Personal use fishing options change substantially with the close of October.
Monday, Oct. 31, the open season wraps up for many key lakes around the state whose trout populations provide countless hours of spring and summer recreation.
In flowing water realms, stream fishing for gamefish transitions to an array of mainstem mainly steelheading options while all other open tributaries (both lowland and mountain) shut down for another winter.
While freshwater salmon anglers may soldier on from Tuesday, Nov. 1, fishing in nearby saltwater venues including waters off Whatcom County goes into hiatus for 30, and in some cases more, days.
LOCAL LAKES CLOSING
On Whatcom County's end-of-October trout waters closing list are Padden, Toad, Cain and Silver lakes, mainly because of their trout stocking regimes.
Joining those waters in shutting down for the season are Whatcom, Baker and Ross lakes, all reservoirs in which the fisheries are sustained by naturally reproducing populations of one or mor gamefish species that need to be conserved to insure adequate numbers of breeding fish are available for spawning and younger fish can grow.
STREAMS IN TRANSITION
The Nooksack River's mainstem and the lower reaches of its three forks will stay open for gamefish angling after Tuesday, Nov. 1, with trout retention including hatchery (adipose fin clipped) steelhead set at two per day with a minimum size of 14 inches.
Exceptions to this basic formula are the South Fork Nooksack in which anglers may only catch and release all trout species, but marked steelhead which may be killed, and the North Fork Nooksack from Maple Creek upstream to Nooksack Falls where the selective gear rule applies.
Whatcom Creek, downstream of the Woburn Street bridge also stays open to the end of February.
SALTWATERS ON HOLD
Marine Area 7 salmon fishing halts for the month of November, but reopens Thursday, Dec. 1, for the winter salmon season under a two chinook (minimum size 22-inches) per day bag limit.
Hardcore Whatcom salmon fishers do have the choice of trailering or cruising to marine areas 8-1, 8-2 and 9 for November hook and line opportunities.
During the Marine Area 7 November hiatus, cabezon are the sole noteworthy bottomfish species that may be kept by anglers, but that permission stops when salmon fishing resumes as the winter blackmouth fishery.
MORE FISHING NEWS
Check Sunday's fishing and hunting column for a further listing of fall and winter fishing options and additional discussion of the fishing regulations change process.
Doug Huddle, the Bellingham Herald's outdoors correspondent, has, since 1983, written a weekly fishing and hunting column that appears Fridays. Read his blog and contact him at pblogs.bellinghamherald.com/outdoors/.
