MADNESS MADE ITS way to Sekiu.
The annual two-week coho-keeper extravaganza kicked off to rave reviews Thursday, with the fishing hotter than the area’s famed female fish statue.
Anglers from across Puget Sound came out of the woodwork for the opener, which began a two-week period in which anglers can keep hatchery and wild coho in Marine Area 5 (Sekiu).
You’d have to look pretty hard to find someone who came away unhappy.
“It’s pretty smoking hot,” Chris Mohr of Van Riper’s Resort (360-963-2334) in Sekiu said.
“The sad thing is there isn’t room for one boat in town [with so many people coming in]. Now that we’ve got the fishery, we can’t even help who’s here.
“It’s good and bad, you know, but at least they are catching fish . . . lots of them.”
Indeed, an early creel check out of Olson’s Resort had 19 boats with 75 fish early Thursday.
Mohr at Van Riper’s estimated anglers were getting about 1 ½ coho per rod, with many weighing more than 10 pounds. There’s even been a few 20-pounders to speak of.
It’s quite the change from last week, when creel checks were skimpy (See fish counts on Page B4).
“Like we always said, ‘One of these days it’s going to happen,’ and it happened [Wednesday] with a fair amount of hatchery fish and a bunch of wilds,” Mohr said. “And, of course, now they are keeping the wilds.
“There’s a lot of smiling people here. It’s good. It’s really good.”
Area 5 is open to coho retention through Sept. 30 before closing to all salmon fishing during the month of October.
“I’ll bet there’s fish right from the beach on out,” Mohr said. “There’s a lot of bait right here now, too, and I think that’s definitely pulled the fish in and is keeping them here.”
Obviously, this is all good news for the rest of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, which will likely start seeing this surge of salmon in the coming week.
Perhaps Area 6 (eastern Strait) — dead quiet the past few weeks — will be worth taking a shot at by next weekend.
The same can be said of Area 9 (Admiralty Inlet), which has had its own dead period of late.
“Hopefully, the next 10 days they’ll start showing up [out east],” Brian Menkal of Brian’s Sporting Goods and More (360-683-1950) in Sequim said.
Coastal fishing
All those coho have to be coming from somewhere.
And we all know the obvious point of entry: Marine Area 4 (Neah Bay).
Anglers have three days — through Sunday — to intercept those fish before the season closes in Area 4.
The fishery was initially scheduled to close Saturday, but the state Department of Fish and Wildlife decided to open for one more day since plenty of quota remained.
Area 4 may actually be the best option for anglers unable to push off at Sekiu (although, all wild coho must be released).
“You know, we’re actually getting silvers out there,” Joey Lawrence of Big Salmon Resort (360-645-2374) in Neah Bay said.
“The few people that are around are limiting out at the J Buoy and out at Swiftsure. [The fish are] mostly all silvers; nice silvers, 10-, 12-, 15-pounders. They are real big fish.”
Area 3 (LaPush) will also close to salmon angling after Sunday.
It will reopen for the traditional early fall bubble fishery in front of LaPush on Sept. 25 to Oct. 10.
Right now, however, the most exciting fishery out west continues to be the tuna, which are still biting vigorously some 35 to 40 miles offshore.
Fresh out
Don’t look to Bob Gooding for any sunny news on the West End river fishing front.
To quote the owner/operator of Olympic Sporting Goods (360-374-6330) in Forks, “It sucks out here.”
Indeed, anglers must wait for the first fall deluge before they can expect things to get anywhere near decent in the Quillayute System rivers or the Hoh.
“A few [fish are showing up], but not very many,” Gooding said. “And the ones that are, the water is so low and clear that they just aren’t biting.”
The Sooes River near Neah Bay has yet to see a big run of salmon either, according to Makah National Fish Hatchery manager Caroline Peterschmidt.
“We’re sitting and waiting and hoping for more,” said Peterschmidt, who has yet to see any salmon enter the hatchery traps.
The Quilcene River is still seeing coho return to its waters.
The hatchery’s last count Sept. 8 had approximately 2,200 fish reaching its traps.
Hunting for elk
Elk meat is starting to become quite the commodity on the Peninsula.
More than a week into archery elk season, and bulls are getting harder and harder to come by.
“There just hasn’t been very many,” Gooding said. “I don’t know what the deal is.”
There is hope.
