Okay, I attended the SnoKing Anglers meeting tonight, and Tom Nelson of Salmon University debuted his chum stick. He asserted that it was legal to chum in saltwater, and that he had used the device to catch dozens of fish.

I got home, and took a look at the regs, and I think he might be wrong. On the Statewide Rules section (page 9), it states that you may not "Chum (broadcast feed) to attract game fish unless authorized by Special Rules."

I'm not seeing any exceptions in the Marine Area section... Does anyone know where it states you can chum, or did Tom Nelson just admit to a room of a hundred or so people that he broke WDFW fishing regulations to catch dozens of salmon?

Am I wrong?

Most saltwater species are not classified as game fish. They're classified as food fish, and it is legal to chum for them. Salmon, halibut, rockfish, and even steelhead all fall into this catigory.

LOL......now, who'd athunk? Pretty tricky there, Watson!

ARK,
Steelhead are a food fish? Always thought they were a game fish, hmmm. Have to do some kind of search.

Glad Tom wasn't breaking the rules!

Jim

Plus that is essentially what you do, chum, when crabbing or shrimping.

With the number of rigs I lose in a days fishing, you could almost call that chumming!

Ooops. You are mostly correct. Non-landlocked salmon are classified as food fish. My bad.

Steelhead, though, are game fish, not food fish.

Fun 5 Acres

Do you fish Diamond or Beckett Point? Have you fished the area accross from Trendswest at the City Lake outfall at Eaglemount? The Neville's (William & Gerald) taught me that spot years ago have caught some real nice winter blackmouth over the years there as well as out in front of our place at Adelma Beach.

I believe that steelhead are still classified as food fish, though I don't have the regs handy to check. I remember hearing something about some tribe or other fighting to keep them classified as food fish so they can continue to net them in the rivers. I could be wrong, though. Can anyone check their regs to make sure?

From my copy of the Washington Fishing Regulations (page 15):

FOOD FISH
Includes forage fish, halibut, bottomfish,
common carp, shad, tuna, mackerel, salmon
and sturgeon.

GAME FISH
Includes bass, burbot (freshwater ling),
catfish, crappie, grayling, northern
pikeminnow, peamouth chub, yellow perch,
northern pike, tiger musky, sucker, sunfish,
trout (including steelhead and kokanee),
landlocked chinook, coho and Atlantic
salmon, walleye and whitefish.