Sports

<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   Pick of the Week: Iceberg Point Shrimp Recreational shrimping opens Saturday morning, and you can bet the ranch there will be wall-to-wall boats and pots in the water off Iceberg Point, on the south end of Lopez Island in the San Juans. It’s a well-known shrimp hot spot, and the obvious reason for the crowd is that it’s one of the most productive areas around. It’s also relatively easy to fish, and one of the closer spots to both the Washington Park launch in Anacortes and the Cornet Bay ramp on the east end of Deception Pass. “Sure, there will be a lot of people there,” said Anthon Steen at Holiday Sports in Burlington, “but the good part is that it’s a large area which can accommodate a crowd.” The morning tide is a good one Saturday, Steen said, which will probably increase the numbers of shrimpers out and about. He said you can drop a pot most anywhere on the flats off Iceberg, but a depth of 260 to about 280 feet or so would be a good place to start. Wayne Kruse   CONTACT THE HERALD Report scores and results to 425-339-3470 or 1-866-6-SCORES (Call after 4:30 p.m.) E-mail information including items for Tuesday's Communities Sports Roundup and Thursday's Outdoor Calendar, to sports@heraldnet.com Kevin Brown, Sports Editor kbrown@heraldnet.com   Published: Thursday, April 30, 2009 Double winners at trout derby By Wayne Kruse Special to The Herald How about an upbeat fish story to start your day today? The hugely popular kids' fish-in at Tye Lake on Sunday, sponsored by the Sky Valley chapter of Trout Unlimited, went off without a hitch again this year, playing to a crowd in good weather, on the west edge of Monroe. And, like last year, the specially tagged trout worth $500 (if caught on derby day) was hooked, played and brought to the net. At that point, the rainbow won a round. The trout flipped out of the landing net, after throwing the hook but before being lifted into the boat, and swam off with all that cash. The somewhat-less-than-brilliant fish couldn't keep its mouth closed, however, and was caught the next day by Shane McFadden of Stanwood. Event coordinator Gary Bee said the club awarded McFadden a consolation prize of $50, which seems like a neighborly thing to do. Boyde Ryan Aney of Monroe won the kids' first-place prize with a jumbo trout of 7 pounds, 8 ounces. After the kids were through fishing, the net pen was turned out and adults had their shot. Winner of the adult derby was Aaron Pierce, who took home $250 for his 6-pound, 14-ounce rainbow. Shrimp Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife shellfish biologists seem optimistic that the 2009 recreational season, which opens Saturday morning, will be a good one. Test fishing in different Western Washington marine waters has shown stable, and in many cases improved, numbers of spot shrimp, and this weekend's tides are mild ones, particularly on Saturday and Sunday mornings. All Star Charters owner Gary Krein of Everett said there is good shrimping available in a variety of spots on local waters. Most of the area around Hat Island has been very productive the last couple of years, Krein said, and also from the marina on the island's northeast corner up the east side of the underwater bar called "the racetrack" to Camano Head. The Everett-Mukilteo shoreline is close-in and popular, with the end toward Mukilteo probably the best bet. The "Bait Box," over on the southeast corner of Whidbey Island, can be excellent on a good tide, Krein said, but probably crowded. Besides Iceberg Point on the south end of Lopez Island (see the accompanying Pick of the Week), Anthon Steen at Holiday Sports in Burlington taps Jones Island off Orcas, the north side of Orcas Island, and Salmon Bank, off the south end of San Juan Island, as good shrimping prospects. Biologists say Hood Canal, the state's premier spot shrimp water, may not be quite as good as it was last year, but on the other hand, last year's shrimp-per-pot averages were outstanding. Steen likes a mix of shrimp pellets, fish cat food, mackerel, and scent oil as bait, but says every experienced shrimper has his own formula. Be sure to put plenty of weight in your pot, and at least 11/2-times the amount of line as the depth you'll be fishing. Two times is even better. The San Juan Islands open May 2 at 7 a.m. and will be open Wednesdays through Saturdays until the quota is reached. Marine areas 8, 9 and 10 will be open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays and Wednesdays only, starting May 2, until quotas are reached or May 31, whichever comes sooner. Hood Canal will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on May 2, 6, 9 and 13, or until the