[tictactug]

I just saw this. Is the May 17th date correct for the start of the season for LaPush?

Sure seems weird to start it on a saturday, then continue it to the next week.

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
2008 Washington Coastal Recreational Bottomfish and Halibut Regulations

Bottomfish Bag Limits

Marine Areas 1-4:
15-bottomfish aggregate bag limit, which includes a sub limit of 10 rockfish and 2 lingcod, but does not include halibut (which has a daily bag limit of 1). Retention of canary and yelloweye rockfish is prohibited, regardless of area caught.
Bottomfish Seasons

Marine Areas 1-4:
Open year-round
Lingcod Seasons

Marine Areas 1-3:
Open March 15 - October 18, 2008 Marine Area 4: Open April 16 - October 15, 2008

Marine Areas 1-3:
Lingcod minimum size limit is 22 inches, daily bag limit of two lingcod per angler. Marine Area 4: Lingcod minimum size limit is 24 inches, daily bag limit of two lingcod per angler.

Pacific Halibut Seasons for 2008

Marine Area 1:
Open May 1, 7 days/week, until 70% of the quota is achieved, or until July 20, whichever is earlier. The fishery will then reopen on August 1, and continue 3 days/week (Friday-Sunday), until the remaining quota is taken, or September 30, whichever occurs first.

Marine Area 2:
Open May 1, 2 days/week (Sunday and Tuesday), until the quota is achieved, or September 30, whichever occurs first. The northern nearshore area will open on May 1, 4-days per week, Friday through Sunday and Tuesday, until the quota is achieved.

Marine Areas 3 and 4:
Open May 17, 3 days/weekâ€"Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturdayâ€"until the quota is achieved. If sufficient quota remains, the fishery will reopen on June 17 and 19 (Tuesday and Thursday) in Area 4B and shoreward of a line approximating 30 fm from the Bonilla-Tatoosh line south to the Queets River.

All recreational fishing in Marine Areas 3 and 4 outside of these areas will be closed on those dates.

If sufficient quota remains, the fishery will reopen in all areas of Marine Areas 3 and 4 on Saturday, June 21.

2008 Puget Sound Halibut

Marine Area 5:
Open May 22 â€" July 21, 2008, 5 days/week, closed Tuesday and Wednesday.

Marine Areas 6-11, and 13 (Marine Area 12 remains closed):
Open April 10 â€" June 13, 2008, 5 days/week, closed Tuesday and Wednesday.

Marine Areas 1-13:
Daily bag limit of 1 halibut per angler, with no minimum size limit. All catch must be recorded on WDFW catch record card. Possession limits remain the same.
NORTH COAST (MARINE AREAS 3 AND 4)

Recreational fishing for bottomfish is prohibited seaward of a boundary line approximating the 20-fm (37-m) depth contour from May 21 through September 30, except on days when the Pacific halibut fishery is open in this area. The retention of canary and yelloweye rockfish is prohibited.

It is prohibited to fish for, retain, or possess bottomfish and halibut in the “C-shaped� yelloweye rockfish conservation area.

SOUTH COAST (MARINE AREA 2)

Recreational fishing for bottomfish is prohibited seaward of a boundary line approximating the 30-fm (55-m) depth contour. This depth restriction is in place from March 17, 2008, through June 15, 2008, except that recreational fishing for sablefish and Pacific cod is permitted within the recreational RCA from May 1 through June 15. The retention of canary and yelloweye rockfish is prohibited.

It is prohibited to fish for, retain, or possess bottomfish and halibut in the south coast rockfish conservation area.

COLUMBIA AREA (MARINE AREA 1)

The retention of bottomfish, except sablefish and Pacific cod, with halibut onboard is prohibited from May 1 through September 30. The retention of canary and yelloweye rockfish is prohibited.ign, email and mail. Really? Did you read the thread? It's full of incessant whining and false statements from Hook, commander x, and others about what we do, and why we do it...hell, the first thread was asking us why we fish...and now we're bad guys for answering the question?[/b]

Everything you say is brilliant and everything I say is stupid, I'm just a whining crybaby. There you feel better now?

More by Tiderunner: "If you have to so outrageously defend CnR by attacking those who don't then maybe you should give it up and try Tuna Fishing, now there is a fish that fights!"