Most of the stories swirling around are of hunters whose luck ran just short.
A guy loses his glasses, another can’t get an angle on a shot, or it simply gets too dark to take a shot.
It’s just the sort of stuff that could take care of itself by the time the modern rifle and muzzleloader seasons roll around (especially if this low-level fog starts going away).
“I’ve heard of a couple bulls over there by the Dickey: a four-point and a five-point,” Mike Deese of Swain’s General Store (360-452-2357) in Port Angeles said.
“Otherwise, archery [elk] started out very slow.
“The animals were calling out first, but they kind of quieted up.”
Archery deer season has been equally quiet since a hot start.
Ruffed grouse, meanwhile, seems to be a hit-or-miss affair, depending upon who’s doing the talking.
“There ain’t a lot of grouse out there,” Gooding said. “There just ain’t.
“We shot a few, but it’s not a good year for grouse, plain and simple.”
Early archery deer season comes to a close after Sunday in the Dickey, Sol Duc, Goodman and Matheny Game Management Units (GMUs).
The Hoko, Pysht, Clearwater, Olympic and Coyle are open to archery deer through Sept. 24.
The early archery elk season also ends after Sunday across the Peninsula.
After that, it’s time for the muzzleloaders to get a shot.
The black powder crew can target deer Sept. 25 to Oct. 3 in the Pysht, Sol Duc, Goodman, Clearwater and Coyle GMUs.
Muzzleloader elk season opens Oct. 2-8 in the Dickey, Pysht and Sol Duc GMUs.
Master Hunter group
Fish and Wildlife is accepting letters of interest through Oct. 15 for membership in the Master Hunter Advisory Group.
The group advises Fish and Wildlife on issues and opportunities affecting master hunters and the Master Hunter program.
Five volunteer positions are currently open for the 15-member group.
Master hunters interested in filling a position should send a letter of interest to Eric.Anderson@dfw.wa.gov or to Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife, Enforcement Program, Attn: Eric Anderson, Hunter Education Division; 600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, WA 98501-1091.
Information about the group’s vision, bylaws and responsibilities is available on the Master Hunter web site at http://tinyurl.com/y8exnhr.
Also . . .
• It’s time to start keeping an eye out for summer coho at the Sol Duc Salmon Cascades.
Late September/early October is just about the time that fish start jumping at the collection of boulders southwest of Lake Crescent.
• Retired USGS coastal geologist Andy Stevenson will discuss all things sand at a presentation at the Feiro Marine Life Center, 315 N. Lincoln St., next Tuesday.
Stevenson will explore the details of sand under magnification at the presentation, which is set for 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
To register for the talk, contact David Freed of Washington State University Beach Watchers at DFreed@co.clallam.wa.us.
• Dave Croonquist will talk about the halibut season setting process at the Coastal Conservation Association-North Olympic Peninsula Chapter monthly meeting Thursday.
He will discuss opportunities sport anglers have from providing input in the process. The meeting begins at 6:45 p.m. in the Sequim Library, 630 N. Sequim Ave.
• Washington Trails Association is accepting submissions for its annual Northwest Exposure photo contest through Oct. 17.
Prizes will be awarded for first, second and third place in five categories: Wild Landscapes, Flora and Fauna, Hikers in Action, Families on Trail and Offbeat Outdoors.
For more information on the contest, including how to submit photos, visit http://tinyurl.com/yj29nxg.
• Boys and Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula Foundation, Port Angeles Parks and Recreation Department and Sequim Sunrise Rotary Group will host the Olympic Bike Adventure on Sunday, Sept. 26.
The fully-supported family ride along Olympic Discovery Trail between Sequim and Port Angeles will have three different ride lengths of 10, 25, and 60 miles.
Registration is $50, or $25 for 12 and under. That includes lunch and an event T-shirt.
For more information or to register, call Dan Estes at 360-417-4557.
• The fourth annual Hobuck Hoedown surf paddling festival returns to the waters near Neah Bay on Oct. 2-3.
Sea kayakers, playboaters, surf paddlers, and stand-up paddle boarders are all welcome to come out for the two-day event.
Registration for races closes after Sept. 30. To register, visit hobuckhoedown.blogspot.com.
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; e-mail matt.schubert @peninsuladailynews.com.
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Matt Schubert is the outdoors columnist for the Peninsula Daily News. His column appears on Thursdays and Fridays.