THOSE WHO DON’T purchase a Discover Pass may soon encounter an unpleasant discovery on their dashboard.
As of today, drivers who park at state parks, campgrounds, boat launches and wildlife areas are now required to display the annual vehicle access pass on their automobiles.
Those who don’t will be issued a $99 ticket.
The new requirement, approved this year by the state Legislature, is designed to help keep 7 million acres of state recreational lands open in lieu of more state budget cuts.
“The Discover Pass allows state natural-resource agencies to maintain public access to millions of acres of state recreation lands,” said Phil Anderson, director of Fish and Wildlife, in a news release.
“Sport fishers and hunters have traditionally supported WDFW wildlife areas and water access sites through their license fees; now all who enjoy these lands will share in their support.”
Some exemptions apply to the new requirement.
Holders of most annual fishing and hunting licenses, for example, will not be required to purchase a Discover Pass to use Fish and Wildlife lands and water-access sites.
I’d list all of the areas on the North Olympic Peninsula where that exemption applies, but I don’t think the PDN has that much ink.
Just know that if you bought a combination fishing license, the accompanying vehicle access permit covers any Fish and Wildlife lands you park at.
Information about exemptions and other aspects of the pass is available at www.discoverpass.wa.gov or by calling 866-320-9933.
Park visitors can buy a year pass for $30 or a single-day pass for $10.
Annual passes cost $35 if purchased online (fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov) or by phone (866-320-9933) after adding transaction fees. Single-day passes cost $11.50 after those fees.
Strait salmon
Let the guessing game begin.
Salmon season kicks of today in Marine Area 5 (Sekiu) and 6 (eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca) — and just about everyone will be looking for some kind of edge the first few days.
Of course, the best option is almost always to do what you know best.
Pick your favorite fishing hole, be it the Caves west of Sekiu or the Humps near Port Angeles, and go from there.
“One thing about the king fishery [near Sekiu], it just hasn’t changed much in the 40 years I’ve been around this town,” Chris Mohr of Van Riper’s Resort (360-963-2334) in Sekiu said.
“It’s always crack of dawn and the last hour of daylight.”
No doubt, anglers’ focus will be on the kings.
The general rule of thumb is to keep your gear near the bottom when targeting them, according to Brian Menkal of Brian’s Sporting Goods and More (360-683-1950) in Sequim
“They are bottom dwellers, so you’ve got to be fishing at the bottom for those guys,” Menkal said.
“You can use jigs, you can bounce cut plugs off the bottom, but you want to go really deep.
“Just use your depth finders. Off those ledges — those are places you want to be for the kings.”
All of the traditional salmon holes should be worth a look during the first week of the season.
That includes places like the Winter Hole, Humps, Freshwater Bay or off Ediz Hook near Port Angles, or the Caves, Eagle Bay, Slip Point or Coal Mines near Sekiu.
As in years past, all of Area 6 east of Ediz Hook is off limits to chinook fishing of any kind.
Those waters are open for pink and selective coho fishing.
Unfortunately, neither fishery tends to heat up until the latter half of July or early August in the Strait.
That being said, early reports coming of out of Neah Bay suggest there could be an early run of pinks this summer.
“It wouldn’t surprise me a bit if we see a bunch of pinks when we open up,” Mohr said.
“The local guys who are running out to Area 4 are catching a lot of pinks.
“They are catching those fish in the Straits. That’s 10 miles from here, so I’m guessing we’re going to see some pinks.”
Added Menkal: “I heard of some guys spotting some fish east of Protection Island, but we don’t know what kind of salmon they were. We won’t know until they start fishing.”
Marine Area 9 (Admiralty Inlet) doesn’t open to salmon fishing until July 16, while only the southern end of Area 12 (Hood Canal) will open today.
Coastal salmon
Now that just about everything is fair game on the coast, anglers are scoring loads of salmon in Marine Area 3 (LaPush) and 4 (Neah Bay).
Fishing was decent during the selective fishery for hatchery chinook June 18-25, and that has carried over to the traditional season, according to Doug Milward, ocean salmon manager for state Fish and Wildlife.
“Anglers are doing well for chinook, as well as hatchery coho, which we are seeing more of this year,” Milward said in a news release.
“It’s still early in the season, but signs are pointing to a good July for salmon anglers out on the coast.”
Indeed, the first day of the coastal summer salmon season last Sunday ended up being quite productive.
While anglers averaged more than one salmon per rod fishing out of Neah Bay, those pushing out of LaPush were only slightly under that hallmark.
“Fishing has been good,” Joey Lawrence of Big Salmon Resort (360-645-2374) in Neah Bay said.
“There’s a lot of fish around, a lot of salmon.
“It seems like the early morning guys are right out in front here right off the green can, and some of the really good fishing is out in the ocean [at] Swiftsure and down south of Umatilla.”
