By Wayne Kruse
For the Herald
The Skagit River/Baker Lake sockeye fishery has been mostly the Baker Lake sockeye fishery the past few years, with only a small percentage of sport-caught fish taken in the river — fewer than 200 in 2016, for instance.
But four years ago, action on the river was hot, state Fish and Wildlife biologist Brett Barkdull said. And the reason, Barkdull said, is most likely that the Skagit was significantly higher than usual that year.
A portion of the Skagit opens to sockeye Sunday, salmon fans, and guess what? The river is significantly higher than usual.
It’s not chiseled in stone, of course, that high water equals a blue-ribbon fishery, but hope is what keeps anglers on the river, and it could happen.
The river season runs June 11-July 15, from the Memorial Highway bridge in downtown Mount Vernon, upriver to the mouth of Gilligan Creek, above Burlington, with a three-sockeye daily limit. Barkdull warns that the sockeye and other sport fisheries on the Skagit are tentatively scheduled be closed June 28-29, and July 6, 7 and 11 to avoid gear conflicts with tribal commercial fishermen on those dates. The recreational season also may close early if the guideline is reached.
For updates, check the emergency rule web page, https://fortress.wa.gov/dfw/erules/efishrules.
The prediction is for a run of about 47,000 sockeye this year, compared to a run of 42,000 in 2016.
Barkdull said the higher the river, the closer to the bank the fish will be, and that the bank is a more productive place in this fishery than a boat.
The majority of bank anglers will be plunking, Barkdull said, and the most popular setup is a Spin N Glo bobber, in red, pink or green, and a piece of shrimp or prawn. Young’s Bar, just above the Memorial Highway bridge, on the west side of the river, is a popular spot, as is the soccer field area in Burlington and several spots along the South Skagit road between Highway 9 and Gilligan Creek.
Baker Lake opens for sockeye July 8, with a four-fish daily limit. For more information on seasons, regulation updates and fish counts, visit http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/salmon/sockeye/baker_river.html.
New sturgeon regs
Anglers can catch and keep sturgeon in the lower Columbia River for the first time in three years, thanks to an agreement reached last week by fishery managers from Washington and Oregon. It’s a brief season, open Saturday, June 10; Monday, June 12; Wednesday, June 14; and Saturday, June 17, from the river mouth upstream to the Wauna power lines, below Longview.
No sturgeon retention will be allowed after 2 p.m. on any of the open days. The limit is one fish, slot limit 44 to 50 inches, snout to the tail fork. The annual limit of two white sturgeon, regardless of where they were caught, also will be in effect.
Included in the agreement is a one-day catch-and-keep fishery for this Saturday in the Bonneville Pool, where 229 fish are available for harvest. The slot limit there is 38 to 54 inches.
State Fish and Wildlife Department fishery manager Ron Roler said in a release, “we believe the sturgeon population in the lower river has increased to the point where it can support a limited fishery without impeding future growth. This is a very popular fishery and we need to take it one step at a time.”
Fishery managers estimate a population of 165,600 legal size fish in the Columbia below Bonneville Dam. The harvest guideline for this fishery is 3,000 sturgeon.
In designing the fishery, the two states adopted several measures aimed at controlling the catch: holding the harvest rate to 3.8 percent, compared to the previous 14.5 percent; protecting larger fish by reducing the maximum fork length from 54 to 50 inches; and reducing the slot limit for legal fish from 38-54 inches to 44-50 inches.
Farther upriver, the Department of Fish and Wildlife wants to cut the number of hatchery-origin sturgeon in a section of the middle river and has liberalized rules on Priest Rapids and Wanapum reservoirs to help accomplish the task. The daily limit is two fish, 38- to 72-inch maximum fork length, no longer counting toward an annual limit nor requiring entry on a catch-record card.
The season runs May 27-Sept. 17, only from Priest Rapids Dam to Wanapum Dam, and Wanapum Dam to Rock Island Dam. Catch-and-release fishing is OK after the daily limit is harvested. Barbless hooks are required, and fish not intended for harvest must be released immediately.
“Depending on water conditions, June should be a great month to capitalize on this fishery,” Department of Fish and Wildlife district fish biologist Travis Maitland said.
River Open
The crowds were out for last week’s river opener and, as one of the few local rivers to have a steelhead/chinook summer season, the Skykomish was “bring your own rock.” One report had between 30 and 40 vehicles in the Reiter Ponds parking lot, but with slow fishing, the number was down to 15 or so the second day.
The chinook water below the Lewis Street bridge in Monroe also was gunwale to gunwale, with sleds, drift boats, you name it.
Fishing, however, was reported as fair, though some nice kings were taken.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
