MATT SCHUBERT OUTDOORS: Strong winds hamper Strait fishing
MATT SCHUBERT'S FIVE BEST BETS FOR THE WEEKEND
• Sol Duc steelhead -- The crowds are starting to scatter, but there's still plenty of steelies around.
"I've had some fantastic days in April," Bob Gooding of Olympic Sporting Goods (360-374-6330) in Forks said.
• Bird's the word -- The fifth annual Olympic Peninsula BirdFest returns to Dungeness River Audubon Center this weekend.
Events include field trips, presentations, a banquet, owl prowls and many other birdy activities.
A full story detailing the festivities is on Page C1 of today's PDN.
• Free for me -- Waters West Fly Fishing Outfitters will hold a free fly-tying seminar on Saturday at 10 a.m. in its Port Angeles shop at 140 W. Front St.
The seminar will focus on lake flies for trout. There will be another free seminar April 24 on saltwater cutthroat patterns.
For more information, call 360-417-0937 or send an e-mail to info@waterswest.com.
• Halibut secrets -- John Beath of halibut.com will be dishing the dirt on halibut at the Puget Sound Angeles-North Olympic Peninsula Chapter's monthly meeting Thursday.
Beath will focus on some of his most proven techniques for hooking flatties in Puget Sound waters, including a few secrets.
The meeting begins at 6:45 p.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church, 100 S. Blake Ave., in Sequim.
• Family hike -- Perhaps it's time to get the kiddies, off during the last week for Spring Break, out of the house.
A leisurely 2 ½-mile stroll toward Point Wilson -- recommended by Washington Trails Association as one of its top spring hikes with kids -- might just do the trick.
The little ones can leave messages in the sand or throw a stick to the family pooch, and you can think of how wonderful it will be when they go back to school.
I always loved family time.
Matt Schubert
• Sol Duc steelhead -- The crowds are starting to scatter, but there's still plenty of steelies around.
"I've had some fantastic days in April," Bob Gooding of Olympic Sporting Goods (360-374-6330) in Forks said.
• Bird's the word -- The fifth annual Olympic Peninsula BirdFest returns to Dungeness River Audubon Center this weekend.
Events include field trips, presentations, a banquet, owl prowls and many other birdy activities.
A full story detailing the festivities is on Page C1 of today's PDN.
• Free for me -- Waters West Fly Fishing Outfitters will hold a free fly-tying seminar on Saturday at 10 a.m. in its Port Angeles shop at 140 W. Front St.
The seminar will focus on lake flies for trout. There will be another free seminar April 24 on saltwater cutthroat patterns.
For more information, call 360-417-0937 or send an e-mail to info@waterswest.com.
• Halibut secrets -- John Beath of halibut.com will be dishing the dirt on halibut at the Puget Sound Angeles-North Olympic Peninsula Chapter's monthly meeting Thursday.
Beath will focus on some of his most proven techniques for hooking flatties in Puget Sound waters, including a few secrets.
The meeting begins at 6:45 p.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church, 100 S. Blake Ave., in Sequim.
• Family hike -- Perhaps it's time to get the kiddies, off during the last week for Spring Break, out of the house.
A leisurely 2 ½-mile stroll toward Point Wilson -- recommended by Washington Trails Association as one of its top spring hikes with kids -- might just do the trick.
The little ones can leave messages in the sand or throw a stick to the family pooch, and you can think of how wonderful it will be when they go back to school.
I always loved family time.
Matt Schubert
By Matt Schubert
PDN Outdoors Columnist
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It's quite a shame considering all the good memories the fishery created for anglers in Marine Area 5 (Sekiu) and 6 (eastern Strait) the last few months.
While there is some hope that things could turn around by Saturday -- the last day of blackmouth fishing in both areas -- this weekend might just end with a whimper.
"Since we've been open [in February] it has been a lot more steady than normal," Val Olson of Olson's Resort (360-963-2311) in Sekiu said.
"It's still pretty good except for our weather. [And] it doesn't sound very good for the weekend."
Things were going pretty well during the past few days in Area 6 as well.
Bob Aunspach of Swain's General Store (360-452-2357) in Port Angeles said numerous fish had been submitted to the Port Angeles Salmon Club's monthly derby ladder.
That included a 21-pound, 6-ounce beauty turned in by Mike Jones on Wednesday, the last day of tolerable weather on the Peninsula.
He caught that while fishing right out in front of Port Angeles, according to Aunspach.
"We've had a lot of fish over the last [four days]," he said. "The ladder was changing almost every day, so it was good."
More salt
There are a few saltwater avenues available after that.
Area 9 (Admiralty Inlet) will remain open to blackmouth angling through April 15, and Area 12 (Hood Canal) through the end of the month.
Neither has been producing many good reports this winter.
In fact, Area 12 anglers might have more fun fishing for sea-run cutthroat trout in various Hood Canal estuaries.
If that doesn't sound appetizing, the coastal lingcod fishery -- dormant the last couple of weeks in Area 3 (LaPush) -- promises to pick up soon as well.
The weather hadn't cooperated enough for most ocean anglers since Area 3 opened for lings on March 13, according to Randy Lato of All Ways Fishing (360-374-2052) in Forks.
He and many others are hoping that will change by Sunday, however.
"This weekend everybody is getting going," Lato said. "You get out to the Rock Pile and it's real good [normally].
"The bass will probably be a little scattered, but the lingcod fishing should be good."
