Washington Weekender Report 30 April 2012

Fishing options sprout in May for trout, halibut, shrimp, lingcod

This is the time of year when new fishing opportunities start popping open like daffodils in the afternoon sun. Shrimp and lingcod in Puget Sound. Halibut there and off the Washington coast. Spring chinook salmon on the Chehalis and Yakima rivers.

But none of those fisheries draw bigger crowds than the lowland lakes trout-fishing season, which opened April 28 statewide. In preparation for opening day, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) planted millions of trout, ranging from 11-inch "catchables" to 11-pound jumbos.

"The weather was good, and so was the fishing," said Chris Donley, WDFW's inland fish manager. "We saw a lot of limits taken at lakes throughout the state."

But opening day is just one day of many in the state's trout season, Donley said. Now the tanker trucks are rolling again, delivering more fish to Washington lakes.

"We stock lakes with trout for the whole season, not just opening day," Donley said. "Trout fishing should be highly productive in lowland lakes through June, and then again in September. In higher-elevation lakes, fishing should be good right through the summer."

For most anglers, a valid 2012-13 fishing license is required to fish in Washington state. The exception is young people under age 15, who fish for free.

Licenses and permits are avaiIable online (https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov/ ), by phone (1-866-246-9453) and from sporting goods stores and other retail license dealers around the state. A list of license vendors is available at http://wdfw.wa.gov/licensing/vendors/ and from local WDFW offices.

Key dates for fisheries opening in May include:

• May 1 - Lingcod fishing opens in Puget Sound. Also spring chinook fishing opens on the Chehalis River.
• May 3 - Halibut fishing opens in Marine Areas 6-10 in Puget Sound. Halibut fishing also opens in Marine Area 1 off the south coast (Ilwaco).
• May 5-7 - Last razor-clam dig of the season, at Twin Harbors only.
• May 5 - Shrimp fishing opens in areas of Puget Sound.
• May 6 - Halibut fishing opens in Marine Area 2 off the south coast (Westport and Ocean Shores)
• May 10 - Halibut fishing opens in marine areas 3 and 4 off the north coast (La Push/Neah Bay).
• May 24 - Halibut fishing opens in Marine Area 5 (Sekiu/Pillar Point)

For more information about these and other outdoor activities coming up in the weeks ahead, see the region-by-region Weekender Reports on WDFW's website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/weekender/ . These reports are updated throughout the month for changes in fishing rules and other developments throughout the state.

Oregon Outdoor Rec Report April 25,2012

Time for trout!
April 28 is the traditional opener for Oregon’s number one gamefish. Select rivers and lakes throughout the state open for trout fishing on Saturday. Check the zone reports for the latest reports on stocking and conditions.
New to trout fishing? We’ve got lost of resources to help on our trout page.

Go spring turkey hunting
Anyone can purchase a tag, anytime before going hunting. See our hunting forecast for tips for beginners and what to expect this season.

Apply for your fall controlled hunt
Avoid the long lines at the May 15 deadline by applying online now.
Spring migrants are arriving on Sauvie Island Wildlife Area
Look for orange-crowned warblers, Pacific-slope flycatchers and purple martins. The Westside, Oak Island and the North Units of the Wildlife Area opened on April 16. All areas require an ODFW Parking Permit. See the ODFW Viewing Map for locations.
Big game raffle tickets on sale thru May 7
Just $4.50 could get you (or a friend or family member) the chance to hunt deer for three months. Elk, combo deer/elk, bighorn sheep, Rocky Mtn goat and pronghorn antelope tickets also available. Buy a raffle ticket online or fax or mail this application.

ODFW to begin hazing cormorants on Oregon coast

April 17, 2012

Cormorants roost on old pilings while fishing in an estuary on the Oregon coast. (Click image to enlarge)

TILLAMOOK, Ore. – With hundreds of thousands of young salmon now making their way toward the ocean, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is ramping up efforts to make sure they get there and aren’t picked off by hungry birds along the way.

For the next month and a half, volunteers assisting ODFW staff will haze cormorants to keep them from feasting on salmon smolts as the young fish run the gauntlet through five coastal estuaries on their way to the Pacific Ocean.

