IT’S CALLED SELECTIVE fishing for a reason.
Sometimes, you’ve got to throw the wild ones back in the ocean. Now is one of those times.
Anglers have had to be awfully selective during the first week of the hatchery-only chinook fishery on the coast, according to Joey Lawrence of Big Salmon Resort (360-645-2374) in Neah Bay.
That will all change Sunday, however, when Marine Area 3 (LaPush) and 4 (Neah Bay) open to wild chinook and hatchery coho retention.
“I think you’ll see some pretty good fishing come Sunday, especially for chinook.” Lawrence said.
“Some of the bait fishermen that are fishing really close to shore have been seeing some nice fish. That’s a lot of catching, not much keeping [because of the current restrictions], but they are seeing some action.
“It looks like it’s going to be a pretty promising season once it gets under way.”
All told, 216 anglers brought in 81 hatchery chinook during the first two days of Area 4 salmon fishing last weekend.
Lawrence himself went out on a charter during Father’s Day, with he and his son landing six total, only two of which could be kept.
“We got off in Father and Son rock in about 400 feet of water and got into some pretty decent-sized schools of coho,” he said.
“We thought we might be able to get lucky and pull a chinook out of there, but all we could get was coho.”
The story was pretty similar for Randy Lato of All-Ways Fishing (360-374-2052) in Forks.
Cruising out some 16 miles northwest of LaPush on Thursday, his boat ran into 16 kings.
Unfortunately, 13 of them had to be thrown back.
“It was so choppy [Wednesday] I couldn’t get out to where we wanted to go,” Lato said.
“We stopped at the Rock Pile and we got one hatchery king and then it kind of laid down, so we went down to the Old Man and hit a whole bunch of silvers down there.
“[Thursday] we went all the way out to where we usually fish, and it was good. We were getting some nice ones in 50, 60 feet of water but then it just shut down.
“All the bait went down and we had to dive for them [at 250 to 350 feet].”
The state counted 42 anglers bringing just 10 chinook back to LaPush on Saturday and Sunday.
Those numbers weren’t much larger the past two days either, according to Lato.
“There really is [a lot of coho], and they are not bad size either, six- or eight-pounders, but there’s no pressure,” Lato said.
In addition to salmon, coastal anglers will also get the chance to target halibut next Thursday.
The state Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Area 3 and 4 will open to flatty fishing for one more day June 30.
Limited pressure during the last opener on June 16 resulted in anglers catching just 6,820 pounds of halibut.
If history repeats itself Thursday — 13,018 pounds of quota remain — coastal anglers just might get another opener in July.
Openers on horizon
Things will likely heat up on the North Olympic Peninsula during the next couple of weeks.
Marine Area 5 (Sekiu), 6 (eastern Strait) and 12 (Hood Canal south of Ayock Point) all open to salmon fishing next Friday.
Bob Aunspach of Swain’s General Store (360-452-2357) in Port Angeles is optimistic things will get off to a hot start.
“I could see birds swarming in certain places [looking out over the Strait on Thursday], so I think there’s some bait out there,” he said.
“As long as the wind doesn’t blow, fishing should be good. It’s going to start off good anyway.”
One of the bonuses of this year’s salmon fishery is that it comes during an odd year.
That means anglers can expect swarms of humpies to start streaming through the Strait by late July.
The last couple pink salmon fisheries have been quite productive in the Strait, especially out near Sekiu.
With the state projecting another strong run, that seems likely to be the case this year as well.
River rabble
There’s a new guest out west.
Sockeye, presumably on their way to Lake Pleasant, have begun showing up in decent numbers lately on the Sol Duc River.
A few anglers have even managed to hook a couple, according to Bob Gooding of Olympic Sporting Goods (360-374-6330) in Forks.
“Just last week they started coming,” Gooding said. “Some years are better than others, but [the sockeye fishery] runs clear into August.
“Generally by August, though, it gets really low and clear, and it gets tough.”
The small portion of anglers who actually target the fish tend to use pink jigs as an enticement. Some will even throw shrimp on the hook as well.
“It’s really sporadic,” Brian Menkal of Brian’s Sporting Goods and More (360-683-1950) in Sequim said. “It’s not something that is real big.
“Most people are targeting other fish and they just happen to be there.”
Of course, there are other fish worth going after, most notably summer steelhead.
Anglers have been hooking a good number on the Calawah River, which is getting clearer and clearer by the day.
“It’s getting pretty low and clear, so the early, early morning [bite] has been the best,” Gooding said.
