ANGLERS LOOKING TO scratch that salt water salmon fishing itch might want to venture south to Quilcene Bay in Marine Area 12 (Hood Canal) for some coho action.
“Fishing for coho has been very good out on Quilcene Bay for the last few days,” Quilcene’s Ward Norden, a former fisheries biologist and owner of Snapper Tackle Company said earlier this week.
“On Saturday I got an emergency restock call from Steve at the little tackle store on Discovery Bay. He was desperate for Rotator jigs. Some anglers bought a couple on Saturday morning and came back in the afternoon to buy every one he had.
“They said they had seen a lot of fish caught.”
Coho are an active fish and are attracted to the rapidly spinning jigging action of the Rotators.
“The gillnetters did a one-day set before the holiday weekend and also did extremely well,” Norden said of Quilcene Bay.
“With water as warm as it is in the bay, the fish are staying under the thermocline just down the bay from the marina. The limit is four coho. The anglers are saying the fish are small but, in reality, they are nearly normal size for hatchery coho at 5 -to 6-pounds.”
Lake fishing reports
Avid Port Angeles angler and lure designer Pete Rosko went fishing at Lake Crescent and Lake Sutherland on Tuesday with his neighbor Al Brown.
Trolling for trout at Lake Crescent was pretty much a dud for the pair.
“Compared to last year, Lake Crescent was not holding trout in its usual spots,” Rosko said. “After trolling for over two hours, and only a single released 12-inch Beardslee trout to show for our efforts, we packed up for Lake Sutherland.”
Rosko and Brown found fish on Sutherland in the same place they left them back in June.
“Last June, It seemed as if 99 percent of Lake Sutherland’s kokanee were packed into the east end,” Rosko said. “Tuesday was no exception. The fish were in small groups and almost in the middle of the east arm.”
Rosko said the prime depth to fish was 80 to 81 feet deep and the strongest bites came between 50 and 60 feet.
“The best technique was vertical jigging. The best lure was a 1/3 ounce cerise-colored Kandlefish jig.”
Rosko said the color of that jig is “similar to hot pink with a slight variation.” In five June kokanee fishing trips to Lake Sutherland, Rosko said the cerise out-fished every other lure and finish by a five-to-one ratio.
“Next season, the cerise Kandlefish will be available at Swain’s in Port Angeles,” Rosko said.
Rosko and Brown found kokanee to be a little shorter than in previous years at 14 inches.
“However, they are fat and healthy,” Rosko said. “This spawning season may occur three to five days earlier than the traditional end of September and a few days into October. Their color is changing and their eggs are fully developed.
“Once the kokanee relocate to the west end of the lake, they will be in the pre-spawn stage. Look for them just outside the second and third no-wake buoys on the left side after launching from the public boat ramp.
“Jigging is definitely the way to go if you want to hook more fish. Most bites will occur within a foot or two off bottom in about 55 feet of water.
“An alternative jig to the Kandlefish is a glow orange, glow pink or glow chartreuse Sonic BaitFish, in that order.”
Rosko reminds anglers these all are finesse jigs and “no hard jerking as it will spook these fish.”
Leland productive
Norden said Lake Leland is still producing fair crappie and bass fishing for knowledgable anglers who get far enough away from the busy and crowded county park.
“Ultra light gear and small lures are the way to go,” he said.
Crabbing mostly closed
Crabbing wrapped up in the waters off the North Olympic Peninsula last Monday.
Crabbers can submit summer catch record cards to WDFW by mail at CRC Unit, P.O. Box 43142, Olympia, WA 98504-3142. They can also report their catch online at fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov/#/login through Oct. 1.
Crabbers who fail to file their catch reports on time will face a $10 fine when they purchase a 2018 Puget Sound crab endorsement.
“Catch reports play a major role in determining how much crab is still available for harvest during the winter season,” said Bob Sizemore, WDFW’s shellfish policy lead.
“It’s important that we receive reports from everyone licensed to fish for crab in Puget Sound —whether or not they caught crab this year.”
Sizemore said WDFW will announce winter crab seasons for Puget Sound in early October, after completing its assessment of the summer fishery.
The only two areas of Puget Sound that remain open to crab fishing are marine areas 7-North and 7-South near the San Juan Islands. These two areas will remain open Thursdays through Mondays each week through Sept. 30. Sport fishers who crab in those two areas after Sept. 4 must record their catch on winter catch record cards, which are available at sporting goods stores and other license vendors across the state.
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
