Northwest Fishing Reports

Can someone please give me the definition of federal and non federal waters, and where you got it from?

Federal regulations define navigable waterways as those waters that are subject to the ebb and flow of the tide and/or are used for the transport of interstate or foreign commerce either historically, currently, or in the future (33 CFR Part 329). An easy rule of thumb is if you see a commercial or a Coast Guard boat on it, they are Federal waters. Keep in mind though that some lakes and rivers may be considered Federal Waters due to past use, like Lake Sammamish, and are not really used in that manner in this day and age.

For the complete legal definition see this PDF: http://www.usace.army.mil/CECW/Document ... cfr329.pdf

33 CFR Part 329 Definition of Navigable Waters of the US, where does it tell you to go there for federal waters or where does it say federal waters are the same as navigable waters

I'm not sure if there is anything that says they are one in the same. Navigable waters fall under federal regulation, hence the term federal waters.