Cormorants are large seabirds that inhabit Oregon’s estuaries during the spring and summer. They are voracious eaters and can consume up to two pounds of fish per day … roughly the equivalent of about 12 salmon smolts when the fish are released as juveniles from ODFW’s hatcheries at Tillamook, Nehalem, Hebo, Alsea and Coquille.

Cormorants have been identified by sportsmen’s groups and others as a potential threat the outbound migration of salmon and steelhead. Members of those organizations are assisting in the hazing program by providing manpower and equipment needed for daily hazing chores while ODFW provides fuel and oversight. Hazing generally consists of a person in a small boat interrupting the birds’ feeding patterns by driving toward them while they are in the water foraging for fish. At times, pyrotechnics are used to scare the birds away.

“Cormorants will eat what’s most abundant,” said Lindsay Adrean, ODFW’s avian predation coordinator. “The idea is to move the cormorants towards the lower estuary and ocean where they will have many other kinds of fish to choose from. This also provides the salmon with extra time to disperse, making them less vulnerable to predation.”\

Volunteers will be working in Tillamook and Alsea bays and mouths of the Nehalem, Nestucca and Coquille rivers through the end of May. Manpower is being provided by the Port of Nehalem, Port of Bandon, North Coast Salmon and Steelhead Enhancement Fund, and Alsea Sportsmen’s Association.

In addition to improving salmon out-migration the hazing project will help ODFW gather baseline information about cormorant population trends and the effectiveness of hazing. It’s a tricky proposition, according to Adrean, because cormorants are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, so extra care must be used to ensure the birds are not injured or killed. At the same time, cormorant populations have been increasing on East Sand Island near the mouth of the Columbia River. Population surveys indicate there are about 2,300 cormorant breeding pairs in the estuaries between Tillamook Bay and the Rogue River, and 12,000 breeding pairs on East Sand Island. Researchers want to know how future changes in the distribution of cormorants might impact coastal salmon populations.

“We hear a lot from people who think cormorants are having an impact, so that’s what we’re working on,” said Adrean. “We’re trying to find the right balance. That’s the key.”

Oregon DFW Weekly Report

You bring the family, we’ve got the clam shovel

Join ODFW for a Family Razor Clamming Workshop on Sunday, May 6 (sorry, the Saturday class is full) at Fort Stevens State Park near Astoria. Registration is $40 for adults and $10 for children under 18 and includes the use of all necessary equipment, instruction/materials and lunch. Get more information here.

Learn how to fly fish

There are still a few openings in the Becoming an Outdoor Woman Fly Fishing Workshop on May 19 near Sisters. Registration includes all necessary gear, flies, lunch and the opportunity to fish in the Wizard Falls Hatchery pond. More information here.

Go spring turkey hunting

Anyone can purchase a tag, anytime before going hunting. See our hunting forecast for tips for beginners and what to expect this season.

Apply for your fall controlled hunt

Avoid the long lines at the May 15 deadline by applying online now.

Big game raffle tickets on sale thru May 7

Just $4.50 could get you (or a friend or family member) the chance to hunt deer for three months. Elk, combo deer/elk, bighorn sheep, Rocky Mtn goat and pronghorn antelope tickets also available. Buy a raffle ticket online or fax or mail this application.

Family Fishing event April 21 at St. Louis Ponds

April 13, 2012

CLACKAMAS, Ore. — The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will host a Family Fishing event Saturday, April 21 at St. Louis Ponds from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The event is free and open to the public. ODFW staff and volunteers will be available on site to assist youngsters who want to learn how to fish.

“This is a good opportunity for families to come out, enjoy a day of fishing together, and give the kids a chance to see if they like the sport,” said Jeff Fulop, Salmon Trout Enhancement Program biologist for ODFW’s North Willamette Watershed.

ODFW will loan out rods and reels to youngsters who need equipment, and the department will also provide bait. Angling Education Program instructors will be present to answer questions and offer assistance.

Under Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations, anglers ages 13 and under can fish for free while those 14-17 will need to have a juvenile angling license, which are available for $9 at ODFW field offices and license outlets. Licenses will not be sold on site the day of the event.

