Thank you for Chuck Stranahan’ s article on the West Fork of the Bitterroot.
I have fished this small river for 30 years and the last 13 we spend our summers on the West Fork.
The number of dead and dying fish I see on the river has dramatically escalated in the last 3 years.and the quality of fishing has declined—especially for waders like me.
I believe it’s not just the use of barbed hooks but the volume of boat traffic on the river which escalates dramatically when hoot owl restrictions are instituted on the main river.
This is a prime example of “The Tragedy of the Commons”. We tend to over use and abuse a public resource until it is severely damaged or destroyed.
The Forest Service and State Fish and Game Department are well aware of the problem but seem to just kick the can down the street each year without doing anything about it.
It is time for barbless hooks and traffic restrictions on the West Fork.
Jim Allred
Darby