The problem is the fish was actually hooked INSIDE the mouth and not from the outside in like you say. I remember it very well because I was really surprised to see the hook inside its mouth.

I don't know about Washington laws, and I have no qualms about snagging fish where legal, so don't get me wrong, but where I fish the law states that the fish has to be "hooked in the mouth" (exact wording from the regs), so it doesn't matter much what the fish was "willfully" trying to do. I wish it was like that here because I've thrown back some nice fish that have been obviously hooked elsewhere in their body.