Or is it the result of the adipose fin partially growing back after being clipped? Caught a springer today and the fin was really small size and kind of runty looking. Not large as most I've seen on a King.

Wondering if that was probably just a badly marked hatchery fish that I turned loose.

On some fish they start to grow back, In your case I would have kept it. It happens to steelhead alot to.

You're probably right but I don't see an allowance in the regs for an exception. It was too bad since it was a nice fish.

As long as the missing chunk has healed over, it's yours. "Clipped" is not defined as a remaining heigth.

I do in fact blame my dad.

Funny golfer

The regs say "missing" healed adipose fin but I have kept ones I've known were hatchery and only partially clipped and I haven't had any flack for it. They miss clip a lot. It's a gray area that should be more defined and I suppose i could get a ticket some day by a rookie warden.

The fin was the right shape, just really small. I saw the same thing last year while fishing the salt. Fish that were clipped properly were definitely slick backed (see avatar picture) , we decided not to take the chance since I know some agents have no sense of humor.

Goinfishin,

Check the regs, as I don't have them in front of me to refer to, but I think that a hatchery fish used to be defined as one with a missing adipose fin, but a wild fish was defined as one with a fully formed adipose fin.

I've kept lots of steelhead with the top 2/3 of the fin clipped off...obviously a short clip, not a misshapen or small adipose fin.

I probably would have kept it, but would need to see a pic to know for sure.

Fish on...

Todd

Here are the appropriate rules. I would let the fish go if the fin is intact even if it seems stunted.

--- --- ---
Chapter 220-16 WAC - DEFINITIONS
WAC 220-16-470 Wild.
"Wild" when used to describe the difference between a hatchery fish and a nonhatchery fish means a fish with all fins intact. A fish missing an adipose or ventral fin with a healed scar at the site is not a wild fish.


Chapter 220-56 WAC - PERSONAL-USE FISHERY
WAC 220-56-100 Definitions -- Personal-use fishing.
The following definitions apply to personal use fishing in Titles 220 and232 WAC:
(11) "Hatchery" when used to describe the difference between a hatchery fish and a nonhatchery fish means a fish missing an adipose fin or a ventral fin with a healed scar at the location of the missing fin
(28) "Wild" when used to describe the difference between a hatchery fish and a nonhatchery fish means a fish with all fins intact.
--- --- ---

To my mind a partially clipped fin with a healed scar is not intact but on the other hand a partially clipped fin is hard to consider as being missing. My thought is that the code should be ammended to account for partially clipped fins.