By Wayne Kruse
For The Herald
The eighth running of the Lake Stevens Kokanee Derby on Saturday turned out to be pretty much a carbon copy of the sixth and seventh events — fishy and fun. Organizer Greg Rockenbach of Greg’s Custom Rods in Lake Stevens said participation was slightly below last year’s numbers, but not by much, and the fishing was similar.
“Fish were scattered all over the lake, with no big schools evident,” Rockenbach said, “and lures ran the spectrum.”
Some 26 boat limits (10 fish) were weighed in, an impressive number, and Rockenbach said the best boat catch he saw was 23 kokanee. The winning boat limit Saturday weighed 6.86 pounds, compared to 9.99 pounds last year, which would seem to indicate slightly smaller fish this time around.
The largest kokanee in the adult division and the $1,000 first prize went to Jon Mass, at 1.08 pounds, compared to the 2016 winner, Kim Quiocho, at 1.10 pounds. Second place, and $500, went to Daniel Hoyt; third, and $250, to Bob Jerue; and fourth, worth $100, to Brandon Phillips.
The kids’ division winner was Alex Davis, who won the same event last year. He took home $100 for a kokanee of 0.83 pounds. His 2016 winning fish weighed 0.97 pounds. Second place and $75 went to Jacob Neatherlin, at 0.72 pounds, and third, worth $50, went to Grace Klopp at 0.69 pounds.
Some 186 adults entered the derby, and 100 of them weighed fish, while 35 kids fished free and 15 of them weighed kokanee.
The event was sponsored by the Snohomish Sportsmen’s Club and the Lake Stevens Lions.
Trout derby results
The statewide tagged-trout derby sponsored by the Department of Fish and Wildlife runs through the end of October, with 996 rainbows carrying yellow tags near their dorsal fins planted in more than 100 lakes. For information, visit www.wdfw.wa.gov and click on the derby logo.
This is the second year for the event, and it’s off to a good start. As of May 18, derby coordinator Bruce Bolding in Olympia said 288 of the tagged trout had been caught, leaving 708 fish still available. Last year, 260 fish had been caught by the same date.
Bolding said some of the prizes donated by fishing-license dealers around the state and collected so far this year include a package worth $225 from Cabela’s Tulalip; a golf package for four people, worth $200, from the Tumwater Valley Golf Course; a gift card worth $50 from Peninsula Outfitters in Poulsbo; 31 separate prizes from Doug’s Inboard Boats in Woodinville, worth $20 each; and a $25 gift card from Holiday Sports in Burlington.
Snohomish County lakes planted with tagged trout this year include Lake Bosworth, Lake Ki, Martha Lake (Alderwood Manor), Riley, Silver and Storm. In Skagit County, tagged fish were planted in Clear Lake, Lake Cavanaugh, Heart, McMurray, and Lake Sixteen.
Prawns and Hallies
A very good spot shrimp season, the third in a row, is definitely over, according to state Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist Mark O’Toole, with quotas taken and in the bag.
“There was a good turnout and good fishing, similar to the last two years,” O’Toole said. “Next up is the non-spot shrimp season, which opens June 1.”
On the other hand, there’s still hope that the recreational halibut season could be extended on the north coast, the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound. The last scheduled day is today, and state halibut manager Heather Reed in Olympia said today’s fishery will be assessed and a decision made on whether or not there is quota left to warrant an extension.
Reed said she hopes she will have the data and be able to make a decision by Tuesday. She said an extension is still a possibility, but a lot depends on the weather and today’s turnout.
The decision will be posted on the web at www.wdfw.wa.gov/fishing.
Kids at Twin Lakes
The Kids’ Fish-In on Saturday at Twin Lakes County Park (Gissberg Ponds at Smokey Point) started slowly but picked up by mid-morning. The most productive technique turned out to be casting and retrieving a red Kastmaster or weighted Rooster Tails.
Fishing took a back seat for a few minutes, though, to the aerial show put on by an osprey determined to take a fish away from a young man trolling in a small rowboat on the north pond (juveniles only). Twice the bird circled and dropped, grabbing a trout the young angler was attempting to land and flying off. Both times the osprey was forced to drop its catch, while spectators fishing from shore cheered and clapped.
Steelhead changes
The feds recently came out with new requirements for state steelhead hatchery production on tributaries of the lower Columbia that will prohibit the planting of Chambers Creek stock, starting next year. NOAA Fisheries decided that replacing the Chambers Creek stock — used since the 1950s — with brood stock taken locally would help protect the genetic integrity of wild steelhead populations in the Kalama, Coweeman and Washougal rivers.
The last of the lower Columbia Chambers Creek smolts will be released later this month, after which only local stocks will be used.
The state’s hatchery director, Eric Kinne, said the replacement plan on the Kalama would increase smolt plants on that river by 50 percent, but rebuilding an early-timed run that would correspond to the Chambers Creek stock may take a decade or more. Kinne said anglers will miss the Kalama early winter steelhead fishery (November-December) until the department can establish an early run using local stocks.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
