[Rob Zelk]

Read it and weep.. https://fortress.wa.gov/dfw/erules/efishrules/freshwater_river_select.j

I just read it in the emergency rule closures. So much any more for winter steelheading in the Sound, even if it wasn't what it used to be. I was hoping they would remain open until the end of the month.

 

[papafsh]

Actually they close as of Tuesday Feb 16th.
Skagit, Sauk, and the Skykomish, Sultan, Stilly NF and Sf.
Time to head West or South or East for awhile, will have to drive a bit more and not as many easy trips but June 4th will come around again.
But I'm not going to complain as I've had a good winter season this year on my local rivers.
I completely missed out last year with my hand injury.
Soon SRC and resident coho will be after salmon smolt's in saltwater and rainbows will fill the gap,
it's all good, also don't forget the year-round lakes too. I'm not much for lakes but it's better than nothing.

LB

 

[Rob Zelk]

The regs say they are closed as of the 18th but that still means the 17th(Wed) is the last day on the stilly and the nooksack and sky...

 

[Chris DeLeone]

Rob - thats how I read it.

 

[Poopy McButtfart]

I understood it as we could fish the 18th, then it's done. If that's not the case, they need to figure out a new way to explain it.

 

[Smalma]

Evan -
The E regs say -

"Effective closure dates: Feb 18 through June 4, 2010."

Pretty clear to me that those rivers (Nooksack, Samish, Stillaguamish, Snohomish and Puyallup basins) are closed on the 18th and do not re-open until the 5th of June; not re-opening on the Friday the 4th of June.

What would be a better way to state the closure dates?

Tight lines
Curt

 

[KerryS]

What would be a better way to state the closure dates?

Tight lines
Curt

Closed to all fishing Jan. 1 thru Dec. 31 (commercial gill netting exempt from current regulations).

 

[papafsh]

Emergency rules as of this morning state that these rivers are closed on the 16th, juat as I mentioned before. You can read it for your self by simply looking at the "Emergency Rules Changes" for fresh water on the WDFW web site.
I just looked at it again and it CLEARLY states that the 16th is the date. But hey go ahead and fish it up to the 18th if you want, it's OK with me, not my rules afterall.

LB

 

[Poopy McButtfart]

Emergency rules as of this morning state that these rivers are closed on the 16th, juat as I mentioned before. You can read it for your self by simply looking at the "Emergency Rules Changes" for fresh water on the WDFW web site.
I just looked at it again and it CLEARLY states that the 16th is the date. But hey go ahead and fish it up to the 18th if you want, it's OK with me, not my rules afterall.

LB

Currently on the WDFW site, this is what is stated: http://wdfw.wa.gov/do/newreal/release.php?id=feb1210a

February 12, 2010

Portions of Snohomish River system to close to fishing

Action: Close the Snohomish River, lower sections of the Skykomish, and Snoqualmie rivers and some tributaries to fishing.

Effective dates: Feb. 18, through June 4, 2010

Species affected: All game fish species.

Closure locations: 1) The Snohomish River from the mouth (Burlington-Northern railroad bridges) to the confluence of the Skykomish and Snoqualmie rivers including all channels, sloughs, and interconnected waterways.

2) The Snoqualmie River from the mouth to the boat launch at Plum Landing (~1/4 mile below Tokul Creek).

3) The Skykomish River from the mouth to the forks .

4) The North Fork of the Skykomish from the mouth to Deer Falls (about ¼ mile upstream of Goblin Creek).

5) The South Fork of the Skykomish from the mouth to the Sunset Falls Fishway.

6) The Pilchuck River from the mouth to the Snohomish city diversion dam.

7) The Sultan River from the mouth to the diversion dam at river mile 9.7.

8) The Tolt River from the mouth to the confluence of the North and South Fork.

9) The Raging River from the mouth to the Highway 18 Bridge.

Reason for action: To reduce incidental mortality of wild steelhead. The 2009-2010 forecast of wild steelhead returning to the Snohomish River is well below the escapement goal of 6,500 steelhead. This action will reduce the incidental hooking mortalities of wild steelhead.

Additional information: The Wallace River, Tokul Creek, and the Snoqualmie River above the boat ramp at Plum Landing will remain open until Feb 28, 2010 as listed in 2009/2010 Fishing in Washington Sport Rules Pamphlet. Information contacts: Jennifer Whitney, District 13 fish biologist, (425) 775-1311; Annette Hoffmann, Region 4 Fish Program manager, (425) 775-1311.