quota is reached. Lings The lingcod season opens tomorrow morning, an event becoming more popular every year. The San Juans are the state's top ling water, with a lot of the rocky habitat the fish prefer. Steen said successful ling fishing in the islands is simply a matter of using a good chart to find bars, humps, rocky dropoffs and the like. He suggested rocky shorelines around Blakely and Cypress islands for anglers wanting to fish close to home and, for those willing to run farther, any number of underwater structures scattered around Sucia Island. Halibut The recreational halibut season opened on inland waters last Thursday, and reports from anglers fishing the first weekend were mixed. Anthon Steen reported very good fishing at spots around the San Juans and on some of the northern banks, but knowledgeable halibut angler Ron Garner said an outing of some 80 members of the Sno-King Chapter, Puget Sound Anglers, resulted in poor results farther south. Steen said Partridge and Hein banks were best, producing a lot of fish in the 40- to 60-pound range, and he also reported a 216-pound fish taken Friday in Mutiny Bay. While Garner's wife Jean landed a 141-pounder just outside Point Wilson, he said the club group found "the poorest fishing we've had since we (sportsmen) got the season opened earlier, five years ago." Because of what they saw as overfishing in 2008, the state chopped two weeks off the front of the season this year (the period which many halibut anglers consider the best of the season). Garner said the 141 was the only strike his boat had in four days of fishing. The group, also in four days, landed a 90 and an 87, along with a small fish off Hein Bank, and a couple of small ones off Eastern Bank, and none off Partridge. Experienced anglers fishing long days, with good bait, for less than great results. "Hein, McArthur, Smith and Partridge were all longlined, and I think most of the rest of the areas were, too," Garner said. Jean Garner's big one hit at 180 feet, taking a double-hook setup with a giant hoochie over a big chunk of Humboldt squid. Regs New fishing and big game regulation pamphlets are out and available at license dealerships now. Halibut checks Some of the better halibut numbers from the weekend's state creel surveys included 61 anglers at the Cornet Bay ramp on Saturday with 14 fish, and 84 anglers on Sunday with 8 fish; 58 anglers at the Port Angeles West ramp on Saturday, with 14 fish, and 125 anglers at Ediz Hook on Sunday with 12 fish; and at the Port of Everett ramp, 64 anglers on Friday with 7 halibut, and 131 on Sunday with 6 fish. Columbia Basin trout A sampling of eastside trout results from Saturday's lowland lake opener: Chelan County, Wapato Lake, 2.55 trout kept per angler checked; Douglas County, Jameson Lake, 0.54; Grant County, Blue Lake, 3.04; Deep Lake, 2.97; Park lake, 2.87; Perch Lake, 3.0; Warden Lake, 2.95; Okanogan County, Alta Lake, 1.53; Big Twin, 0.0; Conconully Lake, 3.76; Conconully Reservoir, 1.73; Fish Lake, 1.6; Leader Lake, 3.5; and Pearrygin Lake, 4.86. State biologist Jeff Korth at the agency's Ephrata office noted that Westside vs. Eastside participation on the opener was back to the more usual 55-percent westsiders after last year's very cold anomaly. Western Washington anglers provide a very nice economic boost to small towns in the Basin over opening weekend, Korth said. Cheaper salmon travel Canadian coastal fishing resorts, like most of the travel industry, are cutting costs in this time of economic uncertainty and offering attractive deals. The largest saltwater fishing trip provider in British Columbia, the Oak Bay Marine Group in Victoria, encourages fishermen to contact them for the latest cut rates. Call 1-800-663-7090, or go to www.obmg.com. Comment on fish regs Anglers and others with ideas on how to improve the state's sportfishing rules are invited to submit proposals to the state through June 1, for the 2010-11 fishing seasons. Information about the sportfishing rule change process and forms needed to submit proposals are available at wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regs/rule_proposals/. Elk antler auction Shed elk antlers from the Oak Creek Wildlife Area winter feeding site will be auctioned May 2 to raise funds to help support the feeding program. The auction will include matched sets from some of the biggest and oldest bulls, plus lots of single sheds of all sizes, some roosevelt elk sheds from Mount St. Helens, and possibly deer antlers from other wildlife areas. Call Oak Creek at 509-653-2390, or the Yakima office of the WDFW, 509-575-2740. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

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