If one word could describe fishing opportunity for the long weekend here, it would probably be “diversity”.
“Nothing’s really hot right now,” said Mike Chamberlain at Ted’s Sport Center in Lynnwood, “but there are probably as many things to try as you’re likely to see at any specific time during the year.”
Crabbing is one. The recreational Dungeness crab season opened for the summer in most of Puget Sound on Wednesday, due to run through the Labor Day weekend, and crab manager Steve Burton at the Mill Creek office of the state Department of Fish and Wildlife was upbeat about the prospects in marine areas 8-1 and 8-2.
“It looks a lot better than last year at this time,” Burton said. “The tribes fished a little later than usual because of some spotty soft-shell conditions, but they said abundance was very good and they didn’t have to extend their season. The last few days, they said, were excellent — both in numbers and shell condition — in almost all the areas they fished.”
Results so far in the earlier-opening parts of south Puget Sound have been much better than normal, according to reports, particularly off the Nisqually.
Area 7-South, the southern portion of the San Juan Islands, opened with 8-1 and 8-2, and Bob Ferber at Holiday Sports in Burlington said some of the better spots include areas just west of the Anacortes ferry docks, Lopez Sound. Shoal Bay, Center Island, Buck’s Bay on Orcas, Fisherman’s Bay, and several spots around Cypress Island (but check the area boundary, on page 139 of the regulation pamphlet).
Area 7-East (Bellingham and Samish bays) opens July 16, and Area 7-North (Blaine) opens Aug. 13.
The same two-report-card system will be in effect again this year, after what Burton said has been a very successful debut.
“The system has been a success,” Burton said. “It has really helped a lot in crab management, despite some problems initiating a new setup. We look for it to work more smoothly this year and in fact, if the response is as good after Labor Day as we hope it will be, there will probably be no phone survey necessary.”
Tulalip Bubble: The bubble has been slow, approaching the “usual” rule of thumb success rate of one fish for every 20 rods only on the good days so far. But it’s still an opportunity to hook a nice adult king like the 32-pounder taken on flasher and Coyote spoon Saturday, and you’re not going to burn a whole lot of gas getting there. Try a flasher/Coyote spoon, or flasher/glow squid at 50 to 70 feet, from the red can northward.
Marine Area 10: The new catch-and-keep coho season in Area 10 opened to pretty good reviews Tuesday, with the best fishing found down around Jefferson Head. Nick Kester of All Star Charters said the silvers are a nice size for this time of year, going 3 to 4 pounds on the average. He fishes the south side of the Jeff Head bar on an outgoing tide, and the north side when the tide changes.
Full-size squid have been working better than the mini variety, Kester said. He likes the glow white with yellow strips, fished behind a dodger rather than a flasher.
“We’ve got the whole world looking for Les Davis dodgers,” he said.
One crucial factor in the fishery, however, is the time of day. “If you’re not halfway home by 7 a.m., you’ve got trouble,” he said. He started fishing Wednesday morning with a party at 6 a.m., had boated three of five chances by 6:45, and then the bite shut down completely.
Halibut: An excellent halibut season continued last week on the Strait of Juan de Fuca, where state checkers contacted a total of 115 anglers on Saturday and Sunday with 60 fish. That’s not shabby, bub.
South sound chinook: Not shabby either is the south Sound king fishery in the Tacoma/Gig Harbor/Vashon Island area. Some 72 fishermen were checked Sunday at the Point Defiance Boathouse with 28 chinook, averaging 12 to 15 pounds.
San Juan chinook: King fishing in Marine Area 7 opened Tuesday and results were good despite some heavy tides. Bob Ferber at Holiday Sports in Burlington said nice fish going 8 to 15 pounds and better were taken during the morning bite at Point Lawrence, Thatcher Pass, Obstruction Pass and Lopez Flats, among others. He said customers reported more bait in the area than last year, the bulk of which is apparently composed of small herring.
Area 7 is open to one chinook, clipped or unclipped.
Coastal salmon: The early chinook-only season on the coast expanded to include coho on Sunday, and it opened with a bang, according to Wendy Beeghley, who coordinates creel checks on coastal waters for the state.
“It was hot,” she said. “Checks at both Westport and Ilwaco showed mostly limits and easy fishing, with chinook the predominant part of the catch, as we expected. There were more chinook in the bag at Ilwaco than usual for this time of year, maybe one king for every two coho on the opener.”
The fish were well within reach of the private fleet, Beeghley said, at about five miles out, and she noted that the size of the coho being taken was truly surprising.
“I saw some coho to 10 pounds on Sunday,” she said. “That’s an amazing size for the end of June.”
Clams: If you’re a clam aficionado and you’re missing the current minus-tide series, your priorities need examining. Look for a minus 3.9 feet before noon today, a minus 3.5 feet shortly after noon on Friday, and a minus 2.7 feet at about 1 p.m. on Saturday.
The state has a pretty good shellfish package on its Web site, with detailed maps and instructions on how to find the areas, the species available, recommended beaches, GPS coordinates for boat access, parking and amenities, and a lot more. Go to www.wdfw.wa.gov, click on fishing/shellfishing, and then on Shellfishing Beach Maps and Regulations in the upper right corner.
Unique raffle: The Lake Chelan Sportsman’s Association is running an unusual fundraiser which should be of interest to most any dedicated sport fisherman. They call it the Fisherman’s Dream Raffle, and one $10 raffle ticket will win all (not just one) of the following: a guided fishing trip for Lake Chelan Mackinaw; a guided fishing trip for Rufus Woods triploid rainbow; a guided fishing trip for Columbia River chinook; and a guided fishing trip for Banks Lake Walleye.
How’s that for a blue-ribbon sampler?
Tickets are available at the Chelan Chamber of Commerce office; at Kelly’s Hardware in Chelan; at Hooked On Toys in Wenatchee; at Outdoor Emporium in Seattle, or by mail from Nicky Markey in Chelan. Her phone number is 509-687-0708; e-mail lakechelansportsmen@gmail.com. Only 500 tickets will be sold, to keep the odds reasonable, and the drawing is scheduled for Sept. 6.
Skykomish River: Hot weather and snow melt blew out the Sky for a few days, but it could drop back into fishable shape with cooler temps this week. If it does, expect good fishing for both summer steelhead and chinook. Mike Chamberlain at Ted’s Sport Center in Lynnwood said customers are telling him this had been the Sky’s best season in at least four or five years.
John Thomas of Rotten Chum Guide Service said the Sky was running 10,000 to 16,000 cubic feet per second over the weekend, and needs to drop into the 8,000 cfs range for best fishing. For those who can’t wait, he suggests the mouth of the Wallace and the Sky up around Proctor Creek and High Bridge.
Other stuff: Still pretty decent trout fishing in a number of local lakes, thanks to a colder than normal spring: Martha, McMurray, Heart, Riley, Sixteen, and Goodwin, among others. Lake Stevens is putting out kokanee, and was planted with 750 nice triploid rainbow last week.
Fishermen on the Edmonds pier are hitting one or two chinook per day, casting Point Wilson Darts and other lead minnows, 2 to 3 ounces, in pearl white, pearl green, or glow patterns.
The Cowlitz and North Lewis went to a six-fish limit on summer steelhead last week, but that might be misleading. “Both rivers have been good, particularly the Cowlitz in the vicinity of Blue Creek,” said Mike Chamberlain (above), “but not six-fish good.”
Shad fishing is hot at Bonneville Dam, but gas prices, perhaps, have been holding fishing pressure down.
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