Northwest Fishing Reports

I'm sorry guys, but I completely disagree with rules applying to gas operated motors not being allowed on boats in lakes with selective gear rules. Most of us who own small fishing boats have gas powered motors on them. My wife and I went to fish a local lake on Whidbey Island a few miles from my house. I recently bought a 14 ft Livingston boat with a 35 hp Yamaha on it with a hooked up steering system. It also has an electric trolling motor. After getting some time off work last Friday when we had one of our many sunny days here we drove to Lone Lake to fish. I had the gas motor up and had no plans of using it. I pulled up to launch and a guy standing there was very happy to tell me I couldn't put my boat in the water because it had a gas motor. I agree that when gas motors aren’t allowed the person running one on this type of lake should get a ticket. But to make a rule that you cannot put a boat with a gas motor on it on the lake is not right. I guess we all need to have several different boats. It is not easy to take a motor on and off a boat especially when it is tied in to the steering.
We didn’t put the boat in, we didn’t fish; we did call the game department to check this rule out. The guy in the enforcement department in Olympia couldn't answer the question for sure but told me it was up to the local sheriff. Since this lake is 4 miles from my house I drove to the sheriff’s office in Freeland and talked to one of the deputy sheriffs. He took time from his busy schedule and got the game book out and according to the way it reads he would have to ticket me for simply having a gas motor on the boat.

This means I need two boats, one rigged to fish lakes with special gear rules. Excuse me, I can only afford one boat for lake fishing.

Dan Chapman
Langley Washington

As far as I know, the exclusion of internal combustion motors is not directly linked to selective gear restrictions. Also, lakes with the internal combustion motor restriction tend to be small lakes that are easily fished from shore or can be easily navigated by a human powered boat. There are a few exceptions to this, Lake Lenore comes to mind, but not too many. Folks who tend to fish these small lakes use pontoon boats, float tubes and car toppers all of which won't break the bank if you buy one used. Keep in mind that the State isn't responsible for the majority of these restrictions, most are in fact a result of county or city ordinances. As for the rule that you can't have a motor on the boat even if you don't use it, I'm in full agreement with that. I have seen many old boat motors being used that seem to ooze oil from every seal and the exhaust port even when not in use. Like old beater cars that spew smoke and leave a sheen of oil on the road, they should be removed from service and sent to the scrap metal yard.

That is how we deal with it down here. No motor tipped on the boat.

G-Man wrote:As far as I know, the exclusion of internal combustion motors is not directly linked to selective gear restrictions.

Correct.

The motor rules and selective gear restriction are two completely seperate rules. Read up on your regs. There are plenty of places that allow for motorized vessesls.


Quit whining:-({|= ....

Dan - I'm sorry you bought a boat you can't use at Lone Lake. As for the rules, as G-Man said, the internal combustion motor issue doesn't necessarily apply to all selective gear rule lakes, but in the 2011 - 2012 edition of the Sport Fishing regs, under Westside Special Rules - Lakes, you'll find Lone Lake listed and it says,

"LONE LAKE (Island Co.) ALL SPECIES - selective gear rules. Internal combustion motors prohibited.
TROUT Year-round Min. size 18". Daily limit 1.
Other Game Fish Year-round Statewide min. size/daily limit."

When internal combustion motors are prohibited from a lake, it is further defined in the regs pamphlet under definitions,

"Internal Combustion Motors Prohibited - Means fishing from a floating device equipped with an internal combustion motor is not allowed."

And,

"Equipped with a motor - A motor is attached to the floating device, regardless of whether the motor is in the water."

The regs are quite clear on this. The key is to always check the special rules section for any body of water you intend to fish, and then confirm with the definition section if in doubt.

I'm glad you asked instead of putting the boat in the water anyway. The kind person who pointed that out to you might have called your boat registration number in and you might have gotten cited.

I think it's a very reasonable rule. The three selective lakes I frequented the most were Coffeepot, Amber and Medical. Coffeepot is big and internal combustion motors are understandably allowed. Amber is mid-sized and folks can use electric trolling motors. Medical Lake is the smallest of the three, is located in the middle of town, and has a "no motor of any kind" rule that the state honors because it's a town law.

I think the folks at WDFW got it right. Just my 2 cents.

I fish all lakes from NO MOTORS ALLOWED to lakes with jet skis. My big concern fishing the larger lakes with powerful boats on them is safety. If a guy is in a float tube or pontoon boat, they are not protected at all if a boat at full throttle hits them. In an aluminum boat at least you have some protection.

The lakes with selective gear rules are quite nice because there is not the constant sound of outboard running up and down the lake or the choppy water from the wakes. It is also nice to have the absence of the strong oil smell coming from a motor that has been at low idle trolling for a long time.

It is amazing how many of the motors manufactured in the 50's & 60's that are still being used today. Many of them, like mentioned before, leak badly.

I understand it is frustrating for you, however, there are far more lakes that allow motors on them than lakes that have these restrictions on motors.