The numbers in Neah Bay were actually split 50-50 in terms of coho (61) and chinook (61) for the opener, lending some credence to the idea of this being a good king year.
There were also more than a few pinks picked up.
As for the LaPush area, the ratio of coho to chinook was a little more than four to one.
Crab opener
Expect things to get a little crabby this weekend.
The recreational crab fishery starts in full force today throughout much of the Peninsula, and Fish and Wildlife is promising to ramp up enforcement of its regulations.
Under new rules adopted earlier this year by the Fish and Wildlife Commission, all areas of Puget Sound will be open for crabbing Thursday through Monday of each week.
That includes Marine Areas 4 (east of Tatoosh), 5 (Sekiu), 6 (eastern Strait), 9 (Admiralty Inlet) and 12 (Hood Canal) on the Peninsula.
Mike Cenci, Fish and Wildlife’s deputy chief of enforcement, said all crabbers should review the rules of the fishery before heading out on the water.
“We’ve found that in the past a significant number of violations occur because people don’t take the time to fully understand the rules of the fishery,” Cenci said in a news release.
“Those rules, such as properly measuring and identifying crabs, are important tools designed to protect the health of the crab population.”
Most of the Peninsula — excluding the coast — will close the evening of Sept. 5 for a catch assessment.
Sport crabbers in Puget Sound are required to record their Dungeness crab catch on a catch record card. Separate catch record cards are issued for the summer and winter seasons.
Crabbers have the option of reporting their crab catch for the summer season on the Internet after Sept. 5 or by mailing in their catch cards to Fish and Wildlife.
“We need to hear from everyone who participates in the fishery — including those who didn’t catch any crab — because more data provides greater accuracy in estimating the catch and developing future seasons,” said Rich Childers, shellfish policy lead for Fish and Wildlife.
Greedy guys
Much like shrimp, the biggest key to catching crab is getting a strong scent coming off your bait.
In general, the fishier the scent the better your bait will be at attracting crab to your pot, according to Menkal.
“These are scavengers, and they will feed on just about anything they can off the bottom — they are nature’s clean-up crew,” Menkal said.
“They have extremely good olfactory sensors that pick up scent, so usually the best baits are something with fish.
“Chicken and turkey works very well as well.”
Knowing where to drop your pots can be a guessing game.
The best thing to do is just keep your pots on the move until you find some success.
“Luckily this year, with the exception of this weekend, you’ve got Thursday through Monday [to crab], so that gives you time to move your pots around,” Menkal said.
“A lot of people do better at the deeper depths.
“People who do get down there to the 200-foot range can do very well . . . because of less pressure in that area.”
Also . . .
■ Surfing and Traditions returns to LaPush the weekend of July 9-10.
As in the past, the event includes a day-long youth surf camp on the first day followed by a surf competition on the second day.
Look for more information in upcoming editions of the PDN.
■ A few things have changed for this month’s Olympic Peninsula Fly Fishers meeting.
First, the meeting was moved to Tuesday, July 5, in order to avoid the July 4 holiday.
Second, the group will meet at 7 p.m. not in Lincoln Park but at Campfire USA Headquarters, 619 E. Fourth St., in Port Angeles.
The featured speaker will be Karen Royer, a nationally recognized fly tier who is considered a leading expert on “life-like” flies.
■ As the snowpack begins its slow melt in the Olympics, alpine trails are beginning to get more accessible.
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 all-day work parties on the Lower Big Quilcene Trail on Sunday, July 8, and July 9.
Volunteers must pre-register 48 hours in advance.
To do so, contact Washington Trails at 206-625-1367 or visit www.wta.org.
■ The Olympic Outdoor Club will lead hikes to Lake Angeles Trail and Tunnel Creek Trail this Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
Both hikes include significant elevation gain (2,000-plus feet) and are more than seven miles roundtrip.
To join the hike, contact the outdoor club at olympic.outdoors@yahoo.com.
■ State recreational salmon managers Steve Thiesfeld and Tara Livingood will speak at the Puget Sound Anglers-East Jefferson Chapter monthly meeting July 12.
The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Marina Room at Point Hudson Marina, 375 Hudson Street, in Port Townsend.
■ Guest instructor and author Rob Casey will host two days of stand up paddle classes for Adventures Through Kayaking at Freshwater Bay/Crescent Beach on July 9-10.
Casey will also hold a book signing — he recently completed Stand Up Paddling: Flatwater to Surf and Rivers — on July 9 at Harbinger Winery, 2358 Highway 101 West, near Port Angeles from 6-8 p.m.
To register for the classes, contact Adventures Through Kayaking at 360-417-3015 or tammi@atkayaking.com.
■ 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, click on the center’s website at www.dungenessrivercenter.org.
■ 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.
To register, contact Scott Gordon at ScottinSequim@olypen.com or 360-460-5636.
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.