St. Louis Ponds is a 54-acre complex of seven ponds owned and managed by ODFW. The site has a new paved ADA accessible trail around one of the ponds as well as a couple of ADA accessible fishing platforms. In addition to stocked trout, the ponds contain several species of warmwater fish, including largemouth bass, catfish, bluegill, crappie and sunfish.

St. Louis Ponds are located 13 miles north of Salem and west of Interstate 5. To get to there from I-5, take the Woodburn exit. Then go east to Hwy. 99E. At Hwy. 99E, head south to Gervais Road. Go west on Gervais Road through the town of Gervais. The road eventually changes to St Louis Road. Continue west on St Louis Road as it crosses over I-5 to Tesch Road, at the railroad crossing. Go left on Tesch Road and follow the signs to the ponds.

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Contact: Jeff Fulop (971) 673-6034
or Rick Swart (971) 673-6038

Oregon DFW Recreation Report - 10 April 2012

Welcome to the ODFW Recreation Report

Hunting, Fishing, Wildlife Viewing

April 10, 2012

You bring the family, we've got the clam shovel
Join ODFW for a Family Razor Clamming Workshop on Saturday, May 5 or Sunday, May 6 (two separate but identical workshops) at Fort Stevens State Park near Astoria. Registration is $40 for adults and $10 for children under 18 and includes the use of all necessary equipment, instruction/materials and lunch. Get more information here.
Learn how to fly fish

At the Becoming an Outdoor Woman Fly Fishing Workshop on May 19 near Sisters. Registration includes all necessary gear, flies, lunch and the opportunity to fish in the Wizard Falls Hatchery pond. More information here.

Turkey season opens April 15
See the zone reports for what to expect.
Spring bear hunting underway
Find out what to expect in the hunting forecast.
Apply for a 2012 controlled hunt by April 15
You could win a 2013 Sports Pac by applying early.
Big game raffle tickets on sale thru May 7
Just $4.50 could get you (or a friend or family member) the chance to hunt deer for three months. Elk, combo deer/elk, bighorn sheep, Rocky Mtn goat and pronghorn antelope tickets also available. Buy a raffle ticket online or fax or mail this application.

Washington State "Opening Days" in April

Start of fishing season for lake trout
one of many ‘opening days’ in April

For many anglers, "opening day" is synonymous with the start of the lowland lakes trout-fishing season, which gets under way April 28 this year. More than 300,000 Washingtonians are expected to descend on trout-stocked waters throughout the state that Saturday to kick off the new season.

But anglers - and hunters, too - are also looking forward to a variety of other "opening days" this month, as seasons ranging from lingcod fishing on the north coast to a statewide turkey hunt get under way. A morning razor clam dig has been tentatively scheduled on ocean beaches April 7-9, pending the results of marine toxin tests.

"April really marks the start of the new year for fishing and hunting," said Joe Stohr, deputy director of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). "Some winter fisheries are still going strong, but the annual cycle is beginning again with a new year of outdoor activities."

For most people, a valid 2012-13 fishing or hunting license will be required to get in on the action after March 31, when all 2011-12 licenses expire. The exception is young people under age 15, who may fish for free.

Licenses and permits are avaiIable online ( https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov/ ), by phone (1-866-246-9453) and from sporting goods stores and other retail license dealers around the state. A list of license vendors ( http://wdfw.wa.gov/licensing/vendors/ ) is available online and from local WDFW offices around the state.

Key dates for anglers and hunters to keep in mind in April include:

• April 7-8 - A two-day spring turkey hunt for hunters age 15 and younger is scheduled statewide.
• April 7-9 - A morning razor-clam dig has been tentatively scheduled at several ocean beaches, pending the results of marine toxin tests. For details, see WDFW’s razor clam webpage at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/shellfish/razorclams/current.html .
• April 15 - The general spring turkey hunt opens for hunters of all ages and runs through May 31. See WDFW's Washington Wild Turkey Spring Season pamphlet at http://wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/regulations/ for more information.
• April 16 - Neah Bay (Marine Area 4) opens for lingcod.
• April 28 - Several hundred lowland lakes open to trout fishing across the state for the biggest "opening day" of the year.

Washington’s 2012 Salmon Fisheries Approved

 SEATTLE - State and tribal co-managers today agreed on a package of salmon fisheries that meets conservation goals for wild salmon populations, while providing fishing opportunities on healthy stocks.

