That's gonna leave a mark!.... WDFW announces Lake closures

[Larry3215]

I think it would help if everyone took a deep breath.......hold it...........let it out really sloooooowly........

Aaaaaahhhhhh..... Better now?

Tempers are getting short on ALL sides. When that happens, reason goes out the window and we only make things worse.

Its the same thing at the upper levels of this situation. WDFW and the tribes and NOAA are all mad at everyone else and that doesnt help either.

I dont know what to do either, but if we fight amongst ourselves we wont get anywhere.

[jonb]

True that larry. Agree violently. Ill try to tone it down too.

[jonb]

I think it would help if everyone took a deep breath.......hold it...........let it out really sloooooowly........

Aaaaaahhhhhh..... Better now?

Lol , hey its legal in washington now, i bet that would calm some tensions.

[Larry3215]

LOL You caught that did you? ;)

[countryboy87]

I think it would help if everyone took a deep breath.......hold it...........let it out really sloooooowly........

Aaaaaahhhhhh..... Better now?

Lol , hey its legal in washington now, i bet that would calm some tensions.

LOL

[Let's_Go_Fishing!]

I'm surprised they didn't close Baker lake. What about refunds for salt water licenses? The latter question's probably a joke even asking.

[jonb]

Refund? Lol theyre still selling saltwater licenses. I was at fred meyers in everett yesterday cashing a check and saw 3 different people buying their licenses...

[Let's_Go_Fishing!]

That's what I meant Jonb. It's laughable to think they'd issue any kind of refund but should make allowances somehow. As heated as things continue to be, hopefully this won't spill over into violence towards Natives. This shouldn't have taken place to begin with. It's as bad as DC congressional lawmakers and politicians. The public takes the hit

Refund? Lol theyre still selling saltwater licenses. I was at fred meyers in everett yesterday cashing a check and saw 3 different people buying their licenses...

[Larry3215]

Got no choice if you want to fish for lings or halibut. Lots of guys with boats they cant trailer easily, already moored in a marina or only set up to fish salt.

[Bodofish]

I'm just going to toss this right out there. I purchased my combo license knowing full well what was in the works. Am I worried about a refund? NO. Regardless of what and how much fishing I do in the salt, the net result is the same. We still need to fund the WDFW. They still have the same if not more operational costs. They work for us and they are paid by us.

I'm sorry if anyone doesn't like my attitude, the State is us and we are the State. If you are not part of the State, perhaps you would rather live in California? Or maybe Idaho?

[Amx]

Or Canada.

[Let's_Go_Fishing!]

Thank you Larry for a helpful answer that does not involve insulting digs.

Got no choice if you want to fish for lings or halibut. Lots of guys with boats they cant trailer easily, already moored in a marina or only set up to fish salt.

[Larry3215]

I'm just going to toss this right out there. I purchased my combo license knowing full well what was in the works. Am I worried about a refund? NO. Regardless of what and how much fishing I do in the salt, the net result is the same. We still need to fund the WDFW. They still have the same if not more operational costs. They work for us and they are paid by us.

I'm sorry if anyone doesn't like my attitude, the State is us and we are the State. If you are not part of the State, perhaps you would rather live in California? Or maybe Idaho?

I have to at least partially agree with this.

While I dont agree with everything they have done over the years or how they have contributed (to what ever degree) to the decline in our fisheries, they are on our side more than anyone else. There is no one else fighting for our right to fish that is in a position to help us as much as they are.

That said, I didnt buy my license to support them. I want to fish for lings and halibut and walleye and bass, etc. But it makes no sense to cut off my nose to spite my face by fighting with or trying to tear down WDFW at this point in time.

We need them.

[Bodofish]

I normally fish in the salt quite a bit but it looks to be pretty much curtailed, I see no reason to kick them for bad leadership the last few years and NOAA not wanting to do their job and getting upset with the State because they ask them to actually do their job with the ESA. Bureaucracy is rampant at the fed level. They've been left to themselves to fiddle around with their academia for far too long, its time they started to earn their keep.

[Ttate]

Stupid thing is by catching bass and perch we would actually be helping the salmon smolts by removing predators

[BARCHASER10]

Absolutely. I've never cleaned a Smallie but I would think they would have smolts in their gut. Particularly Sockeye since the life cycle of a Sockeye smolt is they are born in the river, then they move down to a lake at a very early age, and stay in the Lake until they are big enough to migrate to the salt. So they are in the lake for quite awhile, are very small and perfect prey for bass and perch I would think. But Chinooks and Coho in Lake Wa and Samm, either wild or hatchery are fairly large and only in the lake temporarily on their way to the salt.

I don't get it either. Seems like whenever the ESA comes up, its all about lawyers, judges and laws and common sense no longer applies. Too many laws, too many lawyers.

Stupid thing is by catching bass and perch we would actually be helping the salmon smolts by removing predators

[ptfletcher]

I did some research on salmon smolt predation in Lake Washington. SMB do take their share of smolts, but the Northern Pikeminnow takes more. Cutthroat also are on the list. Smolts are most at danger in the rivers, when first entering the lake, and when leaving the lake. The entrance to the Montlake Cut starts a gauntlet through Portage Bay and Lake Union.

http://www.ci.bellevue.wa.us/pdf/Land%2 ... hinook.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/research/report ... /694.1.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I had planned on dedicating some fishing time to pursue pikeminnow. Maybe use them for crab bait. And save some salmon smolt.

[Let's_Go_Fishing!]

Thank you for the informative post ptfletcher. This site is more helpful than most fishing websites. We fished a local lake yesterday that has rainbow trout and smallies. Having grown up in the south, I've done my share of bass fishing. My drug of choice is salmon fishing

I did some research on salmon smolt predation in Lake Washington. SMB do take their share of smolts, but the Northern Pikeminnow takes more. Cutthroat also are on the list. Smolts are most at danger in the rivers, when first entering the lake, and when leaving the lake. The entrance to the Montlake Cut starts a gauntlet through Portage Bay and Lake Union.

http://www.ci.bellevue.wa.us/pdf/Land%2 ... hinook.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/research/report ... /694.1.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I had planned on dedicating some fishing time to pursue pikeminnow. Maybe use them for crab bait. And save some salmon smolt.

[sickbayer]

Today I stopped by Kenmore launch on lake Washington and saw a bass guy prepping is boat. he was going out fishing, i thought maybe i should tell him. He was shocked it was closed, few minutes later another bass fisherman comes to the launch to take his boat out of the lake he didn't know either. He said he was fishing the cannal too. they appreciated me letting them know not sure if they totally believerd me or not.

[Larry3215]

It would be nice if they posted some signs at the launches. Nasty ticket if they get caught.