. So technically he did not violate the handling rules. However, in the future, just leave the fish in the water and snap a pic or tail it and support the belly and jaw with your other hand. One other reg that gets overlooked is that in selective gear areas your net, if you use one, must be knotless.

Not okay : (