There’s solid gold salmon fishing stuff in the new book “A History of Puget Sound Salmon Sportfishing,” by Whidbey Island resident Russ Christianson. If you missed the review in The Herald’s Outdoor Page, June 19, you missed a great rundown on how salmon derbies developed ov
er the years, from the 1930s to the present day, and some of the big fish which won big prizes – the million dollar derbies of the early 1980s, and the Elliot Bay derbies of the 1930s and ‘40s which awarded automobiles to the top five anglers, on national radio.
A sprinkling of other fascinating factoids from Christianson’s book:
REELS: Ocean City (in Philadelphia) made a special reel named the “Seattle” for use by fishermen on Elliot Bay. It held 250 yards of linen line, had a 2 to 1 gear ratio, and cost $12 in the late 1940s.
RODS: The price of early (1970s) graphite rods was out of reach for most fishermen at $250. This led some sporting goods stores, such as REI in Seattle, to offer graphite rod rentals.
OUTBOARD MOTORS: Ever seen one of those ugly green Elgin outboards, sold by Sears, Roebuck and Company? Or a Champion, Chris Craft, Scott-Atwater, Firestone, Hiawatha, Neptune, Sea King (Montgomery Ward) or Wizard (Western Auto) ? All reasonably common salmon fishing outboard motors on Puget Sound over the last 75 years.
FISHING SCENT: Smelly Jelly and all the rest a modern innovation? There’s reference to an 1857 diary from Washington Territory describing Indian fishermen rubbing hooks with the root of wild celery to attract salmon.
LURES: Spoons were the earliest sportfishing lures, adopted from commercial fishermen in the very early 1900s, and arguably the best over the years has been the Canadian Wonder, originally from Canada but produced in Tacoma for many years by the Les Davis Tackle Company. Wood plugs came into use in the 1930s and the most recognizable name, Lucky Louie, was patented in 1941 by William Minser of Seattle. Bait wasn’t widely used until the 1940s, and lead jigs until the 1970s.
BOATHOUSES: There were at least 102 boathouses and/or fishing resorts on Puget Sound in 1938, with rental boats going for $1 per day and cabins $1 to $2 per night. About the only ones left are Point No Point Resort in Hansville, run by the State of Washington; Seacrest Boat House, run by the City of Seattle; and Point Defiance Boat House, run by the City of Tacoma. McConnell’s Boat House in Mukilteo held out until 1999, and the wooden portion of the old Haines Wharf at Meadowdale finally collapsed last year.
I don’t tout many books, but I can recommend this one highly. Self-published, the text is not particularly polished, but the photos are great (you’ve gotta see that limit of huge kings on the back cover from Point Defiance) and the research impeccable. The tab is $32.50 plus $3.50 shipping from the author. E-mail for payment and shipping options to russmira@whidbey.net, or write Russell Christianson, P.O. Box 791, Frreeland, WA 98249.
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