The old guy had just come in from a charter salmon trip out of Westport last weekend, a trip which had targeted the first-ever coastal selective chinook fishery, and he was standing on the dock, pointing westward with a trembling hand toward the open Pacific.
“It looked like the good old days, sonny,” he said, in a thin, reedy, awe-struck voice. “There were so many kings out there you could walk on their backs all the way to Kamchatka without getting your feet wet!”
Okay, so it didn’t come close to happening that way. The fictional scenario was based on state Fish and Wildlife Department predictions of some 650,000 chinook hanging off the Washington coast, waiting to run the Columbia River this summer. If the forecast is correct, it would be the largest return in about eight years, and roughly a quarter-million fish more than last year.
Commercial trollers, working earlier, found the fish in numbers — relatively close to shore, and all the way south to the mouth of Willapa Bay. Some had reported 100-fish days.
Unfortunately, however, the highly-hyped recreational season for fin-clipped hatchery kings out of all four coastal ports opened on a slow note, attributed to stormy weather conditions and extreme tides which probably dispersed schools of chinook. Washington Deprtment of Fish and Wildlife personnel checked an average of only 0.41 chinook per rod over the weekend for those few boats able to get out at all. The Neah Bay average, 0.1 fish per rod, was even worse.
But weather conditions have gradually improved, charter skippers have been relocating the chinook schools, and by about Thursday the success rate had inched up to a salmon per person on most boats, and a little better than that on a few. The fishery is fully expected to rebound from its slow start and to provide top fishing for the rest of its run, daily through June 30, for two marked chinook per day.
Because kings are almost always the most-sought salmon species, charter bookings for this short, pilot season have been brisk. If you’re interested in a place at the rail, best get on it.
Westport will then reopen in “regular season” mode, July 4 through Sept. 19, Sunday through Thursday only, for two salmon but only one chinook, hatchery or wild. Fishing for chinook is expected to be better than last year over the course of the summer, but perhaps a little weaker for coho.
Simply being out on the open ocean is one of life’s great experiences, fish or no fish, and the Westport fleet of some 30 charter vessels is glad to oblige at a reasonable price. Mark Cedergreen, director of the Westport Charterboat Association, said families (kids should be at least 6 or 7 years) are welcome aboard boats which are now much more comfortable, equipped with more electronics, and regulated more strictly by the Coast Guard than during the rough and testosterone-driven days of the 1960s and ‘70s. The peak year of 1977 saw 230 vessels working out of Westport, Cedergreen said.
A salmon charter trip, eight hours plus or minus, will cost about $110 on a weekday; $120 on a weekend, for a spot aboard a boat usually holding 12 to 14 anglers or a few more. Smaller “six-pack” boats charge a little less. Bottomfish trips for a mix of rockfish and lingcod, mid-March through mid-October, offer near-automatic 10-fish limits of “sea bass” and a ling or two, for $90 to $100. Combination trips for both salmon and bottomfish involve 10- to 12-hour days (only on salmon days, of course) and run somewhere in the $150 range. The short spring halibut season out of Westport is now closed, but the largest weighed this year was an 88-pounder.
One popular choice, for those wishing to get in a couple of days on the water while they’re at the coast, is to book a bottomfish trip for the closed salmon days of Friday or Saturday, and then chase salmon on a Thursday or Sunday.
Cedergreen advises those interested in a summer salmon trip to book by July or early August, since the entire salmon season can close abruptly when either the coho or chinook quota is reached.
Albacore action starts usually by the middle of July, but is rolling full-bore in August, and Cedergreen said most tuna trips are one and a half to two days, with a tab of $400 to $600. On those occasions when the fish are close enough to be within range of day boats, a long, one-day trip will cost about $300.
A single-day saltwater fishing license is $10, available at all license dealers or at the charter office. The only other expense would involve a tip for the deckhand, and a small fee for cleaning rockfish limits. Anglers are welcome to bring their own tackle or use that provided at no additional charge by the charter office. Most boats have coffee, but no other food or beverage.
If ocean fishing is a new experience, wear boots or shoes with rubber soles, and plenty of clothing, in layers, even in summer. Bring a lunch, dark glasses and a camera.
Carry motion sickness medication as well, if you’re at all prone to mal de mer — seasick jokes are funny only to those with an iron stomach. A pharmacist at Twin Harbors Drugs in Westport said the prescription skin patch, worn behind the ear, is the best of the medications available, followed by over the counter Marezine, second-best, and Dramamine, third best.
Westport remains a working fishing port, at least to a degree, which gives it more depth and interest than a standard tourist destination. There is a whole lot more to see and do in the area than chasing salmon, however, and the so-called “Cranberry Coast” — the 20-plus miles between Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay — is a favorite with Puget Sound-area families.
Drive south to Grayland and check out the unique, historic cranberry bogs, lying just to the east of Hwy 105. Go on down to Tokeland and have lunch at the 1880s-era Tokeland Hotel. Back at Westport, climb the 107-foot Grays Harbor Light for the best view on the coast, or stroll through the Maritime Museum in the old Coast Guard station. Run the dog and the kids on miles of beach and sand dunes; fly a kite; browse the shops, restaurants, piers and jetties; rent a crab trap and try your luck in the harbor, in season. Bring a cooler and go home with fresh crab or other seafood, and be sure to visit the iconic Brady’s Oysters, south of town on the left, just before crossing the bridge,
There’s surf fishing for redtail surf perch, jetty fishing for lings and rockfish, digging for hardshell clams at Firecracker Point, and hunting for agates, among a lot of other good stuff.
Westport has always been a blue-collar kind of place, and the price of accommodation reflects that ethic. While there are certainly upscale rooms available, the 1950s- and 1960s-era motels of the salmon hey-days still dominate the area. Some are modernized and some not, but all feature very, very bargain rates. Despite some ongoing construction work in town, this should be a great summer to fish, or visit, Westport.
For more information on charters and charter fishing, go to www.charterwestport.com. The site not only lists charters, but also links to fishing reports updated daily, derby results, and more.
For accommodations, attractions, events or other general information, go to the C of C site, www.westportgrayland-chamber.org, or call 800-345-6223.
Private-boaters can check out conditions on the Grays Harbor bar by calling 360-268-0622.
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