2 Rod Rule while Trolling

[Palmer]

Is anyone interested in a two rod rule for trolling? In Idaho, anglers are offered the opportunity to troll with two rods for an additional charge. If our state offered a two rod license for an additional $20, the state could make a lot of money and recreational fishing would get a shot in the arm. Fishing guides would get more business and troll more of the big lakes such as Washington and Sammamish. Perhaps more boats would be sold. It's good for business.

[gpc]

This would be a great idea. I dont know how it works down south or any state wich allows spider rigging, but to pay extra is a great idea. If everybody got to do it for free then we would be at risk of over fishing and straight fishing out the lakes.

This way the state could put $5 towards warm water species enhancemant programs, $5 towards the cold water species enhancement program and still be able to see some kind of profit from it

I like the only trolling idea as well. There isnt a lot of ways to fish with 2 poles, in fact I can only think of 2, trolling and stillfishing. But still fishing has the highest fatality rate for fish, and trolling among the lowest.

I for one, dont want to see this rule applied for salmon. There isnt enough of them out there and the fun thing about salmon is you can work all year and only walk away with a dozen, and thats doing good, I fished for salmon a lot and only managed a couple of coho, the only reason I was able to keep these is because there isnt a min. size limit. It would kind of take the fun out of it. But allowing you to fish with 2 poles for the first week or so, of each salmon season would be a pretty good idea. This way you can do C&R rules only for thr first week, but it would still give anglers a better way of working diffrent prensentations

But maybe Im just putting too much thought into this LOL

[A9]

I've thought about this rule and seen people talk about it on other boards....

I know for a lake near San Diego I fish with my grandpa you can spend an extra $5 or $10 and be able to fish two rods at that lake...I like the idea, but like gpc said, we don't need to see people with 2 rods out and any of that sorta stuff...For put and take trout lakes, it would be OK I guess, but in general, I think this rule would just be too hard to enforce...I'd say no to it.....

[bigastrout]

No!

[Fish-or-man?]

As a conservationist and extremely greedy fisherman (the real reason) I don't really like the idea. Anyone fishing with two rods is probably going to retain whatever they catch, so I could see this hurting salmon, steelhead, and other fragile sport fish populations. If they made sure the rule didn't apply to salmon, steelhead, lake trout (in some bodies of water), perch (in some bodies of water), and kokanee (in some bodies of water) I'd be okay with it... But as mentioned before it would be tough to regulate. I will admit it would help out economically, the state isn't exactly hurting for money right now though, but it would be a boon for the private sector.

[Palmer]

How about 2 rods for trolling freshwater lakes when salmon season is closed only, or list it under the special rules as they do for chumming? They would still have a special 2 rod license. It's just an idea to submit to WDFW and I like what it might do for the private sector, ie. boat sales, guide services, etc.

I fish Idaho with a 2 rod license and fish with one rod most of the time. However, when fishing with two rods, I'm more likely to catch the size I'm looking for and I usually only keep what I can eat fresh, C&R 75% of the time. If I have to freeze the fish I caught then I kept too many.

[jdimonda]

I think that is a great idea. I personally don't like fish for eating. The taste is not worth the effort of cleaning. I fish for the sport and think that would be an awesome idea.

[Fish-or-man?]

That's a good idea Palmer. I wouldn't be against it. Plus now that I think about it anyone who has $20 extra to spend on their license is probably pretty well off financially. Which not to generalize, because it certainly isn't always the case, but often the financially upper class C&R more because they don't have to fish to eat. They can just buy lobsters and junk!

Plus as long as our native salmoniods are safe I'm happy.

[bigastrout]

I think that trolling is already an extremly productive way to fish. You have that ability to cover way more water. This kind of a rule would give you a great advantage as a fisherman but only in the short term. In the long term the pressure on our waters would be seen in our empty creels. You also have to think about the stress you will be dealing with as you watch someone break the law by using an illegal lure or bait not once, but twice. I think that if you are not catching the fish you want, take a deep breath and look at it like this. You now have a reason to spend more time on the water and enjoy everything else that goes along with this sport. Instead of using two rods to figure out the fish faster I recomend taking friends. You can all fish at graduated depths until you find the fish. Then you can all fish different lures or baits until you hone in the the best option.

[A9]

Imagine all the idiots out on the local put and take lakes in April and May....Half of them can't even cast our their powerbait somewhat straight, imagine all of them longlining to lines and getting tangled up and stuff....

It might be a good idea, but it wuold result it more fish kept, so less fish at the end of the year, so less holdovers the next year and the WDFW will have to stock more trout in those lakes to make up for the significant increase in kept fish...Sounds like a good plan, but I think if they want to raise money, they can easily just raise the rates of the licenses IF they were hurting in the pockets...

