Published: Thursday, August 18, 2011
'Humpy mania' just around the corner
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Herald staff photo
Pink salmon, also known as humpies, return every two years to their spawning grounds.
It's not "humpy mania," not yet, but at least we can start to think pink as reports come in from weekend attempts by local fishermen to intercept what is predicted to be a large run of the small, odd-year salmon.
Some experts thought pinks should be here by now, in force. They're not, although fish are being taken throughout the area to some degree -- in saltwater, and in local rivers.
State Fish and Wildlife Department checks at the Port of Everett ramp showed 437 anglers in 183 boats on Saturday with eight chinook and 20 coho, but only 145 pinks -- fewer than one per boat. All Star Charters owner Gary Krein in Everett (425-252-4188) said charters over the weekend and early this week were bringing in an average of two humpies per person, while private boaters with some salmon fishing knowledge were scoring at a one-per-rod clip. Fairly decent fishing for those who know what they're doing, but considering the limit is four pinks per person, not great.
Farther north, checks at the Washington Park ramp west of Anacortes on Sunday tallied 34 pinks for 32 anglers, and at the Deception Pass State Park beaches, 90 rods had 23 pinks on Saturday, and 88 rods had 16 on Sunday.
Anthon Steen at Holiday Sports in Burlington (360-757-4361) said the beach casters at Deception Pass mostly toss pink or red Buzz Bombs, and that boaters can find good fishing in the area as well, trolling dodger/pink hoochie combinations. Beach casters are also hitting increasing numbers of pinks at Keystone, Bush Point, Lagoon Point, and Point No Point.
Steen said those after humpies on the Skagit are doing well at the usual plunking bars in the Mount Vernon, Burlington, Sedro-Woolley area -- Gardner Bar, the railroad trestle, Youngs Bar, and Spud Bar among others.
Will the big pink push hit our area this weekend? Tough to say, but catch figures over the weekend and early this week indicate large numbers of fish hanging specifically in the Port Angeles area. Not off Sekiu, where the per-rod averages - while still good -- are starting to drop (284 on Sunday at Olson's Resort with 201 pinks), or around Port Townsend (42 with 10 pinks on Sunday), but off Port Angeles. State personnel at the Ediz Hook public ramp in PA checked 114 anglers on Sunday with 211 humpies.
Before leaving pinks, it's worth mentioning very good fishing currently for a great mix of coho and humpies down in Marine Area 10. All Star Charters (above) has continued to work out of Seattle, specifically for the mix, citing top action on feisty resident silvers in the 5- to 7-pound range, and nice numbers of pinks to finish out the day, all in the Seattle/Jefferson Head area. State checks confirm the fishery: 183 anglers on Saturday at the Shilshole ramp had 28 chinook, 70 coho, and 74 pinks.
Lowell trail access
Dozens of fishermen who prefer, or are forced to, walk or bicycle to their salmon fishing during the once-every-two-years humpy run, use the Lowell River trail to access bank fishing spots downstream from Rotary Park. When the Snohomish opened to pinks Tuesday morning, many were surprised to find the area closed to entry because Everett Parks and Recreation was doing repaving work on the trail.
A call to Dan Staple, Everett parks Supervisor, revealed that the work is scheduled to be completed by Aug. 26th, and some dismay that they weren't aware the popular fishery would begin this soon.
A compromise was worked out, and Staple said the area would be re-signed, basically to say stay away from workers, equipment and the trail itself, but if you can get to your bank fishing spot by walking the verge, or the grass, or the rocks, or through the brush, feel free.
Huge chinook
Ever notice that all the really big fish are caught by novices, wives, kids, or relatives visiting from the midwest? Always. Without exception.
So with that in mind, here's a story that will rattle your cage:
Kevin Lanier is a Boeing employee living in Edmonds, vice-president of the Sno-King Chapter, Puget Sound Anglers, and an avid salmon fisherman who keeps his 34-footer "Fishin' Luhrs" at Westport during the summer months. Last weekend he took his mother and father, visiting from Fairburn, Georgia, out fishing in honor of Dad's 71st birthday.
