Halibut opener turned out to be big splash

  • Wayne Kruse / Herald writer
  • Wednesday, May 12, 2004 9:00pm
  • LifeGo-See-Do

The halibut season opened to lumpy water but big fish on Tuesday, on the northwest coast and the west end of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, according to Michael Lawrence at Big Salmon Resort (360-645-2374) in Neah Bay.

Charter limits were the rule, Lawrence said, on Swiftsure Bank, 72-Square, and Blue Dot, including one jumbo halibut of 77 pounds, even though the weather left something to be desired. Most fish were averaging 20 to 30 pounds, he said.

Small-boaters, fishing the relatively protected waters just west of Neah Bay, also took fish. Lawrence said an 88-pounder was boated, from the traditional big-halibut spot off the “garbage dump,” along with several in the 40- to 50-pound range.

Charter bookings and, particularly, accommodations in Neah Bay, are going fast for the season, Lawrence said. He expects the first part of the area’s split quota to last for three weeks or slightly longer, at which point it will close and then reopen for a week on June 15.

The Neah Bay fishery is closed Sundays and Mondays.

Yakima River chinook: Better late than never, there are finally enough hatchery kings available on the Yakima River to warrant a trip over the hump. The fish are behind schedule this spring, as they are on most of the Columbia system, and there will probably not be quite the predicted number of 19,000 adults coming back, but it’s scheduled to be a very decent fishery, nevertheless.

Biologist Eric Anderson with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Yakima office (509-575-2740) said chinook are being caught as high on the river as above the city of Yakima, but that the lower stretch, roughly from Zillah downstream to Granger, has been more productive. That stretch, however, has been contentious under claims by Yakima tribal authorities that anglers, even in boats, need a tribal permit to fish “on reservation.” Tribal citations have been issued, Anderson said.

Any portion of the river above Wapato Dam should not raise the issue, he said. One pleasant and productive drift is to launch at Selah, above Yakima, and take out at Union Gap, below Yakima. This drift is called “gap to gap” by local anglers, and takes a boater through productive water below the mouth of the Naches. A greenway trail through Yakima proper offers easy fishing and good bank access, as do walk-in areas in the Yakima canyon below Roza Dam.

Arlington resident and river guide Sam Ingram (360-435-9311) launched at Union Gap and fished downstream six or eight miles last season, he said, and did very well. He said there’s a lot to do in the Yakima Valley, including winery visits, and that the river is scenic and not technical enough to daunt a careful beginning boater. He suggests back-bouncing bait through the slower, deeper holes and slots, working bait and float, or backtrolling Kwikfish or Fatfish.

Anderson added that locals fish spinners a lot, such as the number 4, 5 or 6 Vibrax, and find them effective. He warned that anglers should read the regulations, however, because there are selective fishing rules in effect, along with specified hook sizes.

“The Yakima kings will average 18 to 22 pounds,” Ingram said, “and while they’re not ocean bright, they’re generally pretty nice fish.”

Personnel at the Yakima WDFW office are happy to answer questions about technique and the location of launch sites, Anderson said.

Ingram, by the way, will present a seminar on river salmon fishing, touching on the Yakima, the Icicle, the Skykomish, and any other river where “you might be able to catch a chinook in the next couple of months.” The date is May 16, the time is 9-11 a.m., and the place is McDaniel’s Do-It Center in Snohomish.

Icicle River chinook become legal game Saturday, from 400 feet above the stream’s mouth to 500 feet below the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery rack. Because the spring chinook run on the Columbia is late, there probably won’t be many fish available on the Icicle when it opens. The river is fished heavily along a public stretch below the hatchery, but below that access is difficult because of private property and it becomes mostly a boat show on down to the Wenatchee.

Upper Columbia walleye: Guide Rod Hammons (509-689-2849) in Brewster, says walleye fishing above Chief Joseph Dam remains slow but steady for four or five trophy-class fish per trip. Jigs and a bit of worm are the way to go, Hammons said.

He also reminded anglers that the state’s largest money event, the Big Wally’s Walleye Tournament on Banks Lake runs May 22-23 this year, offering $32,000 in payout. Big fish each day is worth over $3,000, Hammons said. Call 509-632-5504, or e-mail bigwallys@centurytel.net.

Hood Canal shrimp season is set for May 15, 19, 22 and 26, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day. Additional openings are possible, depending on catch rate, on May 29 or June 2. The recreational quota this year is 75,000 pounds, which is a slight bump up from last year’s 74,000 pounds.

Spot shrimp populations are good, according to state shellfish lab personnel at Brinnon, and they don’t seem to have been adversely affected by the low dissolved oxygen levels impacting some other species in south Hood Canal.

Sport shrimpers are limited to one pot, and the daily limit is 80 shrimp. Regulations are complicated and specific, so be sure to check the pamphlet first.

Kids’ trout fishing: There are three separate trout fishing opportunities for young people this weekend, but the choice is made a little easier by the fact that the popular annual Fishing Kids event Saturday on Silver Lake is a 500-kid sellout.

That leaves two: the Jennings Pond Kids Fishing Derby on Saturday, starting at 7:30 p.m. in Marysville, sponsored by Marysville Kiwanis and the Everett Steelhead and Salmon Club. It’s free and open to those 14 and younger, and families are encouraged to bring canned goods for the Kiwanis food drive. A limited amount of tackle will be on hand to loan, but young anglers are encouraged to bring their own. They will be allowed one fish, and a raffle will be held at the end for donated prizes. Club members will be on hand to help. Call Marysville Parks, at 360-651-5085, for directions.

And, No. 2, the Kids Fishing Derby at Everett City Park on the west side of Silver Lake, on Sunday, starting at 7 a.m. and open to those ages 7 through 14, sponsored by the Everett Eagles Sportsman’s Club, and Everett Parks and Recreation. Hot dogs, cocoa, and prizes for everyone, and it’s free of charge. Pre-registration is encouraged, at the EvParks office in Forest Park, or at Jerry’s Surplus, on north Broadway, both in Everett. For those who can’t make either place, however, forms will be available at the event.

Local lingcod: The best lingcod season in years is underway on local saltwater, due to a huge and successful spawn about four years ago. Lots of fish in the 10-pound range, just over the minimum length, and available most anywhere there’s rocky habitat, or holes and dropoffs in bars and shoals. It’s a slot limit, so be sure to check the regulation pamphlet.

And, while rubber jigs will do the job, remember that live bait in the form of bullheads or flounders is legal and very effective. Try the Edmonds pier, the artificial reef south of Hat Island, the sunker ferry 500 yards due west of the green Possession Point buoy, the artificial reef just north of Camano Island State Park launch ramp, or a lot of other places all around the area.

Columbia trib springers: Cowlitz River boat anglers averaged an adult spring chinook for every 4 rods last week, while bank anglers averaged one for every 7 rods. On the Kalama it was boat anglers, one for 3, and bank anglers, one for 4.6; on the Lewis, boat anglers one-half fish each, and bank anglers one for 5; at the mouth of the Wind River, boat anglers one for 3, bank anglers one for 4; Drano Lake, boat anglers one for 4.6 rods, and bank fishing was slow.

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