Northwest Fishing Reports

Fresh water, from a boat that is.

Hello.
New guy here looking for some input on costs to pursue this hobby.

I purchased a new 14' aluminum boat and trailer back in 1996 and used it five or six times over the next 4 years before life got busy and I put it in storage along with all my fishing gear.

This week I took it out of storage to prep it for use, or for sale. It was used mostly on non IC motor lakes with an electric trolling motor and oars, though there is a very small (2hp) gas trolling motor from a previous boat that could be used on it (for trolling only).

I'm trying to get a handle the costs associated with this endeavor and a handle on the current state of fishing in western WA, though I live on the snoking line and would most likely stay in the northwest part of the state for lake fishing.

So far I have the following cost data as I renewed both the trailer and boat license.

Trailer registration = $40.00

Boat registration = $26.00

How much do the various fishing licenses and special permits (wdfw, discover pass, et al) cost these days?

What kind of requirements are there in terms of the boat and boat operation? Are life-jackets required?

How would you rate the current state of freshwater fishing in WA in terms of fish availability and quality, lake/river quality and access, overall fisheries management, and bureaucracy in terms of fish inspections, boat inspections, license checks, etc.

Back in the day it was pretty discouraging with regards to the ridiculous madness on opening day and to a slightly lesser degree on the weekends. These days I have some flexibility to possibly go during the week so maybe that will be better.

It was also discouraging with regard to the overall lack of fish, though I mostly fished lone lake and deer lake on Whidbey Island I think it was, and another one up near fidelgo pass, and a couple of times at bumping lake. I fully understand it takes some effort to catch the fish, and I understand that just being out on the lake can be relaxing, but it can get discouraging at times to put a bunch of time in for very few fish.

Do folks use fishfinders these days to minimize the time locating the fish? Or do you just go to known areas based on previous experience, or both?

Thanks for any input you can provide.

My wife says I pay $100 per pound of fish I bring home..

Bust Out AnotherThousand

i suppose that if i put down on paper what my recreational endeavors cost me money-wise, it would be discouraging or even depressing. that's why i don't do that, lol. if it's something i want to do, i do my best to make it happen the best i can. for me, at my age, there's no putting a price on something that brings me so much pleasure and peace of mind...what i get out of my outings far exceeds what i put into them.

Well... I understand wanting to be aware of the fees involved in fishing, but the bottom line is like you said yourself, if you want to do something that you enjoy,is relaxing, etc. etc. you will incure some costs. I think that they are very nominal considering.

Some of the fees associated with fishing licenses are all depending on what and where you are fishing for.

Gregoire’s signature on Senate Bill 5385 authorizes the fees effective Sept. 1. 2011

A resident freshwater fishing license will increase from $26 to $29.50.
A combo freshwater-saltwater-shellfish license will jump from $48.20 to $54.25.

So, you have to think about whether you will fish only freshwater, do you want a salt water/fresh combo license. Do you want a crab endorsement? Just look up the WDFW fishing regs. online and you will see all the options.

One thing to save you money is that if you are in fact in a 14' vessel with a motor under 10hp as you said... then you don't need to license it if you are not using it on federal waters. (If you are in Everett, then just stay out of Lake WA./ Union, Samammish. Tons of little lakes to run your electric trolling motor in, and no gas cost. See:

Registering and Titling Your Vessel
Requirements
You must have a Washington title, current registration certificate, and current registration decals to operate, or moor a vessel on Washington's waters.

Exceptions:Vessels that are not propelled by a motor (canoes, kayaks, etc.) and sailboats under 16 feet in length without a motor
[h]Vessels that are less than 16 feet in length and have a motor of 10 horsepower or less and are used only on non-federal waters[/h]
Properly registered vessels owned by residents of another state or country and using Washington waters for 60 days or less.

Mostly think about how you will use the boat,and where. What you will fish for and where.
The joke about "Break out another $1K" is certainly true with larger motor boats. But I have the same size boat and year as you, if it weren't for the fact that I have a 25 hp motor, my boat would not cost me hardly a thing. Maybe I should say that I replaced my trailer bearing this year for the 1st time ever... maybe it was $80-100.0, can't remember because other work was done on the motor.

Life jacket info: http://www.boat-ed.com/washington/handbook/book.html

So... you've got a boat,, get out and have some fun!:)

btw, regarding fishfinders. Don't look at them to take you to the fish. Mostly use it to find the type of underwater structure, thermoclines, etc. in which fish "Likely" hold. Certainly not a necessary cost. (but a lot of fun)

I hate to think what i spend.

I don't even think about it, fishing is worth every penny.

You think fishing and boating are expensive, try muscle cars. I have 4 of those that I can't afford to finish. Finally got one of them to start again after 2 years. Now it needs gas again after driving it last weekend. [img=http://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/ima ... /drive.gif]d[/img] [img=http://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/ima ... boogie.gif]b[/img] Fishing comes first and foremost.

How much does it cost? As I say when people ask me what kind of milage I get.

Not bad, when she's empty, I fill'er up!

