Changes in fishing regulations

The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission has approved a slate of new fishing regulations that take effect May 1.

New rules the commission approved that affect Eastern Washington anglers include:

• Declassifying northern pike as a game fish.

• Extending two-pole fishing options to include the Pend Oreille River and the lower Spokane River.

• Changing the opening day of the lowland lake fishing season from the last Saturday in April to the fourth Saturday in April.

• Revising the selective-fishery rules on the Kettle River to allow youths under age 15 to use bait to fish in 9 miles of the Kettle River from the Highway 21 bridge at Curlew to the Canada border. (Note: the Kettle River fishing season opens May 26).

• Establishing three management sections for regulating fishing in the Sanpoil Arm of Lake Roosevelt; walleye limits were not changed.

• Opening about 2 miles of the upper Wind River to catch-and-release steelhead fishing Sept. 16-Nov. 30.