The first portion of this winter’s local blackmouth season, cruising toward a close on Nov. 30, has not been one to raise anyone’s blood pressure.
State Department of Fish and Wildlife checks at the Port of Everett ramp on Friday the 12th, for instance, showed a fairly respectable six chinook for 35 anglers. But by Saturday and Sunday, the success rate had dropped to a total for the two days of just y10 fish for 137 anglers. Granted, the weather deteriorated over the weekend but, regardless, the season so far has been much like last year’s – slow to spotty.
Add a bunch of small shakers to deal with, in most waters, and fishing has been reasonably tough.
All Star Charters owner/skipper Gary Krein of Everett (425-252-4188) says there are some nice fish in the 8- to 10-pound range to be had, however, for those willing to put in their time on the water and to deal with the shakers. Possession Bar has been probably the most consistent producer in the area, Krein said, but the fish are deep.
“I’ve been fishing 120 to 250 feet of water,” he said, “and if the downrigger ball ain’t bouncing, I ain’t catching. You have to be digging dirt for these fish.”
By contrast, Krein said, fishing Elger Bay and East Point (Fox’s Spit) in Saratoga Passage has required finding feeder chinook suspended at 80 to 110 feet deep, regardless of water depth. Those spots have been productive, too, but even more spotty than Possession, Krein said.
Many anglers this month, Krein included, have been switching from a flasher/hoochie rig to 5-inch plugs in an attempt to minimize hooking shakers. It works fairly well, Krein said, and the plugs – Tomic mother of pearl (#603) and green stripe (#128), and lime green Silver Horde – will catch fish.
The San Juan Islands have been slow for November blackmouth, as they were last year. A WDFW check Saturday at the Washington Park launch in Anacortes showed 24 anglers with one fish.
Chum salmon: It’s still not clear whether the chum run this fall was simply early, or whether it will prove to have been unusually large. Either way, there are dogs in all our local rivers in a wide range of physical conditions – from dead on the beach, to spawning and dying in the shallows, to still firm and full of fight a little farther out in the current.
The best guess at this point is that there should still be chums worth catching in the Snohomish, Skykomish, main stem Stillaguamish, and Skagit, for another week, possibly two.
The boat drift from the Sultan down to Monroe on the Sky will put out good fish, averaging 8 to 10 pounds but with a few to 15 or 16 pounds. Guide and Arlington resident Sam Ingram (360-435-9311) back-bounces Kwikfish in yellow/red or chrome/purple, on 6 feet of leader, with a 1-ounce lead ball on a dropper from the swivel, to keep the plugs closer to the bottom, more of the time.
Bank anglers on the Sky fish the Cracker Hole at Sultan, the Reformatory Hole below Monroe, and lots of spots in between.
Plunkers, and a few drifters, on all of the lower Skagit bars – Spud Bar, Young’s Bar, Gardner Bar and Johnson Bar – have been taking chums now that the river has opened to catch and keep on the species. A big Spin N Glo in green or purple, with sand shrimp, is an effective setup, according to Bob Ferber at Holiday Market Sports (360-757-4361) in Burlington.
Fly fishermen working the Rockport area on the Skagit report still-good action on presentable chums hanging along the current seam, off gravel bars. Sparsely-tied flash/green or fuchsia flies, on No. 2 or 4 saltwater hooks, would be about right, using a 9-weight setup.
And speaking of chums, Ferber (above) said the popular Dolly Varden fishery on the Skagit – which usually follows the chum run – is getting underway.
“A customer reported doing very well targeting dollies above Rockport, casting and slowly retrieving bass-type crankbaits,” Ferber said. “He used a Rapala minnow in brown trout pattern, and silver Rattle Traps to take numerous dollies and one chum.”
Checks at the Hoodsport Hatchery beach fishery on Hood Canal Saturday showed 69 anglers with 16 chums, while 55 fishermen at the mouth of south Sound’s Kennedy Creek had 52 fish. The manager of the Hoodsport Hatchery suggests recreational fishermen avoid Tuesdays and Thursdays, when Skokomish tribal netters have been active in the area.
Razor clams: If you missed last weekend’s razor clam dig on four coastal beaches, you blew a chance to limit. Good dig, said shellfish managers at the Montesano WDFW office, but they’re willing to give you another chance. An opening has been tentatively scheduled (marine toxin tests permitting) for Dec. 10, 11 and 12.
Waterfowl: The WDFW estimates a quarter-million ducks using north Sound waters, with the best numbers (160,000-plus) counted on Samish Bay. That probably accounts for the fact that the Samish Unit of the Skagit Wildlife Area is producing pretty fair duck hunting when windy weather pushes birds off the big water. The unit lies west of the Samish Island road, fronting Samish Bay.
Snow goose numbers in the area are also very good, according to Skagit WA manager John Garrett, for those who kept their permit up to date. The Lurvick farm, south of Stanwood, offers a good public hunting opportunity, for a modest fee or, Garrett says, hunters can canvass Fir Island farmers for permission to hunt.
Pheasant: The Western Washington pheasant program comes to an end on Nov. 30, but WDFW release-site managers generally save a few birds through the season to be able to make a particularly good plant on the four days of the Thanksgiving weekend. The weekend has become something of a traditional family-type hunt among north Sound scattergunners.
Steelhead clinic: With winter steelhead already in the traps on the Cowlitz, Kalama, and a couple of Olympic Peninsula streams, it’s time to think steely. Try the annual clinic sponsored by the Everett Steelhead and Salmon Club on Saturday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., at Floral Hall, Forest Park, Everett. It’s a free event, aimed at both the beginning and experienced angler. Experts will cover basic gear and how to rig it, float fishing, fly fishing, finding good water, slinky making, bait prep and a lot of other skills. Call Everett Parks and Recreation at 425-257-8300.
Deer: The late rifle deer season runs Nov. 18-21 but, since most game management units in this area are closed for the late hunt, southwest Washington and the Olympic Peninsula become the best bets for those hunters staying on the west side.
“Weyerhaeuser’s Vail Tree Farm in southern Thurston and northern Lewis counties really has something for everyone,” said WDFW regional wildlife manager Jack Smith. “It has a large road system as well as gated areas for hunters who don’t mind doing some walking.”
Smith also recommends the Satsop, Wynoochee and Fall River units for those who want good hunting but less company.
Other opportunities: Squid at night, on the Edmonds fishing pier; the Satsop and Wynoochee rivers for late-season action on the largest coho in the state (the state record is from the Satsop); pretty fair fishing for summer steelhead on the Methow, Okanogan and Similkameen in north central Washington (the best per-man-hour success rate has been on the Okanogan); or foot-long whitefish at Vernita Bar on the Columbia (15-fish limit).
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