Don’t put your shrimp pot in storage just yet
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, May 31, 2017
By Wayne Kruse
For The Herald
In this time of growing population and increasing pressure on our natural resources, it’s a little surprising to find a resource that can be called “under utilized.” Such is the case, however, with our shrimp species that have the misfortune of being smaller than the big, prawn-sized spot shrimp.
Spots are pursued relentlessly every spring, resulting in seasons of just a couple of days in some years. When the spot quota is taken and the season closed, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife reminds us that there is still quota left for non-spot shrimp — pinks and coonstripes (the two names covering five or six separate but similar species). Where a big spot shrimp may measure 8 inches in length, pinks and coonstripes generally run 5 to 7 inches.
And that brings up the first reason why most recreational shrimpers put the pots in the garage when the spot season ends. Shelling and beheading several dozen shrimp is a job. If it results in a bowl full of 6- or 8-inch spots, most folks consider it time well spent. If they’re left with a small pile of 4- or 6-inch pinks or coonstripes, it’s not always seen as a valuable use of time.
The second reason keeping the non-spot shrimping crowds down is that participants must either make or purchase additional pots with half-inch mesh (rather than the 1-inch mesh used for spots). The rules prohibit “liners,” sleeves with half-inch mesh that can be slipped over spot traps when the seasons change. One-inch mesh lets the small shrimp out of the trap, half-inch does not. Regs specify that all spots must be immediately returned to the water during non-spot seasons.
Marine Areas 8-1, 8-2, 9, and 11 opened for non-spot shrimp today, with a maximum 150-foot fishing depth. The depth restriction is another way to protect the deeper spots. State shellfish biologist Don Velasquez said the smaller shrimp species are not as widely spread as spots in our inland waters, but he recommends Saratoga Passage and Hope Island/north Skagit Bay in our area. Mike Chamberlain, owner of Ted’s Sport Center in Lynnwood, likes Holmes Harbor and Oak Harbor.
“The smaller shrimp are found generally in shallower water than spots,” Chamberlain said. “You can find them anywhere from the intertidal zone out to the maximum depth allowed.”
Both O’Toole and Chamberlain said coonstripes and pinks are fished the same as spot shrimp, including bait, pot size, soaking time and other factors.
And if you need an excuse when your buddies catch you loading shrimp pots in your boat after spot season is over, tell them Mike Chamberlain and a lot of other folks consider the smaller shrimp species superior to spots as table fare.
Shad and springers
Joe Hymer, a state biologist in Vancouver, said the Columbia River’s annual shad run got off to a very slow start — the worst numbers since the mid-1980s — but that it’s finally starting to generate some momentum.
“We’ve had surprisingly good participation in the fishery, below Bonneville Dam, considering how high the river’s been running, and some good catches,” Hymer said.
The most heavily fished section of the river is from just below the dam on the Washington side, and down Hamilton Island — a distance of about 2 miles.
Hymer said the high water may be pushing shad closer to the bank, making them more available to shore fishermen, and that enough water is coming down the fish ladder to keep shad below the dam for a longer period of time.
Lures are the usual: shad darts, Triple Teasers, Dick Nites, or even a shiny hook with a couple of beads. The amount of lead varies according to the current in front of your chosen spot, from a small piece of pencil lead to a 2-ounce sinker. A sinker on a light dropper will save a lot of lures in rocky areas of the river.
At the time of writing, spring chinook and steelhead fishing was closed on the lower main stem Columbia; open on the tributaries only. Hymer said chinook action has been decent recently at Drano Lake, the Wind and the Klickitat, and open on the Kalama and Cowlitz. High, dirty water has been a problem for Cowlitz anglers, Hymer said.
Expect regulation changes soon, he said, because Washington and Oregon biologists were doing a run assessment earlier this week.
Antlers at auction
About a thousand pounds of antlers — many seized from poachers — were sold earlier this year through the state Department of Enterprise Services’ Surplus Operations program. Proceeds support efforts to stop wildlife poaching. The moose, elk and deer antlers were sold by Surplus Operations through an online auction and in the retail space at the program’s Tumwater warehouse.
Funds from the antler auction will be used to pay rewards to people who report poaching violations and for forensic work used to tie violators to crime scenes.
In 2012, antler sales contributed more than $21,000 to the state’s anti-poaching efforts.
Enterprise Services’ Surplus Operations program sells goods ranging from antlers and tools to computers and used vehicles directly to the public, both online and in its Tumwater warehouse (http://des.wa.gov/services/surplus/buy-surplus). The sale and reuse of the goods keeps thousands of pounds of materials from being dumped in landfills. Proceeds are returned to state agencies to help fund their programs.
The online auctions are very popular, according to Jennifer Reynolds with DES.