 

[papafsh]

Ok this is getting supercilious, your link is dated Feb. 12, 2010....The one I'm referring to is dated Feb. 15, 2010 and as stated is listed in the emergency rule changes, which trumps any other regulations. I think someone at WDFW has made an error somewhere. I for one would like it very much if I could fish on the 17th but I'm going to make a call first to be sure.
Just go to the WDFW site and look up the freshwater rule changes in the Emergency Rule Changes section and tell me that it doesn't actually say these rivers are not closed on the 16th. I'd post the link but don't know how to do that. I agree that the information Evan posted looks correct but why is it that I see different info on the same WDFW site? Weird.....

LB

 

[Gone’r]

not sure whats so complicated about all this LB. you are indeed correct. sauk/skagit closes the 16th. BUT. everything else 2/18.... the title of the thread is nook, stilly and sky feb 18th closure....

snohomish: https://fortress.wa.gov/dfw/erules/efishrules/erule.jsp?id=852

sauk/skagit (whch was announced 1/15 btw): https://fortress.wa.gov/dfw/erules/efishrules/erule.jsp?id=845

stilly: https://fortress.wa.gov/dfw/erules/efishrules/erule.jsp?id=851

nutsack: https://fortress.wa.gov/dfw/erules/efishrules/erule.jsp?id=853

 

[papafsh]

Thanks Sean, I'm just stupid, I guess, and obviously too focused on the rivers I fish...sorry. But dang I sure would have liked to be on the Sauk the 17thbawling:

 

[Irafly]

Drove by the Sky today and I think most must have heard the message, the river was loaded up and down with people fishing.

Ira..

 

[mike doughty]

i like it.......i don't live on the nooksack anymore so i can't fish it, not that there is much to fish anymore. i sure would like to see more fish in the s.f. in time so that when or if i ever move back to washington i can fish it with comfidence again, like when i was a kid

 

[SeaRun Fanatic]

Drove by the Sky today and I think most must have heard the message, the river was loaded up and down with people fishing.

Ira..

Yep... Skagit was absolutely mobbed yesterday as well.

Funny, but with supposedly piss poor returns this year I hooked two very large fish in 2 1/2 days effort the last two weekends of the season. The first - last weekend - was a 40"+ chrome sea-liced buck (yes, a legit 20+ pounds) and the second - this weekend - was at least mid-to-upper teens, but came unpinned before landing, so no direct measurements. Both fish were caught on the same fly within 50 yards of the same spot seven days apart in dramatically different conditions! Whaddya think... any chance these were actually the same fish? If not, I'm selling the GPS coordinates for $1,000 a pop, hahaha...

 

[Poopy McButtfart]

Stewart Dee and I finished off our season today fishing sun up to sun down. I hooked two hard hitting steelhead on the swing within the first twenty minutes of fishing, and that kept us motivated the rest of the day...

Turns out I fail at tying on stinger hooks to my string leeches. Both fish yanked the hooks off the shanks I had them tied on to. Figures I tie up a batch of duds for my last local trip of the season bawling:

That's 4 hooked and lost fish in a row for me since last friday

 

[Nooksack Mac]

A better, clearer way to describe closing dates would be something like: "...closes midnight, Feb. 17. FISHING ON OR AFTER FEB. 18 IS ILLEGAL."

 

[Poopy McButtfart]

A better, clearer way to describe closing dates would be something like: "...closes midnight, Feb. 17. FISHING ON OR AFTER FEB. 18 IS ILLEGAL."

Indeed, the current method seems clear enough to most, but there are still quite a few people who thought the 18th was the last day for these rivers. We even prevented one guy from fishing the "last day" on the skagit yesterday because he thought that's what the regs meant.

 

[WaFlyCaster]

Why it is confusing to me is because in the standard WDFW regulation book the open dates are listed as First Saturday in June through February 28th. So when they make an emergency rule change stating that the river is to "close early on Feb 18th". I and others had assumed they meant the 18th is the last day to fish, just like the 28th is the "normal" last day to fish it. If they were to remain consistent with the pattern they use in the standard regulations they would have made an emergency rule change announcment stating "the Puyallup River season has been modified to end on February 17, 2010." It is my opinion that the regulations have always stated the "closing date"(Feb 28, March 15, April 15 etc) as the last day it is legal to fish a particular water body. Not the first day it is illegal to fish it. Does anyone else notice that they decided to word this differently???

Either way not a big deal just have to read it carefully. IMO any confusion could have been avoided had they worded it differently.