CFM,

Such a stickler! No, I'm not sure of the regulation because I have no interest in fishing for spawning salmon, so I'm not going to bother looking for it in the regs. However, I am sure that two fish and wildlife agents have told me that the salmon that are on redds are spawning salmon and that catching and retaining them is not legal. Now, that was a long time ago, and since the merger of the game and fishery departments, maybe the rule has changed, and my advice may be outdated. Go ahead and fish for them if you want. Anyone who does deserves whatever they get, I guess.

As others have mentioned, the relavent issue is why anyone would want to fish for actively spawning salmon in the first place. Even if it's legal, it seems to defy the sporting ethic and rules of fair chase, i.e. a salmon on its redd is more vulnerable than a salmon holding in a deep pool.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.