If one outdoor show is good, then two outdoor shows must be better, so a surplus of riches greets the fisher/hunter/boater later this month when both the Seattle Boat Show (Jan. 21-30) and the Washington Sportsmen’s Show (Jan. 26-30) come to Puget Sound country almost simultaneously. Hit one or the other, or plan to really scratch that outdoor itch by running the bifecta. Go for it.
A wide slate of free seminars will, as always, be a major attraction at both shows, and recreational crabbing is likely to be the star this year. Yes, the state Legislature and the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission finally decided last year that the value of recreational crabbing trumps what remains of the Puget Sound non-tribal fishery. And yes, they voted to increase the sport crab allocation from 33 percent to 45 percent of the harvestable resource, allowing expanded recreational seasons to start this year.
But they can as easily revoke that mandate if crabbers don’t start demonstrating a higher rate of compliance with the rules and regulations of the sport. They made that clear to shellfish managers of the state Fish and Wildlife Department, and its enforcement arm.
“So while my seminars are mainly a basic crabbing how-to for Puget Sound and the coast, the emphasis this year will be on educating sport crabbers about the regulations, the violations, and the penalties involved,” said Clyde McBrayer, avid fisherman and crabber who will give a series of clinics at the Seattle Boat Show.
McBrayer, of Olympia, is a retired educator and former Fish and Wildlife Commission member, who said the incredibly rapid increase in sport crabbing interest makes education a crucial factor.
“Recreational licenses the last five years have been off the charts,” he said. “Last I heard, the number was up around a quarter-million licensed sport crabbers on Puget Sound.”
He said the two most common violations by far involve not entering caught crab on the report card immediately, and keeping undersize or female crab. Another very common problem, he said, while not illegal, involves beginners or others who don’t know better not respecting other crabbers’ territory.
“You don’t have to drop your pot right on top of somebody else’s,” he said. “Not only is it irritating, but you’re risking a line tangle and loss of your pot and the other guy’s as well.”
No one knows salmon fishing on north Puget Sound like Everett’s own Gary Krein, owner/skipper of All Star Charters, and Krein will also give a series of seminars at the Boat Show. He’ll offer expertise on fishing local marine areas 8, 9 and 10, and will additionally help introduce a new line of Kingfisher Lite spoons by Gold Star/Silver Horde you won’t want to miss.
A third seminar presenter, Jim Aggergaard, is the recognized San Juan Islands guru and he has all the answers to questions on where and how to fish the islands successfully. Pick Aggergaard’s brain for free and get in on what is currently the best winter blackmouth action in western Washington.
Other fishing-oriented attractions at the Boat Show include the kid’s trout pond, sponsored by The Outdoor Line talk show on 710 ESPN Radio, and this year’s grand prize boat/motor/trailer package in the Northwest Salmon Derby Series sponsored by the Northwest Marine Trade Association. See the 21-foot welded aluminum River Hawk with Suzuki mill and Caravan trailer which will be awarded by random draw to some lucky participant in any of the series’ derbies. The series starts with the Roche harbor Salmon Classic, Feb. 3-5, and ends with the Resurrection Derby at Friday Harbor on Dec. 2-3.
The Seattle Boat Show will be held at the Qwest Field Event Center and on the water at South Lake Union. Hours at Qwest Field will be 11 a.m. To 8 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m. To 8 p.m. Saturdays, and 10 a.m. To 6 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $12 for adults, $5 for youth 11-17, and free for kids 10 and under. Purchase tickets online at www.seattleboatshow.com and rerceive free parking at Qwest Field, a free cup of clam chowder at FX McRory’s, and a free one-year subscription to Boating Magazine.
Washington Sportsmen’s Show
Farther from the Everett area, but perhaps a little easier to get to and offering ample free parking, the Washington Sportsmen’s Show will again camp at the Western Washington Fairgrounds in Puyallup. Show hours are noon to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Friday (Jan. 26-28), 10 a.m. To 8 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m. To 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $10 for adults ($8 weekdays with coupon; go to www.otshows.com), $5 for juniors 6-16, and free for children 5 and under.
This edition of the Sportsmen’s Show will include all the old favorites, such as: the indoor steelhead river, with its realistic modeling of slots, drifts and tailouts; the big all-glass warmwater demonstration tank, with jigging and casting shows; fly tying theater; Lowrance high-tech learning center; kids’ free trout pond; camp cooking; sporting dog center; head and horns competition and much more.
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