Washington’s 2012 salmon fishing seasons, developed by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and treaty tribal co-managers, were finalized today during the Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (PFMC) meeting in Seattle. The fishing package defines regulations for salmon fisheries in Puget Sound, Washington’s ocean and coastal areas and the Columbia River.

In developing salmon seasons and catch quotas, WDFW fishery managers worked closely with advisors and members of the public to design state-managed fisheries that meet conservation goals for wild salmon and result in the fair sharing of harvest opportunity, said Phil Anderson, WDFW Director.

"State and tribal co-managers worked hard to identify fisheries that were meaningful for both tribal and state fishers," said Anderson, who represents WDFW on the management council. "By using a variety of management tools, we were able to design those fisheries so that they are consistent with efforts to protect and rebuild weak wild salmon stocks."

Key to those efforts is repairing and protecting quality spawning and rearing habitat for salmon, said Lorraine Loomis, fisheries manager for the Swinomish Tribe.

"While effective harvest and hatchery management can help provide limited fishing opportunities, wild salmon continue to decline because their habitat is being lost and damaged faster than it can be restored. This puts our treaty rights at risk," Loomis said. "Habitat is the key to salmon recovery."

As in past years, recreational salmon fisheries in 2012 will vary by area:

• Puget Sound: Most chinook and coho fisheries will be similar to last year’s seasons. That includes a closure of the sport fishery for chinook in inner Elliott Bay and the Green River to protect naturally spawning chinook, which are expected to return in low numbers this year. Additional restrictions approved this year include shortening the summer salmon fishery on the Skokomish River and requiring anglers to release wild chinook during the fall salmon fishery in Hood Canal to help meet conservation goals for mid-Hood Canal wild chinook. On the bright side, a new sockeye fishery will open this summer in the Skagit River. The river, from Highway 536 to the mouth of Gilligan Creek, will be open for sockeye fishing from June 16 to July 15 with a daily limit of three sockeye. Meanwhile, the Baker Lake sockeye fishery will open a couple weeks earlier this year. The lake will be open July 1 through Sept. 4 with a daily limit of three sockeye salmon. Anglers fishing Baker Lake will be allowed to use two poles, with the purchase of a two-pole endorsement. The Tulalip Bay "bubble" salmon fishery also will open early this year. The fishery will get under way May 4, a month earlier than last year, and salmon anglers fishing the bubble also will be allowed to use two poles.
• Washington’s ocean waters: The PFMC today approved a recreational chinook catch quota of 51,500 fish, nearly 18,000 more than last year’s quota. The PFMC, which establishes fishing seasons in ocean waters three to 200 miles off the Pacific coast, also adopted a quota of 69,720 coho for this year’s recreational ocean fishery, slightly higher than last year’s quota. This year’s ocean fishery will begin with a mark-selective fishery for hatchery chinook opening June 9 in marine areas 1 and 2 and June 16 in marine areas 3 and 4. The fishery will run through June 22 in Marine Area 1, June 23 in Marine Area 2 and June 30 in marine areas 3 and 4, or until a coastwide quota of 8,000 hatchery chinook are retained. In all marine areas, the fishery will be open seven days a week with a daily limit of two salmon. All coho must be released. Recreational ocean salmon fisheries for chinook and hatchery coho will continue June 23 in Marine Area 1, June 24 in Marine Area 2, and July 1 in marine areas 3 and 4. Anglers fishing marine areas 1 and 2 will be allowed to retain one chinook as part of a two-salmon daily limit. Anglers fishing marine areas 3 and 4 will have a daily limit of two salmon. Fishing will be open seven days a week, except in Marine Area 2 where fishing will be open Sunday through Thursday.
• Coastal bays and rivers: Strong wild coho returns expected this year should provide good fishing in many of Washington’s coastal streams, including the Queets, Quillayute, and Hoh rivers, as well as in Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay area rivers. Anglers fishing Grays Harbor will also be allowed to retain chinook salmon for the first time since 2007. The fishery will run from Sept. 16 through Oct. 7 with a bag limit of three salmon, only one of which can be a chinook. In Willapa Bay (Marine Area 2-1), salmon anglers will be allowed to use two fishing poles, with the purchase of a two-pole endorsement, from Aug. 1 through Jan. 31.
• Columbia River: The Buoy 10 fishery will be open for chinook and hatchery coho Aug. 1 through Sept. 3 (Labor Day) and Oct. 1 through Dec. 31. From Aug. 1 through Sept. 3, anglers will have a daily limit of two salmon, only one of which may be a chinook. From Sept. 4 through Sept. 30, anglers will have a daily limit of two hatchery coho, but must release chinook. From Oct. 1 through Dec. 31, anglers can keep six fish, only two of which can be adults. North Jetty salmonid anglers may use barbed hooks seven days a week when Marine Area 1 or Buoy 10 salmon seasons are open. The mainstem Columbia River from the Rocky Point/Tongue Point line upstream to Bonneville Dam will be open for chinook and hatchery coho Aug. 1 through Dec. 31. Anglers will be allowed to retain one adult chinook as part of their two-adult daily limit through Sept. 9. From Sept. 10 through Sept. 30, chinook retention will only be allowed upstream of the Lewis River, but up to two adult chinook may be retained. Beginning Oct. 1, up to two adult chinook may be retained throughout the lower river, from the Rocky Point/Tongue Point line upstream to Bonneville Dam.

