Fly Fishing Marine Preserves

[Greg Price]

Yesterday I cheerfully exclaimed to an older woman how nice a day it was to be walking a dog on beach.

Her reply - YOU CANNOT BE FISHING IN THIS MARINE PRESERVE!!!!

I told her i have checked the rules , and as long as I am fishing from shore or in a non motorized boat I am legal.

Then she said, read the the sign, it says no removal of fish, animals or plants from the marine preserve.

I told her i catch and release, so that seemed to quiet her up.

----but----

It got me to thinking of whether or not i can harvest (remove) salmon from this marine preserve.
On my way back to the car, i re-read the informational sign from city of Tacoma. It referred to some what i believe to be city ordinance stating that no fish, plant or animal can be removed from this preserve. Hmmmn

-----so------

I got out my trusty State of WA Sport Fishing Rules booklet and went thru it. There are two sections that mention this marine preserve specifically, one in the Marine area 13 section and one in the Marine Preserve section.

Per the state rules in the Area 13 map, the preserve is "CLOSED to the harvesting of fish, shellfish, and wildlife exept salmon fishing, using lures only, is permitted from shore or non-motorized craft.

I looked up the definition of "lure" and a fly seems to meet the definition of lure here.

Per the Marine Preserves section of the state rules, The marine Preserve is "closed to all shellfish harvest", no mention of anything else like salmon or wild life.

What do you think?

Can a person legally harvest a hatchery Coho Ressie from this area 13 beach using a fly rod from bank or non motorized craft?

 

[Stonefish]

You are legal to keep salmon there.
I fished there one day next to a WDFW office who was also fishing and I harvested fish without issue.
The lady doesn’t know what she is talking about.

There are two such MP’s in Seattle that I’ve fished in the past and been told the same by misinformed non anglers.
They are closed to harvest except for finfish by hook and line.

Sounds like you were nicer then I’ve been in the past when I’ve been told I’m fishing illegally.
SF

 

[cabezon]

You are legal to keep salmon there.

There are two such MP’s in Seattle that I’ve fished in the past and been told the same by misinformed non anglers.
They are closed to harvest except for finfish by hook and line.

It is always best to check the regulations on specific reserves, but typically only salmon can be harvested from within the borders of a marine reserve. The argument for the exception is that the salmon are only passing through
Other fin fish, such as rockfish, ling cod, cabezon, etc. are residents at these locations and often show VERY little movement after they recruit to a reserve. The larger, more numerous fish and invertebrates within the reserves provide offspring to seed non-reserve areas.
Steve

 

[NRC]

It is always best to check the regulations on specific reserves, but typically only salmon can be harvested from within the borders of a marine reserve. The argument for the exception is that the salmon are only passing through
Other fin fish, such as rockfish, ling cod, cabezon, etc. are residents at these locations and often show VERY little movement after they recruit to a reserve. The larger, more numerous fish and invertebrates within the reserves provide offspring to seed non-reserve areas.
Steve

Thanks, i hadn’t really thought about the transient versus resident issue with regard to the fish that inhabit marine reserves. Cordoning off a specific area makes more sense in this light.

 

[Stonefish]

It is always best to check the regulations on specific reserves, but typically only salmon can be harvested from within the borders of a marine reserve. The argument for the exception is that the salmon are only passing through
Other fin fish, such as rockfish, ling cod, cabezon, etc. are residents at these locations and often show VERY little movement after they recruit to a reserve. The larger, more numerous fish and invertebrates within the reserves provide offspring to seed non-reserve areas.
Steve

Steve,
I agree that folks should check the regs before fishing.
We also know that a lot of things get bonked regardless of the regulation.
Killing it first then asking what it is seems a pretty common thing I see on social media.
The two MP’s in Seattle I mentioned both allow salmon retention. I think WDFW could do be better job of explaining what type of finfish can be retained in marine preserves within specific marine areas in the regulations.

Fishing beaches can be a interesting experience.
Being told “you’re harassing my chums” (in August) and when the Seal Sitters showed up yelling into a megaphone and breaking out the crime scene tape were to of my most memorable experiences.
SF

 

[cabezon]

Steve,
I agree that folks should check the regs before fishing.
We also know that a lot of things get bonked regardless of the regulation.
Killing it first then asking what it is seems a pretty common thing I see on social media.
The two MP’s in Seattle I mentioned both allow salmon retention. I think WDFW could do be better job of explaining what type of finfish can be retained in some marine areas in the regulations.

Fishing beaches can be a interesting experience.
Being told “your harassing my chums” (in August) and when the Seal Sitters showed up yelling into a megaphone and breaking out the crime scene tape were to of my most memorable experiences.
SF

The "killer whale huggers" in the San Juans are also filled with self-righteous rage... And now they are backed by the feds...
Steve

 

[speedbird49]

Being told “your harassing my chums” (in August) and when the Seal Sitters showed up yelling into a megaphone and breaking out the crime scene tape were to of my most memorable experiences.
SF

That is hilarious. It is my experience that self proclaimed "animal lovers" and animal rights activists tend to be the least educated people when it comes to animals and what is good for them. Like the vegans who attacked a truck and opened the trailer to let the cattle escape, only for the cattle to break all their legs and have to be shot.