They ran 18 miles straight out, Lanier said and took a 25- and a 26-pound chinook. Same place Sunday morning, and Lanier, the expert, nails a beautiful 40-pounder, for many people the fish of a lifetime. So he's the high-liner, with full bragging rights.
Until Dad, Danny Stovall, hooks a truly huge king, on a herring, trolling at 50 feet over 330 feet of water. Dad fights the fish for almost an hour before it finally comes aboard.
"A real monster," Lanier said. "About 56 pounds, girth of 31 inches. One of those 'marbelled kings' you see occasionally with the pattern of both red and pink meat."
I have to confess ignorance of the phrase "marbelled king," but I know all about those folks who visit from east of the Mississippi. Oh, Yes.
No wenatchee sockeye season
Counts of sockeye over Tumwater Dam on the Wenatchee River are estimated this summer to reach only 14,000 fish, not enough to mount a recreational season on Lake Wenatchee.
"I need 23,000 fish for escapement, and a couple of thousand on top of that for harvest, and we're not going to make it," said Jeff Korth, regional fish program manager at the state's Ephrata office.
Korth said anglers watching Columbia River dam counts can be misled by seeing big numbers, such as the 185,000 sockeye moving up the big river currently. The vast majority of those fish are headed for the Okanogan, he said, put there by a cooperative dam-mitigation project involving a big Canadian hatchery up around Lake Osoyoos.
Upper columbia chinook
Reports indicate a summer chinook season in the Brewster pool deemed "spotty," at best, and with fish smaller than usual at that. Jacks and a few kings to 10 pounds or so, according to Anton Jones in Chelan, and probably not worth driving that far for. Still good triploid fishing above Chief Joseph Dam, however, and only a step below that in the Brewster pool.
Big panfish
Nick Barr, a bass guide at MarDon Resort on Potholes Reservoir, notes that now is prime time on the big lake for panfish. Big crappie off the resort dock, including black crappie to 13 inches. Or try float and jig fishing over beaver huts in the sand dune area of the lake, for jumbo crappie, bluegill and perch. Check out nickbarrfishing.com.
Barr said late summer and fall are great times to fish trout in the seep lakes below the reservoir. Fishing pressure on the dozens of lakes below O'Sullivan Dam has been down this year, Barr said, probably because of cooler weather conditions, so there should be plenty of trout available, and some big ones.
Some experts thought pinks should be here by now, in force. They're not, although fish are being taken throughout the area to some degree -- in saltwater, and in local rivers.
State Fish and Wildlife Department checks at the Port of Everett ramp showed 437 anglers in 183 boats on Saturday with eight chinook and 20 coho, but only 145 pinks -- fewer than one per boat. All Star Charters owner Gary Krein in Everett (425-252-4188) said charters over the weekend and early this week were bringing in an average of two humpies per person, while private boaters with some salmon fishing knowledge were scoring at a one-per-rod clip. Fairly decent fishing for those who know what they're doing, but considering the limit is four pinks per person, not great.
Farther north, checks at the Washington Park ramp west of Anacortes on Sunday tallied 34 pinks for 32 anglers, and at the Deception Pass State Park beaches, 90 rods had 23 pinks on Saturday, and 88 rods had 16 on Sunday.
Anthon Steen at Holiday Sports in Burlington (360-757-4361) said the beach casters at Deception Pass mostly toss pink or red Buzz Bombs, and that boaters can find good fishing in the area as well, trolling dodger/pink hoochie combinations. Beach casters are also hitting increasing numbers of pinks at Keystone, Bush Point, Lagoon Point, and Point No Point.
Steen said those after humpies on the Skagit are doing well at the usual plunking bars in the Mount Vernon, Burlington, Sedro-Woolley area -- Gardner Bar, the railroad trestle, Youngs Bar, and Spud Bar among others.
Will the big pink push hit our area this weekend? Tough to say, but catch figures over the weekend and early this week indicate large numbers of fish hanging specifically in the Port Angeles area. Not off Sekiu, where the per-rod averages - while still good -- are starting to drop (284 on Sunday at Olson's Resort with 201 pinks), or around Port Townsend (42 with 10 pinks on Sunday), but off Port Angeles. State personnel at the Ediz Hook public ramp in PA checked 114 anglers on Sunday with 211 humpies.
