ANGLERS ON THE North Olympic Peninsula are down to two options for saltwater salmon season.
First is to cross the Strait of Juan de Fuca and fish Marine Area 7 (the San Juan Islands).
Blackmouth fishing there seems to be doing much better than it did, considering the daily limit was decreased from two salmon to one last week.
The second option is Hood Canal (Marine Area 12).
As was the case with the areas on the Strait, the Hood Canal blackmouth fishery has been under utilized this season.
But now might be a good time to fish the Canal for anglers with a blackmouth craving.
“I haven’t seen a soul out there for a while,” fishing tackle wholesaler and former fishery biologist Ward Norden said.
“This is not surprising, given what I haven’t seen in other marine areas. Hardly anyone has fished saltwater this winter.
“Now is the time to be out on the Canal, however. Historically, early spring is the best time for blackmouth between Pleasant Harbor and Point Whitney.
“You have to be out at first light, though. By the time the sun hits the water, the fish are off the bite.”
The daily limit on Hood Canal is two hatchery salmon, with a 22-inch size minimum.
In Marine Area 7 and 12, the blackmouth fishery closes on Tuesday, April 30.
Octopus meeting
Last October, 20-year-old Dylan Mayer emerged from the water near Alki Point in Seattle with a giant Pacific octopus.
He had a license, and his harvest was done legally, but it nonetheless set off a firestorm of controversy.
Following the public outcry, including three petitions signed by hundreds of scuba divers and other members of the public seeking protection for octopuses from recreational harvest, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife has reviewed the rules and has approved four options for managing Puget Sounds’ giant Pacific octopus population.
Before making its decision, the state will hold two meetings in which it will seek public input on the issue.
One of those meetings will be held Tuesday at the Cotton Building (407 Water St.) in Port Townsend, lasting from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
For more information about the four options under consideration or to post public comments, visit www.tinyurl.com/OctoOptions.
Kids derby
Port Angeles Parks and Recreation’s kids fishing derby was held at the Lincoln Park Ponds last Saturday for children ages 5 through 14.
The following are the top three winners for each age group, including the combined length of their respective catches.
■ 5 to 6 years: Lacy Sue Flower, 48.1 inches; Brian Lester, 33.9 inches; Keira Gedelman, 29.1 inches.
■ 7 to 8 years: Kaler Oldemeyer, 47.5 inches; Carlee Dewater, 29.4 inches; Leilani Frances, 29.3 inches.
■ 9 to 10 years: Blake Williams, 54.6 inches; Lenora Cepeda, 49 inches; Zoie Harris, 48.6 inches.
■ 11 to 12 years: Caleb Martin, 48 inches; Skyler Wilbur, 45.5 inches; Rivers Nuvum, 29 inches.
■ 13 to 14 years: Jack Drennen, 29.1 inches; Dillon Martin, 28.3 inches; Derrick Hensdale, 28.1 inches.
Anderson Lake open?
In case you missed it, Thursday’s Jefferson County edition of the Peninsula Daily News included a story about Anderson Lake’s status for the lowland lake opener next week. (For Clallam County, the story is in today’s edition.)
It appears the lake will be open to fishing next Saturday, April 27.
But it doesn’t appear there will be actual toxin tests until the blue-green algae is visible.
I predict Anderson is closed again before May 1.
Read the story online here: www.tinyurl.com/AndersonUpdate.
Razor clams
Another round of morning razor clam digs is tentatively scheduled to begin Wednesday at Twin Harbors and next Friday (April 26) at Long Beach, Copalis and Mocrocks.
Lonnie Archibald, a freelance photographer for the PDN, went digging in Ocean Shores, near Copalis, last weekend. He said that when the weather cooperated, the digging was good.
Here are the razor clam digging dates, morning low tides and participating beaches:
■ Wednesday, April 24: 6:10 a.m., -0.3 feet — Twin Harbors.
■ Thursday, April 25: 6:54 a.m., -1.0 feet — Twin Harbors.
■ Friday, April 26: 7:38 a.m., -1.5 feet — Twin Harbors, Long Beach, Copalis and Mocrocks.
■ Saturday, April 27: 8:24 a.m., -1.7 feet — Twin Harbors, Long Beach, Copalis and Mocrocks.
■ Sunday, April 28: 9:11 a.m., -1.7 feet — Twin Harbors, Long Beach, Copalis and Mocrocks.
■ Monday, April 29: 10:01 a.m., -1.5 feet — Twin Harbors, Long Beach and Mocrocks.
■ Tuesday, April 30: 10:55 a.m., -1.0 feet — Twin Harbors.
VideOlympic
The Hurricane Ridge Winter Sports Club is accepting entries for the third annual VideOlympics, a film festival that celebrates outdoor sports on the Peninsula.
All submissions must be in digital format.
Films can be submitted electronically to Frank Crippen by email at frank@nxnwsurf.com, by mail to Hurricane Ridge Winter Sports Club c/o North by Northwest Surf Co. 902 S. Lincoln St., Port Angeles, WA, 98362, or in person at North by Northwest Surf Co. (same as mailing address).
The phone number is 360-452-5144.
The deadline for submissions is Saturday, April 27.
Each submission will be judged before the event by a panel of judges for technical merit, production values, and “stoke” factor.
This year’s judges include Jason Hummel of Jason Hummel Photography, Jason Thompson of Jason Thompson Photography, splitboarder extraordinaire Kyle Miller, Tyler Hamlet of Poor Boyz Productions and Dan Grund of Level 1 Productions.
The winning filmmakers will receive more than $1,000 in cash and prizes. There is also an award for the crowd favorite.
The film festival will be held at Wine on the Waterfront on Saturday, May 11, from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. All ages are welcome, and there is a suggested donation of $5.
Proceeds for the event go to the Hurricane Ridge Winter Sports Education Foundation, a nonprofit organization that promotes winter sports education at the Ridge.
College fishing classes
The first of this quarter’s Peninsula College fishing classes, taught by Ron Link, begins next week.
These classes consist of class time and a Saturday field trip.
Here are the class dates and times:
■ Fishing for Steelhead: Friday, April 26, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.; and Saturday, April 27, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
■ Fly Fishing: Thursdays from May 2 to May 16, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.; and Saturday, May 18, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
■ River Fishing: Friday, May 10, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.; and Saturday, May 11, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
■ Fishing the Peninsula: Friday, June 7, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.; and Saturday, June 8, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
To register for these classes, phone Peninsula College at 360-417-6340.
For more details on these classes, read my column from a few weeks ago: www.tinyurl.com/PCfishing.
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.