GIVE THE COHO this much: They’ve got good timing.
Just as king season is set to close around the North Olympic Peninsula, the secondary salmon are starting to make waves around the edge of the Earth.
The rains came earlier this week and brought with them loads of coho, giving anglers all sorts of action from LaPush all the way around the Strait.
“It’s not smoking hot out here, but it’s pretty darn good,” Chris Mohr of Van Riper’s Resort (360-963-2334) in Sekiu said.
“We’re starting to see some good coho action, which is kind of a relief after all those humpies.
“[Wednesday], for instance, the one sampler said he actually checked more coho than he did humpies. That’s the first time that happened this year.”
Indeed, it’s been quite the odd year to say the least. But with the calendar closing in on September, the time of the silvers is now upon us.
Early closure
There’s only three more days left for king fishing in Marine Area 3 (LaPush) and 4 (Neah Bay).
The season was cut short by a few weeks by the state Department of Fish and Wildlife — it ends after Sunday — after it was determined anglers would reach the seasonal quota by the end of this weekend.
Meanwhile, Area 9 (Admiralty Inlet) is down to its final six days of king fishing. Not that many people are scoring such fish out that way anyway.
Even the Seattle Seahawks’ depressing quarterback situation hasn’t been as disappointing as that king fishery.
In an odd twist, however, beach anglers around those parts are fairing quite well targeting pinks and coho.
“This has been a strange season in Admiralty Inlet,” said Quilcene’s Ward Norden, operator of Snapper Tackle Co.
“The beach casters on Whidbey have been consistently doing way better than the boat fishers. As much as the boat fishers are trying to hug the beach, the casters are still outfishing them at the moment.”
Brian Menkal of Brian’s Sporting Goods and More (360-683-1950) in Sequim said anglers at Fort Flagler and Point Wilson have done all right themselves as well.
“[The pinks] come extremely close to shore,” Menkal said. “Usually a pink buzz bomb works the best, but people catch them off other colors as well.”
Out on the coast, there’s still a nice grab bag of fish, including chinook, pinks and coho.
Still, the silvers seem to be piling up in numbers, according to Randy Lato of All-Ways Fishing in LaPush.
Unfortunately, many of those fish are wild and must be thrown back in lieu of state regs (only hatchery coho can be kept in Areas 3 and 4.)
“We got a couple [kings on Wednesday], but lots of pinks and lots of nice big native silvers,” Lato said.
“It was a catchfest, but not a lot of keepers.
“They are a blast to catch, but you just can’t keep them.”
Area 6 (eastern Strait) saw its share of coho move in during the past four days as well, Bob Aunspach of Swain’s General Store (360-452-2357) in Port Angeles said.
The trouble is trying to find the fish.
Unlike the area’s chinook fishery, there aren’t many established holes for coho around Port Angeles, and sometimes it gets to be a hunt-and-peck scene.
“They can be in so many different places here,” Aunspach said. “Where you find them today, they might not be there tomorrow.
“That’s what always makes it tough fishing them here.”
Of course, running into pinks hasn’t been all that hard anywhere.
The ocean, the Strait, Admiralty Inlet . . . anglers have been hooking humpies with regularity the past few weeks in all of those waters.
One would think that spigot is about to run dry, however.
“We always, as a rule, kind of figure Labor Day is the drop-dead date for having humpies around,” said Mohr in Sekiu, the epicenter of this summer’s humpy madness. “But with this kind of a run it wouldn’t surprise me to see them well into September.
“It kind of leads me to believe we’re going to see them a little later than normal.”
Clam correction
It turns out I made an error in last week’s report on Kalaloch Beach razor clams.
As Debbie Preston of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission pointed out to me, it is state, Quinault and Hoh biologists who conduct population surveys of Kalaloch clams each summer.
I previously reported that Olympic National Park biologists conducted those surveys.
State and tribal biologists will consult with their park counterparts before setting razor clam seasons for Kalaloch in the near future.
While recent surveys suggest declining adult populations at the beach — Kalaloch was prematurely closed last winter because of poor digger success — there is still a chance some form of a harvest season will be available this year.
Stay tuned for more updates.
Hunting note
Several hunting seasons are right around the corner.
Archery deer, grouse and cougar seasons all begin on the Peninsula next Thursday. Archery elk isn’t too far behind, with bowmen able to go after bulls starting Sept. 6.
Still, hunters ought not wait until the last day to purchase their hunting licenses and tags.
The price of licenses and tags increases by more than 25 percent beginning Sept. 1, with the resident combination license (deer, elk, bear, cougar and small game) going from $81 to $104 at that time.
To purchase a license online, visit wdfw.wa.gov.
Also . . .
■ Crabbers have a little more than a week left to catch some crustaceans.
Summer recreational crab seasons are set to come to a close at the end of Labor Day weekend in Areas 4, 5, 6, 9 and 12. Catch record card data will be due soon after that.
■ Summer coho are flooding into the Sol Duc River.
The Sol Duc Hatchery saw more than 400 reach its traps in the last week alone.
Good luck getting those fish to bite, however. Mimes open their mouths more than those finicky fish.
■ More than 50 youth anglers made it out for the annual Kids Salmon Derby sponsored by the Clallam Bay-Sekiu Lions last Saturday.
All participants picked from a package of prizes that included a custom-made rod by Bob Wall, a fishing trip with Kyle’s Outdoor Adventures, a $100 Forks Outfitters gift card, $100 from Chris Mohr of Van Riper’s and two bikes.
Other donators were Tony and Cheryl Roozen, Corrections Officers at Clallam Bay, Jerry’s Saw Shop, Chinook Pharmacy, Swain’s, Brian’s Sporting Goods, Costco, Patty White, Clallam Bay-Sekiu Chamber of Commerce, Troy and Monica Berger, Safeway, Albertsons and Franz.
■ The Quilcene Antler Show is looking for youth hunters and elk buglers to participate in this year’s event at the Quilcene School gymnasium, Sept. 17-18.
Show organizers are asking for young hunters to bring in their mounts Sept. 16 between 3-6 p.m. or Sept. 17 between 8-11 a.m.
There will also be a new elk calling event at the show. Kids and callers can register by calling Mari Phillips at 360-765-0688.
Send photos, stories
Want your event listed in the outdoors column?
Have a fishing or hunting report, an anecdote about an outdoors experience or a tip on gear or technique, why not share it with our readers?
Send it to me, Matt Schubert, Sports Department, Peninsula Daily News, P.O. Box 1330, Port Angeles, WA 98362; phone, 360-417-3526; fax, 360-417-3521; email matt.schubert
@peninsuladailynews.com.
__________
Matt Schubert is the outdoors columnist for the Peninsula Daily News. His column appears on Thursdays and Fridays.
