On rivers that require you to release kings is it still exceptable to catch and release kings or can you get into trouble for targeting these fish?

If you catch them incidentally to other species (hatchery coho for example) and release them carefully, (DO NOT take them out of the water) you are probably OK. However, if you've got a wrapped K-16 Kwikfish hanging off of your rod and the warden sees it, you'll probably have some explaining to do. Bottom line, DON'T intentionally target species that are closed.

Thats a crock I've caught my biggest and baddest silvers off of wrapped kwickies?!?!?! I could see if I'm catchin king after king after king and kept doing it but if I'm catching silvers am I wrong?? I think not. What size am I able to use k-14, k-15? Don't see anything about it in the regs

Tight lines

Kevin

Kevin,

I have no doubt that you've caught big silvers on wrapped Kwikies. Hey, let's be real. When you run the big ones, it's pretty obvious what the target is. How about a little experiment. Are you game? Go to the Hump,or the upper Skagit, between Marblemount and rockport, and fish those K-16's. Let the warden see you. Then cry me a river.

[ 10-17-2001: Message edited by: 4Salt ]

What if you're using eggs? That's as versitile as a kwikfish, you'll catch most everything when using both. If the river's open to one strain of fish and you catch the other you aren't going to get into trouble. Silvers and chinook tend to hang in similar water. But if it's a run of fish that is hurting, why pressure them?
Keith

I've run k-14 and k-15 on both brah. I don't run the 16's very often at all. Does this mean if I'm running heavy line on some of my rods that I'm targeting kings too. Had someone say that the gamies were stopping guys for that too. And in fact I was on one of those rivers this month and I got four nice chrome BIG silvers on K-15's and didn't touch a king. But like stlhdr 1 said when we were side drifting eggs we hit a king guess I should eliminate that tactic too aye?? What ever...

Tight lines

Kevin

[ 10-18-2001: Message edited by: Kevin ]

Kevin,

I think we might be getting a little off track here. Obviously eggs will take both kings and silvers. The original question was "Will I get into trouble if I TARGET KINGS while they are closed." Again, obviously, when your fishing with both species present you will inevitably end up hooking kings. What I'm trying to point out is that you're not supposed to SPECIFICALLY TARGET the kings when they are closed to taking. Kevin, I'm sure that you are an experienced salmon fisherman. You gotta know that when you run wrapped K-16's through the deep holes, you are targeting kings. If you want more of a grey area, backbounce some eggs through. That way the warden will have less of a case to write you up.

My two cents,

I have had great success on K-16 with sardine wraps for big silvers. And can even remember one trip when kings were in the river and we took a limit of silvers on 15's and 16's. I will say they are very effective on kings. Now I would agree if there were only steelhead and kings in the river there would be an argument that you were targeting the kings, but with both present and the regs not stating you can't I say its fine.

4salt,
Think we are argeeing that if you are catching kings on every fish you might wanta ch***e up things a little. Like goin out to the Skag and pulling kickies in the summer there is something up with that but if big silvers are out I'll pull 15's for them in addition to other tactics.

Tight lines

Kevin

It all boils down to this- You know in your mind what you are doing and if your targeting fish your not suspose to don't do it. I do appreciate the game wardens being out and keeping unhonest fisherman honest