No one has attacked any non-CnR guys...Hook made that up.

Really?? What would you call this Toddy...:

You've lowered yourself and the credibility of "your board" with your stance, and your childish arguments, you have an opportunity to be constructive and productive, but you choose to take a pass and do the internet game trying to claim some kind of moral high ground by not going fishing, when if tomorrow they told you that you could kill every wild fish you caught you'd fight for the right to take the last one...you've done it before.

Not only is it a blatant lie, it is flat out a personal attack. Moral high ground for not fishing! LOL

From Hook again: "Some of you guys who are, what I would call CnR extremists attack people who harvest native steelhead and you attack people who don't target native steelhead. Seems like you guys are always attacking someone for something. Its just a bit odd.."

I stand by that statement....

More? Sure, here goes Hook...again...: "But don't turn around and attack me because I don't target them.." Whattayaknow? Made up, out of thin air..again.

Again see posts by Mars Tully..

Hook: "If some people don't care for my opinion or the fact that I voice my opinion and they choose to not visit here anymore, I'm ok with that."

Having an opinion is cool...that's what America is all about...just making stuff up about the other side of the debate because you have nothing good to say is called "lying", not "having an opinion".

I'm not really sure where your coming from, because you don't like what I have to say then its a lie!! Ok Toddly...

And...more Hook: "I don't understand your continued hostility to fishermen who have have a different point of view than yours." The only hostility here is you making stuff up, insulting a bunch of guys, and then completely falsely making up stuff like they are being so mean to poor ol' Hook.

I'm not really sure where your coming from, because you don't like what I have to say then its a lie!! Ok Toddly...

Huh...more Hook: "Most people on this board feel the same way, except for you CnR extremists." Perhaps, but that doesn't have anything to do with anything...and "most" people, unlike you, don't have to make up things to defend their lame positions.

[color=#F

 

[Fishnut]

WDFW told me May 13/15/17 for the Lapush and Neah Bay opener. Not sure where 17th came from. Its a typo. I will send it to them for repair.
Thanks
Ron

 

[tictactug]

I found that info at

http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/creel/halibut/

Then its at the top of the page.

 

[Cornfed]

One interesting thing I noticed from this line item...

"Recreational fishing for bottomfish is prohibited seaward of a boundary line approximating the 20-fm (37-m) depth contour from May 21 through September 30, except on days when the Pacific halibut fishery is open in this area. The retention of canary and yelloweye rockfish is prohibited."

What is the depth restriction when fishing for lingcod from April 16th to May 21st?

 

[tictactug]

My understanding would be any depth is open until May 21st.

After which, you must be inside of that 20 fathom line. That is unless they reopen for a deep water halibut fishery, then all waters are open on that specific date.

 

[Cornfed]

My understanding would be any depth is open until May 21st.

After which, you must be inside of that 20 fathom line. That is unless they reopen for a deep water halibut fishery, then all waters are open on that specific date.

Thats what I thought. Doesn't that defeat the purpose of the 20 fathom rule? The rule is in place to decrease rockfish mortality rates. What good is it if you don't have the rule year round?

 

[tictactug]

These are typically only one day re-openers, not weeks at a time.

I'll assume that's why they allow it.

 

[Cornfed]

Lingcod season opens April 15th. The depth restriction starts May 21st. Therefore, you have a month and a week to fish whatever depth you want for lings. Whats going to keep you from fishing deep and killing rockfish then?

 

[Tiderunner]

These halibut seasons are ridiculous, 5 yrs ago westport was open for 2 months and now we 4 or 5 days total. I know there is no shortage of halibut, I just don't get it. Tdown:

Plus they chose the worst tides of the entire month, the 4,6,11,13 of have anywhere between 8-12 feet of water moving with some huge minus tides. I serously doubt if the coast guard even opens the bar for boats 30' or less. JUst like last year. Tdown: Tdown: Tdown:

 

[tictactug]

Lingcod season opens April 15th. The depth restriction starts May 21st. Therefore, you have a month and a week to fish whatever depth you want for lings. Whats going to keep you from fishing deep and killing rockfish then?

Rockfish are legally retainable at that time. Except species like yellow eye and canary.

 

[Cornfed]

The season is absolutely ridiculous when are neighbors to the north get to hammer 2 a day and any day they want! What a joke. Another example of mismanagement. That is why I have a Canadian license.