Sections of the Snake River will open to Spring Chinooks

SPOKANE - Four sections of the Snake River in southeast Washington will open to fishing for spring chinook salmon this month, starting April 20 with the stretch below Ice Harbor Dam.

Three other sections of the river, near Little Goose Dam, Lower Granite Dam and Clarkston, will open April 25.

The daily catch limit for most of the open areas is two hatchery-reared adult chinook - marked with a clipped adipose fin - and four hatchery jacks measuring less than 24 inches.

The exception is the area along the south shoreline of the Little Goose Dam (including "the wall") upstream to the juvenile-bypass return pipe, where anglers may retain only one adult chinook salmon and one hatchery jack per day.

In all areas, anglers are required to use barbless hooks, and must stop fishing for the day when they reach their daily limit of adult chinook salmon. All chinook with the adipose fin intact, and all steelhead, must immediately be released unharmed.

John Whalen, eastern regional fish program manager for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), said the fishery below Ice Harbor Dam is tentatively scheduled to remain open through May 24 - and through May 31 in the other areas - but may close earlier if impacts on wild stocks reach federal limits.

"Our ability to closely monitor this fishery, as required by federal permit, is due in large part to funds from the Columbia River Salmon/Steelhead Endorsement," Whalen said. "Without the monitoring, we wouldn’t be able to open this fishery."

The endorsement, required of all anglers fishing for salmon or steelhead in the Columbia River system (which includes the Snake River), costs $8.25; seniors and youth pay $6.60.

A total of 168,000 spring chinook salmon are expected to return to the Snake River Basin this year, including 129,000 hatchery fish. Last year’s forecast anticipated a return of 194,000 spring chinook, but only 66,000 hatchery fish.

The section of the Snake River scheduled to open April 20 below Ice Harbor Dam extends from the Highway 12 bridge at Pasco upstream about seven miles to about 400 feet below the dam.

The three sections of the river scheduled to open April 25 are:

• Near Little Goose Dam: From the railroad bridge approximately a half-mile downstream from the mouth of the Tucannon River, upriver to the fishing restriction boundary below Little Goose Dam, and from Little Goose Dam to the Corps of Engineers boat launch approximately one mile upstream of Little Goose Dam. This zone includes the area between the juvenile bypass return pipe and Little Goose Dam along the south shoreline of the facility and the walkway area locally known as "the Wall" in front of the juvenile collection facility.
  
• Below Lower Granite Dam: From Casey Creek Canyon Road in Garfield County (located about six miles downstream of Lower Granite Dam) to about 400 feet below Lower Granite Dam.
  
• Near Clarkston: From the intersection of Steptoe Canyon Road with Highway 193 in Whitman County, upriver about 12 miles to the Idaho state line (identified as a line from the north end of the rock levee on the east side of the Greenbelt boat launch near the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers office), northwest across the Snake River to the Idaho/Washington marker on the north shore.

