Commercials bash guides

GUIDE BASHING: At almost every meeting of the Columbia River Compact either a sport fisherman or a gillnetter takes a verbal swipe at the other group. It’s just part of the landscape and state officials give it no thought.
On Monday, gillnetter Bruce Crookshanks took a shot at sport-fishing guides, calling them just another type of commercial fisherman.
“The only difference between us and the guides is the gear type,” Crookshanks said.
He suggested the guides carry a fish-ticket book, report their catch within 24 hours and pay a poundage fee.
Gillnetter Les Clark of Chinook said there are sport fishermen who are highly effective at catching salmon in the mainstem lower Columbia, then get to follow the fish into the tributaries, unlike the commercials.
Jim Wells of Salmon For All, an Astoria-based commercial group, said the commercials are very disappointed with Washington and Oregon fishery officials for the states allowing sportsmen to catch “more than their share” of lower Columbia tules, which will constrain the commercial catch some.
This Friday, the process of discussing Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber’s plan to move the commercials out of the mainstem Columbia and into off-channel waters by 2016 begins in Olympia.
Understandly, that most likely has made the commercials a bit extra testy.

MARK SELECTIVE: Sportsmen kept 880 fall chinook and released 2,950 in the mark-selective fishery on Sept. 10-16 between Tongue Point and Warrior Rock in the lower Columbia.
The adult bag limit was two fish, but only one fin-clipped chinook.
Kevleen Melcher of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife told the Columbia River Compact the states had projected the kept catch would four times greater.
Chinook retention is now closed until Oct. 1 between Tongue Point and Warrior Rock. The bag limit upstream of Warrior Rock is two adult salmon, both of which can be chinook.