Rollin with Rolland
6/27/2008 12:17:00 PMFISHWHENICAN....you mean once you get the first 5 with bait YOU CAN"T KEEP ANY AFTER THAT...but you can CONTINUE TO FISH WITH BAIT, right??
Bscman
6/27/2008 3:58:00 PMWhether you have release them or not, YOU ARE DONE FISHING.
You cannot keep releasing fish all day long!!! Even a fish that was released, if caught with a bait/attractant, will count toward your daily limit--NO EXCEPTIONS.
This rule was put in place to protect our fish. Fish caught on bait, then released, have a much higher mortality rate. The state decided that all bait-caught fish will count toward your limit because, whether you kept it or not, the fish will likely die. You could catch and release not all day, but you would have killed darn near as many fish as you would have if you just kept them.
Once you have caught your limit of fish, you are done fishing NO MATTER WHAT METHOD BEING USED. You have a limit for a reason. Fishing beyond your limit is illegal--unless, of course, you move on to target a different species that does not count toward the same limit. You cannot reach your limit of trout, then continue fishing for trout--PERIOD. You cannot "grade" with this method--ILLEGAL!
BTW bait is any sort of attractant, whether it be a worm or powerbait...or even a non-edible jelly or scent!!!
I can't believe this is still so mis-understood. It is defined in the regs--which you are "required" to know. It has also been discussed in depth, with clarification from the WDFW, in the washingtonlakes.com forum!