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See proposed rule
language (CR-102)

See summary of recommended rules with summary of
written public comment

Fish & Wildlife Commission
Meeting Feb. 8-9, 2013
2013 – 2014 Sportfishing Rule Proposals – Briefing and Public Hearing. Audio available.

Regulations & Seasons

Sportfishing Rule Changes for 2013-2014

Sportfishing Rule Proposals & Comments

View proposals and comments on proposals that were submitted by the public and WDFW staff.
There are two types of rules available for viewing.

for Public Comment

Not Recommended
for further consideration

View by Category

Statewide	Coastal Region Freshwater	Statewide Shellfish/Seaweed
Puget Sound Region Freshwater	Coastal Region Marine	Puget Sound Region Marine
Eastern Washington and Columbia Region Freshwater

Eastern Washington and Columbia Region Freshwater

Recommended for Public Comment

# 7. Align Washburn Island Pond rules with Colville Tribes
Internal combustion motors may be attached to floating devices, but must not be used.

# 8. Increase Snake River hatchery summer steelhead harvest
Develop consistent trout/steelhead rules on the Snake River to allow harvest of trout/steelhead from June 16 to March 31 with retention of up to 3 hatchery steelhead and barbless hooks required when f.....

# 9. Remove or modify size and daily limits for bass, walleye, and channel catfish in the Columbia River, Snake River and their tributaries
Below are two proposed rule options to reduce negative interactions between Endangered Species Act (ESA) listed anadromous fish and predatory warmwater fish:

Option 1 – Remove size and dail.....

# 10. Clarify boundaries for Burbank Slough
Burbank Slough is listed in the Special Rules section and includes that "fishing from any floating device is prohibited." The current rule is not clear that some areas of Burbank are open to a.....

# 11. Clarify areas open to angling on the Walla Walla River Updated 10/18/2012
UPDATED: Clarify the wording for the upper zone of the Walla Walla River as follows: Walla Walla tributaries from the Touchet River to the Oregon border are closed, with the exception of Mill Creek an.....

# 12. Consistent internal combustion motor rules on the Grande Ronde River
The upper and lower zones of the Grande Ronde River have internal combustion motors prohibited. In the lower zone that prohibition is from Sept 1-May 31, and in the upper zone it is from Sept 1 to Apr.....

# 13. Prohibit the use of internal combustion motors on Yocum Lake
Prohibit the use of internal combustion motors on Yocum Lake.

# 14. Convert Leader Lake to a year-round fishery
Create a year-round fishery and eliminate this lake as an opening day water.

# 15. Liberalize bag limits for walleye on Lake Roosevelt and the Spokane Arm of Lake Roosevelt Updated 10/18/2012
Increase harvest of walleye in Lake Roosevelt.

# 16. Increase Scooteney Reservoir daily bag limit for walleye
Increase daily walleye limit on Scooteney Reservoir from 5 to 8.

# 17. Convert North Silver Lake to a year-round fishery
Allow increased fishing and harvest opportunity for warmwater fish by removing this lake from the Special Rules section and manage it under Statewide Rules.

# 18. Increase Touchet River hatchery summer steelhead harvest while protecting wild spawning summer steelhead
Extend steelhead season by 15 days on the Touchet River

# 19. Extend Okanogan River game fish season
Extend the game fish season for the area upstream of the highway bridge at Malott to September 15.

# 20. Adjust angling regulations on Monument Creek to protect ESA listed bull trout
Currently Monument Creek is managed under statewide general stream rules. General rules permit the use of barbed hooks and bait. The rules for Monument Creek should be adjusted to selective gear rules.....

# 21. Adjust open area for trout fishing on the Methow River to protect steelhead
Increase conservation measures by closing trout angling in a section of the lower Methow River. More details --Close trout angling on the section of river from Gold Creek to Highway 153 bridge at M.....

# 22. Remove daily limit on brook trout in Tucquala Lake
Change the rule in Tucquala Lake to no daily limit on brook trout.

# 23. Close to fishing year-round Gold Crk., Gold Crk. Pond and Outlet Channel (Kittitas Co.)
Close the following: Gold Creek, Gold Creek Pond, and Outlet Channel (tributary to Keechelus Lake), including that portion of Gold Creek that flows through the dry lakebed.

# 24. Prohibit the use of internal combustion motors on two reaches of the Yakima River
Prohibit the use of internal combustion motors on 2 reaches of the Yakima River. Reach 1 - from the Interstate 82 Bridge at Selah Gap to 3,500' below Roza Dam. Reach 2-from 3,500' below Roza.....

# 25. Change to Selective Gear Rules on multiple streams in Region 3 to protect ESA listed steelhead and bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout Updated 11/09/2012
Extends selective gear rules protection (no bait, single barbless hooks) for salmonids in Manastash Creek, Little Naches River, Nile Creek, Oak Creek, Rattlesnake Creek, Taneum Creek, Teanaway River, .....