I have yet to be accosted for fishing, but I expect the day is fast approaching where I will. I am not sure if pulling up the exact page in the regs that states what I am doing is legal will help my cause.

 

[Greg Price]

When I lived in West Seattle 15 years ago I fished for schooling Coho on the public beach next to the ferry dock. A devil woman on the dock started screaming that I could not "harass" the fish. She had a man with her, but he said nothing.

I told per fishing regs I was perfectly legal. Then made a few more casts, ignoring her until i looked up to see a Seattle Police walking down to chat with me. I repeated to the police officer that i had checked the regs and was fishing perfectly legal for the Coho. I fish to relax, and not to be harassed, so i left after that and fished Lincoln Park the rest of the day.

A few days later i showed up at the ferry dock beach, did a bit of fishing and had a nice conversation with a beachfront land owner. He was just back from a guided trip on the Cowlitz and his party had harvested numerous Coho. He cleaned them in his back yard and threw the heads and carcasses on the beach.

After fishing a bit, i looked up and saw the man who had accompanied devil woman watching me. I just smiled, waved at him but did not engage him. I am sure he thought I killed all those Coho. I bet he went home and told devil woman of my alleged misdeeds.

Made me laugh inside.

 

[speedbird49]

When I lived in West Seattle 15 years ago I fished for schooling Coho on the public beach next to the ferry dock. A devil woman on the dock started screaming that I could not "harass" the fish. She had a man with her, but he said nothing.

I told per fishing regs I was perfectly legal. Then made a few more casts, ignoring her until i looked up to see a Seattle Police walking down to chat with me. I repeated to the police officer that i had checked the regs and was fishing perfectly legal for the Coho. I fish to relax, and not to be harassed, so i left after that and fished Lincoln Park the rest of the day.

A few days later i showed up at the ferry dock beach, did a bit of fishing and had a nice conversation with a beachfront land owner. He was just back from a guided trip on the Cowlitz and his party had harvested numerous Coho. He cleaned them in his back yard and threw the heads and carcasses on the beach.

After fishing a bit, i looked up and saw the man who had accompanied devil woman watching me. I just smiled, waved at him but did not engage him. I am sure he thought I killed all those Coho. I bet he went home and told devil woman of my alleged misdeeds.

Made me laugh inside.

Are we sure that man is a willing accomplice to devil woman? How did SPD treat you?

 

[Greg Price]

SPD treated me fine. I could hear devil woman screaming at him from a long distance away, so i felt for the police officer. I actually made it easier on him cause it looked like he forced me to go and got devil woman off his back. I told him i would leave, not because i had to, but because i fish to relax and not have a person screaming at me.

Not sure if the man was a willing accomplice to the woman. He may have been standing there all by himself watching me fish when she pulled up next to him and started the fireworks.

Maybe i should have screamed back at her and kept on fishing. But that is not my style. I fish for me, not to stand up for my rights when i knew i could go back another day to fish in peace. I had already fished there several times that season with good interactions with bored persons waiting for ferry. A few actually pointed out where the fish were as they could see them from up high where as i could not. Never hooked a coho on that beach. They all had lock jaw.

 

[speedbird49]

I could hear devil woman screaming at him from a long distance away, so i felt for the police officer.

Yeah that checks out. So Seattle was always like this? I thought this came about around the time my generation and Gen Y was growing up

 

[Snopro]

SPD treated me fine. I could hear devil woman screaming at him from a long distance away, so i felt for the police officer. I actually made it easier on him cause it looked like he forced me to go and got devil woman off his back. I told him i would leave, not because i had to, but because i fish to relax and not have a person screaming at me.

If you were legally fishing, I would have told the officer to walk back up and write Karen a ticket.

77.15.210. Obstructing the taking of fish, shellfish, or wildlife​

 

[speedbird49]

If you were legally fishing, I would have told the officer to walk back up and write Karen a ticket.

77.15.210. Obstructing the taking of fish, shellfish, or wildlife​

Good to know this is a law, I had no idea.

 

[_WW_]

Pulled our drift boat out one day in Arlington during a Humpy season. My buddy rode his bike back to his truck while I stayed behind and got things ready. Of course there are dead Humpies everywhere and pretty soon a woman comes walking down the ramp with a small child in tow.

"There's a dead fish! And another one! Oh my God! There are dead fish everywhere!"

She marches up to me glaring, ready to rip me a new one and demands, "Who's doing all this?"

I calmly, and in a dignified manner explained to her that "salmon only get to have sex once and it kills them." "Obviously it doesn't work for humans."

 

[Salmo_g]

Learn something new every day. I had no idea that there are Marine Preserves in Puget Sound.