Honestly your boat can be operated extremely cheap. You will have the annual license costs for yourself and the boat but that will only be about $100 for the boat, trailer and a freshwater license. Aside from that you can fish many species of fish with simple gear. I would say at a minimum you will spend $100 if you already have some rods and tackle box. this will cover new line, some bait, lures, swivels, weights and bobbers..... whatever your after.

Id say go for it you already have all of the expensive stuff: get out on the water and have fun. If its not your thing then you can still sell it all next season.

Andy Griffith wrote: I purchased a new 14' aluminum boat and trailer back in 1996 and used it five or six times over the next 4 years before life got busy and I put it in storage along with all my fishing gear.

That's a very cheap and easy boat to maintain. An electric motor and battery are efficient and cost effective ways to get around. A new battery every 2-4 years depending on use and care for it will be about all you'll have to buy.

Most lakes that you'll be able to fish with that won't have launching fees, so you'll be fine there.

However, no telling how long till you'll get the itch and want a 15 or 20 hp gas motor on there to venture into the sound to do some crabbing or salmon/bottom fishing, or a bigger lake for that matter.... Those range from a few hundred used to $3000 new...And if you get the bug you'll want a bigger boat....

Andy Griffith wrote: How much do the various fishing licenses and special permits (wdfw, discover pass, et al) cost these days?

$50? ish after tax for fresh/salt/shellfish combo annual license.

Andy Griffith wrote:What kind of requirements are there in terms of the boat and boat operation? Are life-jackets required?

Don't even need to register boat or have any credentials to operate it, as long as your not on a big lake or have a motor greater than 15hp...

And life jackets are common sense to have. One for every person. Don't be stupid and go out without one...Ever.

Andy Griffith wrote: How would you rate the current state of freshwater fishing in WA in terms of fish availability and quality, lake/river quality and access, overall fisheries management, and bureaucracy in terms of fish inspections, boat inspections, license checks, etc.

Good. If you like trout or bass fishing, our lakes are fantastic, theres plenty of options and very close to urban areas....Plenty of great lakes in Snohomish and King Counties... River fishing is also pretty good, it takes some time to learn to fish the rivers....

Andy Griffith wrote:It was also discouraging with regard to the overall lack of fish, though I mostly fished lone lake and deer lake on Whidbey Island I think it was, and another one up near fidelgo pass, and a couple of times at bumping lake. I fully understand it takes some effort to catch the fish, and I understand that just being out on the lake can be relaxing, but it can get discouraging at times to put a bunch of time in for very few fish.

Lone and Deer are fantastic lakes for trout fishing. Particularly Lone. Fishing ain't easy, they don't call it catching, but if you put in the time and have experience, you will catch fish.

Andy Griffith wrote:Do folks use fishfinders these days to minimize the time locating the fish? Or do you just go to known areas based on previous experience, or both?

Both. Fishfinders help, so do GPS and maps with charts, but they aren't necessary. You can find an adequate fishfinder for a hundred or few hundred bucks. Just because you have a fishfinder doesn't mean you'll catch fish, I've seen folks with fully rigged boats but couldn't put a fish in the boat if their life depended on it. Like I said, experience.....

If your really weighing costs versus benefits, no one here can make the decision for you.

Spend a season with the boat and get some fishing in. If you like what it, keep the boat....If you don't, sell it....

Thanks for the replies, I really appreciate the help. Sorry for the delay in reply, I've been fixing up the boat and am pretty much ready to test it out. Put a little water in it and found two pin hole leaks in the side seam. Purchased some gluvit which was $80 for a quart, so I just did all the seams and all the rivets whether they needed it or not.

Found the life jackets up in the loft. Found the minkota electric motor up there as well, and had to buy new oars and sleeves for the boat. Replaced the dust covers on the super lube hubs as they had deteriorated. Found and installed the Fish-on rod holders and seats, had to clean the 7 pin trailer connector to get the trailer lights working, and so on.

This is just a simple 14' row boat but does have a nice galvanized trailer. The boat is heavier than it looks for a single guy to horse around without having it on a trailer, but it sure is easy to launch and retrieve off the trailer. On the other hand, after looking at a couple of the WFDW sites I can see that there is going to be some challenges with getting the trailered boat into some of the launch sites.

In my younger years I had a smaller aluminum boat (think it was 8') that I could haul on the roof rack on the canopy of my pickup. That type of set-up would be ideal for some of the small WFDW sites. Oh well, there are trade-offs for everything.

One thing I'm not clear on is the parking pass that is needed at the WFDW sites? When I went up to check out lost lake and echo lake the other day there was a sign there that said something about a parking sticker required? I'm going to take the boat out for a test run but did not plan on buying a fishing license at this point, do I need to buy some sort of pass to park at the ramp? If so, where do I purchase one? And I assume that this WFDW permit is different from the recently announced discovery pass? How do I know if I need a discovery pass at these sites?

Thanks

I would say with every thing from gas to food 2-3 grand a year. I pay it gladly, just to get out on the water. A break from work, bills, hell I'd pay more for that every day.[lol]