The fish were willing, but the weather made things difficult for anglers at the big Port Angeles Halibut Derby over the weekend.
“Things were fairly good, but lumpy, up through about 1 p.m. or so on Saturday,” said spokesman Bob Aunspach at Swain’s General Store, a derby sponsor, in PA. “After that, conditions went south in a hurry. On Sunday, it was blowing a gale.”
Because of poor weather, all but one of the “money” fish on the top-30 list were caught on Saturday, and weights were well below those of recent years. The first-place halibut, boated by Jim Blore of Port Angeles, weighed 78 pounds, Aunspach said. That doesn’t stack up well with the winners for the past three derbies – 157, 134, and 124 pounds, respectively.
Second place, at 77 pounds, went to Spatos Flanders of Corvallis, Ore.; third, at 67 pounds, to Pat Byrne of Seattle; and fourth, at 63 pounds, to ex-state biologist Jim Aggergaard of Anacortes. A total of 790 ticket-holders weighed in 40-plus fish, 11 of which were over 50 pounds, and 13 between 40 and 50 pounds. The lowest cash prize, 30th place, went to a 36-pounder.
“A lot of these guys don’t like to say where and how they caught their fish,” Aunspach said, “but the grapevine said the derby winner was caught straight off Ediz Hook, in 320 feet of water.”
He said it was too bad the weather went sour, because anglers had been taking the occasional halibut over 100 pounds in the area for several weeks. A 110-pounder was weighed in on Friday, the day before the derby, he said.
The recreational halibut quota in Marine Area 1, off Ilwaco, has been reached and the season was closed there on Saturday evening. The state’s premier recreational halibut fishery, in the Neah Bay area, reopened this morning for one day, because rough weather limited the catch on May 19. That left just under 25,000 pounds on the table for today, according to Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife assistant director Phil Anderson. He said the recreational fishery took 2,100 halibut the first two days of the season off Neah Bay, May 15 and May 17, and that the fish weighed an average of 21.9 pounds each.
Marine areas 3 and 4 (La Push and Neah Bay) reopen June 19 and 21 under a separate quota, with anglers restricted to water no deeper than 180 feet. Halibut fishing remains open five days a week in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and all other areas of Puget Sound except Hood Canal.
Bob Ferber at Holiday Market Sports in Burlington said this has been one of the best halibut seasons on the east-Strait banks in a long time, and it’s still holding up well. Hein Bank has been perhaps the most popular, but even Admiralty Inlet continues to kick out the occasional nice fish. Retired military and avid angler Butch Bressler, who copped a moment of glory earlier this season with a 165-pounder off Fort Casey, scored again, Ferber said. Bressler nailed two smaller fish – 23 and 45 pounds, also off Fort Casey, last week.
While not as productive as Hein, other banks – Dallas, Eastern and Partridge – also have put out some fish. One good rig, according to Ferber, would be a 9-inch glow squid with whole herring.
Halibut closes June 16, so there’s still time to drag your spreader bar.
Lings remain open through June 15, and fishing is still good, Ferber said. The area around Sucia Island, and the rocks just south of Lopez have both been productive, he said, and even Deception Pass, pounded hard, continues to put out lings. State checks at the Cornet Bay ramp on Saturday and Sunday counted 158 anglers with 31 lings, 23 rockfish, 26 greenling, and four halibut. At the Washington Park ramp in Anacortes, on Sunday, it was 57 fishermen with two rockfish and 13 lings.
Farther south, at the Port of Everett ramp, some 87 anglers on Saturday and Sunday had 17 lings.
Shrimp: As of Wednesday, spot shrimping was still open in the San Juans, and recreationists were doing well, Ferber said. Anthon Steen at Holiday Market Sports recommends either Biz Point or Iceberg Point, baiting with a mix of fish-flavored cat food or canned mackerel, and/or commercial shrimp pellets plus fish oil.
Rivers open Friday, which means mainly salmon and steelhead, and there should be at least a few of both species available locally. Hot temps and snow melt this week could reduce visibility substantially in the Skykomish, according to guide and Arlington resident Sam Ingram but, with a Friday opener, there should be no scarcity of rods on the river.