Tictactug - Rockfish are retainable damn near year long at Neah. That has nothing to do with it. The point I was making is that the state doesn't want you to fish deep (over 20 fathoms), except on halibut days, so that you don't kill the rockfish. Rockfish can't handle the pressure change when they come from depths greater than 100ft. Their stomach (and yes it is their stomach, not air bladder) comes out their mouth and their eyes bug out. SO.......The question is why would the state not enforce the depth restriction from April 16th (when lingcod opens) to May 13th (when halibut opens)?
I am going to stop asking questions now. conf:

 

[madcapmag]

So when IS the neah bay halibut season? Depending on the date, I gotta see if my contacts have a seat

 

[Green Wasabi]

Yeah, the WA season setting is poo-poo, but...

Break out the Dramamine and the spreader bars! I just reserved my moorage at Big Salmon for May 14 through the 18th.
Dang, that seems like a long time away. Hopefully the weather cooperates. Anybody else going?

G-Dub out.

 

[Robert]

^^

I'll be there.

 

[Swede]

Neah Bay opens May 13th

 

[tictactug]

WDFW told me May 13/15/17 for the Lapush and Neah Bay opener. Not sure where 17th came from. Its a typo. I will send it to them for repair.
Thanks
Ron

You must have a great contact.

Just rechecked the link and they have it as the 13th now.

Nice work. I got a little freaked out there for a minute.

 

[Fishnut]

The sporties are the ones labeled killing off most of the Yelloweye and Canary Rockfish. That is why we get booted out of deep water after the first week of ocean halibut. It is state law, not federal, that prohibits us from taking any. I know it seems like a waste letting them float, but it is what they decided to keep us from targeting them. The tribes and non- tribal commercials do take them. WDFW says commercials know where they are and are able to keep away from them. They tell us they are where lingcod are so wherever we (sports) get lingcod we are in the same area and kill them.

One argument I have had is there wasn't a WDFW chart in place to identify YE/canary rockfish. Oregon and BC have excellent charts on their websites. How do we know that anything orange coming up is not counted as YE/Canary? The average person that has not been fishing long enough to keep either of these fish when it was legal, could be throwing back vermilion, silver- gray, or even boccacio. They probably don't know the difference. I think, since, there is a chart on the WDFW website. Our only tool of knowing what our sportfishing YE/Canary mortality is, is what is reported to the fish checkers at the docks. No other tools. By them moving us inside of the 20-fathom line in MA3/4. They can change the mortality rate to a x .5 ratio, or cut the kill mortality in half. California had testing that proved this.

We have healthier YE/Canary stocks in MA 3/4, but since Magnusson-Stevens Act ties our coast together, we are paying for California and Oregons overfished stocks.

So after the first week of halibut season you are not allowed outside of the 20 fathom line with a lingcod or bottom fish on your boat.

 

[Fishnut]

As far as Canada, they are trying hard right now to shut off American Charters. It might have an effect on us sporties too. Depends on what they come up with. They got a big cut so they were looking into cutting our charters that go over out of Neah Bay. They want to stop this fishery to give them more opportunity back. They had a serious cut into their 2008 quota. This is a hot bed right now and I have been reading letters about it to see what they are going to do. They have talk of closing off the online licensing for areas 121 and 123. Other things they are considering are lowering the quota to 1 halibut, or two a day with two in possession. There was also talk of shutting down any fisheries that are more than 10 miles off shore to keep US Charters off of them in areas 121/123. It will be interesting to see what happens. They are trying to implement this in 2008. All of February, halibut is to be closed in BC and will oepn in March.

Its definitely a hotbed right now.

 

[Cornfed]

Isn't it interesting that we are allowed to go deeper than the 20 fathom mark before halibut season? Why do you suppose that is?

 

[Fishnut]

The reason we can fish before May 22 is because there aren't that many people out there fishing until the halibut opener and salmon later. This is when the majority of the coastal sportfishing starts.


These are incidental fish a lot of the time when halibut fishing. When people go out salmon fishing and the fish just aren't there, they opt out to bottomfish. So the resource gets hit even harder at that time. Even though our lings were considered recovered 2 years ago, we cannot have access to them in deep waters. The commercials do however.