THOSE LOOKING TO head out to their favorite hole on Monday better think twice.
The state Department of Fish and Wildlife, in its infinite wisdom, decided to move back the traditional river fishing opener this year.
No longer is June 1 the date, but rather the first Saturday in June.
The reason: to give returning salmon and steelhead more protection . . . five whole days of additional protection.
Yep, I’m sure that will get this whole thing turned around.
Crescent time
One place anglers won’t have to wait for, however, is Lake Crescent.
The picturesque home of the Beardslee trout opens to catch-and-release fishing this Monday.
You don’t have to prod me with a pitchfork to spout off the wonders of Crescent.
Not only can you hook into a one-of-a-kind fish (Bearsdlee and Crescenti trout are both unique to Crescent), you can do it while taking in some of the more pristine waters on the North Olympic Peninsula.
And you don’t even need a fishing license to do it.
A lot of anglers like to fish in front of Barnes Creek, located on the south side of the lake near Crescent Lodge. There’s many other holes worth giving a gander as well.
It helps to get your gear — no bait, two-ounce weight restriction and single barbless hooks required — down a little bit, but that’s not necessarily a requirement.
I’ve caught fish in the afternoon feeding just a few inches below the surface. (Side note: If fly fishing, watch out for the bats at sunset. They will attack your fly in mid-air.)
So if you’ve got some waders, head out to Crescent with a box full of flies on Monday.
You won’t regret it.
Strait halibut
It can only get better from here on out.
With last weekend’s severe minus tides behind us, halibut anglers can expect conditions to only improve through the end of the season (June 5) in Marine Areas 6 (eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca) and 9 (Admiralty Inlet).
“It should be awesome by next Thursday and Friday,” Randy Jones of Venture Charters (360-895-5424) in Sequim said.
Things were a bit more on the mediocre side last weekend, even with hordes of anglers coming out for the Port Angeles Salmon Club’s ninth annual halibut derby.
Fish and Wildlife creel checks in the area counted 558 anglers with 121 halibut.
This year’s winner was caught by Steve Marmon of Bellingham, who brought in a 77-pounder to claim the $5,000 top prize.
It was the second smallest winner in the derby’s nine-year history. Still, there was obviously quite a few fish brought in, with 25 in the 40- to 70-pound range.
Bob Aunspach at Swain’s General Store (360-452-2357) in Port Angeles said most of what he heard pointed to flatties coming in from Green Point, 31-36 Bank and the Rock Pile.
“Freshwater Bay and out west seemed to be pretty scarce,” he said. “We weighed a 65-pounder here a couple of hours ago [on Thursday], a real nice fish. He said he caught it right out front here.”
Flatty fishing near Dungeness Bay was pretty much nonexistent until Thursday, according to Jones.
“We had three days of being skunked,” he said. “Last weekend was terrible tides. It’s working it’s way down. Saturday is going to be much better.”
Anglers can always head out to Clallam Bay if they’re looking for something new.
Fishing wasn’t all that bad during the first few openers in Marine Area 5 (Sekiu) last weekend, Donalynn Olson at Olson’s Resort (360-963-2311) in Sekiu said.
“The water has been good, the weather has been great and halibut fishing has been good,” she said.
Anglers are finding some luck fishing down past Mussolini Rock and near Sekiu River, but have yet to come across anything mammoth. The largest Olson heard of was 53 pounds.
Area 5 is open to halibut fishing Thursdays through Mondays until July 3.
More derby
Just a couple of other notes from this weekend’s derby:
• The best guys to talk to during a derby are the guys cutting up the fish.
They are the ones inspecting the stomachs of each halibut submitted to the ladder.
As was the case last year, a vast majority of the fish caught had empty bellies. Take that for whatever it’s worth.
• It appears that Hood Canal Bridge closure had some effect, but very little, on bringing out derby participants.
A total of 686 derby tickets were sold as of Saturday, with a small handful buying tickets on Sunday as well. That’s a little less than 100 fewer anglers than 2008, when 780 registered for the derby.
• Many of the top fish in the ladder came from out-of-town anglers, including, of course, the winner from Bellingham.
Port Angeles anglers made up 10 of the 30 spots on the ladder, while there was also one Joyce and one Quilcene fisherman who made it in the top 30.
The top Peninsula angler was Port Angeles’ Kirk Chilson, who scored $1,000 after reeling in the sixth-largest fish (67 pounds). Fellow Port Angeleno Jonathon Johnson also caught a 67-pounder, but he came in an hour later, which cost him $200.
• The City of Port Angeles denied a request to waive launch fees for derby participants at Ediz Hook for the second straight year.
Given the amount of out-of-town dollars generated by this event — just take a stroll down Marine Drive during one of the derby days if you need proof — one would think waiving the fees would be a no-brainer.
After all, one could argue such a move would attract even more participation.
The Port Townsend Boat Haven has waived fees in the past for the Discovery Bay Salmon Derby.
Perhaps Port Angeles should follow its lead.