“It’s not been hot enough to melt a lot of [the snowpack].”
Discover cash
Like it or not, the days of the Discover Pass will soon be upon us.
The pass — providing access to 7 million acres of state park and recreation lands — was created this year as a way to generate funding for those lands following steep budget cuts.
It will be required for vehicle access to recreational lands and water-access sites managed by the state beginning next Friday.
The pass can now be purchased at recreational license dealers, online and by phone.
“We are optimistic that people will support state parks and recreation lands, and buy the Discover Pass,” said Don Hoch, state parks director, in a news release.
“Without the pass to support state parks, we would have been closing park gates all over the state.”
The Discover Pass must be visible in the front windshield of all motor vehicles on state recreation lands.
State recreation lands include state parks, boat launches, heritage sites, wildlife and natural areas, campgrounds, trails and trail heads.
Holders of certain types of fishing and hunting licenses, registered campers in state parks and certain others are not required to buy or display a Discover Pass.
There is a $99 penalty for failing to display the pass as required.
The annual Discover Pass costs $30, and a one-day pass is $10. (Side note: Most vendors actually charge $35 for the annual pass because of additional charges.)
For more information about the pass, including exemptions, visit discoverpass.wa.gov or call 866-320-9933.
Youth archery
The Wapiti Bowmen will offer free introductory archery classes for ages 10-16 at its Port Angeles headquarters, 374 E. Arnette Road, in July.
There will be separate two-hour classes for 10-13-year-olds and 13-16-year-olds, with the former meeting from 10 a.m. to noon and the latter from noon to 2 p.m.
Dates for the classes are July 16, 17, 23 and 24. All classes are free and open to the public, and equipment will be provided.
Instruction is based on the National Archery in the Schools program.
Classes are limited to 15 children per class. Children may attend only one class unless room is available.
Boy scouts, girl scouts and private groups may contact the club for a private class.
Pre-registration is strongly recommended.
To register, contact Scott Gordon at ScottinSequim@olypen.com or 360-460-5636.
Also . . .
■ All’s quiet on the squid front.
Those who’ve visited Port Angeles City Pier in recent days have seen little to no activity.
■ Crab season starts next Friday throughout much of the Peninsula.
Among the waters that will open are Area 4 (east of Tatoosh), 5, 6, 9 and 12. Each will remain open Thursdays through Mondays until Sept. 5. The coast is open to crabbing year round.
■ The snowpack is finally beginning to melt away in the high hills of the Olympics.
To check on the status of your favorite trails, visit the Washington Trails Association website at www.wta.org or Olympic National Park’s trail conditions page at http://tinyurl.com/leecbd.
■ Washington Trails Association will gather an all-day work party on the Upper Dungeness Trail on July 2.
Volunteers must pre-register 48 hours in advance.
To do so, contact Washington Trails at 206-625-1367 or visit www.wta.org.
■ Dungeness River Audubon Center will lead a pair of two-day Summer Bike Adventure camps for ages 11-15 in early and late July.
Campers will explore the Olympic Discovery Trail east and west of Railroad Bridge Park in Sequim, with instruction on bicycle safety, simple bike repair and basic trail riding techniques.
The first session is set for July 5-6, while the second session will meet July 19-20. Cost is $80 per camper.
For more information, or to register, visit the Rivers Center’s website at www.dungenessrivercenter.org.
■ Fish and Wildlife will be accepting public comments on the Snider Creek steelhead broodstock program through next Thursday.
The 25-year contract for the program, jointly run by the state and Olympic Peninsula Guides’ Association, expires at the end of the month.
The management options and the analysis of the Snider Creek steelhead program are available on Fish and Wildlife’s website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/fisheries/snider_creek/.
Comments can be submitted by email to snidercreek@dfw.wa.gov or by U.S. Mail to: Snider Creek, 48 Devonshire Road, Montesano, WA, 98563.
■ Washington Trails Association will gather all-day work parties on successive weekends at the Lower and Upper Big Quilcene trails.
Dates are set for Saturday and Sunday on the Lower Big Quilcene and June 25 and 26 on the Upper Big Quilcene, with volunteers meeting at the Quilcene Ranger Station at 8:30 a.m. each day before heading off to work.
Volunteers must pre-register 48 hours in advance. To do so, contact Washington Trails at 206-625-1367 or visit www.wta.org.
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.
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Matt Schubert is the outdoors columnist for the Peninsula Daily News. His column appears on Thursdays and Fridays.