Are people still fishing?

[jennabug]

The Smallie fishing on Banks today was great, caught a lot of fish on grubs and blade baits in 15 to 30 feet. Fished blade baits in 25 to 35 feet and caught a few big Walleye. Heading back tomorrow and Saturday

Awesome!   

[lokidog]

The Smallie fishing on Banks today was great, caught a lot of fish on grubs and blade baits in 15 to 30 feet. Fished blade baits in 25 to 35 feet and caught a few big Walleye. Heading back tomorrow and Saturday

Awesome!   

Nice! My favorite WA lake.

[pnwbestlife]

I fished for bottom fish out of Westport earlier in the week. It was pretty good:

for the video about our trip and going over the westport bar.

[plugger]

Go every chance I get, on vacation for a couple more days, took the time off to fish a tournament but it got canceled. I still went fishing, and from what I have seen, it hasn't kept anyone off the water.

[cavemann]

went out Thurs - Sat last week.  You wouldn't know anything was different.  If anything the weekdays have been busier than usual

[bassquatch]

Wonder how much of it will stop now? State Parks are closed and I bet WDFW access site are soon to follow?! 

[huntnnw]

they still cant stop you from going fishing

[Gobble Doc]

they still cant stop you from going fishing

You got a private lake?


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[huntnnw]

no, theres nothing they can do. If you wanna go shed hunting,fishing, hiking go for it. Police already issued a statement here saying there is no enforcement of it. No arrests ,tickets etc

[Gobble Doc]

no, theres nothing they can do. If you wanna go shed hunting,fishing, hiking go for it. Police already issued a statement here saying there is no enforcement of it. No arrests ,tickets etc

Good luck with that if you decide to go clamming and tell law enforcement to go pound sand when they politely ask you to leave the beach.


SOUTH BEND — On Sunday, March 22, Pacific County Health Officer Dr. Steven Krager ordered the closure of all beach approaches and hospitality lodging businesses in Pacific County.

The order does not apply to people who have resided in the lodging since March 17.

The City of Long Beach ordered its three beach approaches closed at 6 a.m. on Sunday, March 22. Mayor Jerry Phillips said the city was hit hard by tourists this weekend, which made it difficult to enforce social distancing in downtown Long Beach.

On March 19, the county also cancelled a clam dig set to begin on March 20.

Violation of or failure to comply with the order could result in; a misdemeanor punishable by a fine, imprisonment up to ninety days, or both. The Pacific County Sheriff's Office and other law enforcement agencies are empowered to enforce the order.


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[huntnnw]

I am not talking about a closed clamming season, lakes,river, ocean whatever may be open have it.

[Bullkllr]

Weed stores are still open for business. Distributing Budweiser is an essential service.

I'm drawing my own conclusions while personally continuing to minimize interactions and maintaining distances

[lokidog]

Caught, and released eight fish today on the way home from buying fuel oil and some groceries in town. I'll keep fishing when I feel like it, thank you.... Unfortunately, I did not get to eat fresh Greenling for dinner.

[gaddy]

Went today to one of our local ponds. Only 3 of us on the pond and not one bite that I saw. I wont fish it if I can't keep distance from others. The other day I thought I was safe where I was until this family with a large suv pulled up and two adults with 5 kids pulled up, got out and swarmed me, non of which talked English. I left. Not trying to be racist but are they not getting the message? Not only was it rude, but I had made an effort to be away from others. A lot of folks were bringing their kids out to the fishing hole and crowding each other.

[jackelope]

Not anymore....


WDFW NEWS RELEASE
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
1111 Washington St. SE, Olympia, WA 98501
http://wdfw.wa.gov/

March 25, 2020
Contact: Kelly Cunningham, 360-902-2325
Public Affairs contact: Ben Anderson, 360-480-4465

WDFW closes recreational fishing statewide in wake of governor's order to 'Stay Home, Stay Healthy' in response to COVID-19

OLYMPIA – The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) today announced its decision to temporarily close recreational fishing and shellfishing statewide in the wake of Washington Gov. Jay Inslee's order directing Washingtonians to stay home and stay healthy to limit the spread of coronavirus/COVID-19.

The closures will begin at midnight Wednesday, March 25 and last until at least 5 p.m. on April 8, 2020. WDFW will re-evaluate on April 6 whether the closure may need to be extended.

"This is not a decision we take lightly, but it's the right thing to do for the health and well-being of Washington's families," said WDFW Director Kelly Susewind. "Monday's extraordinary order for the residents of our state to stay home requires all of us to work together to ensure these measures have the intended effect."

Fishery managers have reported that some anglers have been seen crowding banks as concerns over coronavirus have continued.

"We've seen an uptick in outdoor recreation at some locations in recent weeks as people have looked for ways to get outside," said WDFW Fish Program Director Kelly Cunningham. "We've had reports of crowded boat ramps and busy fishing on some rivers, which runs counter to the governor's direction to stay home and practice social distancing."

In addition, many salmon and steelhead fisheries require regular monitoring under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), which includes conducting angler interviews at access sites surrounding the state's marine waters. The on-site, face-to-face nature of angler interviews puts people at potential risk of transmitting the coronavirus. Without such monitoring, these recreational fisheries must close to ensure ESA protections.

WDFW and other state agencies previously closed all of their water access sites, including boat launches, and other public lands where people may gather. Local and tribal governments are taking similar actions across Washington.

WDFW Enforcement officers remain on duty and will be enforcing these new closures.

The lowland lakes opening day for trout remains scheduled for April 25, but will be evaluated depending on whether the governor's "Stay Home, Stay Healthy" order might be further extended.

For the latest updates on WDFW's coronavirus response, please visit https://wdfw.wa.gov/about/covid-19-updates. Updates to openings and closures will be posted to that page. For the latest information on the statewide response to this pandemic, visit https://coronavirus.wa.gov/.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is the state agency tasked with preserving, protecting, and perpetuating fish, wildlife, and ecosystems, while providing sustainable fishing, hunting, and other recreation opportunities.