Before leaving pinks, it's worth mentioning very good fishing currently for a great mix of coho and humpies down in Marine Area 10. All Star Charters (above) has continued to work out of Seattle, specifically for the mix, citing top action on feisty resident silvers in the 5- to 7-pound range, and nice numbers of pinks to finish out the day, all in the Seattle/Jefferson Head area. State checks confirm the fishery: 183 anglers on Saturday at the Shilshole ramp had 28 chinook, 70 coho, and 74 pinks.
Lowell trail access
Dozens of fishermen who prefer, or are forced to, walk or bicycle to their salmon fishing during the once-every-two-years humpy run, use the Lowell River trail to access bank fishing spots downstream from Rotary Park. When the Snohomish opened to pinks Tuesday morning, many were surprised to find the area closed to entry because Everett Parks and Recreation was doing repaving work on the trail.
A call to Dan Staple, Everett parks Supervisor, revealed that the work is scheduled to be completed by Aug. 26th, and some dismay that they weren't aware the popular fishery would begin this soon.
A compromise was worked out, and Staple said the area would be re-signed, basically to say stay away from workers, equipment and the trail itself, but if you can get to your bank fishing spot by walking the verge, or the grass, or the rocks, or through the brush, feel free.
Huge chinook
Ever notice that all the really big fish are caught by novices, wives, kids, or relatives visiting from the midwest? Always. Without exception.
So with that in mind, here's a story that will rattle your cage:
Kevin Lanier is a Boeing employee living in Edmonds, vice-president of the Sno-King Chapter, Puget Sound Anglers, and an avid salmon fisherman who keeps his 34-footer "Fishin' Luhrs" at Westport during the summer months. Last weekend he took his mother and father, visiting from Fairburn, Georgia, out fishing in honor of Dad's 71st birthday.
They ran 18 miles straight out, Lanier said and took a 25- and a 26-pound chinook. Same place Sunday morning, and Lanier, the expert, nails a beautiful 40-pounder, for many people the fish of a lifetime. So he's the high-liner, with full bragging rights.
Until Dad, Danny Stovall, hooks a truly huge king, on a herring, trolling at 50 feet over 330 feet of water. Dad fights the fish for almost an hour before it finally comes aboard.
"A real monster," Lanier said. "About 56 pounds, girth of 31 inches. One of those 'marbelled kings' you see occasionally with the pattern of both red and pink meat."
I have to confess ignorance of the phrase "marbelled king," but I know all about those folks who visit from east of the Mississippi. Oh, Yes.
No wenatchee sockeye season
Counts of sockeye over Tumwater Dam on the Wenatchee River are estimated this summer to reach only 14,000 fish, not enough to mount a recreational season on Lake Wenatchee.
"I need 23,000 fish for escapement, and a couple of thousand on top of that for harvest, and we're not going to make it," said Jeff Korth, regional fish program manager at the state's Ephrata office.
Korth said anglers watching Columbia River dam counts can be misled by seeing big numbers, such as the 185,000 sockeye moving up the big river currently. The vast majority of those fish are headed for the Okanogan, he said, put there by a cooperative dam-mitigation project involving a big Canadian hatchery up around Lake Osoyoos.
Upper columbia chinook
Reports indicate a summer chinook season in the Brewster pool deemed "spotty," at best, and with fish smaller than usual at that. Jacks and a few kings to 10 pounds or so, according to Anton Jones in Chelan, and probably not worth driving that far for. Still good triploid fishing above Chief Joseph Dam, however, and only a step below that in the Brewster pool.
Big panfish
Nick Barr, a bass guide at MarDon Resort on Potholes Reservoir, notes that now is prime time on the big lake for panfish. Big crappie off the resort dock, including black crappie to 13 inches. Or try float and jig fishing over beaver huts in the sand dune area of the lake, for jumbo crappie, bluegill and perch. Check out nickbarrfishing.com.
Barr said late summer and fall are great times to fish trout in the seep lakes below the reservoir. Fishing pressure on the dozens of lakes below O'Sullivan Dam has been down this year, Barr said, probably because of cooler weather conditions, so there should be plenty of trout available, and some big ones.
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