There was a bunch of great stuff to do over the weekend for the local outdoor enthusiast and while we all know that a day on the water beats almost anything else — almost anything else — a strong tidal run and windy conditions made it difficult for saltwater anglers in many places and kept crowds generally to a minimum.
Halibut fishing opened Thursday on inland waters and reports indicated spotty results over the weekend and slow catches in a lot of places. Radio chatter from Mutiny Bay indicated 30-plus boats fishing and only 2 or 3 halibut taken on the opener, and the word from Admiralty Bay wasn’t much better.
“I would guess 100 to 150 boats off and on during the day on the two bays, with only a half-dozen halibut caught, max,” said Mike Chamberlain at Ted’s Sport Center in Lynnwood. “Checks at Port Townsend and Port Angeles showed that fishing on Dallas and some of the other banks was better, but still not great.”
Kevin John at Holiday Sports in Burlington said some of his customers found halibut, but that the opener was generally spotty and the fish scattered. At least fair reports came in from Partridge, Hein, Eastern and Salmon banks, John said.
State Department of Fish and Wildlife checks Saturday at the Washington Park ramp in Anacortes tallied only 2 halibut, and at the Cornet Bay ramp on the north end of Whidbey Island, 8 fish. Checkers at the Port of Everett ramp saw 36 fishermen with 3 halibut.
Farther west, 259 anglers contacted at the Ediz Hook public ramp, Port Angeles, had 39 halibut on Friday, and 154 had 23 fish on Saturday.
Well-known Puget Sound angler and manufacturer’s rep John Keizer fished Saturday in Area 6 near Protection Island, hooked 4 and landed 2, in the 40 to 60-pound range, on a spreader bar, black-label herring, and “a few stocker trout my granddaughter caught in the Sportco fishing pond. These make great bait.”
Keizer injected his bait with Pautzke Halibut & Rockfish Nectar, and also hung a Mustad scent dispenser, loaded with the same scent, on his spreader bars. He has photos on www.saltpatrol.com.
Shrimp
A combination of the marine area 8-9 shrimp opener on Saturday and opening day of boating season, meant it was a zoo at local launch ramps, but the shrimp harvest was probably below that of the last couple of years.
“Poor weather conditions in the morning, and bad tides in some spots, kept Puget Sound participation down most places, so I expect when the data is in it will show a lower total harvest on Saturday than we expected,” said Mark O’Toole, shrimp management biologist in the state’s La Conner office. “Catch rates seemed to hold up, but the numbers of fishermen were down. With the exception of Hood Canal, which hosted an average crowd, I think we’ll have been down maybe 20 percent on the whole.”
Those are preliminary estimates, and whether or not they will translate into more recreational shrimping days remains to be seen.
Kevin John (above) said shrimping in the San Juans was “decent,” although he heard complaints of strong tidal run and lost gear. He said better bets for the remaining season dates in the islands — May 13, 14, 25 and 28 — would include Lopez Island, Biz Point, Raccoon Point (north end of Orcas Island) and and Iceberg Point.
Lingcod
The ongoing ling season, which opened on most inland waters May 1, seems to be the strongest of these three fisheries, at least so far. Lings appear to be coming back strongly most places, under very restrictive harvest rules, and success rates have been good in all the usual spots.
I fished Friday with All Star Charters on Possession Bar and we had little trouble taking our one-fish limits in a relatively short period of time, using sand dabs (caught off Hat Island on smelt jigs baited with bits of octopus), sculpin and herring for bait. Possession is covered with small rock piles, humps and hollows which hold a ling or two, and it just takes a little exploration to map their coordinates.
Up in the Islands, Kevin John said fishing has been good, even though strong tides and the 120-foot depth restriction has made it harder. Blakely Island is a good bet, John said, keeping an eye always on the depth restriction, and Lawson Reef in the Deception Pass area. The south end of Lopez can be good ling fishing, he said, and makes an interesting combo trip with a shrimp pot or two.
State checks at Cornet Bay showed 26 lings and 4 cabezon for 125 anglers on Saturday, and 11 for 50 anglers at Anacortes. Some 32 fishermen at the Port of Everett ramp on Saturday had 9 lings and 2 cabezon.
Lake Stevens Kokanee Derby
Tickets are nearly gone for the May 21 Lake Stevens Kokanee Derby, according to event coordinator Greg Rockenbach at Greg’s Custom Rods in Lake Stevens. Only about 75 remained available as of Wednesday morning, Rockenbach said, the bulk at his shop (425-335-1391) and perhaps a few at Three Rivers Marine (425-415-1575).
Stanwood Derby
The recent Stanwood Eagles Blackmouth Derby sold 67 tickets and weighed 9 fish, and was won by Steve Chandler with a nice chinook of 13.12 pounds. Chandler won $1,510 for his prowess with a rod, according to derby coordinator Ed Keller. Second and $670 went to Zac Mackey at 12.03 pounds; third and $505 to Bill Hayes at 11.02 pounds; fourth and $335 to Steve Minear at 9.15 pounds, and fifth and $165 to Kevin Hushagen at 6.05 pounds.
Decoy show
Don’t forget the 2011 Northwest Decoy Show on Saturday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Best Western Cottontree Inn in Mount Vernon, just west of Riverside Drive before crossing the Skagit River northbound. For more information contact Brett Stark at 206-963-8800; brettstark2003@yahoo.com.
For more hunting and fishing news, visit Wayne Kruse’s blog at www.heraldnet.com/huntingandfishing
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