ANGLERS HAVE TO pick their spots, but there are plenty of in-season fishing options available before the prime summer season begins in July.

The mark-selective hatchery chinook season closes at the end of today in Marine Areas 3 (LaPush) and 4 (Neah Bay), but the recreational ocean salmon fisheries for chinook and hatchery coho open Saturday and run through Sept. 30.

LaPush also gets its traditional late season reopening from Oct. 1-11.

Anglers will have a daily limit of two salmon, plus two additional pink salmon in Marine Areas 3 and 4.

Hatchery steelhead can be kept in West End rivers such as the Calawah, Sol Duc or Bogachiel.

This is the final weekend to bring in a lingcod in many areas, as the season wraps Monday in Marine Areas 5 (Sekiu), 6 (Eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca) and 9 (Admiralty Inlet).

Catch limit is one lingcod, with a minimum size of 26 inches and a maximum of 36 inches.

Crabbing for Dungeness and red rock species also opens two weeks ahead of schedule Monday in Hood Canal.

Get Outdoors Day

State parks will offer free entry on National Get Outdoors Day on Saturday.

Visitors will not need a Discover Pass for day-use visits to state parks.

Free days apply only to day use, not to overnight stays or facilities.

The next free day is Tuesday, Aug. 25, in advance of the National Park Service’s 99th anniversary.

Lake Sutherland

I received an incredibly detailed fishing report for Lake Sutherland from Port Angeles angler and fishing lure designer Pete Rosko.

He and his neighbor Al Brown hit the public ramp on the south side of the lake at 10 a.m. Monday.

Rosko said he was surprised to have the only fishing boat on the water all day.

“The water initially was dead calm, perfect for jigging for kokanee,” Rosko said.

“However, the surface water temperature was 73 degrees. Not good for kokanee, with their ideal preference of 54 degrees.”

Kokanee, it seems, are much like certain North Olympic Peninsula residents who spend much of the winter months pining for summer weather, only to immediately label as “too hot” the first stretch of 70-plus days.

“Almost always, kokanee become completely inactive in such a warm-water environment,” Rosko said.

“The only thing between aborting the trip and fishing were my two Lowrance fish finders on board.”

Rosko said the sonar technology has proven invaluable in his years on the water, and Monday proved no different.

Knowing the coolest water is found at the deepest depths, Rosko and Brown headed to the lake’s deepest stretch, the eastern arm.

“It didn’t take long to locate the kokanee that showed up on the fish finder, near bottom in 79 feet of water,” Rosko said.

The pair were set for a slow drift, each rigging up with lighter tackle, a 1/3-ounce Sonic Baitfish from Mack’s Lure Co., and dropping their lines down to within 6 feet of bottom.

“Almost immediately, Al had a fish on,” Rosko said.

“That didn’t take long to attract unexpected attention. A bald eagle nabbed Al’s kokanee as it came to the surface. Then the same thing happened after I hooked up.”

The symbolic representation of our nation’s freedom stole the duo’s first two fish, but the capture rate improved from there.

“Afterwards, we did manage to get over two dozen more kokanee to the boat without further interference,” Rosko said.

“All kokanee ranged in length between 15 and 17 inches, excellent size for so early in the season.”

Trout limits on Lake Sutherland, which is open through Oct. 31, are five per day with a minimum size of 6 inches and a maximum of 18 inches.

“When the wind picked up, we upgraded to heavier jigs, 1-ounce Kandlefish, in order to stay near bottom,” Rosko said.

“In 33 years of jigging at Lake Sutherland, I never fished a jig as heavy as this 1-ouncer.

“It didn’t matter, as the plankton-eating kokanee immediately slammed the jig.”

Rosko said he was using his favorite salmon lure, a fluorescent yellow, chartreuse back with a glow white belly.

“Almost all the kokanee that day were caught on this popular salmon-catching color combination,” Rosko said.

Warm water temperatures look to be with us for the next several months, and Rosko has a suggestion for anglers: find that deep water.

“[Even] better if over an underground spring,” Rosko said.

“In a straight line from shore to deep water, continue to follow the shoreline drop-off until it stops ‘stair-casing’ then flattens out. It’s generally at this juncture where the fish will be located.

“Better yet, if it’s located along a shady shoreline, since most fish are light-sensitive.”

Rosko’s advice boils down to finding deep water, preferably in shade, figuring out the right jig and, in calm water, using a vertical jigging technique.

Elwha River events

A free screening of “Return of the River,” a documentary showcasing the removal of the Elwha River dams, will be held at the Port Angeles Library, 2210 S. Peabody St., at 6 p.m. Thursday.

Co-director John Gussman will be part of an informal question and answer session after the film.

The screening is part of a series of library programs exploring the Elwha River’s story, presented in conjunction with a new traveling exhibit from the University of Washington’s Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture.

“Elwha: A River Reborn,” will be on display at the library through Saturday, Aug. 29.

Olympic National Park restoration ecologist Joshua Chenoweth will present “Jump Starting Recovery: Revegetating the Elwha” at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 24.

Chenoweth will talk about the more than 220,000 native trees and shrubs planted on the former sites of Lake Aldwell and Lake Mills, and discuss the project’s status and its future.

Day Hiking in the Olympics author Craig Romano will discuss hiking in the Elwha Valley at 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 29.

For more information, visit www.nols.org.

Salmon in Strait

Salmon Fishing in the Strait of Juan de Fuca is the topic of Thursday’s meeting of the Puget Sound Anglers-North Olympic Chapter.

The meeting is set for Trinity United Methodist Church, 100 S. Blake Ave., at 6:45 p.m.

The salmon fishing season opens on July 1 in Marine Area 6.

A discussion on how to fish for king, coho and pinks in this area will be the primary focus of the meeting.

Millions of pinks will navigate through the Strait of Juan de Fuca at the end of July and throughout August, destined for their home stream or river.

Anglers will be allowed to retain two pinks in addition to the normal daily mix or match quota of two salmon — king, coho, or pinks — for a total of four fish.

For more information about the Puget Sound Anglers, visit www.psanopc.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.