Hey buddy - thanks for the report, but it sounds like you did some illegal 'grading'. If you were using bait the whole time (you may not have been - but i'm going with what you reported), then you should have stopped after the 5th fish (I think that's the limit there).

Watch what kind of dirty look (if not a lecture and warning) you get from the Cove Resort owners when you tell them you "did pretty good, but only kept the big ones...". They get bent out of shape on that one

Many folks just don't understand this rule. So word of mouth and the internet will help spread the word - if the game warden doesn't get to the offenders first... (nothing worth losing your liscense, gear, and getting a nice fat fine over)

Good luck out there,
Chad

The regs do not specify Fish lake as one where you cant use bait so we did when we trolled.
And if we catch and release then keeping two fish
does not fulfill our daily limit of five each.
if there are special rules I should know of please inform me So I may be a better fisherman.

If I recall when fishing with bait no matter if caught or released 5 fish is the limit, when fishing with bait. It's in the reg's which we should all read.

Jeff - there is nothing 'special' regarding the regs at Fish.

Most folks are just not reading the fine print when it comes to bait fishing.

Trout master is right, when fishing with bait in WA lakes, you must consider all caught fish part of your daily limit. If any of those fish are hooked badly, they must be kept (this goes for bait, flies, lures, etc).

If you like to C\R, that is great. Sometimes what I do is start out with no bait. If the fishing is good, I don't use it, and C\R all I want (keeping badly hooked ones). If fishing slows down, I may stick on some bait, and fish until I've caught my limit (whether I kept them or not).

If a game warden watches a person (or if that person is reported to the warden) catch 5 fish while using bait, and that person keeps fishing (even if they switch to lures\flies), then they are can be busted.

This is very hard to enforce, but it is designed to slightly improve the quality of our put and take lakes. To many folks throw the little ones back - regarless of how badly hooked, just so they can fill their stringer with only the big guys (this is called grading).

hey i have a question... does that count with worms??

My mistake I aplogize, the rules do state fish till you get five even if you put them all back.

But I would like to see the one person around who catches five little 6-7 inchers then calls it a day!!!! If the fish are hooked bad or not going to make it, then we keep them. And when we fish we don't just lunk on a bunch of bait and hope for the best, I use all my go to lures before i hit the bait.

okay.... if i am bait fishing, as soon as i catch 5, i quit. no matter what. Even if I threw back 5 6-7 inchers.
It's plain and simple... Is losing all your gear with a good fine really worth it? I've gone on a ride-along with a warden... and the fines they give out, with the gear they bring in... boy, i wont break any rules that easy.