Washington's Opening Day Fishing Forecast

Bigger trout await anglers
on state's biggest opening day

OLYMPIA - Anglers preparing for opening day of the 2012 lowland lakes season on April 28 can expect to reel in trout that are one-third bigger this year.

With opening day fast approaching, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is releasing 3 million hatchery-reared trout averaging 11-13 inches - two to three inches longer than last year.

Those fish will join millions of other trout that were stocked last year and have grown to catchable size in lakes around the state. Many of those lakes have also been stocked with triploid and jumbo trout weighing 1½ to 11 pounds apiece.

"We have made some changes in our trout hatchery rearing programs in response to the feedback we heard from anglers who really enjoy catching larger fish," said WDFW Director Phil Anderson. "With these fish, our state’s biggest fishing day of the year just got better."

At least 300,000 anglers typically turn out for the first day of the lowland lakes season, which remains open into the fall. Although many state waters are open year-round, the April opening marks the start of the state’s most popular fishery.

To participate, anglers must have a current Washington freshwater fishing license valid through March 31, 2013. Licenses can be purchased online at https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov ; by telephone at 1-866-246-9453; or at hundreds of license dealers across the state. For details on license vendor locations, visit the WDFW website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/licensing/vendors/ .

Freshwater fishing licenses cost $27.50 for resident adults 16 to 69 years old. Fifteen-year-olds and persons with disabilities can buy a license for $8.25, and seniors 70 and older can buy an annual fishing license for $5.50. Children 14 years of age and younger do not need a fishing license.

"Our license fees are lower this year for youth, seniors and people with disabilities," Anderson said. "So, whether you fish from the bank, a pram, or a boat, this fishery is tailor made for a great family outing."

Because of the popularity of trout fishing in Washington, WDFW put a higher priority on its trout-rearing program over the past year, said Chris Donley, the department’s Inland Fish Program Manager.

"For one thing, we invested in more hatchery feed to grow our fish larger," he said. "We hope anglers see the increase in the quality of our catchable trout on opening day."

Hatchery crews also spent the past year stocking lakes across the state with more than 10 million fry and fingerlings, which have grown to eight to 12 inches in length. Anglers can also look forward to catching other fish stocked for the lowland lakes season:

• 102,000 two-year-old "jumbo" and surplus hatchery broodstock trout (1½ to 11 pounds each)
• Over 100,000 other fish - black crappie, channel catfish, tiger muskie, walleye
• 47,000 triploid (sterile) trout averaging 1½ pounds apiece

Fish stocking details, by county and lake, are available in the annual stocking plan on WDFW's website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/plants/statewide/ .

"With all of these fish ready and waiting in statewide lakes, everyone has an excellent chance of catching some nice fish," Donley said. "Come on out and join the fun of opening day."

Tips on fishing areas, listed by county and water, can be found in "Washington 2012 Fishing Prospects: Where To Catch Fish In the Evergreen State," available on WDFW’s website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/prospects/ .

Of more than 7,000 lakes, ponds and reservoirs in Washington state, nearly 700 have WDFW-managed water-access sites. These sites include boat launches, docks and shorelines, including areas accessible for people with disabilities. Other state and federal agencies operate hundreds more such facilities.

Water access site locations can be found on WDFW’s website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/lands/water_access/ .

"With our biggest fishing crowds out on this opener, it’s especially important for everyone to be patient and safe at boat launches and docks," Donley said. "Everyone in boats, and all children on shore, should use personal flotation devices."

Anglers parking at WDFW water-access sites are required to display on their vehicle the WDFW Vehicle Access Pass that is provided free with every annual fishing license purchased. The passes are transferable between two vehicles. Anglers who use Washington State Parks or Department of Natural Resource areas need the $30 annual or $10 daily Discover Pass.

WDFW’s annual "Fishing In Washington" sport fishing rules pamphlet is available at license dealers, WDFW offices and at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations/ . Current rules are in effect through April 30, 2012; rules for May 1, 2012 through April 30, 2013 will be posted online and available in printed form by May 1. New fishing rules that go into effect on May 1 will be highlighted on the "What’s new for 2012" page of WDFW’s 2012-2013 sport fishing seasons and rules pamphlet.