65: The Truth About Why Your Salmon Season Keeps Shrinking

If you've ever stared at a shrinking salmon season and wondered who decides this stuff—and why—this episode is for you. Jamie sits down with Gabe Miller, longtime fishing buyer and 14-year member of the Puget Sound Sport Fishing Advisory Group, to pull back the curtain on North of Falcon, the models behind your seasons, and the one 30-second habit that could actually help. You'll walk away understanding the system better than 99% of anglers out there. **Episode Overview:** - How North of Falcon, the feds, the tribes, and Canada all have to line up before your inside seasons get set - Why the $3 billion economic value of WA sport fishing keeps getting ignored - What VTRs are and how filling them out honestly protects future seasons - Why "don't tell the fish checker anything" is quietly hurting all of us - How the advisory group really works—and why those hallway relationships matter - The real bottleneck in the whole season-setting process (it's not what you'd think) **Timestamps:** 00:00 – Meet Gabe Miller & his PNW fishing background  00:02 – The serendipitous path to becoming a fishing buyer  00:05 – The $3 billion sport fishing economy nobody credits  00:11 – How losing steelhead opportunity pulled him into advocacy  00:12 – ESA, Hood Canal & how salmon stocks get managed 00:18 – Getting involved: joining the advisory group  00:24 – What VTRs are and why they matter  00:29 – The 30-second habit that protects your season  00:31 – Inside the Puget Sound Sport Fishing Advisory Group  00:38 – How the North of Falcon process actually works  00:41 – The real bottleneck: timing  00:44 – Gabe's epic fishing story with his son **Key Takeaways:** - WA sport fishing drives $3 billion, 17,000 jobs, and $275M in tax revenue—and rarely gets credit for it. - Telling the fish checker "I caught nothing" feels clever but sabotages next year's season. - Filling out a VTR honestly takes 30 seconds and genuinely helps the department manage seasons. - The advisory group carries no formal weight, but the relationships built there move the needle. - The biggest problem with season-setting isn't the science—it's the compressed last-minute timing. - Getting involved beats complaining online every single time. **Resources & Links:** - WDFW Fishing Regulations: https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations - North of Falcon process info: https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/management/north-falcon - Pacific Fishery Management Council: https://www.pcouncil.org - VTR Form https://str.wdfw-fish.us/home - FREE Salmon Training: https://anglersunlimited.co/3-essential-lures - Join the Gold waitlist: https://anglersunlimited.co/gold Want the full structured learning experience? Join the waitlist for Anglers Unlimited Gold membership at https://anglersunlimited.co/gold **About the Podcast:** Fishing for a Reason is the Pacific Northwest saltwater fishing education podcast for new anglers and families who want to catch more salmon, halibut, lingcod, shrimp and crab in Washington waters. Hosted by Jamie & Scott Propst from Anglers Unlimited, each episode delivers practical techniques, local knowledge, and expert insights to help you get off the couch and into the fish. Perfect for relocated professionals, military families, and boaters who are just getting into fishing.