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Local News

Fishing for hatchery steelhead to reopen Methow, Wenatchee and Icicle rivers

By NCBI
Mar 16, 2012

Starting Friday, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) will reopen selective fisheries for hatchery-reared steelhead on the Methow, Wenatchee, and Icicle rivers on a short-term basis.

Anglers will be allowed to catch whitefish in the Methow and Wenatchee rivers so long as those rivers are open to steelhead fishing.

Steelhead fisheries in all three rivers are tentatively scheduled to run through March 31, but could end sooner if fishing impacts on wild steelhead reach annual federal limits, said Jeff Korth, regional WDFW fish manager.

"These limited openings are designed to support wild-steelhead recovery by reducing the number of hatchery fish on the spawning grounds," Korth said. "Anglers can play an important role in that effort by removing hatchery fish not needed to meet spawning goals."

Because the fisheries could close on short notice, Korth recommends that anglers check the department's Fishing Hotline at (360-902-2500) or Fishing Rule website (http://wdfw.wa.gov/) for updates.

The Similkameen and Okanogan rivers will remain open for steelhead fishing, although sections of the Okanogan River around the mouth of Omak and Tonasket creeks will close to all fishing March 16 to protect wild steelhead staging for spawning.

The daily limit on all rivers open to fishing is two hatchery steelhead, marked with a clipped adipose fin and measuring at least 20 inches in length. Anglers must retain any legal hatchery steelhead they catch until they reach their daily limit of two fish. At that point, they must stop fishing for steelhead.

Any steelhead with an intact adipose fin must be released unharmed and must not be removed from the water.

Selective gear rules apply to all areas where steelhead seasons are open. All anglers are required to follow selective gear rules and restrictions described in WDFW's Fishing in Washington pamphlet, available online at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations/.

Areas that will be open to fishing for hatchery steelhead on March 16 include:


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