New Rules for Fishing Season in WA State: What You Need to Know Before You Cast Your Line

Nothing better than a warm sunny day, with clear skies, a small breeze, and your favorite fishing spot! What a way to spend the day, enjoying nature and coming home with the catch of the day to throw on the grill.

The WA Department of Fish and Wildlife updates its rules and regulations for all kinds of fishing in a pamphlet that you can find on their website.

Statewide General Rules See pages 23-25 for Freshwater-specific rules and pages 108-109 for Marine Area-specific rules.

HARVEST AND POSSESSION RULES You May:

• Clean or portion fish or shellfish while in the field with the following exceptions: It is unlawful for an angler to fail to retain proof of compliance with species, size, number, weight, sex, or wild or hatchery origin restriction, if such restrictions apply, until the angler is ashore and has finished fishing for the day.

For all rockfish species and for fish with a length restriction, anglers must retain the fish carcass until coming ashore to comply with the above rule. This does not apply if the catch is in the process of being prepared for immediate consumption.

• Use a rodholder. • Leave your rod in a rod holder while playing or landing a fish if the rod can be easily removed from the holder.

• Use an electric-powered reel attached to a pole.

• Use a downrigger if the line releases from the downrigger while playing or landing the fish.

Note: The upcoming list is things you may not do in WA State

You May Not:

• Fish in closed waters.

• Retain wild steelhead.

• Retain Dolly Varden/bull trout except where specially authorized in the special rules.

• Take, fish for, or possess Pacific lamprey, western brook lamprey, or river lamprey, or use any species of lamprey for bait.

• Harvest in freshwater any fish not classified as a Food Fish or Game Fish except for Northern pike.

• Fish for, retain, or possess canary rockfish (except in Marine Areas 1-3 and 4 West of Bonilla-Tatoosh line), green sturgeon, yelloweye rockfish, sixgill, sevengill, or thresher sharks, pygmy whitefish, margined sculpin, or Olympic mudminnow.

• Fish for, retain, or possess eulachon (Columbia River Smelt) unless specifically open under emergency regulation.

• Fish for, or harvest fish or shellfish in an area with catch in your possession that does not meet the rules of that area. However, you may pass through such an area without stopping to fish.

Also, you may catch fish in one area and land them at a port in a different area, even if that different area is closed or has different rules, with the exception of landing halibut in a closed area (page 108), or landing bottomfish caught in Oregon (page 10). Additionally, see Fish and Shellfish caught in Canada (page 10).

• Intentionally waste fish or shellfish. This includes: The intentional killing of fish and shellfish, and then returning them to the water.

The removal of claws from live crab, or mutilating or clipping fins from live fish (such as dogfish), and then returning the fish or shellfish to the water.

• Use salmon, herring, or halibut for anything other than human consumption or fishing bait.

• Continue to fish for salmon after the adult portion of the daily limit has been retained.

• Fish for (unless authorized by Special Rules) or harass fish within 400 feet downstream of a man-made dam, fish ladder, or other obstruction, or in rearing, holding, or passage facilities.

• Harvest any part of another person’s daily limit, except for persons who possess a Designated Harvester Companion Card, unless otherwise specified.

• Chum (broadcast feed) to attract Game Fish unless authorized by Special Rules.

• Remove eggs from a salmon to use or preserve them for bait without retaining the carcass from which the eggs were removed.

• Transport live fish or relocate shellfish or shells into state waters without a permit.

• Possess fish or shellfish that do not meet the minimum and maximum size limits, weight limits, or sex restrictions, or that are in excess of the daily or possession limit.

• Possess sturgeon eggs in the field without having retained the intact carcass of the fish from which the eggs were removed.

Abide by the rules and check the pamphlet on their website often to make sure you are fishing in compliance. And ENJOY the season!