# 26. Black Friday trout opener on Region 5 lakes
Provide additional holiday fishing opportunity through closing some lakes the Monday before Thanksgiving and re-opening them the Friday after Thanksgiving.

# 27. Prohibit removal of salmon, steelhead, and dolly varden/ bull trout from the water on the Columbia River if intending to release
Require that in freshwater areas (except in the Columbia River between the Buoy 10 line and the Rocky Point/Tongue Point line) salmon, steelhead, dolly varden/bull trout that are to be released may no.....

# 28. Change opening date on Swift Reservoir
Delay the opening to the first Saturday in June, add landlocked salmon rules with a maximum size of 15 inches, and increase the trout daily limit to 10 fish in September for the area from the dam to .....

# 29. Change closure date on Vancouver Lake Flushing Channel
Increase smolt protection by extending the closed waters rule in the Vancouver Lake flushing channel.

# 30. Expand fishing opportunity to families, disabled and seniors on Fort Borst Park Pond
Allow family, disabled, and senior fishing opportunity on this lake.

# 31. Lake Scanewa year-round fishing
Provide year-round fishing.

# 32. Increase daily bag limit for kokanee on Lake Merwin
Increase daily limit to 10 kokanee plus 5 trout.

# 33. Create new Rainey Creek rainbow trout fishery
Provide an adipose fin clipped rainbow trout harvest season in this tributary at the upper end of Riffe Lake.

# 34. Increase angling opportunity on Blue Creek (Cowlitz River)
Open the fishery to all anglers and remove requirement that only anglers who permanently use a wheelchair may fish for the following section: from the posted sign at fence (about 40 feet downstream fr.....

# 35. Increase open angling area on Coweeman River
Extend area open to fishing approximately 5 miles, from mouth to Baird Creek.

# 36. Increase hatchery summer steelhead harvest opportunity on the South Fork Toutle River
Provide a new season from the mouth to 4700 Road Bridge from the last Saturday in May to the first Friday in June, with selective gear rules and catch and release except up to two hatchery steelhead m.....

# 37. Increase hatchery summer steelhead harvest opportunity on the Green and Toutle rivers
Increase the harvest opportunity on hatchery summer steelhead. Open from mouth to 400 feet below the Toutle Hatchery water intake. All Game Fish: Last Saturday in May to the first Friday in June under.....

# 38. Increase hatchery steelhead harvest opportunity in the Kalama River
Allow retention of hatchery steelhead from Summers Creek upstream to Kalama Falls.

# 39. Open steelhead fishery on White Salmon River
Open hatchery steelhead angling on the White Salmon River from the county road bridge below the former powerhouse to Northwestern Lake Road Bridge and require selective gear rules.

# 40. Change trout fishing rules on Skate Creek and Tilton River
Change trout rules to daily limit 2, minimum size 8 inches.

Not Recommended for further consideration

DFW003073
Convert the entire Naches River to Catch and Release Selective Fishery, there has been success with this in the section from Rattlesnake Creek to the Tieton Section yet the other areas have not thrive...

DFW033405
Klickitat River. Fishing from floating devices is not allowed from September 15 through June 30 on the Klickitat River from the Little Klickitat River confluence to the Yakima reservation. Floating de...

DFW036902
No fishing from a floating device year round above the Cotlets Way Bridge in Cashmere.

DFW046819
Selective gear rules. Daily limit one. No min. size Seasonal lake

DFW078306
This rule was inacted during a time that "Native Steelhead" were returning in the Washougal River in low numbers and the intent was to reduce the hook mortality of them during this return peri...

DFW131682
Restricting or banning the use of sand shrimp on the Klickitat River above the Fisher hill bridge.

DFW158509
To drop the selective gear rule on the Washougal River!!!!

DFW160768
Catch-and-release. Selective gear rules. Internal combustion motors prohibited. The whole river should be catch and release, this river has blue ribbon potential if we could keep a few more of the...

DFW193035
The Lake Roosevelt Walleye club proposes to take the size limit off the the smallmouth bass AND also increase the limit of bass to 20 or unlimited.

DFW222196
ROOSEVELT LAKE TRIBUTARIES between Grand Coulee Dam and State Hwy. 25 Bridge at Northport – except Barnaby Creek, Nancy Creek, Onion Creek, and tributaries listed elsewhere in Special Rules TROUT ...

DFW231912
Methow River: No fishing from a floating device year round above the Highway 153 bridge in Carelton.

DFW239716
Chinook jack is any king less than 25"

DFW252543
Lost River from Monument Creek to the outlet of Cougar Lake. Bull trout. First Saturday in June-October 31. Catch and release only.

