WDFW’s Deep water release tool

[The Quadfather]

I am well aware of what a deep water release tool is, but if someone has a link or pic of what the WDFW is now requiring for Puget Sound bottom fishing, could you post it up here.

I have my own such tool for Mackinaw, but don’t want to be caught with something that does not fit maybe a specific item that they are looking for.

Thanks!

[Larry3215]

If you Google 'Rock fish descender" you will get a bunch of links. I dont think WDFW specifies or requires a specific model to use as long as it works.

https://www.google.com/search?client=fi ... +descender

They range in price from a free to over $100. Some work by spring action holding on to the fishes jaw, some by piercing the lip and some by pre-set pressure settings for specific depths. All require you have a heavy weight to take the fish down rapidly, so a short stout pole is needed. We use an old broken deep sea pole we found and cut down to one eye length. Makes it easier to real up 5 lbs of lead.

These guys in Oregon ask for a donation, but will send you one of the Shelton lip pierce types for free.

https://oceaned.org/

Or you can make your own from a large lead head jig used up-side down, but you will probably have to add extra weight unless you have some 5 pound jigs already Click on "Images" after you do the Google search for examples of all types.



I have the Shelton I got from the Ocean guys I Linked to above.

[BentRod]

Quad, I'm sure Larry is right. As long as you have any type of functional descending device, you should be good. The ones they were handing out a couple years back were not a WDFW stamped item, just a third party item that looked like the one I'm linking. You just have to have something on board.
Found this on WDFW site as well. Pretty much confirms the multitude of equipment that can be used (including a basic bare hook setup).
Linky: https://wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/at ... y/rockfish

[Mike Carey]

I have the above simple one and had a chance to use it, it work fine.

[4n6fisher]

The other method is a milk crate turned upside down. I used a 4lb downrigger ball as weight, connected with a hardness from a crab pot and a retrieve line tied on the bottom (which became the top upside down). There is a description of that on the WDFW website. It was convenient for my last trip since I combined shrimping with bottom fishing and had the pot puller to use as a pulley for dropping and could use that to retrieve as well but I did not catch any rock fish.
I liked that one since you did not have to puncture the fish mouth anymore, and used items I had laying around.

I did try to buy one but all the stores were out and Amazon was taking over a week to ship.