Lots of stuff is coming for the outdoor-oriented recreationist over the next two or three weeks, but none of more importance than the opening of the statewide lowland lake season on Saturday. For those who missed the opening-day feature in last Sunday’s paper, the following is a thumbnail rundown on trout prospects:
* Weather and water temperatures are a large factor in success or failure of the opening-day experience, and this spring has been about average. The weekend forecast is not too bad, either, so we seem to be okay on that front.
* Plants are another major factor, and trout plants by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife have been on a par with recent years, plus the state Legislature voted a few more bucks for the pen-raised triploid program, and there will be more rainbow going a pound or so in area lakes.
We’ve been fortunate to have good openers for the past three years, and this one is shaping up as another positive day on the water.
Triploids: Everybody’s interested in where all the big, pen-raised “triploid” rainbow are going, and how big they are. There are two different groups involved: first, a coalition of the Snohomish Sportsman’s Club and the Everett Steelhead and Salmon Club has raised its own funds through the fall coho derby, and is planting triploids in Flowing, Blackman’s, Panther, Chain and Silver lakes, and North and South Gissberg Ponds. These fish run from about 11 inches, up through a number weighing 4 or 5 pounds, to a scattering of trophies in the 8-pound range. The best fishing in the group of lakes has been in Flowing and Blackman’s. Numbers vary, but the more heavily stocked in this group have received around 600 fish.
The second entity planting triploids is the state, and the bulk of their fish are 3/4-pound to about 2 pounds. The state hopes that many will escape being caught this season and will put on pounds rapidly for future years (which is what the fish are “modified” to do).
State triploid plants in this area are as follows:
* Snohomish County: Blackman’s Lake, 545 triploid rainbow, in April and May; Cassidy, 1,744 fish, in April and May; Flowing, 900 in April and May; Gissberg Ponds, 1,304 in April and May; Lake Martha (Warm Beach), 587 in April; Panther, 546 in April and May; Roesiger, 1,840 in April and May; Silver, 840 in April and May, and Tye, 523, in April.
* Skagit County: Lake Campbell, 1,800 fish in April and May; Cavanaugh, 1,017 in May; Clear, 1,286 in April; Pass Lake, 232 in May; and Vogeler, 119 in May.
* Island County: Lone Lake, 900 fish in April and May; and Cranberry, 660 in May.
Best bets: The no-brainer lakes for Saturday morning – those where limits will be the rule rather than the exception – should include Erie, Heart, and McMurray in Skagit County, and Lake Ki in Snohomish County. A step below the blue-ribbon lakes are Armstrong, Sixteen, Riley, Flowing and Blackman’s. The last two are year-around waters, but considering the large number of fish planted, including triploids, they will probably out-produce many “opening day-type” lakes. Lake Howard may or may not be a good opportunity, depending on how many cormorants have been working it over.
Other reasonable opportunities include Silver Lake in south Everett, Chain Lake, Lake Roesiger, Storm, Crabapple and Wagner.
Boat regulations: A number of years ago, inland boating regulations were turned over to the State Parks Department by the Coast Guard. The state, in turn, contracts with cities and/or counties for enforcement. As you can probably guess, this diffusion of responsibility makes it difficult at times for the average boater to find out precisely what is needed aboard, and what is, or is not, enforced.
Try the State Parks Boating Program. Call the agency’s information number, 360-902-8844, and ask for a copy of its Washington Boaters’ Guide. Or go online to www.parks.wa.gov; or call the boating program administrators, Mark Kenny at 360-586-6593, or Jim French at 360-586-6616.
Steelhead: There is only one weekend left on what has been a very good C&R spring season on the Sauk and upper Skagit. Pressure has increased, pushing some fish into non-traditional water, but the opportunity is still excellent for fish in the double digits and many in the 20-plus-pound range. Backtrolling plugs is a top system for aggressive native fish, as well as drifting unscented pink worms or Corky and yarn. Spoon and fly fishermen are also scoring.
Local halibut: The in-Sound halibut fishery continues to produce some very nice fish, according to Bob Ferber at Holiday Market Sports in Burlington (360-757-4361), when decent tides and decent weather can be found together. Which hasn’t been all that often so far, Ferber said. Tides are moderating toward this weekend, however, and the weather forecast doesn’t sound bad.
Ferber said Hein, Dallas and Partridge banks are all producing fish, another 50-pounder was landed over the weekend at Admiralty Inlet, and the Mutiny Bay/Double Bluff area is putting out the occasional halibut. Remember that this is a Thursday-through-Monday fishery only.
State checks at the Port of Everett ramp on Sunday tallied five halibut and four blackmouth for 212 anglers. Out in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, 102 anglers checked at Ediz Hook in Port Angeles over the weekend had 13 halibut, and seven anglers checked at Olson’s Resort in Sekiu had 29 rockfish, five lingcod and one cabezon from Marine Area 4.
Lingcod: In-Sound ling fishing opens May 1, and the best area by far, as usual, is encompassed by the San Juan Islands.
“Lots of ling habitat up here,” said Ferber. “Almost any steep, rocky drop-off is worth a try.”
Some popular spots include Blakely, Lopez and Orcas islands; the bird rocks off Decatur, and Fidalgo Head with its accompanying islands, Ferber said. Early in the season, and particularly with the price of fuel as high as it is, he said a lot of ling fishermen will be looking at close in areas such as Deception Pass and the islands west of it.
Herring and squid are good ling baits, but jigs are probably more popular. Ferber said scampi tails, the big, scented Power Worms, and the Storm or Calcutta plastic minnows are all good, using jig heads from 3 ounces up to about 8 ounces, depending on tidal run and depth. The average weight used would probably be in the 4- to 6-ounce range, he said, but an angler should be prepared for various conditions.
The coastal ling season (two-fish limit) opened last week and charters have been doing fairly well when the weather allows. Merle Lundell at Westport Charters (1-800-562-0157) said customers are probably averaging a ling per rod on combination trips, with limits of black rockfish almost automatic. The leader on the lingcod derby board is a 30-pounder, Lundell said, but the average ling will probably weigh 10 or 11 pounds. Ling-rockfish trips go for $95 per person.
Coastal halibut: Coastal halibut fishing opens May 1, and Lundell said it’s hard to know how long the season will last out of Westport. Since the quota is by weight, not numbers, it depends to a degree on how large the fish are running.
“Last year they were averaging 22 or 23 pounds and we fished for only 13 days,” he said. “The year before, they weren’t that large, and we fished 17 days. So we’re tentatively booking through the 14th or 15th, and hoping we’ll get a couple of additional days.”
The quota is about the same as last year, he said, and again it’s a Sunday-through-Thursday season. He has seven boats lined up, but there aren’t many openings left, he said, so interested anglers should be booking soon.
What he calls “halibut bonus trips,” featuring halibut, black rockfish and lings, run $185 during the week and $195 on Sundays.
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