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I am relatively new to fishing the Bow and share many of these concerns. Would like to propose a very clear intervention which seems to be working on a similarly pressured trout river in central Oregon and has not been mentioned thus far from what I have read. 1. Ban fishing from a boat. Use boats as ferries to access walk and wade water. Two feet on the ground at all times while fishing. 2. Impose a limit on number of boats accessing certain stretches of water during specific times of the year. Boat passes would be sold for a nominal fee and include guides boats, recreational rafts, etc. Is there any appetite for this sort of regulation change? What mechanism would you suggest for moving such ideas forward?

My observations for the year: Numbers of fish is probably at an all time low. I saw very few small fish this year upstream of the Highwood. The condition factor of the rainbows was improved from last year when they were extremely thin. Many of the rainbows are still not as heavy as they should be. The amount of good, clean gravel/cobble that provides quality invertebrate habitat has been vastly decreased due to the amount of sediment added to the river from bank destabilization post-flood. There is a huge amount of sediment that is continually been added from disturbed banks and we are presently 6 years after the big flood. The amount of hooking injuries and fish with no maxillae is getting very significant. A single hook rule should be added. The spinning rod crowd can still get fish with single hooks like the folks in BC I think it is time for a limit to be set for "guide days". The amount of "professional" boats on the river is huge and the fish are not an unlimited resource. The "professionals", with their continuous presence and higher skill sets are probably facilitating the greatest amount of fish handling (acceptable or poor depending on the boat). The amount of pharmaceuticals and run-off chemicals entering the river continues to grow with the population of the cities along the river. These chemicals are not removed by the sewage plants. The foreign chemicals are adding significant stressors to a system that is already under pressure. The populations of pelicans and cormorants continues to grow. I don't think this will ever be addressed, but they are a factor.