Northwest Reel Life April 2024 Volume 3 Issue 6 - Flipbook - Page 14
Daily limits here were
reduced a few years ago
and now 7 rockfish of
certain species combined
such as black rockfish,
blue rockfish, canary and
vermillion, and a few other
species. Also new last year
is a restriction for certain
species between June 1st
and July 31st, including
copper, canary, and other
popular species. There is
also a depth restriction of 20
fathoms except for halibut
days which can be a bit
confusing. As of this writing
the current regulations have
not been published for the
upcoming license season so
be sure to check the WDFW
website for updates.
In Marine Area 5 which is
the only other marine area
where rockfish can be
retained in Washington, the
limit is 1 or 3 depending on
which side of Slip Point you
are on, and only black or
blue rockfish can be kept.
14 | NWFISHING.net
You also must use barbless
hooks, even for non-rockfish
bottomfish, such as halibut
and lingcod which most
anglers do not realize is
required. After a quick chat
last year at the dock at
Sekiu with a WDFW Game
Warden we learned that the
only thing she wanted to
check was our hooks. Not
worried about our licenses
or catch record cards, she
just wanted to make sure we
were using barbless hooks
in the halibut we caught.
The last one had swallowed
the bait and hook, and it
was easier to just cut the
leader, so we obliged and
allowed her to cut the hook
out which was barbless, and
she was happy. Turns out
that anglers did not know
about the new rule, so it was
more of a day of education
for them. Luckily, we knew
the rules. We also showed
our licenses and catch
record cards just to really
put an exclamation point on
following all the rules.
