Welcome back to Three-Word Thursday, where Fish Hack is going to finish the day by leaving early to make up for coming in late.
But no worries. It’s not like the Fish Wrap will de-Hack itself over poor attendance. Remember, one man’s hiring freeze is another man’s job security.
Security. Retreads. Degenerates.
Someone else who knows a thing or two about job security is Dave Pease, who has spent most of his adult life at Cole Rivers Hatchery growing fish for the Rogue River, which is Hack’s home waters.
He’s now the hatchery manager and as soon as water released from Lost Creek Lake go down, he’s about to be every upper Rogue steelheaders’ best friend.
Pease is sitting on about 2,000 excess adult Rogue summer steelhead now clogging hatchery collection ponds, more than doubling the numbers of recycled fish this year.
As soon as the water drops, Pease’s crews will start trucking them downstream and releasing them at TouVelle State Park to give steelhead bums one more shot at catching these “retread steelhead” for the Christmas smoker.
Cutting them loose now would be pointless because, at high water, they might beat the liberation truck back to the hatchery.
But that water better come down soon because Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife protocol says no more retreads aafter Dec. 31.
The releases now remain at 5,000 cubic feet per second at Lost Creek dam. But that water’s clean, meaning the upper Rogue is way up but fishable now from the Hatchery Hole down past Shady Cove.
Now, a note for you degenerates: Don’t make a call tonight. The NFL’s Cincinati at Philly is a dog of Rosie O’Donnell proportion.
Fish Hack knows you know Hack’s at 16-8 against the spread this season and you’re used to getting Thursday night locks. But tonight’s game best watched without action.
For solid picks, come back to BOOK IT! Friday.
