A WEEK OR more of prime winter steelhead fishing conditions out on the West End drew to a close with ample rainfall overnight Thursday.
And inches more of the cursed wet stuff is on tap now through Monday.
It’s a bummer for me as I had made plans a few weeks back to go hit up a river, likely the Sol Duc, with Jerry Wright of Jerry’s Bait and Tackle (360-457-1308) in Port Angeles.
This was to be my first winter steelhead trip, and I needed a little surge of adrenaline and excitement after last weekend’s game that must not be named.
Most importantly the trip would have provided a chance to get eyes on the river and learn from someone who knows the waters so well.
This weekend may be lost to fishing, but the trip has been rescheduled after winter prep sports season winds down, so it’s not a total loss.
And since it’s now set for later on, we might be able to take home a keeper, since the spring chinook run might be active on the Sol Duc when we get out there.
Salmon season opened on Sunday on the Sol Duc, from the river mouth up to the concrete pump station at the Sol Duc Hatchery.
Anglers can keep six hatchery salmon per day, two of which must be adults.
All fish kept must be a minimum of 12 inches and anglers must send back any wild chinook or coho.
Last weekend saw a big rise in angler pressure on the West End compared to previous weeks.
The Bogachiel/Quillayute river system was hit the hardest, with 45 wild steelhead hooked by 111 anglers.
Nine hatchery steelhead were kept, eight sent back.
“Yeah, the Bogachiel sure perked up the last few days,” said Bob Gooding of Olympic Sporting Goods in Forks.
Sol Duc producing
The Sol Duc had less agitation and better fish- per-person averages.
A total of 43 wild steelhead were released by 70 anglers, 20 on land, 50 in boats, last weekend on the Sol Duc.
Those are the second-best total-release numbers for the river this steelhead season.
“I’ve seen pictures of a few in the 20-pound range,” Gooding said.
“Most of the guides are talking about the 8 to 14 pounds, but there have been some decent, sizeable fish.”
Wright went out last Sunday on the Sol Duc and got into a tussle with a stout steelhead.
“We went down on Sunday and we were 3 for 8 on the boat,” Wright said.
“We had a really nice one on the line that pulled my split rings and hooks off my plug.”
“That would have been a trophy [photo] fish.”
Gooding has seen his share of steelhead seasons out west and feels this one has come a little earlier than in recent years.
“Actually, yeah, the fish all seem to be a little earlier this year than normal,” Gooding said.
“The hatchery fish were, the native fish have been.
“That’s just a function of Mother Nature, and if I knew why, I’d be so famous and rich, when you call me up you’d have to talk to my secretary.”
Gooding said many elements come into play when trying to ascertain just where and when the steelhead make there moves.
“There’s so many factors, the ocean, the amount of rainfall, how that rain comes, really a gazillion things enter into it,” Gooding said.
“It all ends up being the fish’s decision, anyway, and it doesn’t really help them to have big mouths.”
Blackmouth derby
Tickets are on sale for the Olympic Peninsula Salmon Derby that will be held Feb. 20-22, a change from past seasons when it was held during Presidents Day weekend.
The derby covers more than 500 square miles of saltwater, with five weigh stations set up to check fish and a $10,000 prize for the largest hatchery chinook.
Second place will take home $2,000 and the third-place contestant gets $1,000.
There are four $500 bonus prizes offered this year, with any fish over 6 pounds eligible to land a bonus.
Tickets cost $40 with sales ending Wednesday, Feb. 18, and no tickets will be sold during the derby.
The awards ceremony will be held at the Gardiner boat launch at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 22.
For more information, visit www.GardinerSalmonDerby.org.
Send photos, stories
Have a photograph, a fishing or hunting report, an anecdote about an outdoors experience or a tip on gear or technique?
Send it to sports@peninsuladailynews.com or P.O. Box 1330, Port Angeles, WA 98362.
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Outdoors columnist Michael Carman appears here Thursdays and Fridays. He can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5152 or at mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.