Except for a later starting date than usual, the 2016 spot shrimp season looks to be similar to, or even a little better than, the good fishery last year. Washington State Fish and Wildlife biologist Mark O’Toole said the traditional first Saturday in May opener was pushed back a week because extremely low tides on that date would have made some launch ramps difficult to use.
Again, our local marine areas 8-1, 8-2 and 9 will have a two-day season, May 14 and 18. Another half-day could be added if data indicates quota remaining, O’Toole said.
Preseason test fishing showed pretty good shrimp populations most everywhere, he said. Hood Canal, usually one of the best producers of the inland marine areas, looks to be better than last year, and will be open May 14, 18, 28 and 30, with a chance at a little leftover quota. Areas 10 and 11, south of Edmonds, should be even better than last year’s one-day fishery which took more than its quota. The two areas will be open May 14 only.
The San Juan Islands look to be average this year, O’Toole said, with Area 7-West open well into the summer, daily, beginning May 14. Area 7-East will fish May 14-15, 18-21, and 25-28. Area 7-South will be open daily May 14 through 31.
No test fishing was done in our local waters, but All Star Charters owner Gary Krein in Everett said he heard the tribes took their quota in one day.
O’Toole said Hat (Gedney) Island is a good shrimping bet, most all the way around, and the Greenbank area on the east side of Whidbey Island is also good. Krein agrees on the Hat Island fishery and adds the shoreline from Everett to Mukilteo, Camano Head, Brown’s Bay (very popular) and Edmonds to the shipwreck. Most shrimpers will be working at depths between 180 and 300 feet, Krein said.
“There are a lot of good spots in 8-1 and 8-2,” O’Toole said. “You can’t go too far wrong if you just follow the boats.”
Kevin John at Holiday Sports in Burlington said there are a number of different types of shrimp pots, but he likes the larger ones, either round or square. His bait formula starts with commercial pellets and includes fish cat food, ground mackerel, and a lot of fish oil, mixed to a consistency which bleeds well in the water. He says he usually leaves his traps down 30 to 45 minutes, and checks them regularly. If you’re in a poor spot, move.
“The weather forecast is decent and we’re looking for a good fishery,” O’Toole said.
Halibut
The May 7 halibut opener in Admiralty Inlet and the banks on the east end of the Strait of Juan de Fuca was not one to remember, according to reports. Mike Chamberlain at Ted’s Sports Center in Lynnwood said fish were caught, but not in numbers expected. Kevin John in Burlington said the same, and both blamed bad tides for the slow opener.
State Fish and Wildlife creel checks last week showed 70 anglers with one halibut, 348 with 45 fish at Ediz Hook, 366 with four at the Port of Everett ramp, 331 with 32 halibut at Sequim, 192 with 30 at Port Angeles, and 176 with five at Port Townsend.
“I heard that 50 fishermen at Cornet Bay had 20 fish or so,” Chamberlain said, “and that Neah Bay was windy and not many guys got off the beach. This current (May 12-14) portion of the inland season should be better,” Chamberlain said.
The inland halibut fishery concludes May 26-29.
Cowlitz hot
Don Glaser, owner of Barrier Dam Campground on the Cowlitz, said the fishing currently is “fantastic” for a nice mix of spring chinook and steelhead, on all 48 miles of river from the mouth to the barrier dam.
“I think we’ve probably broken the record for the number of springers here at the dam at this point in the season,” he said.
The latest five-day count at the salmon hatchery was 1,358 springers, 91 jacks (“Almost as big as the smaller adults,” Glaser said.”), 395 late winter steelhead and 17 early summer steelhead. That’s a bunch of fish.
And while the long-term average size of Cowlitz springers runs about 10 to 17 pounds, there are some kings showing up this spring large enough to get everyone’s attention. Glaser has seen chinook of 30, 31 and 38 pounds in recent days.
Anglers are drifting shrimp/eggs or egg/tuna belly combinations; float and jigs, tipped with eggs or shrimp; herring; or back trolling Wiggle Warts or other diving plugs. On bright days, Glaser says, pink is a popular color, but early and late in the day, darker colors come into play — black and purples.
Salmon season situation
Charter owner and sportfishing activist Krein remains optimistic that the tribes and WDFW will come to an agreement soon which will break the stalemate on summer salmon seasons in Puget Sound. He said that as of Tuesday, the two sides were still exchanging proposals.
If agreement doesn’t happen, then what?
“We’ll go with folks who just like a boat ride on saltwater,” Krein said. “Show them seals, sea lions, birds; drop a few crab pots; target flounder and sharks for ‘something on the end of the line.’ There are a lot of people who are not hard core salmon anglers and who don’t want to keep anything anyway.”
Big kokanee?
Following up a rumor that Colville tribal biologists have been trying to develop a triploid kokanee which will be sterile and will put its energy into growth rather than reproduction. Like the rainbow trout triploids on that part of the Columbia River. If successful, the rumor goes, anglers will be looking at landlocked sockeye in the 4- or 5-pound range.
Turns out the rumor is true, according to Lou Nevsimol at Coulee Playland Resort in Electric City. He says that it’s only a concept plan so far, with no really positive results, but that WDFW is aware of it and that everyone involved has high hopes.
Big cat
Mike Meseberg at MarDon Resort on Potholes Reservoir, Grant County, sends a photo of a 31-pound, 11-ounce channel catfish caught in Soda Lake last week. The lake is just below O’Sullivan Dam which impounds the reservoir, and the fish was taken out of the north end, where the Potholes Canal enters from the impoundment. There’s some pretty heavy current at that point, and Meseberg said he figures the fisherman had his hands full landing the beast.
Columbia springers
The mouth of the Wind River, above Bonneville Dam, put out an average of about one springer for every 3.5 boat fishermen over the weekend and bank anglers were also doing well — sometimes better than the boaters. At Drano Lake, the averages were about the same.
Spring chinook counts at Prosser on the Yakima River have been low so far this spring, with only 141 adult chinook and two jacks counted through May 5.
For more outdoor news, read Wayne Kruse’s blog at www.heraldnet.com/huntingandfishing.
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