Anglers looking for chinook on the Sky might try the two or three good holes between the Lewis Street bridge in Monroe and the Ben Howard access, Ingram said. With the river high and dirty, he advised sticking close to the shoreline, pulling big, gaudy, K13 or K14 Kwikfish with a lot of vibration and a lot of chrome. Give ‘em a hefty dose of scent, as well, he said.
For Skykomish steelhead, the drift from High Bridge down to Sultan would be a better bet, for a mix of late natives (must release) and early summer hatchery fish. Drift bait – eggs or shrimp, or a combo – Ingram said, or backtroll a diver with bait. High water does not lend itself particularly to a float-and-jig presentation, he said.
The Skagit also opens Friday between Rockport and Marblemount, for two hatchery chinook, and closes either July 8 or when the quota is reached. The river was in pretty good shape as of Wednesday morning, Ferber said, and while there should be a few kings in that stretch of river, it will probably be better in a couple of weeks..
This fishery, now in its third season, has been a better producer than that on the Skykomish, even though only about half the adult fish return to the Skagit as return on the Sky. At least part of the reason is the limited amount of holding water in that stretch. The “big eddy” up by the mouth of the Cascade (where the hatchery is located) is popular and usually crowded, and there are just two or three good holes from there all the way down to Rockport. Bank anglers also drive and hit small pockets along the bank, but good, fishable water is definitely limited.
Big Eddy boat fishermen work eggs or shrimp, or toss spoons or spinners, while those fishing slots farther downstream often anchor above a hole and feed plugs or a bait diver off the stern.
No “Dollies”: If you hit the Skagit for chinook or steelhead between Rockport and Marblemount, know that you won’t be able to keep any “Dolly Varden” you might hook incidentally. They’re not true “Dollies,” but almost certainly bull trout instead, said state biologist Mark Downen at the agency’s La Conner office. Only a trained biologist can tell the difference between bull trout and Dolly Varden. A combination of floods and low summer flows in 2005 and 2006 have reduced spawning of depressed stocks in the Skagit basin, warranting protection, Downen added.
The state has closed catch and keep fishing for bull trout on the Sauk River entirely, the Cascade River entirely, and the Skagit from Rockport to Gorge Dam. Catch and release remains an option, and the Whitechuck and Suiattle remain open to a retention fishery.
Basin trout: Everett Steelhead and Salmon Club member Jim Brauch just got back from his annual trout fishing trip to Jamieson Lake in Douglas County, and said it was the best fishing he’s had over there in years. The rainbow aren’t particularly large, he said, running 10 or 11 inches and with the occasional holdover to 14 or 15 inches, but there are so many of them so willing to take fly, lure or bait, that it’s almost a fish on every cast. Book a cabin at Jack’s Resort, enjoy the terrific meals served there, and catch feisty ‘bows until your wrist aches, Brauch said. A late thaw has water temps low and thus no pesky algae bloom to contend with.
Big Twin Lake, near Winthrop, is also an excellent bet. Fly club members found rainbow last week averaging 12 to 14 inches, with holdovers to about 19 inches. The lake is a “quality” water with a one-fish limit and special regulations.
Another interesting possibility, especially for those fishermen who search avidly for a lake where they can catch some beautiful brook trout, is Mouse Lake, above Brewster. Salmon/walleye guide and Brewster resident Rod Hammons said really fat brookies to about 15 inches are being caught there now, for those equipped with float tubes or small boats.
Hammons fished but didn’t score too well in the walleye tournament on Banks Lake over the weekend. He said most fish were caught on spinner rigs with either leeches or worms for bait, many off the south end of Steamboat Rock. Big fish Saturday was a little over 8 pounds, he said, and Sunday, a little over 6 pounds.
Local trout: Goodwin, Roesiger, McMurray and Sixteen are putting out trout locally, and Lake Cavanaugh, east of Mount Vernon, was recently planted with over 1,000 triploids in the pound-and-a-half range.
Kids’ derby: The Northshore Chapter, Northwest Salmon and Steelhead Council, presents a free kids’ (under 16) fishing pond at Biringer Farm in Marysville on June 16 and 17, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days, for youngsters accompanied by an adult. The pond will be well stocked by the Fish and Wildlife Department, and club members will be on hand to assist. Those with their own tackle are encouraged to bring it, but the club will supply rods, reels, hooks, bait for those without. Take I-5 exits 195, 198, or 199 to Hwy 529 between Everett and Marysville. Follow signs to Biringer Farm.
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