Post By: Tex Beerman Posted: 11/4/2009 5:30:53 PM Points: 32
Well I took off work early today to go and snag at cheesman. I was pumped especially after a guy walking back confirmed that they were still thick by the inlet. Well, I got two turns away from the snagging spots and the DOW was blocking the path with a fence. They said that they have not received the usual number of eggs from 11 mile and other lakes and would be harvesting cheesman for the rest of the season. I politely inquired if I could still snag today since I had driven 65 miles to get there as well as already hiked to the inlet. The answer was no. Wish there had been some notificaiton, a sign (which they said will be up shortly) or a notice on the DOW site to save me the drive and hike. Oh well. Wasn't interested in snagging at any of the lesser populated areas and I didn't bring tackle for fishing since I figured I only had about 1 1/2 hours anyway.
Just to clarify you can still snag from the cove by the parking lot to the fence, but those who have done the hike know where the salmon are.
Why wouldn't they (the DOW) put a sign up by the fence at the lakes main parking lot??? Ah, that's right, they likely get to use the nice private road back to the inlet, that is off limits to everyone else. Hey, I understand that they have to get their eggs to provide decent stocking numbers to maintain populations. That said, putting a sign up on the path, when a would be hiker is about 95% of the way back to the inlet to find out, "Wally World is closed today folks, yuk, yuk, yuk", is just plain dumb. Yes, a sign should be there to remind people using the path that it's being put off limits. However, the first sign should have been placed at the very begining of the path, a stone's throw away from the parking lot, sheeesh.
Too bad the ranger I talked to yesterday for 20m couldn't have said something about it, but I'll assume he didn't know, and the order came down today, effective immediately.. I DID mention that I'd be back to take the hike on Thurs, and that I knew a coupla guys headin all the way back on Sat or Sun, with no mention of a closure.. Now I REALLY wish I'd hiked yesterday.. Where to next? WF, GMR, or Gross?
