I don't know, Steve... Some of the reg's are difficult to get straight (marine stuff), but the freshwater reg's we go by in this state are a heck of a lot easier than a lot of states I've flipped through.

You read the general rules section, then look up the lake you are going to to see if there are special rules. Not too bad.

Chris

One thing we can count on is that the DF&W Regs will change, and they WILL get more complicated. Did everybody know that there is a Statewide SLOT LIMIT for bass? Read the regs. If you have a dying fish in the slot, you can't keep it. Where does it say that slot limits and minimum lengths are waived for T's? It used to say that in the regs, but I haven't found it this year. Gawd. Can I say that here? I have a copy of the regs in the truck and read them while I wait to go into the salt mine many mornings. It's Goofy!

C&R, Steve

As for the Big Bass T. we just fished, their permit went all the way to the fremont bridge as chris stated...so there might have been a change...

Steve,

Last I heard, it is legal to fish Lake Union up to the Fremont Bridge under a Lake Washington permit, but there is a gray area. Supposedly, if you catch a fish from Lake Union, you are supposed to release that fish back into Lake Union. Taking to WDFW folks a while back, it sounds like they are letting this one slide for now, but  I don't know the official word.

Mercer Slough is where you described it. I believe there are signs posted at the entrance, as well. It's interesting you say that, because last time I was out on Lake Washington during the ABA tournament a few weeks back, I saw someone running out from Mercer Slough with a contest banner on. I didn't get a very good look at what kind of boat it was, but had I been in the tournament, I definitely would have followed to find out who that was and probably protested.

About Newport Canals, it is perfectly legal to fish back there. It is up to individual tourney org's to decide if they want to make it off limits.

Hope that helps fog things up 

Chris

Quote:


Rev, you might remember that unless a Tournament applies for two permits, a Permit for  Lk. WA  does NOT entitle participants to fish the Ship Canal and Lk. Union (I don't recall the exact boundary). Anyway, that's something to consider. I don't know how the ABA, etc, do a T on WA, but when we had a T there, it was off limits to go into Lk. Union, because we only had the one permit.  Note that the "Mercer Slough" is closed waters to all fishing, tho I have not found any map that says where that is. I believe it is the canal that goes under I-90 NE from Newport Yacht Basin, North toward downtown Bellevue. Anybody?  

Also, I recall that there was an agreement made that T's would make the Newportay Shoreski Canalbays off-limits, but that did not happen in the Big Bass T this past Saturday. Was this a slip-up on the part of the organizers, or what was the original agreement? Who represented the fishers, etc.? Apparently the word was not spread properly, at least.  Anybody remember?

C&R, Steve

Hey all,
  Went out to Washington today with a buddy from work who had never caught a smallmouth before.  Headed to Webster point and put 4 in the boat.  Worked our way back to the shallows and couldn't find any largies.  Went to the north end of Mercer and put two 2.5lbs in the boat.  Steve was really pumped by now.  Went to my secret spot by the I-90 bridge and proceeded to pull up a 4.4 lb... My buddy couldn't believe it.   He was more excited than I was.....   He couldn't believe the size of a 4 lb smallies...  Mind you, the biggest bass he had caught up to that time was a 3lb largie....   All total, Steve caught 5 smallies, biggest was 2.5  and a big trout, I caught 3 smallies with the 4.4 being the big guy.  All on deep diving cranks.

Mark

Sorry Chuck,
I won't talk about the area just North of Sand Point or the area in Jaunita Bay and especially on the southwest side of Krikland that are broad grass flats with spots of chunk rock and depths from 4 to 12 ft.  I don't want to give away all the pre spawn spots.

   

Smitty - you're given away locations!  Shush....  Give away techniques, depths, lure info... but "nix nay on the locationay!"  Not many guys will spend the time to go through the slow zone that long to get to Gas Park - and I was hoping that we could keep a few spots like that from becoming public.    But you are right - that's a great spot.  I've nailed up to nine fish off that little stretch.  And now is the time of the year to take advantage of that unique location! 

I'd like to spend more time in there to find other spawning locations in Lake Union.  Most likely they're under some of those big ships - because you know they aren't all going live off and spawn around that one grass flat!  Basically it's just one big basin lake.  I've crisscrossed it back and forth enough to know there are no real deep spots like on Lake Washington.  If there wasn't so much boat traffic I'd spend more time in there - because if a guy did find those few key hotspots it would pay off bigtime in a tournament!

Good job Smitty,
  I have always wanted to go back into lake union and fish, I just need to take the time to go exploring I suppose.   I was out on Monday in the rain.  It was slow slow slow in the morning.  I did manage to see some largies in the pads though, but they immidiately spooked out of there.  I score 7 smallies  on cranks and tubes.  No bragging size, just a limit of 1lb to 2.5lb fish.  I am finally starting to feel a little confidence about fishing there.  Lord knows I have put enough time in on the water there. 

Mark

The area around Gasworks Park on Lake Union was very generous to me this morning.   3 SM on crankbaits totaling 12.3 on my digital.  Caught several others on crankbaits where the Kalokula used to be tied up.  they averaged 1.5 - 2 lbs.   Wish I had time to fish tomorrow.

Well, for those of you not fishing Washington right now.  TOO BAD.......  Had a phenomenal day on it today.  Not very many bites, only 6, but I put 5 in the boat.  They weighed in at 18lb 12 oz.   OH yeah.  One of the five wasn't even a keeper.   That's right 4 fish weighing in at 18 + lbs......   Topped by a 6.0 toad backed up by a 4.4, 4.2 and a 4.1    That's digital by the way......    They all came on crankbaits in 4 to 15 feet of water.   Get out there and start  a cranking boys and girls.

That sounds like a great day!   And not a "humbling day".

Larry Gonczy and I went out Monday and had a very decent day - if you call 29 smallmouth decent.  We do!  The vast majority of them came in 6-12 feet of water and fell to crankbaits.  And they were all decent fish with the majority of them in the 3+ lb range.  After a great start - we set our day's goal to get 30 fish for around 90 pounds.  We'd have done it too, but the one big toad that I hooked into (5-6 pounds) came out of the water and tossed my crankbait back at me. We just looked at each other and went "Woe..."

We still jokingly wonder if we can claim 30 fish because Larry brought his crankbait in with a dink attached to it no bigger than the lure.  I think it must have had romance on it's mind because there was no way it could have thought it was supper! 

We killed off a bunch of squaw fish, (I mean released after testing the strength of their brain casing). I also caught a really nice trout!  And while Larry was taking a video of me holding it - it jumped again sending the crankbait (hanging from it's mouth) into my sweatshirt!  Ofcourse Larry got it all on tape!  Wearing a large trout as a tie is an interesting experience.

If you get a chance, give Lake Washington a shot  - it's heating up.  (And we didn't even go into the canals!)