Well, if there is someone else out there that Mark ran into, I offer my apology for the previous post. But to my knowledge, no one else from the UW is doing research involoving gill nets on Lake Washington.

Chris

P.S. Doug - we will be sure to contact you for the alligator rescue operations... CRIKEY! lol.

Ok OK, so here's the story.  Chris and the rest of the gang.  I ran into the net with my rev rig.  There were actually two net's in the area.  One had a very small mesh to it and it didn't have any smallies in it.  All small perch, pike minnows, etc....  the other net was located about 100 yds away.  It had a larger mesh to it.  I snagged both with the rev rig while trying to fish my point that had the smallies I caught last week.  There is a small creek that flows into this area and a small rocky point made by the creek.  The larger gill net I pulled up with the rev rig that  got snagged in the net.  Chris will know the area.  I have caught alot of smallies in this area, as it is a classic early staging area for the smallies.  There is DEEP water near by and alot of rocky / gravel flats in the area for spawning.  When I first snagged the large gill net. I had no idea that it was a research net.  When I snagged the second one.  I checked the float out and seen the U of W bouy tied to it.  I knew then it was for research and if I disturbed the nets, it was for getting my rev rig out of it and not to try and screw up any research Chris and the gang was doing.  Sorry Chris if I disrupted anything...  My sincerely apologize.
  As for fishing around the floating bridge, I had no idea that there was a fishing restriction around them.  And is the restriction just around the floating bridge sections and not inclusive of the pilings or what.  I know of alot of guys that target the pilings sections of the various bridges and would like to know if these are deemed off limits or not.

Mark

I think the real reason for the distance regulations has something to do with the large cables that anchor the floating bridge.  These cables do not go straight down, they go out at 45 degrees to large cememnt blocks.  (You can see them on your depth finders.)  Those fishermen trolling near them would be snagging them constantly with lines and anchor ropes and perhaps doing damage.  That's my one and only humble theory.

Well, Caleb may have topped the clam on a rev rig.  He caught a mussel on a drop shot...

LMAO!!