WDFW Q & A Thread - Questions for Stacie Kelsey, WDFW

[Anglinarcher]

As Stacie said, rainbows love corn. So do cutts. I have never seen browns eat corn.

Utah and Wyoming outlawed corn as bait, but that was years ago so I don't know current rules.

[BanzaiDaddy]

Thanks Stacie. Actually, the fire rings thing would just be an added bonus like the many lakes that have them in California. I live in Tacoma and my father lives in Lacey so anything within an hour/hour and a half for night or overnight fishing for catfish would be AWESOME! Thank you in advance. :-)

[Gringo Pescador]

Maybe this has been asked before, but I don't remember seeing it so I will ask anyway.. Stacie, whats the deal with the white worms in the body cavity of the Riffe Lake Silvers? They just seem to be in the body cavity, not in the organs or meat. I've heard the fish are safe to eat but is it a Riffe Lake thing? Something common with Silvers?
And are those stocked every year or do they reproduce naturally?

[Gringo Pescador]

Another question for you. Picked up a copy of the 2012-2013 regs this weekend.

A friend told me about it, but I didn't believe him until I read it, the following is for the Wynoochie River:

from WDFW White Bridge Access Site to 7400 Line Bridge above mouth of Schafer Creek (337)
TROUT First Sat. in June-Mar. 31 Min. size 14". Daily limit 2. Selective gear rules.
Other Game Fish First Sat. in June-Mar. 31 Statewide min. size/daily limit. Selective gear rules.

Selective Gear Rules below 7400 bridge? Really??

[bassplayer17]

Another question for you. Picked up a copy of the 2012-2013 regs this weekend.

A friend told me about it, but I didn't believe him until I read it, the following is for the Wynoochie River:

from WDFW White Bridge Access Site to 7400 Line Bridge above mouth of Schafer Creek (337)
TROUT First Sat. in June-Mar. 31 Min. size 14". Daily limit 2. Selective gear rules.
Other Game Fish First Sat. in June-Mar. 31 Statewide min. size/daily limit. Selective gear rules.

Selective Gear Rules below 7400 bridge? Really??

yup its a bummer no bait!!!!!!!!! Its so we won't tempt the kings with deen wraped kwikies.

[Teal101]

Welcome back Stacie!

[mitchard]

Hey Stacie. Out of curiosity, are there any maps out there with the different zones/areas marked for rivers? I am pretty new to fishing in the local rivers, and don't know some of the landmarks that are listed on regs as start/end points.

[Jammer19]

Not sure if this is the right place to put this question.... but I am reading the new regs and I see in marine area 11, surfperch limit is 10, but it has a note about shiner perch being a limit of 15 and does not count towards surfperch limit. I cannot find any pictures of a shiner perch on the wdfw website to compare to a surf perch. I am a newbie at this so I am wanting to make sure I stay legal. Any help ?

[Atkins Dan]

I did a search here on the forms and did not see a clear answer for what I was looking for.

Where in Western WA can I find Catfish?? to me it all looks like it is on the eastern side of the state.and I really dont want to drive that far in less I have to.

Dan

[Augwen]

Hi Stacie, I have a question about possession limits. It says on the top of page 17 that for gamefish (I am concerned with trout) That the limit is 2 days catch IN ANY FORM. Always before this did not count proccessed/frozen fish. I live on a lake and keep my fish in the fridge/freezer until I have a full smoker which is about 5 days worth of daily limits. Is this illegal?

[mitchard]

I did a search here on the forms and did not see a clear answer for what I was looking for.

Where in Western WA can I find Catfish?? to me it all looks like it is on the eastern side of the state.and I really dont want to drive that far in less I have to.

Dan

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=13812

Haven't seen anything about this year yet though.

[racfish]

I have a large map book that looks like a DeLorme map of the good rivers in Wa State. It shows good drifts ,boat launches ,bathrooms,camping and so on. Its a great publication. When I get home I will look up the name of it.

[TroutSnipr]

Stacie, can you take a look at this thread http://washingtonlakes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=13812 and chime in about what WDFW's strategy is regarding west side catfish planting? TIA!

[geljockey]

I did a search here on the forms and did not see a clear answer for what I was looking for.

Where in Western WA can I find Catfish?? to me it all looks like it is on the eastern side of the state.and I really dont want to drive that far in less I have to.

Dan

Here is a link to WDFW's Fish Washington webpage: http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/washington/

You can find places to fish by searching by county, species, or a specific lake (index). In your case, go to the species tab and then click on channel catfish and look for lakes in western Washington counties.

The 3 tabs are on the upper right hand side. You shouldn't have trouble locating them.

[Toni]

I was wondering if you can find out if this statement is true?
"We have basically 1 kokanee lake with decent sized fish to target here in SW Wa. It's now getting heavy fishing pressure, even from guide services. Been turned into a commercial fishery. Merwin quality koke fishing will not last long. Mid America/PacificCorp and Pacific Power want out of their kokanee salmon steelhead fish hatcheries and campground public land reimbursement contracts in the worst way, yet they take in a cash flow of hundreds of millions of dollars $$$ every year from the publically owned land, river and water resources of Swift, Yale and Merwin. Look for they're contribution to kokanee plants and any fisheries/tourist support to be gone under the next administration in Wa. DC. The end of kokanee fishing on Merwin except for a very small local spawn that will not last with overfishing."

[iwalton]

Stacie, I have a question regarding a creek in your neck of the woods, Salmon Creek in Vancouver, Washington.

Are there any current special regulations on this creek that haven't been released yet? I want to make sure before fishing it this summer.

Also, Stacie, could you shed some light on the status of the large pond just east of the Felida bridge, in the Salmon Creek Park? Has this pond ever been stocked and is there any plans to improve public access to it in the future? (not the pond near I-5, I'm referring to the large wetlands pond just north of Salmon Creek in the park, visible from the Felida road to the East).

Thank you!

[Fishininja]

Hi Stacie. My friend recently lost his WDFW vehicle pass. Ca n he purchase a replacement or does he now have to buy a discover pass? Thanks

[Fishininja]

Does Stacie still answer questions on this site? She's been a no show since before opening day. Hellooooooo.........

[Bodofish]

Patience......

[Stacie Kelsey]

Hey everyone!!

Sorry I dropped off again -it's been crazy as usual around here at Fish Central.

I will be going through the posts above and working on answers for you and I'll promise to check in a few times a week!

Jetting off to Oly for some training but will check in this afternoon and start getting some replies to you guys.

And yes, thanks so much for your patience!!