Coastal halibut
Look what the wind blew in: another pair of halibut openers in Marine Areas 3 (LaPush) and 4 (Neah Bay).
Yes, last Saturday’s blustery weather on the coast didn’t just produce widespread nausea, it also results in unrestricted halibut openers on June 4 and 6.
A catch assessment concluded by Fish and Wildlife found that anglers caught 67,058 pounds of halibut in those two areas during four openers between May 14-23. That leaves 40,972 pounds still available for harvest under the seasonal quota.
If there is additional quota remaining after June 6, the fishery will reopen June 18, Reed said.
With the tides looking downright decent, all anglers need is some calmer weather to clean up on the coast.
“We’d seen a couple of 80-pounders in that opener [last Saturday],” Joey Lawrence at Big Salmon Resort (360-645-2374) in Neah Bay said. “We did fair, but at least we still have some fish left over.”
Big Salmon will hold its annual halibut derby during the two openers next Thursday and Saturday. Derby tickets cost $20, with first prize taking 50 percent of the pot.
“If the weather cooperates, we should have one more good opener,” Lawrence said.
The same can be said for LaPush, according to Randy Lato of All-Ways Fishing (360-374-2052) in Forks.
There’s also some decent bottom fishing to be had near the Rock Pile.
“There’s a lot of bottom fish still,” Lato said. “I just can’t get anybody to bite on it.”
Squid time?
For whatever it’s worth, there is a belief that squid begin to show up en masse near Neah Bay right around this time of year. The problem is finding a place to fish for them.
First off, the best time to jig for them is at night. Secondly, it is quite helpful to have light available to attract the squid. And lastly, nobody knows exactly when they arrive.
That being said, Swain’s General store carries a nice array of squid jigs — luminous lures with several sharp prongs — for anyone willing to give it a whirl.
It has been said that Port Angeles City Pier tends to see squid populations increase in late June, with fishing decent through the end of August.
So perhaps it’s best to just wait for a beautiful summer night to hit the pier.
Also . . .
• Fishing is on the state next weekend.
Yes, June 6-7 marks the return of Free Fishing Weekend throughout the state. During those two days, no license will be required to fish or gather shellfish in any waters open to fishing. Also, no vehicle use permit will be required.
• Ed Chad of Clallam County Streamkeepers will give a brief presentation at the Olympic Peninsula Fly Fishers’ monthly meeting at the Loomis Log Cabin in Port Angeles’ Lincoln Park at 7 p.m. on Monday.
Bill Batson of Rainshadow Rods in Sequim will also talk at the meeting about building your own rod.
• Waters West Fly Fishing Outfitters will host an introductory fly fishing class on Saturday at its shop at 140 West Front St. in Port Angeles.
The class, which begins at 9 a.m., will cover fly equipment, knot tying, fly casting, entomology, fly selection, reading water and landing fish. Students will also take a field trip to water with a chance for catch-and-release. Cost is $75. To sign up, call 360-417-0937.
• As was mentioned in Thursday’s sports briefly, the Olympic Peninsula Rowing Association and Clallam County Family YMCA will begin offering on-water rowing lessons inside Port Angeles Harbor on June 6.
The lessons will run in five-week sessions on successive Saturdays, except for July 4, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Men and women ages 16 and older are welcome to participate. The program costs $60 for YMCA members and $120 for non-members.
Expect more about the Rowing Club in future editions of the PDN. For more information, contact Clallam County Family YMCA sports director Tim Tucker at 360-452-9244.
• The Dungeness River Center is offering a four-week class focussing on Olympic Peninsula late spring migrants each Thursday from June 4-25.
Classes are scheduled for 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The cost is $30 for River Center partners and $40 for non-members.
For more information, or to register, contact the River Center at 360-681-4076.
• Admiralty Audubon’s Bob Whitney will lead a field trip around Point Wilson next Saturday, June 13, from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Those interested are encouraged to pre-register. To do so, contact Ken Wilson at 360-821-1101.
• A hunter education class will be held at the Quilcene Harbor Yacht Club in early June. Classes are scheduled from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on June 8, 10, 11, 15, 17 and 18.
Live fire and a walk-through is set for June 20 at the Jefferson County Sportsmen’s Club.
For more information, contact Rick Olson at 360-765-3947, Riley Brazil at 360-732-4003 or Mark Castillo at 360-732-4402.
• Flotilla 42, Coast Guard Auxiliary will host boating safety classes in the second floor training room of the Pease Building on Ediz Hook on June 12-13.
The cost is $25 per person or $35 for two if they share a book. Pre-registration is required, and can be done by calling 360-681-4671.
The class is required for boaters 25 years or younger. The requirement will increase by five-year intervals each year, meaning boaters 30 or younger will have to take the class next year.
Call us, photos welcome!
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; e-mail matt.schubert@peninsuladailynews.com.
__________
Matt Schubert is the outdoors columnist for the Peninsula Daily News. His column appears on Thursdays and Fridays.
