Big minus tides made life miserable for saltwater anglers participating in the important tri-opener on Saturday — shrimp, lingcod and halibut — but those with the brass to stick it out put good stuff in the boat anyway. And the outlook for this weekend, with much better tides and an improved weather forecast, is excellent.
“Halibut fishermen got a few up this way,” said Stuart Forst at Holiday Sports in Burlington (360-757-4361), “but we didn’t see any big ones and it wasn’t what you would call great fishing. Hein and Partridge banks were probably the top producers.”
Forst said there were a lot of lings around, particularly for those working shallower water or areas protected from heavy tidal currents. Shrimping reports from Saratoga Passage were good as well, he said.
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife samplers checked 206 anglers at the Cornet Bay ramp on Saturday with 36 lings and 18 halibut. At the Washington Park ramp on the same day it was 80 anglers with 16 lings and 12 halibut.
On the Strait of Juan de Fuca, state samplers contacted 149 anglers Saturday at the Ediz Hook ramp with 64 halibut, and 77 fishermen at the Port Angeles West ramp with 21 halibut, neither of which were great checks.
Wind affected charter activity on the coast more than did adverse tides.
“It was a little snarly,” said Kelly Westrick at Westport Charters, speaking of the weekend opener for halibut out of Westport. “But we managed to get out, and fishing actually was very good. Most everyone got their one-halibut limit, with the fish averaging 25 to 28 pounds or so.”
Westrick said an 82-pounder won the daily derby.
Halibut in the Westport area, Marine Area 2, opened May 2, Sundays and Tuesdays only. Westport Charters (1-800-562-0157) charges $245 for a 12-hour halibut/bottomfish combo trip, leaving at 4:30 a.m. and providing a 12-hour day.
Erica Crust, state Fish and Wildlife Department coastal port sampler, said better weather coming up can do nothing but improve charter and private boat access to halibut and lings.
Neah Bay, the state’s premier halibut fishery, opens May 13, Thursdays and Saturdays through May 22, then may reopen June 3 and 5 if quota is left. A spokesman at Big Salmon Resort (360-645-2374) in Neah Bay said charter slots are going fast, but that there were a few remaining for the 13th and the 20th.
In-Sound marine areas 6-10 opened to halibut fishing May 1, Fridays and Saturdays only, plus the Memorial Day weekend. Saturday produced a fair number of fish for Everett/Edmonds-based anglers, mostly from Mutiny and Admiralty bays, and Eastern and Partridge banks.
All Star Charters (425-252-4188; www.allstarfishing.com), in Everett, nailed lingcod limits both Saturday and Sunday off the scattered rockpiles on Possession Bar, although owner/skipper Gary Krein said wind and a heavy tidal run on Sunday made fishing difficult. A bonus for customers was a relatively unusual glimpse of a foursome of Pacific white-sided dolphins, off Mukilteo, and several gray whales feeding west of Jetty Island.
State checks at the Port of Everett ramp Saturday tallied 7 lings and 5 halibut for 42 fishermen.
All Star charters, by the way, was recently named the 2010 best fishing charter in western Washington by voters in the KING 5 Evening Magazine’s “Northwest Escapes” contest. This is the second consecutive year the award has gone to the local firm.
Lake Stevens trophy fish plant
The first 2010 plant of trophy triploid rainbow trout sponsored by Lake Stevens residents Laurie and Jim Goerg went into the lake two weeks ago, kicking off the program’s fourth year. There are ‘bows in the lake from the first plant, the Goergs say, in the 10- to 12-pound range.
The family plants on an irregular basis, whenever enough money from individual or business donations comes in, as a way to encourage clean, outdoor, family recreation in their adopted community. To contribute to the non-profit, tax-deductible program, send a check made out to CTEP (Cooperative Trout Enhancement Program), to Jim Goerg, 621 SR 9 N.E., #A-16, Lake Stevens, WA 98258.
Lake Stevens kokanee derby
Be able to brag that you were there at the start, by entering the first-ever Lake Stevens Kokanee Derby, sponsored by the Snohomish Sportsmen’s Club and the Lake Stevens Lions, scheduled for May 22. Flyers and tix available at Greg’s Custom Rods, John’s Sporting Goods, Ted’s Sport Center, 3 Rivers Marine, Triangle Beverage &Bait, and McDaniel’s Do-It Center (Snohomish). Adult entry $20; kids 14 and under free.
First prize is $1,000; other cash prizes through $100 for fourth place; also for largest trout, largest kokanee limit (up to 10 fish); and separate kids derby.
Marcy Rockenbach at Greg’s Custom Rods said sponsors have arranged for additional parking near the downtown Lake Stevens launch ramp on derby day.
Want to learn how to catch kokanee on Lake Stevens prior to the derby? One way is to hire a guide for the day. John Thomas of Rotten Chum Guide Service has been hitting the occasional 20-fish day recently and offers trips at a very reasonable price. Call him at 425-280-5494; or e-mail lamiglas@hotmail.com.
Springers
Spring chinook over Bonneville Dam through May 3 totalled 158,562 adult fish, the highest cumulative count at that date since 2002 and the third highest since 1977. Managers say it’s still too early to officially update the run size, but they did provide a new range estimate of between 310,000 and 370,000 fish. If that proves close to being accurate, it would put the total spring chinook run well under pre-run predictions of about 470,000 fish.
Meanwhile, the success rate last week on spring chinook at Drano Lake was running about 40 percent, with 100 to 130 boats counted there on weekend days. At the mouth of the Wind River, about one angler in three had a king, under crowded conditions.
On the Cowlitz, state personnel checked 263 bank fishermen with 26 springers and 25 steelhead, and 51 boat fishermen with 4 springers and 16 steelhead. Most of the chinook were taken below the barrier dam, and most of the steelhead from there down to the trout hatchery.
Razor clams
Last week’s coastal razor clam dig was very productive, with conditions particularly good on Friday and Sunday. The surf was higher on Saturday, but limits were still the rule rather than the exception.
Columbia Basin trout
Plenty of trout remaining in most of the usually productive Columbia Basin trout lakes, since the April 24 opener was cold and windy a lot of places, holding crowds and catches to a minimum. There was good fishing, however, including Warden Lake in Grant County, where anglers averaged 3.6 rainbow and tiger trout per rod, plus a lot of released fish. Blue and Park lakes carried smaller crowds than usual, but their yearling rainbow, at 12 to 15 inches, were unusually large.
Wapato was a top producer in Chelan County, at 3.7 fish per rod and a high percentage of larger holdovers. Alta was good in Okanogan County, as were Conconully Lake and Conconully Reservoir. The latter two put out several rainbow in the 20- to 24-inch range.
Troubled Jameson was in reasonably good condition and put out pretty good fishing for 10- to 14-inch yearlings and holdovers to 15 inches. Big and Little Twin, in the Winthrop area, were fair for rainbow going 10 to 16 inches.
Hunters/shooters
Holiday Sports in Burlington will be having a big semi-truck sale on May 23-24, featuring the traveling showroom for Leupold, Ruger, Springfield, Winchester ammo, and a number of other companies. Call 360-757-4361.
————————————————————————————————————————
The New Busy think 9 to 5 is a cute idea. Combine multiple calendars with Hotmail. Get busy.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
