Boat show dropping anchor early

Published 9:00 pm Wednesday, January 4, 2006

It comes to town a week early and probably a day short, but to water-crazy northwesterners, nothing can dull the attraction of the Seattle Boat Show. Particularly since it’s the Seattle Seahawks’ success this season that is responsible for jacking the show’s schedule around.

The Seahawks’ playoff timetable forced the show into the Qwest Field Event Center a week ahead of schedule – set now to run Jan. 6-14 – and also most likely will chop a day off the end of the event. That won’t be known for sure until the next round of the NFL playoffs are set after Saturday’s games, but knowledgeable observers say if you’re planning on waiting until the final Saturday to take in the boat show, you’re on very thin ice. It’s probable that the show will end at 6 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 13.

Hours for the show are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Jan. 6; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Jan. 7; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Jan. 8; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Jan. 9-12; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Jan. 13; and, unless cancelled, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Jan. 14.

Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for youth 11-17, and free for kids 10 and under. A three-day Flex Pass is $18. Purchase tickets online at www.seattleboatshow.com and receive free parking in the North Lot of Qwest Field Event Center, Safeco Field parking garage, or Home Plate Parking.

There’s a lot to interest the Puget Sound angler at this year’s show, as there always is, and avid local angler Tom Nelson suggests watching for the following:

* The Spectra synthetic downrigger cable by Scotty Corporation could end the long ongoing conflict over ions, electrolysis, black boxes, and all the rest of the foofaraw surrounding the “aura” of your metallic downrigger cable and its effect, or lack of it, on salmon. It’s a hot item, Nelson said. The stuff works on Scotty and Penn equipment, but not on Canon, which utilizes metallic cable as part of its electrical system.

* Lowrance is out with a new combination plotter/fish finder, in color, which not only handles the usual GPS-linked navigational chores, but also (with a little practice) allows you to distinguish fish species, by differing colors, under your boat. It displays varying strengths of fish pickups in different colors, rather than only by size and shades of black and white, Nelson said.

* North River’s new 6-degree Scout sled is perfect for our shallow local rivers, Nelson said. With a full quarter-inch of metal on the bottom of a 20-foot hull, it’s some of the most rugged gear around. Bayside Outboard on the Everett waterfront carries the hull, Nelson said.

And down at Three Rivers Marine in Woodinville, Scott Weedman said a couple of trends should be visible at the show this year. One is the push toward four-stroke or direct-injected two-stroke outboards, he said, as being much more fuel efficient and a lot cleaner. The other trend for anglers to watch for, he said, is that fishing boats this year tend to be wider, up to a foot, than the equivalent models were last year. More fishing room for the buck, so to speak.

“A new hull I like, which will be at the show, is a Freedrifter six-degree entry level sled, set up for jet,” he said. “It comes in 17- and 19-foot models and the design was price driven, so it’s about as affordable as you’re going to find for quality equipment.”

This year’s Northwest Salmon Derby Series grand prize will also be unveiled at the show – a 21-foot aluminum Jetcraft, with 150 hp Mercury OptiMax outboard and Carnai trailer. The boat will go to the winner of a drawing at the end of the Western Washington summer salmon fishing season, probably after the Everett Coho Derby, from among tickets deposited by participants in a series of several specified events. The more derbies you enter, the more tickets you have in the box and the more chances to win.

Nelson teaches a seminar on jigging for salmon (and off the mouth of Tulalip Bay that can be a deadly technique) at the show at 4 p.m Jan. 9. and 7 p.m. Jan. 11, and on downrigger techniques at 4 p.m. Jan. 10 and 2 p.m. Jan. 13.

Steelhead: Reiter Ponds was red hot for a couple of days last week, after the high water, with 70 anglers landing (depending on who you believe) somewhere between 45 and 60 fish on one day, and somewhat fewer fish for a much larger crowd the next day. All those fish shot through the Snohomish system on the rain, of course, and action on the Skykomish in general has been only fair, at best, since.

Guide Sam Ingram said there was probably two feet of visibility Tuesday on the Sky, between Sultan and Monroe, and that the river was dropping. Ingram said he believes there are still hatchery fish to be had on the system, with decent water conditions, and that grumbling about “another bust season” are, in his opinion, premature.

With more rain on the way, look to the smaller streams or the upper reaches of the larger ones. The Wallace and Pilchuck are at least fair bets, and the upper Sky should continue to produce fish.

Adult winter-run returns to southwest Washington hatcheries show a mixed bag, compared to last winter’s returns. The Elochoman is about half this year; the Cowlitz is way down; the Lewis is about the same, and the Kalama down substantially. In general, according to biologist Chris Wagemann, southwest runs are about half of last year’s, to date.

Smelt: Nothing much doing yet at Oak Harbor, Cornet Bay or La Conner, but a spark of interest comes from commercial netting results on the lower Columbia.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is officially anticipating a poor return of smelt to Columbia River tributaries, and has set a recreational season on the Cowlitz of one day per week. Starting Jan. 7, smelt dippers on the Cowlitz can work Saturdays only, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., through March 31, with a daily limit of 10 pounds per person.

“We will be watching the run closely, and will modify the season if it turns out to be stronger than expected,” state biologist Brad James said.

That’s a good thing, because commercial smelters near Cathlamet landed 485 pounds of smelt between Dec. 28 and 30, four times more fish than were brought in during the entire 2005 commercial season.

Blackmouth: Saratoga Passage continues to produce the best winter salmon fishing in the area, and it has been pretty good at times, wind and rain considered. Onomac Point has been the top spot, perhaps, but Elger Bay and the Langley-to-Fox’s Spit stretch on the west side have also produced fish.

Lake Chelan: Mackinaw fishing is at its winter peak now, according to guide Anton Jones (antonj@aol.com), with trollers hitting 2- to 7-pound fish at a two per hour clip. U-20 Flatfish and FSTs, fished within 5 feet of bottom in 210 to 245 feet of water at 1.2 knots is the productive system.

Fly trip: Quality water Rocky Ford Creek, northwest of Moses Lake, is springfed and stays at a relatively stable temperature throughout the year. It’s uncrowded during the winter and can be a top producer for big rainbow in January, February and March. Read the regs for special rules.