The hottest item on the outdoor scene remains the winter blackmouth action in the San Juan Islands, and from reports, it’s been smokin’ up that way. Kevin John at Holiday Sports in Burlington said “fishing’s been outstanding since before the Resurrection Derby” on Dec. 5-6.
State Department of Fish and Wildlife creel checks Saturday showed 61 anglers with 32 chinook at the Washington Park ramp in Anacortes; 13 fishermen with nine chinook at the Cornet Bay ramp on the north end of Whidbey Island; and 45 anglers with 18 chinook at the Bellingham ramp.
Those are good catch rates, and even better are reports saying a high percentage of the blackmouth are in the low- to mid-teens.
Closer-to-the-ramp spots that have been putting out fish, John said, include Fidalgo Head, Eagle Bluff, Reef Point and, recently, Lopez Flats. Those willing to run a little farther have been doing well at Spring Pass and up the northwest side of Orcas Island.
Herring is by far the most popular choice in the Islands right now, John said, but small spoons such as the 3-inch Coho Killer in green glow are also a good choice.
Marine Areas 8-1 and 8-2 have produced only fair fishing recently, said Gary Krein, owner of All Star Charters in Everett, with a few fish taken over the weekend at Columbia Beach, south Hat Island and, in Area 10, Jefferson Head.
Krein likes 3½-inch Coyote or Kingfisher Lite spoons in green, Irish cream, peaches and cream, and cop car.
Roche Harbor Derby
Debbie Sandwith, coordinator of the 12th annual Roche Harbor Salmon Classic, said that as of Wednesday morning just 25 spots remained for the Feb. 5-7 event. The entry fee is $750 for up to four anglers, all vying for $25,000 in guaranteed cash prizes. A bonus of $30,000 will be added if the first-place fish weighs 30 pounds or more.
The 2014 derby was a sellout — 100 boats and 344 anglers, who weighed in 172 fish. The winner went 20.2 pounds, second was 16.2, and third was 15.8.
Sandwith announced that Roche Harbor Resort and Island Boat Rentals have sponsored two derby teams supporting the Salmon for Soldiers program
For more derby info, contact Sandwith at 360-378-5562, or market@rocheharbor.com.
Steelhead
Recent high water brought decent numbers of winter steelhead into the Forks-area rivers, which were just reaching fishable visibility over the weekend. State checks on the Bogachiel tallied one wild fish released and 14 hatchery fish for 66 bank and 35 boat anglers. On the Calawah, 30 mostly bank fishermen had 17 hatchery steelhead. No fish and little effort were recorded for the Sol Duc and Hoh.
Mike Chamberlain at Ted’s Sport Center in Lynnwood said the upper Skykomish has been fair since it dropped into fishing shape late last week, and that the Cascade was putting out a scattering of early winter fish.
“The Cascade went to a three-steelhead limit on Tuesday,” Chamberlain said, “and WDFW announced they would be ‘recycling’ this winter’s run, but they had only three fish currently in the trap.’”
The state is changing the run timing in the Cowlitz from early to late winter, and the river will offer a chance at a few remnant three-salt steelhead from the early run — nice fish going 12 or 15 pounds, but not many of them. Late-run hatchery fish should show in force by mid- to late-February, Chamberlain said.
The Whidbey beaches are starting to produce steelhead. Chamberlain said one of his customers — a regular on the beaches — took two fish last Wednesday at 5 and 7 pounds, and one on Thursday at 10 pounds, all three at Lagoon Point.
Other good stuff
Recreational crabbing remains pretty good in most of Puget Sound, but the winter season ends Dec. 31.
“Squid jigging at the Edmonds pier was phenomenal over the weekend,” Mike Chamberlain said. “The best I’ve seen in years.”
Flooded rivers provided too much water for waterfowl hunters, but the recent cold snap has started to produce pretty good hunting. The bayfronts along the Skagit delta have been best, according to Kevin John, but field hunting is improving as feed thaws.
Licenses for Christmas
State fishing and hunting licenses are now available for the 2015 season by phone (866-246-9453) online at https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov/, and from licensing dealers around the state at http://wdfw.wa.gov/licensing/vendors. A Vehicle Access Pass for State Department of Fish and Wildlife lands is free with most types of annual fishing and hunting licenses.
For broader access to other state lands (DNR, state parks, heritage sites, natural areas, trails and trailheads), a Discover Pass, at $35, makes a fine gift. For details, visit http://discoverpass,wa,gov/.
Online duck stamp
Legislation making the federal duck stamp permanently available online has passed through Congress and awaits only a presidential signature to become law. Physical stamps will still be mailed to buyers, but the online proof of purchase provides new convenience to sportsmen and women by immediately fulfilling the requirement of possessing a stamp to hunt waterfowl. After 45 days, the proof of purchase expires and purchasers must have the traditional paper stamp.
For more information, visit www.ducks.org.
Wildlife management
A new six-year plan that will be used by the state to develop hunting seasons and guide management of game species was approved by the state Fish and Wildlife Commission during its meeting Dec. 12-13 in Tumwater.
The plan addresses a number of issues, including hunter recruitment and retention; predator/prey interactions, where guidelines are offered to help depressed deer and elk herds subject to serious predation by black bears, cougars, bobcats, or coyotes; access to private timberlands without maximizing direct costs to hunters; wolf recovery, particularly after they are no longer listed for protection; and (pay attention here, hunters) non-toxic ammunition.
For more outdoor news, read Wayne Kruse’s blog at www.heraldnet.com/huntingandfishing.
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