Well, it was a blast while it lasted. The selective chinook fishery (clipped hatchery fish only) in central and north Puget Sound waters reached its quota and closed at the end of the day Saturday in Marine Area 10, and at the end of the day Tuesday in Marine Area 9. In a little over two weeks, anglers working the first significant catch-and-keep summer adult king fishery in almost 15 years caught the quota of 1,700 fish in Area 10, and 7,000 in the two areas combined.
The Edmonds fishing pier and certain other in-Sound spots remain open to chinook (check the regulation pamphlet), and Area 9 is still open for coho and pinks.
Fishing was wild for the first few days of the season, and so were the crowds. Action slowed considerably the second week, but All Star Charters owner/skipper Gary Krein of Everett said there were still kings being caught over the weekend, particularly on Possession Bar during the evening tide change, and at Point No Point on a strong outgoing tide.
State Fish and Wildlife Department checks at the Port of Everett ramp tallied 595 anglers on Saturday, with 86 chinook, 50 coho and two pinks. On Sunday, it was 340 fishermen with 46 chinook, 27 silvers, and five pinks.
“It was a lot of fun while it lasted,” Krein said. “A great opportunity for fishermen in this area.”
If selective seasons are the future of sport salmon fishing in Puget Sound, as state managers say, then it behooves anglers to follow the rules set up to protect wild stocks. So far so good, according to state Puget Sound recreational salmon manager Steve Thiesfeld.
“We were hearing pretty good reports from our enforcement people during the Area 9 and 10 fisheries,” Thiesfeld said. “They were saying compliance was generally good, and that no major issues had surfaced.”
Not only did the season pull recreational fishermen out of the woodwork (an estimated 26,000 angler trips in the two marine areas), but it generated a substantial amount of financial benefit to north and central Puget Sound.
“Very preliminary data shows the selective fishery produced about $3.5 million in economic activity,” Thiesfeld said. “That’s the whole ripple effect, not just specific expenditures, but it was good for jobs, good for retailers, good for the tax base.”
Pink salmon: Hordes of hungry humpies are on their way to a fishing area near you, but they’re not here yet. Checks Sunday at Olson’s resort in Sekiu showed a nice mix of species – 34 chinook, 23 coho, and 70 pinks for 226 anglers – but obviously not everyone was fishing for humpies. Some 17 pinks were checked at the Hood Canal public ramp on Sunday, and there were scattered reports of a few pinks boated in Area 9.
“There were some humpies caught at Pilot Point early this week,” Gary Krein said, “but only the scattered fish or two in Area 8-2.”
Marine Areas 8-1 and 8-2 opened to summer salmon fishing Wednesday, but pinks are off-limits in 8-1 because of a low run expected back to the Skagit, and very slow in 8-2 because it was still a tad too early in “humpy hollow,” between Mukilteo and the shipwreck.
“By this weekend, it should be at least fair fishing for humpies on the west side of Possession Bar,” Krein said.
Rig with a white dodger or flasher, size “0” or “1,” followed by 16 inches of leader, and a bright pink or red mini-squid. Krein prefers a two-hook hoochie setup, using red or black size 4/0 hooks.
His rule of thumb for decent pink salmon action south of Mukilteo is Aug. 10, peaking about Aug. 20.
And speaking of kings at Sekiu, a local angler scored big-time there last week. Scott McCauley, with ZF Marine Electronics in Mukilteo, nailed a 35-pound hatchery trophy – “the largest clipped king I’ve seen,” he said – along with 15 other chinook taken by the party while they were there. They averaged about one chinook per hour of fishing, McCauley said, and turned loose just six wild fish the whole trip.
Ocean salmon: Ilwaco anglers averaged about 1.6 salmon per rod last week, almost entirely coho. At Westport, fishing was also good for coho averaging 6 to 12 pounds, but for a better mix of chinook as well. The mix was probably 80 to 85 percent silvers, said Larry Giese at Deep Sea Charters in Westport, but it took a king in the 30-pound range to win the daily derby. At Neah Bay, 1,903 anglers were checked with 1,940 coho and 268 chinook.
Tuna time: The albacore are off the coast and within range of charters, according to Giese (above, 1-800-562-0151), and his boats are averaging roughly 20 fish per rod, going 15 to 25 pounds, with a few to 30.
Skykomish steelheading: The fishery has been slow all season for summer fish, and low, clear water hasn’t helped. Even the opening of the Reiter Ponds area didn’t spark a lot of interest. Guide and Arlington resident Sam Ingram said he’s going to take a breather and wait for a good rain to bring in fresh fish.
Hunt permits: Nearly 67,000 hunters submitted 143,000 applications for this year’s special hunts for the state’s turkey, bighorn sheep, mountain goat, moose, deer and elk, and the state goofed up. The special hunt drawing was conducted July 18, but the agency neglected to include hunter preference points in the drawing and had to start over.
Because of that, the whole process was delayed and, as of Aug. 1, some successful applicants still hadn’t received the permits promised “by the end of the month (July).”
The bottom line here is to check the agency’s Web site if you haven’t heard anything – wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/game/hunter/hunter.htm. If you have received a permit, check it carefully to make sure it’s accurate.
More halibut: There are enough halibut left under the quota system to open Marine Areas 3 and 4 – LaPush and Neah Bay – for one more day, Saturday, Aug.4.
Upper Columbia: Summer chinook fishing has slowed a little at both Brewster and Wells Dam, probably because of increasing water temperatures. Guide and Brewster resident Rod Hammons said fish in the 20-pound range are still being taken, however, on herring, plugs, and the hard plastic Super Bait packed with tuna. Hammons said a little experimenting, or a good sounder, is necessary to find the level – between 15 and 45 feet – were the fish are holding.
He also said state enforcement personnel are monitoring the area closely, because of illegal snagging (using jigs such as Buzz Bombs) in the lower Okanogan.
Bits and pieces: The estimated 46,800 angler trips and 15,900 legal sturgeon kept from the lower Columbia in June were the highest totals for that month since the creel census program began in 1977. By contrast, the gorge fishery catch, up toward Bonneville, was the second lowest on record.
Recreationists harvesting shellfish are no longer required to display their licenses on their outer garments – a rule first passed into law in 1979 and repealed by the 2007 Legislature. “The requirement had some value for enforcement purposes, but it could be a hassle for clam diggers and other harvesters, especially if they lost their license during harsh weather,” said Bruce Bjork, the state’s chief of enforcement. Diggers still, of course, need a license.
The Buoy 10 fishery opened Wednesday on the lower end of the Columbia, but it’s pretty much a non-event this year. Rules designed to protect certain lower-Columbia chinook stocks (“Tule” fish) prohibit keeping kings except for a short period between Aug. 22 and Sept. 3. Chinook have always been the big draw at Buoy 10; few anglers drove that far for coho.
Chances for a sockeye fishery in Lake Washington this summer are slim to none, according to state biologist Kyle Adicks.
The Baker River mouth and adjacent section of the Skagit are now closed to sockeye fishing.
Good opportunity for anglers now on the Sol Duc for spring chinook and summer coho, and on the Bogachiel and Calawah for summer steelhead. The steelies are running large this year, some up to 18 pounds.
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