THE WEST END Rivers are still in summer conditions of low and clear, forcing anglers to be equal parts smart and lucky in order to fulfill their daily missions.
But one river to the East is getting a lot of buzz.
The Big Quilcene River has been getting good reports since it opened three weeks ago.
But the news from the Quilcene is so big this week that it has knocked saltwater silvers off the North Olympic Peninsula throne that they usurped from the kings.
Eric Elliott of Fish N Hole (360-385-7031) in Port Townsend just returned from vacation, and didn’t have much to report.
“The one thing I am hearing is that the Quilcene River has been really good,” he said.
The success of the Quilcene isn’t a huge surprise to river fishing experts on the Peninsula.
“It’s an easy fishery,” Brian Menkal of Brian’s Sporting Goods and More (360-683-1950) in Sequim said.
“A lot of people catch their fish for the year there. It’s meat fishing; it isn’t really sport fishing.”
The Big Quilcene spits out so much coho that it has been given special rules to slow the fishery down a bit.
Specifically, only fish hooked inside the mouth can be retained.
Even with the special regulations, it has been common lately for anglers to catch the daily limit of four coho.
According to fishing tackle wholesaler and former fishery biologist Ward Norden, the salmon are small, averaging just 4.5 pounds.
Though the Quilcene isn’t hampered by the summer conditions as the West End rivers are, fishing it still requires strategy.
“The coho move upriver almost exclusively in high tides, so timing is imperative to catch fish,” Norden said.
Norden warns that recreational anglers will soon find more competition for coho.
Up until now, the low price of coho has kept the tribal and commercial fishery from going full force on the Quilcene.
But Norden said that changed Thursday, and predicts that the sport fishing on the Big Quilcene will take a huge hit.
Other rivers
The fall river fishing season is here, but the rivers still have a long way to go before they’re ready for the party.
They need rain, rain and more rain.
“It’s going to take a lot; they’re super low,” Menkal said.
But there are fish to be had, including coho on the Sol Duc River and chinook on the Hoh River.
For guidelines on fishing on rivers in summer condition, read last month’s column at http://tinyurl.com/summerrivers.
Saltwater reports
Just because the Quilcene River is the big story this week doesn’t mean the silver fishery has slowed on the coast and Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Here are the saltwater updates:
■ The coast: Randy Lato of All-Ways Fishing (360-374-2052) in LaPush has been reaching salmon limits by 10 a.m. on many days.
He did say that Thursday was off to an extremely slow start.
“There’s been some nice ones,” Lato said, adding that many are weighing in at 11 or 12 pounds.
Joey Lawrence of Big Salmon Resort (360-645-2374) reports good coho fishing in the Neah Bay area, but not many anglers.
“It’s been so doggone slow,” Lawrence said.
“We’ve got some really good fishing going on, and I think if they knew, there would be a lot more people out here.”
Along with coho, Lato reports the tuna fishing has been good in Marine Area 3.
Both Lato and Lawrence said the closure of bottom fishing earlier this week has caused a decline in anglers on the coast.
■ The Strait: Sekiu is still hopping.
Last week’s state ramp reports showed more than 200 coho were caught on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Sunday was especially fruitful, with 406 showing up on the report.
Menkal said a lot of those silvers are weighing 10 or 11 pounds, which means the days of small coho in Port Angeles and Sequim are numbered.
And with the rain in the weather forecast early next week, the salmon could be on the move in the next few days.
“Rain brings them down the Strait,” Menkal said.
Beach casting still seems to be the best technique off Port Townsend, particularly at Fort Flagler.
Norden said the silvers are probably hanging out in 100- to 150-foot depths, as they are off Edmonds, where the coho fishing has been “red-hot.”
And here’s a tip from Norden: “The best color for trolling squids recently is ‘purple haze.’ ”
There is also some good silver fishing on Hood Canal.
“When it is hot in Edmonds for coho, it is hot at Point Hazel as well,” Norden said.
“Just dial your down-riggers to fish deep — 120 to 150 feet.”
Sekiu derby
The Sekiu Chamber of Commerce is holding a “No Fin, You Win” salmon derby Saturday.
It’s a pot derby, meaning the prize money is determined by the amount of anglers who enter.
Gary Ryan of Van Riper’s Resort (360-963-2334) said in the past the first prize has been as big as $4,500.
The buy-in is $15.
First prize is 50 percent of the pot, second place gets 20 percent and third place takes 10 percent. The remaining 10 percent goes to the chamber of commerce to help cover costs of attending fisheries meetings.
Fishing school
After taking a few years off, Ron Link will once again be teaching fishing classes at Peninsula College.
In September and October, Ron “The Missing” Link will be teaching three classes devoted to the basics of river and lake fishing.
Each class will consist of weekday sessions and an all-day Saturday field trip in which Link will show you how to put your new knowledge into action and take you to some of the best spots.
Here is the class information:
■ River Fishing — Class: Friday, Sept. 28, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.; field trip: Saturday, Sept. 29.
■ Fly Fishing — Thursdays, Oct. 4-18, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.; field trip: Saturday, Oct. 20.
■ Lake Fishing — Class: Friday, Oct. 5, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.; field trip: Saturday, Oct. 6.
Other new classes being offered at the college are Painting Fall Foliage, Beginning Pastels and Intro to Brewing Beer.
To register for these classes, call Peninsula College at 360-417-6340.
Menkal class
Due to popular demand, Menkal will again hold his river salmon and steelhead class with part one on Tuesday.
Part two will take place Tuesday, Sept. 18.
Both sessions last from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Brian’s Sporting Goods and More at 542 W. Washington St. in Sequim.
Anglers of all skill levels are welcome to attend, just bring a pen, chair and notepad.
For more details, call Menkal at 360-683-1950.
Quilcene antler show
The fourth annual Quilcene Antler Show will take place Sept. 15-16 at the Quilcene High School gym.
Hunters from all over the Peninsula are invited to bring their trophies to display and listen to talks given by local guides and taxidermists.
Exhibitors can save a lot of time by registering their antlers online.
Outdoors-related merchandise vendors are sought for the antler show.
There will also be four seminars, including a taxidermy lesson, a flint knapping demo, a hunting dog demo and a bullet casting demo.
The antler show is in conjunction with the Quilcene Fair and a gun and knife show put on by Falcon Gun Shows.
Tables at the gun show are available by calling 360-222-7336 or emailing falconshows@aol.com.
Entrance to the antler show requires a $1 donation, and if you go to the antler show first, you can get a dollar off admission to the gun and knife show.
Hours for the antler show are noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 15, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 16.
For more information, contact Mari Phillips at 360-765-0688 or visit quilceneantlershow.org.
Send photos, stories
Have a photograph, a fishing or hunting report, an anecdote about an outdoors experience or a tip on gear or technique?
Send it to sports@peninsuladailynews.com or P.O. Box 1330, Port Angeles, WA 98362.
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Outdoors columnist Lee Horton appears here Thursdays and Fridays. He can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5152 or at lhorton@peninsuladailynews.com.
