Northwest Fishing Reports

My question is do you need to have your boat licensed to fish in the river out of it?

YES.

most rivers are federal waters and u need a license. snohomish is federal waters.. license required.

Also depends on the size.

If the boat is less than 16 ft and powered by an outboard motor of 10 hp or less, registering your boat is not required. The only exception being if you are boating on federally regulated waters, such as a resevour. The other misconception some people have is that anyone in a boat must be wearing a life jacket. Though that is a good practice, the law states that the life jacket must be coast guard approved and easily accessible. The only acception being if a person is 12 years old or younger. I have been pulled over on a lake for both. Neither time was it a game warden, but rather a county sherriff who obviously didn't know those laws. I now carry a copy of the current laws for both in my boat at all times incase it happens again.

so my boat is a 11ft boston whaler with a 9.9 on so do i need to liscense it

like was said, depends where your fishing. it's all a google search away. on the forum you run the risk if getting mixed information. the licensure is cut and dry. the laws regarding exactly what safety. equipment u need, get a little more involved, broken down by boat length, gas, non gas, daylight, after dark etc.

Something that you also need to take into account is where the Coast Guard regulated/navigatable waters end on the river. If you fish a lot of different rivers on the west side, chances are you will end up in waters requiring your boat to be registered. For sure, any section of a river that is effected by the tide would require your boat to be registerd and have all the required safety equipment on board. Any boat with motorized propulsion is required to be registered in these waters. Note: you must be wearing your inflatable vest for it to count as a flotation device.

Visit the Washington State Department of Licensing Website: http://www.dol.wa.gov/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
or
Washington State Recreation and Conservation Site/register page. http://www.boat.wa.gov/register.asp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

so i just found out i do not need to licsense my boat the fedral water way ends at the highway 2 bridge on the snohomish river

mud shark wrote:so i just found out i do not need to licsense my boat the fedral water way ends at the highway 2 bridge on the snohomish river

Sorry but who ever told you that was wrong. Yesterday morning, I saw quite a few people that felt they were exempt from licensing their boats and didn't feel they needed proper navigation lights to be on the water before light. The best excuse heard all morning was, "I don't need lights or have to register my boat because it's a drift boat." as he motored by on the kicker. This is not only illegal, it's extremely dangerous, not mention depriving the State of tax dollars that are owed in our time of financial crisis. All party and personal beliefs aside, our Legislators were elected by us.

Here is an excerpt from the Coast Guard rules book, please see highlighted sections

Exhibit 11-K-1 Page 1
NAVIGABILITY DETERMINATIONS FOR THE THIRTEENTH DISTRICT
Attached is a listing of navigability determinations for waters in the Thirteenth Coast Guard
District. This listing is maintained in accordance with Title 33, Subpart 2.10 of the Code of
Federal Regulations. It includes formal determinations made by the Coast Guard, as well as those
made by the courts or Congress. No attempt has been made to list those waterways “subject to
the jurisdiction of the United States” as that phrase is used in the Federal Boating Safety Act
(Title 46 United States Code § 4301 et. seq.). Additionally, the extent of navigable waters under
the Clean Water Act (Title 33 United States Code § 1321 et. seq.) may be broader. Except for
waterways determined to be “navigable waters of the United States”, this list does not list waters
otherwise “Subject to the Jurisdiction of the United States” as that term is used in Title 33 Code
of Federal Regulations § 2.05-30(b), (c), & (d).
Waters that are subject to tidal influence, whether listed or not, are considered navigable for the
purposes of general Coast Guard jurisdiction to the limits of tidal influence. (See Title 33 Code
of Federal Regulations § 2.05-25).Where an “X” is shown under “NAV CG”, this indicates that either the entire waterway or certain
portions of it are considered to be navigable. Limits on the extent of navigability will be
explained in the comment. Navigability determinations for some waterways may be for a
limited purpose (i.e., bridge permitting, recreational vessel fee, etc.). These limitations will also
be explained in the comments.
Waterways not contained on this list may or may not be navigable. There absence indicates
that no determination has been made by the Coast Guard, the courts, or by Congress concerning
their navigability. This list is subject at change at any time should a new or contrary
determination be made.
Navigability determinations made by the Coast Guard are for the purposes of exercising
Coast Guard authority and jurisdiction only. They should not be construed as determinative
of jurisdiction under admiralty and general maritime law, state law, or for jurisdiction by other
federal agencies (such as the Army Corps of Engineers).

Exhibit 11-K-1 Page 2
Navigability Determinations for Thirteenth Coast Guard District
NOTE: Territorial seas (i.e., those waters within a belt, three nautical miles wide, that are
adjacent to the coastlines of Washington and Oregon and seaward) and of the Thirteenth
Coast Guard District which are subject to tidal influence (e.g., Puget Sound), whether
specifically noted in the following list, are considered navigable waters for purposes of
Coast Guard jurisdiction.
BODY OF WATER & LOCATION NAV CG NON-NAV CG REMARKS

<Snip>

Snohomish River, WA X
Navigable throughout. Formed by confluence
of Skykomish and Snoqualmie Rivers near
Monroe, WA.
<Snip>

Exhibit 11-K-1 Page 18
This page is intentionally blank.

The entire length of the Snohomish River is a Federal Navigable Waterway, so you do need to license you boat to be legal.