DFW271137
Although the "Bank fishing only" area is an excellent and well recieved idea it desparately needs to be improved.The area is way too small and needs to be expanded.There are still too many con...

DFW302191
CRAB CREEK (Grant/Adams/Lincoln Co.) (and tributaries except Columbia Basin Hatchery Creek) From mouth to O'Sullivan Dam (including Marsh Units I and II impoundments). CLOSED WATERS-from Morgan La...

DFW313725
Propose doing away with the selective gear fishery and make the date the 1st of June as the way it used to be.

DFW314235
Make entire Naches river system catch and release

DFW314719
Whitefish angling only open during Steelhead Season on the Klickitat and Wenatchee Rivers

DFW344423
Make the entire river Catch and Release only.

DFW364138
All anglers aboard a vessel may continue to deploy angling gear until the daily limit of salmonids for all licensed and juvenile anglers aboard has been retained at Wind River east of the railroad bri...

DFW374822
Anybody that fishes for hire i.e. guide or charter, must use rubberized nets.

DFW393710
Whitefish angling only open during Steelhead Season on the Klickitat and Wenatchee Rivers

DFW433155
Open Sturgeon fishing to catch and release except for the months prior and after the sturgeon spawn. Rule change to Sept. 1 to March 31, Catch and Release.

DFW446883
Open the entire pool to boat fishing if the run supports it. There is nothing preventing the Department from doing so. We dont care if it is not popular with the tribes and the notion of it being to h...

DFW470525
Ban fishing with beads on the Klickitat River. Specifically the beads that are a direct copy of Salmon eggs, that are fished under an indicator or bobber.

DFW471718
Naches River from Little Naches River to confluence with Yakima River. Catch and Release only, only Selective Gear rules, Year Around.

DFW513183
Columbia river. No min size. No daily limit

DFW523157
Suggest that the entire Naches River system be managed as a catch and release area and selective gear rules apply.

DFW537097
Fishing from floating devices is not allowed from September 15 through June 30 on the Klickitat River from the Little Klickitat River confluence to the Yakima reservation.

DFW553784
propose to do away with the existing selective gear rule and go back to the June 1st date that existed in prior years before it was changed.

DFW571431
Divide lower Columbia river between Bouy 10 and I-5 interstate bridge as area 5-A and from I-5 to Bonniville Dam as 5-B. Allocate individual catch limits between each area based upon license held in e...

DFW586216
NACHES RIVER (Yakima Co.) from mouth to confluence with Little Naches River Statewide min. size/daily limit. Release all TROUT. Selective gear rules, except Dec. 1-Last day in Feb.: whitefish ge...

DFW593343
You must fish for only 4 hours for salmon each day but you can keep any chinook salmon over 12 inches long that you catch.

DFW597333
Adopt anti-snagging lure restriction on the Klickitat river from Fisher Hill Bridge to Yakima Reservation Boundary.

DFW598559
No selective gear rules on the Washougal River April 16th - first Friday in June.

DFW605863
The additional rules note should also state "release all bull trout" along with the release all steelhead.

DFW651583
After the language that says up to 3 hatchery steelhead can be retained, it should include "barbless hooks required when fishing for steelhead."

DFW660153
NORTHERN PIKE Statewide; No min size. No daily limit. No possession limit. Must be dead before being removed from riparian area (immediate vicinity of water body). NORTHERN PIKE may also be ta...

DFW692600
Change the regulation to make the entire Naches River catch and release, fly fishing only with single barbless hook.

DFW702278
Make the Naches River a Catch and Release Fishery.

DFW723058
Allow two pole endorsement on mainstem columbia for pikeminnow fishing May-Oct. Anglers could only fish for Pikeminnow and no other species allowed to be retained.

DFW739330
Expand number of "catch and release" type flyfishing lakes and streams.

DFW771484
Catch and release only on the Naches River.

DFW805305
Change Season to June 1-March 15

DFW813252
Propose to do away with selective gear fishery and make the date the !st of June the way it used to be.

DFW896150
Total Catch and Release from Little Naches to Mouth of Yakima River

DFW932350
Propose changing the rule to "Catch-and-release. Selective gear rules. Internal combustion motors prohibited. " from mouth upstream.

DFW937389
Cowiche Creek (Yakima Co.)and tributaries; All Game Fish; First Sat. in June - Oct. 31; Statewide min. size/daily limit; selective gear rules.

DFW939187
Keep fishery open to one hatchery clipped chinook.

DFW939515
Grande Ronde River: No fishing from a floating device year round below the highway 129 bridge in Boggans Oasis.

DFW949466
Doing away with selective bait fishing. On the washougal an start on June first. PUT BAIT AND BARBS BACK ON THE RIVER.

DFW959513
Allow washington bank anglers to star the season for spring chinook after april 7th and run until May 1