The Puget Sound catch-sharing impasse between the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife and treaty tribes shows no sign of being resolved any time soon. And that means summer sport salmon seasons remain in limbo and anglers remain on the beach.
The two parties could not come up with a joint harvest plan for the first time in more than 30 years, and NOAA Fisheries has made it clear it will not accept two separate plans.
In a recent statement, NOAA Fisheries West Coast region administrator Will Stelle said, “This is an extremely tough year. Expected returns to the salmon fishery in 2016 are much lower than we have seen in recent years, making these allocation decisions really hard. But NOAA Fisheries can’t force WDFW and the tribes to come to terms, and our Endangered Species Act authorities will not resolve this dispute either.”
Puget Sound chinook are listed as threatened under the ESA, and NOAA spokesman Michael Milstein in Portland said that two separate harvest plans would mean an unacceptable impact on those fish.
Concluding his statement, Stelle said, “We strongly hope that the co-managers are able to … work it out, and we stand ready to help in any way we can, nonstop. If they do, the pathway for authorizing both tribal and non-Indian fishing under the ESA is clear.”
Meanwhile, the Columbia River and its tributaries remain open for salmon/steelhead. The Yakima and Snake rivers will have chinook seasons. Ocean fisheries and north coast rivers are not affected by the impasse, and neither are Puget Sound bottomfish (lings, cabezon, halibut) or shellfish (shrimp, crab and others).
Puget Sound marine areas closed to salmon/steelhead on Sunday, including fishing piers and the Tulalip “bubble.” Also closed are most, if not all, of the Skagit (and the Sauk and Cascade), Snohomish and Stillaguamish rivers, and a handful of lakes, including Washington and Sammamish.
Streams left open under published regulations include all Fraser River tributaries; the Dungeness River; portions of the Nooksack and parts or all of most tributaries; parts or all of many Skagit system tributaries; parts of Pilchuck Creek, Boulder River and the North Fork Stillaguamish above the falls; Woods Creek, Youngs Creek, part of the Sultan River, Olney Creek, part of the North Fork Skykomish and part of the Tye River.
State biologist Brett Barkdull in La Conner said the status of the Baker Lake sockeye fishery is still unclear.
For more information, visit http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/pugetsound_salmon_update.
Kids events
A kids’ fishing day is scheduled from 8-11 a.m. Saturday at Jennings Park in Marysville (6915 Armar Road). Bring a food donation. Prizes will be distributed by random drawing and a Kiwanis breakfast will be $3 for kids, $5 adults. For more information, call Marysville Parks and Recreation at 360-363-8403 or send an e-mail to dhall@marysvillewa.gov.
Another fish-in will also be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday at Northern State Pond, east of Sedro-Woolley. Ages 14 and under, bring your own gear and bait. Visit www.wildcatsteelheadclub.org for directions and release forms.
Lake Stevens derby
The seventh annual Lake Stevens kokanee derby is on tap May 21. The event offers $1,000 for the largest kokanee and $500 for the biggest 10-fish boat limit. There is a separate kids’ derby with cash prizes through third place. Tickets are $20 for adults and free for kids 14 and under, and are available at Greg’s Custom Rods, John’s Sporting Goods, Ted’s Sports Center, Triangle Bait &Tackle, Three Rivers Marine, and Holiday Sports.
Greg Rockenbach at Greg’s Custom Rods said kokanee fishing has been very good so far this spring, with lots of fish in the 12- to 14-inch range and one report of a 16-incher. Try a Dick Nite dodger, wedding ring or Rocky Mountain Tackle’s “Assassin” in greens or pink, tipped with corn or a maggot, soaked in any of a variety of scents. Most kokanee have been found from the surface down to about 20 feet, Rockenbach said.
Rockenbach says, “Fabian called the other day, all excited about catching two catfish on a surface line.”
Good guy Fabian Lomas is a longtime Everett angler and ex-outdoor shop manager.
Waterfowl carving
An annual fundraiser for the Washington Brant Foundation, the Puget Sound Working Decoy Carving Competition will be held May 14 at Holiday Sports in Burlington, judging starts at 10:30 a.m. and a live auction follows at 12:30 p.m.
Halibut
The halibut season in Marine Areas 5, 6, 7, 8-1, 8-2, 9 and 10 opens Saturday, then again May 12-14 and May 26-29. The nearest consistent halibut producer in our area, according to Mike Chamberlain at Ted’s Sports Center in Lynnwood, would be Mutiny Bay on the west side of Whidbey Island. Run up by boat or launch at the Fort Casey ramp, just east of the ferry dock, and fish in 100 to 150 feet of water.
Chamberlain said about half the anglers there will be anchored, and half drifting and bouncing bait on the bottom, and that the opener probably will see 50 to 100 boats in the fishery. Drift with the tide, south end of the bay to the north on the ebb, and the reverse on the flood. Have 12 to 24 ounces of lead available.
Use a large whole herring, chunk of octopus or squid, but over the bait put a white or glow plastic squid, 8 to 10 inches in size.
Chamberlain said most of the halibut caught there will run from the mid-teens to 25 or 30 pounds, but that there’s always the chance of finding one of the big guys.
Special hunt permits
May 18 is the deadline for hunters to apply for special hunt permits — fall deer, elk, mountain goat, moose, bighorn sheep and turkey seasons. Special permits are awarded through a random draw, and allow hunters to hunt at times and places beyond those authorized by a general hunting license.
To apply for a special permit, hunters planning to hunt for deer or elk must purchase an application and hunting license for those species and submit the application with their preferred hunt choices.
New hunting opportunities this year include additional buck hunts in Pacific, Grays Harbor and Benton counties as well as more antlerless hunts and new youth hunts. For more information, visit the Department of Fish and Wildlife’s website https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov/wdfw/special_permits.html, or call 1 877-945-3492 toll-free.
For more outdoor news, read Wayne Kruse’s blog at www.heraldnet.com/huntingandfishing.
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