Thank all of you who responded to my topic on internal combustion motors being excluded from special rules lakes even the person who called me a whiner. South Whidbey Island has three fishable lakes. The only local lake that has a launch and parking for more than 5 boats at a time is Lone lake. When we couldn’t launch at Lone lake we drove over to Deer lake and couldn’t even get down the road to that launch as it was plugged with cars even on a Friday afternoon. We finally gave up on the idea.
Not everyone has a football field of area at their home to store different types of boats.
Also most thinking people wouldn’t try to put a boat in the water that is oozing with oil at least not around here that I have seen. I agree with the idea of not using gas motors on Lone Lake . Anothing thing most of you responders don’t know if you don’t live here is that this lake allows water skiing at speeds up to 45 mph in the summer so the exclusion of a boat that isn’t sinking and oozing with oil but has a good none leaking gas motor attached and not in the water is still in my book wrong here. Also this lake has no appreciable shore fishing access. So a retired person who is maybe getting up in years and wouldn’t want to sit in a pontoon boat couldn’t fish here.
As long as I’m on South Whidbey Island there is also no salt water boat launch here where you can launch a boat in anything but a 6 foot tide which eliminates salt water fishing during most tides this time of year.

So what if you had gas motor and it is tilted up and you are using oars, would that be allowed?

If the rule is "internal combustion motors prohibited". You can't even have one on the boat regardelss if it ever touches the water.

If the rule is "motors prohibited" you can't use gas OR electric motors. Only oars or flippers.

If the rule is "internal combustion motors prohibited". You can't even have one on the boat regardelss if it ever touches the water.

If the rule is "motors prohibited" you can't use gas OR electric motors. Only oars or flippers.

Also, under selective gear rules, I believe you can't fish from a boat that is under power (in gear, eg trolling or side drifting with an outboard). Correct me if I'm wrong on this.

Dannnn2 wrote:Thank all of you who responded to my topic on internal combustion motors being excluded from special rules lakes even the person who called me a whiner. South Whidbey Island has three fishable lakes. The only local lake that has a launch and parking for more than 5 boats at a time is Lone lake. When we couldn’t launch at Lone lake we drove over to Deer lake and couldn’t even get down the road to that launch as it was plugged with cars even on a Friday afternoon. We finally gave up on the idea.
Not everyone has a football field of area at their home to store different types of boats.
Also most thinking people wouldn’t try to put a boat in the water that is oozing with oil at least not around here that I have seen. I agree with the idea of not using gas motors on Lone Lake . Anothing thing most of you responders don’t know if you don’t live here is that this lake allows water skiing at speeds up to 45 mph in the summer so the exclusion of a boat that isn’t sinking and oozing with oil but has a good none leaking gas motor attached and not in the water is still in my book wrong here. Also this lake has no appreciable shore fishing access. So a retired person who is maybe getting up in years and wouldn’t want to sit in a pontoon boat couldn’t fish here.
As long as I’m on South Whidbey Island there is also no salt water boat launch here where you can launch a boat in anything but a 6 foot tide which eliminates salt water fishing during most tides this time of year.

Goss and Deer are two other lakes in the immediate vicinity that you could fish. Showing up on a Friday afternoon and expecting parking isn't the smartest idea....

I think Lone is a great lake and I'm all for the rules that prohibit internal combustion. It's a quiet, peaceful lake, because its all float tubers/pontoons and rowboats out there....

Expecting one boat to fit every application is silly. There is no boat that is a go everywhere/do everything watercraft...

I'm a local to Whidbey Island and there are several boat launches where you can launch, I know some of them that have to be atleast a 4.0, but also know one on the south end where you can launch in just about anything above a -1...

A few years ago when fishing Lone Lake in February I saw the WDFW officers ticketing fishermen who had motors on their boats even though they were tipped up out of the water. As others have noted the rules are very clear.

&quot wrote:So what if you had gas motor and it is tilted up and you are using oars, would that be allowed?"

hewesfisher wrote:When internal combustion motors are prohibited from a lake, it is further defined in the regs pamphlet under definitions,

"Internal Combustion Motors Prohibited - Means fishing from a floating device equipped with an internal combustion motor is not allowed."

And,

"Equipped with a motor - A motor is attached to the floating device, regardless of whether the motor is in the water."

Matt wrote:Also, under selective gear rules, I believe you can't fish from a boat that is under power (in gear, eg trolling or side drifting with an outboard). Correct me if I'm wrong on this.

I think you are wrong on that. Here is the except from the current regs. Doesn't mention anything about being under power.

Selective Gear Rules Only unscented artificial
flies or lures with one single-point, barbless hook
are allowed. Up to a total of three artificial flies or
lures, each containing one single-point, barbless
hook may be used. Bait is prohibited; fish may
be released until the daily limit is retained. Only
knotless nets may be used to land fish except
where specifically allowed under Special Rules
for individual waters. If any fish has swallowed
the hook or is hooked in the gill, eye, or tongue,
it should be kept if legal to do so.