LOW WATER CONDITIONS already are making an impact on streams and rivers on the North Olympic Peninsula.
Stealth fishing techniques normally reserved for the high summer days of late July and August already are becoming the norm on the West End.
This is before the Bogachiel, Calawah and previously closed sections of the Sol Duc, were open to trout and other game fish Saturday.
The lack of snow pack in the Olympics will play a large role in fishing success this summer and into the fall and the best advice is to strike now while enough flow remains in these waterways.
Jerry Wright of Jerry’s Bait and Tackle (360-457-1308) in Port Angeles loves to fish the rivers and was out recently on the Sol Duc.
“There are lots of fish up by the hatchery on the Sol Duc,” Wright said.
“Lots of springers in the river.
“I’ve been picking up a few, but it’s a real early show, and all I’ve been using is eggs underneath a float with 10-pound test leaders and size two hooks.
“If you want to be successful get out really early or late afternoon and evening and sit and pound it.”
Bob Aunspach of Swain’s General Store (360-452-2357) in Port Angeles has heard the same news regarding the Sol Duc.
“The Sol Duc continues to give out some pretty good springers, but its getting super low and clear,” Aunspach said.
“You’ll need to use light leaders, small gear. And cloudy, rainy days will be better to keep those shadows down.
“Fish as soon as possible, early, early morning, or late in the evening, twilight or sunset time.”
Wright said before Saturday’s opener that it would provide anglers with a couple of other options.
“The Bogachiel will open up and we should see a lot of summer-run steelheads there and on the Calawah,” Wright said.
Catching these hatchery steelies is another light tackle situation.
“Microheads and small jigs will do it, run real small jigs to get at them,” Wright said.
Hatchery steelhead are easily recognized because they have a clipped adipose or ventral fin and a healed scar at the location of the clipped fin.
Ocean salmon
The early mark-selective hatchery chinook fishery is underway in Marine Areas 3 (LaPush) and 4 (Neah Bay).
Word is, Swiftsure Bank, about 20 miles northwest of Neah Bay near the U.S.-Canadian line, has been producing.
“I talked to a guy who did really well at Swiftsure,” Wright said.
“He ran into schools a mile long, got some kings and coho, but no pinks yet.
“He was talking football fields full of fish.”
Wright said the kings are down about 200 feet, but the coho (which aren’t keepable until June 13) are right below the surface.
Lake Crescent
The catch-and-release fishery on Lake Crescent opened Monday and runs through Saturday, Oct. 31.
“Trout fishing in Lake Crescent has been off to a good start,” Wright said.
“Guys have been dragging a fly, a Woolly Bugger or Woolly Worm, or running little flashers and little spoons.”
While you can’t keep any fish caught in the lake per Olympic National Park policy, that may not be a bad thing according to Wright.
“They aren’t the tastiest of fish from what I remember before the closure,” Wright said.
“They taste a lot like crawdads and whatever else they eat on. A muddy, bottom flavor.”
Lake Sutherland is the spot to try for kokanee, or landlocked sockeye salmon.
“You can try trolling little flashers, or casting little spinners toward the bank to catch them and little cutthroats,” Wright said.
May fish ladder
Aunspach clued me in to the winners of Swain’s monthly salmon and halibut fish ladder.
For the months of March, May, July, August and October, Swain’s will tally up submitted fish for a shot at gift cards ranging from $25 to $100 for fourth through first places.
All anglers need to do to pick up a fish ladder ticket is drop by Swain’s with four cans of food for donation to the Port Angeles Food Bank.
Halibut ruled during May, and the leader board reflects that fact.
Derek Madison of Port Angeles won the top prize with a 110-pound halibut.
His dad, Curt, came in fourth with a 71-pound flattie.
Josh Constant’s 107.9-pound halibut landed during the Port Angeles Salmon Club’s Halibut Derby, was good for second place.
“It weighed in at 94 pounds on our scales once it was cleaned,” Aunspach said.
Bobby Harrison of Port Angeles was third with an 81-pound halibut.
Rockfish resurgence
Pete Rosko, an avid angler and lure designer who winters down in Florida, has returned for the season.
He went out fishing at Freshwater Bay on May 30 and saw some changes, some bad and some good.
“The bad included extremely poor fishing for lingcod, diminished kelp beds and a lack of bait fish,” Rosko said.
“However, I was astonished by a resurgence of large concentrations of black rockfish in three different areas of Freshwater Bay.”
Now Rosko wasn’t keeping these black rockfish, or sea bass as they also are called.
It’s against the state regulations to keep rockfish in Marine Areas 6 and 9.
“At each stop, it was a rockfish on 99 percent of my casts with my favorite shallow water salmon lure a 1/3 oz silver Kandlefish,” Rosko said.
“At times, I would have up to five strikes before a hook-up on my intentionally-dull hook point. This outing reminded me of the great black rockfish trips I’ve had at Neah Bay.
Rosko’s Kandlefish is manufactured by Wahoo Fishing Products in Punta Gorda, Fla.
Wahoo Fishing’s owner is Rick Welle, the co-inventor of the Mister Twister line of fishing lures back in 1973.
Salmon in Strait
Salmon Fishing in the Strait of Juan de Fuca is the topic of the next meeting of the Puget Sound Anglers-North Olympic Chapter on Thursday, June 18.
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 down the Strait of Juan de Fuca toward the end of July and throughout August, destined for their home stream or river.
Anglers will be allowed to retain an extra quota of 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.
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Outdoors columnist Michael Carman can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5152 or at mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