[gpc]

I just realized something. I always troll with a budy or 2. In my big and little boat you can rally only troll 3 poles. So I couldnt even troll 2 poles if I wanted to. Usually its 3 of us in either boat, I doubt an a small alinuminum can fish 6 poles. So if I was out by myself, not only would I have to man 2 poles But I would also have to steer and net. Also I wouldnt trade my fishing partner, so I could run 2 poles.

Im still a big fan of the second pole law, but I just thought of these factors.

[Palmer]

On a 20' boat 7-8' wide, a skipper and a deck hand could man 12 rods for 4 customers. They would need 2 plainer boards, 2-4 downriggers, and a big lake - for example: Chelan, Washington, Sammamish, and Roosevelt. With the increase in fish caught, more of the upper income types might hire a guide to freshwater fish instead of only on the Sound.

People these days like instant results. They don't like to wait too long. When more people start fishing they also learn about habitat and water quality. They learn how developments covering creeks have ruined the natural salmon runs and spawning areas for the trout in our lakes. Some folks concerned about the environment seem to me to be informed from newspapers, books, and statistics but are missing the knowledge that comes from fishing or hunting. I believe that outdoor types, fishermen, hunters, and survivalists have a very compassionate understanding of our ecosystem. Furthermore, we fishermen and hunters put forth billions of dollars toward habitat preservation. Meanwhile a few environmentalists would like to outlaw fishing and hunting. Wouldn't it be good to get more folks excited about fishing?

I like what everyone is saying. I am very discouraged when there are boats all around me during sockeye season and someone has a line 10' below the surface and 200' behind their boat as they jerk on my downrigger thinking they've finally got a strike. Furthermore, small lakes could be devastated by the increase in fishing pressure. There are times and locations where I wouldn't want to see a 2 rod opportunity either.

[Basshunter046]

Well with me living in Idaho, I've gotten the 2 pole permit every year since its inception and will give everyone here my pros and cons on it. Ready here goes. As for trolling (I have only a 12 jon boat) I tryied running 2 polls trolling for kokanne and also tryied for walleyes in Pond e relly. I for one with kokanne if the bite is on you can't run 2 poles cause by the time you have one on one pole with the other one boucing with one on you can't real both in at the same time so basicly you probibly just tore the mouth of the kokanne you couldn't reel in, unless he went for a ride till you could get him in. With the walleye's I never got a bite on one to tell ya, I just drug two lines around for nothing. Plus it is hard to watch both poles by yourself in a small boat. A bigger boat who knows. I now just troll with one pole, its easier to watch without the hassels of watching two.
As for like Bass and Pike or Muskie that's cast and retreive and you can only run one pole anyway for one excepting and that is pike fishing early spring when they are taking smelt under bobber set ups (still fishing). I myself don't pike fish and have caught them while running spinner baits fishing for bass. Watching other people bank fishing here usually with a 2 pole permit will have one set for pike and another for panfish in early spring.
The only time I really fish with 2 poles is when I'm after panfish, when there on the bite you can only run one pole anyway. Running 2 poles is a hassle. I'll still buy one every year just to be safe and give the state FandG the x-tra money. (12.50)
I think I have to agree with bigastrout, Take a friend or 2 fishing you'll have alot more fun, each person has his own way to fish and if one has it figured out, the others can change to what's working.

[GeryG]

....Half of them can't even cast our their powerbait somewhat straight...

That makes no sense.

[muskyhunter]

Hey GeryG,
I agree....If we could use 2 rods here. Could throw a spinner or something. And the second rod..drag a jig or a crawler or something..just a thought.Kinda like multitasking but more fun! Todd

[A9]

typo: *out their powerbait*

[Eddie L]

I'd hate to see a 2 rod per person during the sockeye fishery in Lake Washington.

[Roadkill]

I'd hate to see a 2 rod per person during the sockeye fishery in Lake Washington.

me too.

it's bad enough out there without having more poles in the water.


last year someone almost ripped one of my rods off the side of my boat when they charged up beside me...

at least I was paying attention.


tc,
Road

[Kamloops Chaser]

My wife and i allways get the 2-pole permit.It opens more options... On lake pend Oreille you can fish 4 poles on a 2-pole permit....We run 4-poles on the downriggers and 4- poles on the side planners. that way we have 8 diff. lures and or baits covering a 300 ft. pass.from side to side.. And the surface down to 200 ft. at once. It gets a bit interesting at times.

[A9]

Imagine Lake Washington sockeye and some of the trouble it would cause out there...Idiots long lining four rods and four rods off the DR's would equal nightmare for any other boat who has to turn behind them...