A sold-out Anacortes Salmon Derby, one of the largest such events in the area, hits the water next week and because of the recent lousy weather, there’s little up-to-date fishing intelligence to go on.
Derby coordinator Jay Field, Anacortes businessman and charter owner, said windy conditions
have kept fishermen on the beach for the better part of two weeks, but it’s still possible to handicap some of the favorite spots in the San Juan Islands — spots that are likely to kick out a money fish.
“Rosario Strait has been the most consistent producer since the season opened in Area 7
,” Field said. “(It’s) generally better than the west side of the islands. The Tide Point-to-Eagle Bluff stretch along the west side of Cypress Island has been particularly good, fishing Eagle Bluff on either the flood or ebb, and Tide Point on the ebb.”
The Roche Harbor Derby winner came from Point Lawrence, Field said. Obstruction Pass has been hot and cold. Lopez Flats have been pretty good so far this season; Lopez Pass not so much.
“The Point Thompson-Parker Reef area has been on fire at times, if the bait’s there and you hit it right,” Field said.
As for choice of terminal tackle, Field suggests anglers go small for the derby.
“Red label herring, 3-inch spoons, needlefish squid have been working better so far this season than the bigger stuff,,” he said, “and bait and spoons have been out-fishing plastics.”
If you’re not particularly comfortable with bait, Field recommends Kingfisher or Coho Killer spoons, and said a wide range of color choices would take fish.
Working the 90- to 120-foot line is pretty much standard in the Islands, staying close to the bottom. Suspended fish can sometimes be found in Lopez Pass, Field said, and experienced anglers often keep one rod shallow — maybe 65 to 85 feet — when fishing Eagle Bluff.
Field said it probably will take a chinook in excess of 20 pounds to win the derby, and possibly one in the mid-20s. “A 24-pounder was caught the other day off Cypress,” he said.
For more derby information, visit www.anacortessalmonderby.com.
Springers
Still not peak time for lower Columbia spring chinook, according to state biologist Joe Hymer in Vancouver, although the success rate in the Portland/Vancouver area has approached a half fish per boat at times recently. The official count last week was 98 chinook and six steelhead for the 2,105 fishermen in 719 boats. Bank anglers fared even worse, at a single springer for the 462 sampled.
The good news, Hymer said, is that many of the fish being caught are 5-year-olds, going 18 to 25 pounds and with a fair sprinkling of 30-plus-pounders.
Because of turbid water below the mouth of the Lewis, almost the entire recreational take last week came from that point upstream. A few fish were reported above I-5.
The Wind River and Drano Lake opened for springers yesterday, but since just 41 chinook had been counted across Bonneville Dam as of March 11, little early action is expected at either venue.
Basin trout
State Fish and Wildlife Department biologist Chad Jackson at the Ephrata office said the March 1 early-opening trout lakes are producing fairly well for hardy anglers. Martha remains the best bet, but is small, shallow, and will fade fast under heavy fishing pressure. Upper Caliche, on the other hand, was saddled with smaller trout because of adverse planting conditions last fall and should develop a top fishery later in the spring and summer. Quincy and Burke are good bets, Jackson said. Ice is off both lakes, and they’re putting out a lot of rainbows in the foot-long range and a good percentage of holdovers running 16 to 20 inches.
With water temperatures warming, the “quality” lakes under selective fishing regulations are starting to come on. One angler fishing Dusty last weekend, for instance, reported to Jackson he hooked and released probably 30 trout running 14 to 20 inches, using leech pattern flies and a sink-tip line.
Lake Lenore has taken a long time to thaw, Jackson said, and is still too cold for cutthroat anglers.
Quiz the director
State Fish and Wildlife director Phil Anderson will host a public meeting from 6-8 p.m. on March 22 at the Sedro-Woolley Senior Center (715 Pacific Street). The event is sponsored by the Wildcat Steelhead Club. Area residents are invited to discuss fish and wildlife issues with Anderson and regional staff members.
The meeting may include discussion of state budget challenges and resource management issues, along with questions/answers on fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing, habitat protection, enforcement and a range of other topics.
“I encourage area residents to take this opportunity to share their views on fish and wildlife management with WDFW’s director and local staff members,” said Bob Everitt, the agency’s North Puget Sound regional director at Mill Creek.
Steelhead
The Sol Duc was top dog again last week among Forks-area rivers, as good fishing for mostly native-stock steelhead continued. State creel checks tallied 14 bank anglers and 37 boat fishermen with eight wild steelhead kept, 51 wild steelhead released, two hatchery fish kept and one hatchery fish released. Some seven boat anglers on the Calawah had five wild fish kept and two released.
For more hunting and fishing news, check out Wayne Kruse’s blog here
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