Thinking before you speak is also a such a good thing, obviously not directed at you beerman.
It has always been my impression that state regs are state regs, no matter if you are on private land or not. Such as we are still obligated to follow state laws if we are on our own private land or on city streets. Not knowing for sure how this applied to fishing I scoured the regs and was not able to find anything that would substantiate this.
So I fired off an email to the state to get some verification. Here is the reply.
Thank you for your e-mail correspondence to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Fish Program.
Your best source for information on licenses, daily limits, season, restrictions, etc. that are regulated by WDFW would be the 2007/2008 Fishing In Washington Sport Fishing Rules regulation pamphlet. This pamphlet is full of a lot of useful information, such as license fees for both resident and non-resident on page 20. This publication is formatted with the regulations for Westside Rivers first, followed by Westside Lakes, Eastside Rivers, Eastside Lakes, Marine Area Rules and finally Shellfish/Seaweed Rules. There is also a list of the 6 Regional offices that are located throughout the state, with phone numbers included, on page 13.
A license is required to fish even private lakes and ponds, as well as compliance with all rules & regulations, as the resource still belongs to the state. This includes daily and slot limits on all species of fish. That applies to all bodies of water where fresh water is running in or out of it or both. The "private" part is only related to access, if it's not open to the public due to private property surrounding the entire body of water, people would need to get permission to access it by land (however, they can legally drop down from a helicopter with a float tube and legally fish the body of water - just for frame of reference). The only exception would be if it was completely man-made, dug out by hand by the owners, like a swimming pool that is stocked only by the owners, again with no freshwater running in or out and no resident fish accessible etc.
Please make sure you check for emergency rule changes before you harvest as follows:
Fishing Rule Change Hotline at (360) 902-2500
Shellfish Rule Change Hotline at 1-866-880-5431
Or, try our new searchable emergency rule link off our website at:
https://fortress.wa.gov/dfw/erules/efishrules/index.jsp
Additionally, for shellfish, make sure to call the Dept. of Health Marine Toxins PSP Hotline at 1-800-562-5632.
If you have further questions, please email again or call (360) 902-2700. Our Customer Service hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Sincerely,
Fish Program
When you think you know it all, its time to quit. Knowledge should be gained on every trip.