Northwest Fishing Reports

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Comments can be deleted by admin AND the report poster. I'm assuming if the admin was the one who delete the comments, the whole report would have been deleted as the admin HAS deleted reports that show regs violations.

And mods can not delete, or edit reports, only the admin.

I can vouch for Mike and/or Aaron deleting reports with blatant, obvious rules violations. They rely on us to help them with the task, as they don't have time to review each and every report against the rules pamphlet. If you see a report that clearly displays illegal catch methods or retention, email Mike or Aaron. I have done this several times, and the offending reports have been deleted.

gfakkema wrote:There was a recent report where a king was caught. The area was closed to retention. The law says that fish that are not legal to keep are NOT to be removed from the water. Said fish was covered in sand and being gilled at least 3 feet from the water. These are blatant violations. I was under the impression that reports and pictures with obvious violations would be altered or deleted (see site FAQ' s). That being said, comments were made, some of which were a little harsh. This report was then modified by admin to delete some of the comments, but the pictures are still there. Maybe I'm reading into this too much, but I think that it sets a horrible example of how to handle fish. Rude comments are deleted but blatant violations are acceptable? What gives?

I deleted yours and others comments that were threatening ("punch him in the throat") I mean come on. I spent 23 years in the military defending your right to say what you want but I do not have to agree with you or provide the vehicle for your offensive comments.
Also while I do not condone gilling a fish unless you are going to keep it I cannot find anywhere in the regs where it says that you cannot remove a fish from the water or hold it up for a picture. This is what it states(page 98)(also found on page 10):
"Marine Areas 5-13: It is illegal to bring a wild SALMON or a species of SALMON aboard
a vessel if it is unlawful to retain those SALMON.
"Aboard a vessel" is defined as inside the gunwale".

If I missed the the statement somewhere in the regs please feel free to correct me. Perhaps you are referencing a fresh water reg? I realize that the regulation pamphlet is large but you should take the time to become familiar with it.
Good luck and tight lines.

Salmon and Trout Handling Rules - Cut from the WDFW regs, page 13

SALMON and TROUT HANDLING RULES
FRESHWATER: “It is unlawful to totally remove salmon, steelhead, or Dolly Varden/Bull Trout from the water if it is unlawful to
retain those fish, or if the angler subsequently releases the salmon, steelhead, Dolly Varden/Bull Trout.”
MARINE AREAS 5 through 13: “It is unlawful to bring wild salmon or a species of salmon aboard a vessel if it is unlawful to
retain that salmon” (“aboard” means inside the gunwale of a vessel).
MARINE AREA 2-2: “It is unlawful to totally remove salmon from the water if it is illegal to retain those fish, except anglers fishing from boats 30 feet or longer as listed on either their state or Coast Guard registration, are exempt.”

Also on the same page - instruction, but not really "rules"...

HOW TO RELEASE FISH
When you need to release a fish, there are some special precautions you can take to give it the best chance of surviving:
· Minimize handling by leaving the fish in the water.
· Do not net your fish – but if you must, use a soft, knotless net or rubber mesh net. Knotless nets are now required in fly-fishing only areas and freshwater areas with selective gear rules.
· Use a hook remover (dehooker) when hooks are imbedded in the mouth or jaw.
· If a fish has swallowed the hook, cut the leader.
· Keep fingers away from the eyes and gills of the fish.

Gringo is correct. The picture is cringe-worthy but not illegal. If someone could post those handling suggests on that reports comment thread I'd appreciate it (hard to cut and paste on a tablet). It would be a good educational reminder. Also, let's remember the reporter didn't hold the fish up, he took the picture. Sometimes it's ok for this stuff to be seen because it does allow an opportunity to talk about it and educate people.

Thanks Mike, I took your suggestion and posted the "How To" in the comments section of the report.

Watched a guy kill a native steel this summer by grabbing by the gill. Didn't seem to care either which p*ssed me off.