ANGLERS WHO AVOIDED the commercial crab pots left to soak in the trolling lanes off Ediz Hook had pretty solid success in the first days of chinook fishing.

Those who didn’t, however, paid the price of lost gear, frustration and a whole lot of time and effort.

Tim Allison of Swain’s General Store (360-452-2357) in Port Angeles got tangled in those pots and heard from plenty of others with the same misfortune.

“That was terrible,” Allison said.

“I had never seen where they had set up the crab pots in our trolling lanes.

“That was a nasty thing to do. I got hung up and I heard lots of people got hung up. Lots of lost gear and lots of pissed-off fishermen.”

Allison went fishing off Ediz Hook Wednesday morning and said most of the pots were cleared, but there were still some pots around.

So be careful for those stragglers, they can be a hassle.

Last Saturday provided the best chinook results as Ediz Hook produced 117 fish landed by 152 anglers in 69 boats.

Nice.

Fishing reports from Puget Sound Anglers North Olympic Peninsula chapter members dealt with the crab pot troubles and some solid success off Ediz Hook

“At one time we saw five boats all wrapped together in three crab pots,” Mike Schmidt reported.

“We fished the 100-foot. contour both days [last Friday and Saturday].

“We started with a Coho Killer on one side and an Ace High fly on the other.

“After three drifts and 5 of the 6 salmon coming on the Ace High we switched both rods to the Ace High.

Schmidt and his party brought 15 chinook to the boat before finding six hatchery keepers.

“We released some very respectable adults in the mid-to-high teens and probably a half-dozen just legal or undersize Blackmouth,” Schmidt said.

Saturday’s fishing produced 10 fish, six blackmouth, and four adult keepers ranging between 9 and 15 pounds.

Schmidt said the fish were eating squid last Friday and adult herring Saturday.

Puget Sound Anglers member Dave DeWald got into some smaller chinook last Friday, none larger than 8 pounds.

His boat was fishing the Hook near the mill in water between 65- and 160-feet deep.

“The hot lure for Friday was the Herring Aid 3.5-inch spoon with green/white spatterback mini hootchie and herring or anchovy jelly,” DeWald said.

DeWald had some heartbreak last Saturday, having to send back the “largest king I ever caught.”

He caught the fish while trolling along the Hook at a depth of 150 feet while using the same Herring Aid spoon with herring jelly.

Allison said Brant Lindquist leads the Swain’s monthly leaderboard with a 26.9-pound king.

“He knocked my 24.7 king off the top spot,” Allison, who also caught his fish off Ediz Hook, said.

“And Rick Wray is third with a 21.1-pounder.

“But the better story is Joey Kang.”

Joey, age 8 and about to enter 3rd grade at Queen of Angels School, had some good luck earlier this week.

He was fishing Freshwater Bay with his dad James Kang and caught an 18.6-pound king in Freshwater Bay on Monday.

The pair followed up with a 19.7-pound specimen in Freshwater Bay on Monday.

They were trolling close to shore in 50 feet of water, with the downriggers set to 25 feet.

A cookie and cream spoon did the job for both fish.

Port Angeles angler and lure designer Pete Rosko had good results on the first two days of the season before windy weather kept him from heading out last Sunday and Monday.

“We caught a lot of adult chinook salmon on the first day but most were released natives,” Rosko said.

“The second day produced fewer strikes but better quality fish.”

Rosko said the biggest surprise of Saturday’s fishing was hooking into a 10-pound silver that came unhooked near the boat before it could be released.

“Since opening day of last year, I’ve experienced a phenomenal increase in my chinook catch rate with a new Kandlefish finish,” Rosko said.

“It’s a two-sided finish — silver on one side and glow white on the opposite side.

“It was 2 ounces in weight and I lost it to a snag on the second day.

“In prior years, a pearl white finish was my consistent producer. However, this two-sided finish has consistently produced more and larger chinook salmon for me.”

Rosko feels the finish makes it effective on bright sunny days when the silver attracts fish and on dark cloudy days the glow white cuts through the gloom.

The best part of a two-sided finish is not having to change lures.

“I have no idea what the fish are seeing with this jig but their strikes are extremely hard most times,” Rosko said.

“After losing this lone two-sided jig, I replaced it with a different Kandlefish, a mostly white glow with a black back.”

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Outdoors columnist Michael Carman appears here Thursdays and Fridays. He can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 57050 or at mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.