Seasons in Washington fishing guide

[gpsposato]

This may be a stupid question, but when the fishing guide says the season for a certain species is not year round (ex. Salmon Sept. 1-Dec 31st) this just means you cannot keep any Salmon between these dates, right? You would be able to fish for them year round as long as you catch and release and it is not closed waters. Thanks!

[Joe Heater]

Man you just touched on something that has been driving me up a wall. This is merely sea lawyer talk because I DO NOT know the rule. In fact I could read the rule 5 times and not know what the rule is. I swear to God whoever wrote those regs were politicians. I don't understand half of it. Then again you would probably find something in those regs that say you can't fish for them during a closure and then you would find something that says you can. However, I would think it means you can't fish for them. Then again, how can anyone prove what you are fishing for? I can't fish for Salmon right now but I can fish for Cutthroat. OK, how was I to know that a Salmon took my Cutthroat bait. I have lived here for 7 years. It is the 5th state I have lived in and fished hard in and I have yet to see a rules and regulation book as big as this states. It is ridiculous.

I actually watched 1 WDFW rep tell a guy at Lake McMurray that they were in violation because 3 of them came in with 15 trout on 1 stringer. He said they each had to have their own stringer because he had no way of telling who caught what fish. As if they brought them in on 3 different stringers he would be able to tell. I can catch 15 trout adn put them on my buddys stringer and I have yet to see how that proves anything. I called WDFW and they said that was inaccurate and they wanted to know the name of the game warden that said that. I wish I knew.

Don't get me wrong, most of these guys are really cool and really good at what they do and I don't think they are being pricks, they just want to make sure there is going to be fish/shellfish for everybody. But these regs are so confusing.

Look at crabbing. On Wednesdays before work I go out and drop my crab pots. I was reading the rules where it isn't open until 7am. I am in violation because I dropped by pots at 0600 vice 0700 where it says it opens at 7am. However, later in the book it says you can't crab until 1 hour before sunrise. So if I can't crab until 7am but I can start 1 prior to sunset, there seems to be a conflict here. I don't understand half their rules. I have read the rules on crabbing 50 times over and I still see nothing that says I can't leave my pots out over night. I have had enough people tell me I can't but the rules say I can't be out there between 1 hr after sunset and 1 hr before sunrise and it says I have to remove my pots prior to the weekly closure. I am no lawyer but it sounds like the pots can be left out at night as long as I am not personally out there. I have had it up to my ears in sea lawyers telling me on the lake or sound what I can and can't do. Arrest me or leave me alone.

Good luck on your salmon fishing, I figure as long as I am not keeping fish I am not supposed to or keeping more than my limit or blantantly breaking rules, I will do what I do until a game warden tells me I can't. If you want my advice........Man just go fishing for Salmon and don't keep them. If you want to know the rule thoroughly then I would suggest hiring a lawyer. I have talked to too many WDFW reps and they are as confused by the regs as much as I am.

Sorry had to vent.

Good fishing.
Joe

[JT26]

im pretty sure that means you can keep them sept 1 - dec 31. doesnt salmon run i august, so i think you would fish in september.