going blind sorting out fishing regs

Hi all,
 I am a returnee to the northwest, just getting into kayak fishing and picked up a fish and game booklet the other day to see what kind of fishing is available.  I must have a small brain because it was waaay hard to understand.  In general no specific date terms, could one of you kind of list how a fishing year up here looks on salt water.  for example... blackmouth from mid nov to april. halibut from ... to .. crab from, bottom fish from etc.  my wife and i live in sequim and are looking to do some kind of fishing/crabbing all year long. I don't need specific dates but just generally how the year would play out. At this point it is not to plan a trip but to dream one.
thanks, doug in sequim

Since you are in Marine Area 6, concentrate on those particular marine regs and ignore the other marine area regs, unless you are planning to fish them. Then read up on those regs (for the other area) right before you fish there. This will help you to avoid confusion, since each Marine Area has different regs.

Same with the shellfish regs. You have general rules, species rules, marine area rules that differ from area to area, and a "special rules for public beaches" section that is well worth reading. Also check the WDFW website for emergency rule changes.

For fresh water, the special rules trump the general statewide rules for any piece of water where the special rules are in effect. Otherwise, go with the general rules.

I translate the regs literally and don't try to over think 'em. For example, there is nothing in the regs that says I can't use treble hooks on my hard jigs (Buzz Bombs, Dungeness Stingers, etc) for bottom fishing the coastal waters (in my home waters of Marine Area 2) when salmon season is closed. They just state that I have to use single-point barbless when fishing for salmon.  I take that to mean Its OK to use trebles in WA coastal waters for bottomfish when the ocean salmon season is closed.
Ya don't need a lawyer to figure that out!

I know fishermen who seem to have a lot of areas figured for run timing, etc, to the point where they hit each place at about the right time to ensure success. They try to be in the right place at the right time to maximize their "catching."  If you keep a fishing log book over the years, that will eventually help you spot patterns.

Also, hook up with a knowledgeable local, if possible.

I have several copies of the regs. One in each vehicle, a few sitting around the house and garage, and the remnants of one in my fishing pack. I carry them with me for my own protection so that I can refer to them and avoid running afoul of the complex regs. I'm always surprised at the number of people who prefer to be looking over their shoulders all the time.
I have actually been checked by game wardens over half a dozen times in the last 20 years, and knowledge of the regs has protected me.

Have fun and good luck!

Thank you, That helps to simplify things. I will definately talk around locally as well. doug

Forgot to say that you need to check the Olympic Nat'l Pk website for their fishing regs, in case you're wondering about yakfishing lakes Crescent and Ozette.

thanks,doug

Sometimes its tough to figure out where certain boundaries are.
For example, during the Fall, the upper spawning areas of rivers are usually closed to salmon angling. We get to fish for the salmon in the lower parts of the rivers, and some bridge, tributary, or other geographical feature usually marks the boundary.

On a small local stream, the Johns River, the deadline is a certain creek, named Ballon Creek. I have a map that I printed off the internet based on past US Geological Society topo maps.
The creek named Ballon on my map is actually the adjacent creek upstream from the creek the locals here 'bouts know to be Ballon Creek.
This could be confusing and get you in trouble. I carried a printout of that map with me and fished above the "real" Ballon Creek for Cutthroat with my flyrod and barbless trout flies for a few years (when it was closed during Oct and Nov. for the salmon spawning season) before I talked with some locals who live along the river and learned that I was actually fishing closed waters. The map makers were wrong in this case.
The funny thing is that my truck was parked along the road upriver and i was often seen walking in with my fishing gear. Nobody ever mentioned anything to me until I asked someone about it, so I was clueless.
I still carry a copy of that map with me when I fish around there, but I go with the "local knowledge" now.

Thanks CHM, I am starting to meet some folks over here who are giving me the scoop. As i searched the forum i now don't feel so stupid. Seems others sometimes struggle with understanding the regs. Anyway thanks, we get out kayaks in a couple of weeks and i think we are going to just paddle for a few trips to get the feel of the kayaks. I think our first spot might be a place called freshwater cove out of port angeles. Seems like it might be pretty good for some bottom fish from what i have read.
Thanks again, doug

Doug, Salmon opens up in Area 6 on Feb 13th (Saturday!) and I read in the PDN that Freshwater Bay might be a good place to target the Blackmouth. The article I read said that most of the fish were still to the West of Port Townsend, and that Freshwater Bay, off of Ediz Hook, and off of Dungeness Spit would be the spots to check out.

I haven't ever paddled Freshwater Bay, but I'd like to give it a go sometime this year. Beautiful spot. I used to surf at the mouth of the Elwha River there back in the 80's and 90's.

If I go to visit my folks in Sequim, I'll be sure to take a yak and my fishing gear. Probably give you a holler before i head up.

 CHM, I'll be listnening if you holler. sounds like we are getting the kayaks and my dry suit 1st week of march. thanks

Freshwater Bay has decent parking, the bay is shallow with lots of mud exposed on really low tides.  Use your depthfinder, if you're bottomfishing you know what to look for. For Blackmouth, buzzbombs or Crippled Herring work well along the 1 fathom line (90 feet for the landlubbers) and blackmouth (and summer kings )  can be really goof in the Bay, I used to troll along a line bewtween the 2 points at east and west ends of the bay.  from a recent article:

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Floor said the real sleeper, in this region has been Freshwater Bay, immediately west Port Angeles. King fishing was so hot, the kelp beds were on fire.

"This is the second year in a row for tremendous fishing at Freshwater Bay and it will make my list of places to be in 2010, especially in early August," he said. "I give Freshwater Bay an A-plus.

"No, I am not selling real estate at Freshwater Bay," Floor said. "I consider myself part of the hundreds of thousands of Washington anglers who dig this sport. It is a major reason why I have lived here all my life and continue to believe that sport salmon fishing belongs in Washington, along with Mount Rainier."
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Should be some lings in the boulder farm at the west end, around 100 -120 feet.  Do not venture out on an east wind!!  I was almost blown to Yokohama once when the kicker on my little skiff died, in rising wind and fog. I had launched from Seiku, and by the time someone in a big PB noticed me waving and blowing my whistle, I was 5 miles west of Seiku, headed for Japan! Scary experience.  The bay is nicely protected from the usual S-SW winds, but notherliess and especially easterlies can make it nasty real fast!!   As always, dress for the water temp, and have a VHF with charged battery, cell fone too.  Stay safe out there, and post some fish pix!

I think you fat-fingered the fathom #s, KT, and gave us a "typo."  I'm a 99% landlubber, and I always thought 1 fathom = 6 feet.   
90 feet = 15 fathoms.
Thanks for the great info, though!