Local pink salmon action would probably have started switching from saltwater to the Snohomish River over the weekend, if it hadn’t been for lousy weather. Too much rain, too much wind and so much junk coming down the river that it was difficult to keep a lure working. Then there was the commercial opening the middle of last week, with dozens of seiners working on pinks milling off the river mouth.
The result, according to Mike Chamberlain at Ted’s Sports Center in Lynnwood, was a few fish caught but no pressure to speak of.
“The weekend was pretty much a non-event on the Snohomish,” Chamberlain said. “It was pretty good before the storm hit, with most people who knew what they were doing getting their fish, and the rain could be pulling enough fish in to make for a good bite this weekend.”
A couple of basic rigs are currently popular with both boat and bank anglers on the river, Chamberlain said. Pink or white jigs in quarter-ounce or half-ounce weights are catching pinks, as are Dick Nite spoons in 50-50, silver/pink, or pearl/pink. Tie a three-way swivel to the end of your line, then a 4-inch to 6-inch dropper to a half-ounce or one-ounce sinker, and, off the third leg of the swivel, four to six feet of 8-pound leader to the spoon. Toss it out and let it swing around in the current, keeping it just above bottom.
Humpies in good numbers should be available in the river through September, Chamberlain said, but a little culling might be necessary late in the month as fish start to take on color.
Don’t give up yet on saltwater pinks, either. The numbers have declined a little the past few days, but recent checks at the Port of Everett launch were running about 3 fish per boat, and Chamberlain said decent fishing should last on local saltwater through Sept. 10th or 15th. Beach fishermen on the west side of Whidbey, Point Wilson, Point No Point and other spots are still scoring, indicating fresh pinks coming in.
The percentage of coho in the catch is rising, also, averaging five to six pounds but with a few 10- to 11-pounders in the bag.
A bunch of derbies
You’re going to need a program to keep track of the ever-increasing list of salmon derbies in the San Juan Islands.
First, the Roche Harbor Salmon Classic will be the same event, but with different dates. In order to avoid conflict with the Seattle Boat Show (Jan. 29-Feb. 6) and the Super Bowl (Feb. 7), the derby will run Jan. 21-23. “Same great derby,” organizer Debbie Sandwith says, “Nothing changes but the date.” The 2016 Roche Harbor derby entry form is available online; contact Sandwith at market@rocheharbor.com, or call 360-378-5562.
Second, the Fidalgo-San Juan Island chapter of Puget Sound Anglers voted to move the Resurrection Derby and its usual dates from Friday Harbor to Anacortes, Dec. 4-5. As you might expect, this did not sit well with a number of Friday Harbor folks, so they’re trying to put together a new tournament, Dec. 3-5, on the old Resurrection Derby dates. And yes, if all of this flies, there will be two major derbies in the islands on the first weekend in December. I don’t know whether or not the new Friday Harbor event has a name, but for more information contact Jimmie Lawson, chairman, at hawgheavencharters@gmail.com.
And third, the popular Anacortes Derby dates – traditionally in late March – are currently in limbo. Winter chinook seasons in the Islands have become so iffy (the derby was cancelled last year when the chinook season closed early) that club members are thinking of changing it to a smaller, summer derby, possibly in late August. According to club president Dan Carney (360-840-8762), the fishing area would be broadened from the usual Marine Area 7 to include Marine Area 6. That should serve to lessen the impact of competitive chinook fishing in the islands, Carney said.
Edmonds Coho derby
Don’t forget tickets for the annual Edmonds Coho Derby, Sept. 12, out of the Port of Edmonds and Bayside Marine in Everett. Cash prizes of $5,000, $2,500 and $1,000, and a separate kids’ division. Tickets, at $30 a copy, are available at most area tackle shops and marinas, or online at edmondscohoderby.com.
All entries qualify for the Salmon Derby Series drawing of a 20-foot, fully equipped, fishing machine. For information go to the website or call derby chairman Ed Chapman at 206-372-1196.
Fires and mule deer
The news from the fire lines in north-central Washington is not as grim for mule deer hunters as one might expect. State Fish and Wildlife Department area biologist for Okanogan County Scott Fitkin, said there were relatively few problems on the Methow side of the major fire complex, except possibly for Black Canyon Creek road. On the Okanogan side, Fitkin said, most of the fire damage has been on private land and at elevations lower than those being utilized by summering deer. Of public, WDFW land, only Scotch Creek Wildlife Area was burned, and Game Management Unit 204, East Okanogan, was probably the most affected GMU so far, Fitkin said.
Game managers were scheduled to meet today, and there should be an updated situation report available by early next week.
Bubble opens
Chinook brood stock collection efforts at the Tulalip and Wallace River Hatchery improved with the recent rains, so WDFW has reopened chinook retention in the Tulalip Bubble fishery. The bubble is open Sept. 4 through noon Sept. 7 and Saturdays and Sundays only starting Sept. 12, through Sept. 27. Daily limit is two salmon plus two additional pinks, and the 2-rod endorsement is valid.
Buoy 10 done
The buoy 10 fishery at the bottom end of the Columbia River closed to chinook retention Friday, as a week of record catch rates and angler turnout forced closure several days earlier than anticipated. State biologist Joe Hymer in Vancouver said buoy 10 got off to a strong start, and effort and catch rates have remained high. The chinook harvest through Aug. 26 was 35,200 chinook, second highest catch total on kings since the record 42,100 fish in 1982.
Hoot owl on Snoqualmie
The Snoqualmie River, from its mouth to the falls, is now closed to fishing from 2 p.m. until one hour before sunrise, daily. Warm water temps aand low flows have raised concern about increased fish mortality, prompting the “hoot owl” fishing schedule.
Boaters want ethanol-free gas
A recent informal survey of members of the Boat Owners Association of the United States indicated 91 percent of respondents said they want ethanol-free gas, but only about half said it was available to them at marinas and gas stations.
BoatUS said more than half claimed to have had to replace or repair their boat engine or fuel system parts due to suspected ethanol damage.
So boaters are filling up with a gasoline mixture of 10 percent ethanol, “E10 Fuel,” according to a BoatU>S. releaase, while the federal government says this fuel is safe for boats and is even looking to mandate higher use of corn-based ethanol across the country.
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