Hotplugs Derby raises some eyebrows

  • By Wayne Kruse For The Herald
  • Wednesday, March 10, 2010 7:08pm
  • Sports

Today’s column, for better or worse, could probably be called the Competitive Fishing Edition, starting with the results from last weekend’s local Hotplugs Derby, which was better.

The smallish, low-profile event raised some eyebrows this time around, pulling 80 entrants compared to 60-some last year, and weighing 23 chinook compared to 13 last year. The winning fish were nice blackmouth in anyone’s book: 16-plus pounds for first place, Ron Lampers, worth $2,133; 16-plus pounds for second, Greg Lindell, worth $948; 15.7 pounds for third, Rick Wahlbreak, worth $711; and 13.14 pounds for fourth, Greg Koeje, worth $474.

Skipper Gary Krein of All Star Charters in Everett said one of the winning fish came from Saratoga Passage in Area 8-2, but that the majority, including the other three top winners, came from Area 8-1 northward — Onomac Point, Ole’s Hole, and all the way up to Oak Harbor. Krein said many of the derby fish were caught during a hot bite between 8:30 and 10 a.m. Sunday.

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife personnel checked 59 anglers at the Camano State Park ramp on Sunday with 11 chinook.

Next up we have the Stanwood Hotel and Saloon Blackmouth Derby, April 10-11, in marine areas 8-1 and 8-2, at a ticket price of $60 per person, available at the Saloon, 26926 102nd Ave. N.W., Stanwood; John’s Sporting Goods in Everett; J.T. Buck, Camano Plaza; and Camano Marine.

Prizes include 45 percent of entry fees for first place, 25 percent for second, 15 percent for third, and 5 percent for fourth. For information or directions call 360-629-2888.

Then there’s the Port Angeles Salmon Club’s 10th annual Halibut Derby, scheduled for May 29-30, and if you think it’s not a pain in the nether parts working the big event into an ever-decreasing halibut season window, you’ve never tried it.

“Those dates include the only Sunday in which halibut will be open in our area,” said derby coordinator Norm Metzler. “They weren’t even going to give us that, except we went down and lobbied for it.”

Tickets are $40 for both days or one day, available through Swain’s General Store in Port Angeles, online at www.swainsinc.com or by phone at 360-452-2357, or May 28 at the Port Angeles Yacht Club, derby headquarters.

The event offers $5,000 for first, $2,500 for second, $1,500 for third and on down to $135 for 30th place. Last year’s top five winners were all in the 70-plus pound range, but Metzler said it often takes a 100-pound slab to walk away with first place. The derby normally draws close to 800 fishermen, but only pulled a hair under 700 last year, due at least in part to closure of the Hood Canal bridge.

Metzler said Ted’s Sport Center in Lynnwood will have a supply of derby brochures after this weekend.

And finally, tickets went on sale last week for Jay Field’s Dash One Invitational Salmon Derby, scheduled to run July 1-2 and billed as the richest event in the Northwest.

This newest addition to the NMTA’s Northwest Salmon Derby Series will accept up to 60 teams and offers $160,000 in guaranteed purse money: first, $100,000; second, $40,000; and third, $20,000. If fully subscribed (57 entries), the sponsors will donate $25,000 to salmon enhancement projects.

Field said there has been particular interest in the derby shown by corporate members of the marine and fishing industries, toward sponsoring brand boats.

For more information, go to www.dashonederby.com.

Springers

Let’s not use the “L” word just yet on the predicted big run of spring chinook on the Columbia River, but if they’re not late, they’re for sure not early.

“There’s no reason for concern right now,” said WDFW biologist Joe Hymer in the agency’s Vancouver office, “but certainly the fishery is off to a slow start.”

Salmon anglers have been hyperventilating over fishing prospects in the lower Columbia since Washington and Oregon resource managers predicted a very large upriver chinook run of some 470,000 fish. So far, results on the lower Columbia have not come up to expectations.

Only 9 spring kings had climbed Bonneville Dam through last week, Hymer said, and a creel check March 1-7 tallied 59 fish for 1,900 boat rods. That number is roughly equivalent to last year, Hymer said, but it’s misleading in that the bulk of the kings caught last week were from early-running Willamette and lower-river stocks, not from the big upriver component everyone’s waiting for. That upriver component had shown much better by this time last year, Hymer said.

Too early for panic. Too early for the “L” word. I guess.

“On the other hand,” Hymer said, “a lot of the kings are really nice fish running into the 30-pound range, and we’re also seeing a very favorable mark rate of about 80 percent so far, so if you do hook one, it’s likely to be a keeper.”

Another upbeat report comes from the Cowlitz, where 15 bank fishermen below the barrier dam had 7 springers on Sunday, from 13 to 18 or 19 pounds.

Blackmouth

Best fishing continues to be in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, from Port Angeles westward. WDFW checks at the Ediz Hook public ramp in PA late last week showed 20 anglers with 16 fish, and at Olson’s Resort in Sekiu on Sunday it was 14 fishermen with 6 blackmouth.

Razor clams

A lot of things have gone wrong recently with scheduled razor clam digs on our coastal beaches, including heavy surf and lousy weather in December, a marine toxin closure in January, and the recent tsunami scare associated with the big Chilean earthquake. Because of all that, digging pressure has been down and there are more clams remaining than there would normally be at this time of year.

“Razor clam diggers have had a bumpy ride this season, and we’re doing everything we can to add some additional digging opportunities,” said WDFW clam manager Dan Ayres in Montesano.

Thus the big dig coming up at the end of the month, March 26 through April 1 on various beaches, and another, shorter, dig in mid-April.

Prospective diggers should note that the first dig starts on evening tides then switches to morning tides for the final four days.

“The dig planned this month spans the seasonal change, when the lowest tides shift from evening to morning hours,” Ayres said.

Days, tides and beaches are as follows:

March 26, plus 0.1 feet at 4:29 p.m., Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Kalaloch.

March 27, minus 0.1 feet at 5:19 p.m., Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis, Mocrocks, Kalaloch.

March 28, 0.0 feet at 6:04 p.m., Long Beach, Twin harbors, Copalis, Mocrocks.

March 29, minus 0.1 feet at 6:35 a.m., Long Beach and Twin Harbors.

March 30, minus 0.7 feet at 7:22 a.m., Long Beach and Twin Harbors.

March 31, minus 1.0 feet at 8:07 a.m., Long Beach and Twin Harbors.

April 1, minus 1.0 feet at 8:52 a.m., Long Beach and Twin Harbors.

The second scheduled dig runs April 16, 17 and 18, on morning tides.

Trout

Fairly good rainbow action on Lake Goodwin, to 16 or 18 inches, trolling small lures on flies on leadcore, or anchoring and fishing bait.

Decent chironomid fishing on Pass Lake, according to Mike Chamberlain at Ted’s Sport Center in Lynnwood, and the same at Lone Lake on Whidbey Island.

Some of the early-opening waters in the Columbia Basin offer easy limits of nice fish for people willing to drive over the pass. Lenice and Nunnally have been outstanding for trout in the 16- to 18-inch range (selective gear rules); Martha and Caliche near George are top bets for bait anglers; Lenore has been good for large Lahontan cutts, on a catch and release basis, and Roses Lake near Chelan would be a good place to take kids, according to Anton Jones of Darrell &Dad’s Family Guide Service in Chelan, for top ice-out fishing for fat ‘bows.

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