Local salmon fishing experts Gary Krein and Nick Kester, both with All Star Charters in Everett, headline an array of top seminar speakers this weekend for Tulalip Cabela’s Fall Great Outdoor Days event.
Krein will slide behind the mic at 4 p.m. Saturday to offer tips and techniques for autumn chinook, ranging from the final couple of weeks of the ongoing area 9-10 selective king fishery to the opening — Oct. 1 in Area 10 and Nov. 1 in Area 9 — of local blackmouth seasons.
Kester takes over on Sunday, also at 4 p.m. and changes the topic to fall coho in local saltwater. With a well-deserved reputation for being difficult to catch, big “hooknose” silvers take perseverance and the proper techniques, and Kester has mastered both.
Other seminars this weekend:
SATURDAY
n Reloading Basics, 11 a.m. Reload to save money or simply for pleasure. Learn from the pros what equipment you need to get started on a hobby that will last a lifetime, and how to build custom loads that match your firearm and style.
n Archery For Elk — A to Z, noon. Tips and tactics for archery elk from Cabela’s pro staffer Mike Jenkins of Up Front Outfitters. Jenkins walks participants through the ins and outs of bagging that first bull.
n Float Fishing Tactics for Fall Salmon, 1 p.m. A lot of local anglers haven’t yet tried float fishing for river salmon, but experts say this newer technique can be deadly. Cabela’s outfitters will outline everything you need to get started.
n Drift Fishing Tactics for Fall Salmon, 2 p.m. Spoons or eggs? Plugs or shrimp? Cabela’s experts will make sure you’re correctly geared up and out on the river in the right place.
SUNDAY
n Reloading Beyond The Basics, 11 a.m. Just what it says — the finer points of reloading, keeping your ammo stocked and ready to use.
n After The Shot: Game Retrieval And Packing, 1 p.m. Don’t break your back dragging out your harvest this season. Let big game expert Mike Jenkins share tips and tactics on how to pack it out using one of the many great pain-saving tools now available. From game carts to game packs, check out all the equipment and learn how to use it to get your animal from field to freezer a little more easily.
n Fall Fly Fishing: Searun Cutthroat, 2 p.m. As fall temperatures cool down, cutthroat action heats up. Saltwater or freshwater, learn presentation techniques, tackle and effective fly patterns specific to the searun cutthroat season.
n Fall Bear Hunting, 3 p.m.: Cabela’s pro staff will help you successfully target Northwest black bear this fall.
There will be industry reps on hand to demonstrate products, giveaways, specials, and drawings both days, and folks from the National Wild Turkey Federation, Ducks Unlimited, the Washington Waterfowl Association, the Skagit Sportsmen and Training Association.
n Start your weekend right by bellying up to the breakfast table on Saturday, 7:30 to 10:30 a.m., for a good cause — a pancake feed benefitting the Everett Central Lions annual, long-running, Salmon Derby for the Blind. The breakfast will take place outside, in front of the store.
The Tulalip store is located adjacent to the west side of I-5, north of Exit 200. Visit www.cabelas.com/tulalip for complete event details, or call 360-474-4880. Store hours are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays.
Snohomish River Coho
And while on the subject of free seminars, Les “Freespool” Pederson, the black Wooldridge man, will give one final presentation on his unique and highly successful method of trolling plugs for fall coho on the Snohomish River. His first seminar on the subject, earlier in the month, proved surprisingly popular — pulling 80-plus would-be silver fishermen. The repeat will take place Aug. 24, 5:30-8:30 p.m. in the Conference Room at Tulalip Cabela’s.
Tuna time
Westport charter operators are going out for albacore now, and finding good numbers of 15-pound fish between 20 and 40 miles offshore, according to Wendy Beeghley, coastal sampling coordinator for the state Fish and Wildlife Department.
“Private boaters last week were averaging probably four to five fish per rod, while I heard that the charter catch was as high as 20 per person,” Beeghley said.
For a list of Westport-area charters visit www.charterwestport.com.
Kelly Westrick at Westport Charters said two-day trips sell for $585 per person, and one-day trips for $400. The one-day excursions leave at about 2:45 a.m. and return about 7 p.m., Westrick said.
Some tuna anglers trade their fish for canned, she said, but most take them home fresh because “trading for canned can be pretty spendy.”
How spendy? “I’m guessing, but if you give them a 20-pound fish you might get 10 cans in return, after paying $1.50 a can,” she said.
One alternative is canning your own tuna.
“I’m no Martha Stewart, but I manage to can tuna,” Westrick said. “Anyone can do it. It’s easy, but it does take a certain amount of time.”
Yellow fish
Granite Falls reader Larry Waller responded to recent coverage of “yellow salmon” by sending a photo of a 6-pound yellow rainbow trout caught in June by his son-in-law Derek Johnson and grandson, Hunter Johnson, in a small lake west of Boise, Idaho. This is a REALLY yellow trout, and whether or not it has anything in common with a yellow chinook, it’s worth the photo. See it on Wayne Kruse’s blog at www.heraldnet.com/huntingandfishing.
Dove hunting access
Dove season opens Sept. 1 and bird hunters without a usual and accustomed place to hunt might consider spending a few bucks for access to much of the private land on the Royal Slope, between Royal City and Potholes Reservoir in Grant County. Nick Barr, spokesman for MarDon Resort on the reservoir said the area “carries an amazing number of doves.”
The Royal Boosters Club sells passes allowing access to participating private landowners property, with the proceeds going to area schools and their athletic and academic programs. Barr said the group sells, one-day, three-day, and one-month passes. Call the resort at 509-346-2651 for passes or more information.
For more hunting and fishing news, visit Wayne Kruse’s blog at www.heraldnet.com/huntingandfishing.
Record Tiger Muskie
Not here; in New Mexico. The new state record was caught July 23, according to the Berkley Fishing Wire, weighing 38 pounds, 2 ounces and stretching 50.5 inches in length.
So why is that notable? Because New Mexico started planting the hybrid muskellunge/northern pike cross about the same time Washington did, and for the same reasons – to provide a new gamefish and to help control rough fish populations in certain waters. But the listed Washington state record for the species is only 31.25 pounds, caught Sept. 22, 2001 in Mayfield Lake.
Probably something to do with the difference in water temperatures in the two states. Or the fact that the Washington minimum length for retention is now 50 inches, while in New Mexico it’s only 40 inches.
Tigers have been planted in seven Washington lakes since the first introduction in Mayfield (Lewis County): Mervin Reservoir (Cowlitz County), Lake Tapps (Pierce County), Evergreen Reservoir (Grant County), Silver and Newman lakes (Spokane County) and Curlew Lake in Ferry County.
Hot Coho fishing on the strait:
The migration of ocean coho down the Strait of Juan de Fuca seems to be developing a little early this year, with hot results coming already from spots way inside Neah Bay. WDFW checks at Olson’s Resort at Sekiu on Sunday, for instance, showed 203 anglers in 82 boats with 41 chinook and 113 coho.
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