New four-salmon limit isn’t all good news

SALMON FISHING — Tuesday’s announcement from Olympia that the daily catch limit for spring chinook will soon be raised to four a day at Drano Lake and Wind River is great news for some anglers, but it’s not universally a good thing on those typically crowded waters.

“A four-fish limit just means that guys stay longer in one spot and crowds build up bigger as people try to find spots to fish,” one salmon angler pointed out.

When an angler catches a two-fish limit and moves on, that’s a new opportunity for somebody else, and the turnover is much quicker with a two-fish limit.

“A four-fish limit tends to promote the game-hog mentality,” he said.