Area 4 (Neah Bay) opens to lingcod fishing April 16.
It is widely regarded as one of the best places to fish for lings in the state.
Lake affect
None of our trout will be shooting blanks this spring.
That's because all of the 58,117 triploid rainbows planted by the state Department of Fish and Wildlife in April and May are going elsewhere.
So instead of receiving those notoriously sterile fish, lakes throughout Jefferson County will get more jumbo trout (1 ½- to 2-pound average) this season.
Lake Leland, located just north of Quilcene and open year round, already had 527 such fish added to its waters in late March.
And another year-round pond, Lake Teal south of Port Ludlow, is slated to receive 210 sometime during the next few weeks.
There are several more to come in the near future as well, just in time for the lowland lakes fishing opener on April 24.
"Those are big rainbow trout," Fish and Wildlife spokesman Robert Nelson said. "They are not sterile, and they are just a nicer fish."
Sutherland and Wentworth lakes, both open year round in Clallam County, are expected to receive several thousand trout plants (8-12 inches in size) this month as well.
Fish and Wildlife released its 2010 hatchery trout stocking plan late last week.
A copy can be viewed online at wdfw.wa.gov/fish/plants.
Initially, the plan didn't include the fish plants bound for Clallam County. But after a call from yours truly, the folks in Olympia corrected that omission.
I guess people actually do forget we exist out here.
Steelie swan song
It's no "Island of Doctor Moreau," but there's plenty of species intermingling in West End rivers.
Steelhead, spring chinook and even the occasional cutthroat are all present at numerous rivers, including the Sol Duc (likely to be in the best shape this weekend).
"There's a lot of fish," said Lato, who fished the Sol Duc earlier this week.
"Yesterday was a little tough. I had just a single gal, but we got a real nice one. The day before we got seven [steelhead] and they were all chrome, just real nice fish.
"It would be kind of nice to get down on the Hoh in these last few days."
That's because the glacial-fed Hoh's retention fishery is set to close after April 15.
The Quillayute System -- which includes the Sol Duc, Calawah and Bogachiel -- is open through the end of the month.
Only the Quillayute and Sol Duc are open to spring chinook retention, not that the fish are all that bitey anyway.
"They are seeing a lot more [springers] than they are catching, but that's generally the case," Bob Gooding of Olympic Sporting Goods (360-374-6330) in Forks said.
"All the guides that have been in there have been seeing springers, they just can't make them bite.
"A guy had one that was right at about 30 [pounds] and he ended up losing it. That's pretty decent for a springer."
Tidelands open
Shellfish harvesters now have a bigger area to scour at Dosewallips State Park.
The state Department of Health declared 70 additional acres of park tidelands safe for shellfish digging for the first time since 1987.
The area open for shellfish harvesting is marked by orange posts.
The area beyond the posts remains closed because of bacterial pollution associated with the Dosewallips River.
Beaches at the state park opened to shellfish harvesting at the beginning of March. It contains loads of oysters and manila littleneck clams, according to Fish and Wildlife.
Both should be exposed during a series of minus tides next week.
That includes a -1.81-foot low tide (1:34 p.m.) April 17 and a -1.84 foot low tide (2:18 p.m. April 18.
For the latest Department of Health shellfish advisories, visit http://tinyurl.com/yza4dk2.
Also . . .
• Fly fishing author and television personality Skip Morris will speak at the Greywolf Fly Fishing Club's monthly meeting Wednesday in Gardiner.
Morris, an Olympic Peninsula resident, has written numerous books and had more than 200 articles published in magazines like Fly Fisherman and American Angler.
His talk will focus on fishing trout lakes at deep depths.
The meeting will be held at the Gardiner Community Center, 980 Old Gardiner Road, beginning at 7 p.m.
• A state crab advisor will speak at the Puget Sound Anglers-East Jefferson Chapter's monthly meeting this Tuesday in the Marina Room at Point Hudson Marina.
The advisor will explain a number of options for the 2010 crab season, beginning at 7 p.m. The featured raffle item will be a halibut rod and reel.
• The Greywolf Fly Fishing Club is offering scholarships for the 2010 Northwest Youth Conservation and Fly Fishing Academy.
The academy, set for June 20-26 at Hicks Lake in Lacey, provides youth anglers all they need to know about the art of fly fishing. The cost is $275.
The deadline for youth (ages 12 to 16) to apply for a scholarship is Thursday.
For more information, contact Dave Bailey at 360-681-7043.
• Author and accomplished sea kayaker Randel Washburne will speak at the Olympic Peninsula Paddlers' monthly meeting Wednesday in the Vern Burton Community Center at 308 West 4th St., in Port Angeles.
Washburne has written several sea kayaking guide books covering the Puget Sound region, and also created the "Washburne Tables."
• Razor clam harvests are tentatively scheduled for next Saturday and Sunday at Olympic National Park's Kalaloch Beach, pending marine toxin testing.
Digs are also scheduled at Long Beach and Twin Harbors next Friday through Sunday.
For more information on coastal razor clams, visit http://tinyurl.com/oyekj.
• Karen Matsumoto, education coordinator for the Seattle Aquarium, and Ron Hirschi, biologist and author of children's nature books, are the featured speakers at the Feiro Marine Life Center's monthly presentation Saturday.
The presentation begins at 6:30 p.m. in the life center at Port Angeles City Pier. For more information, call 360-417-6254.
• Washington Trails will hold a volunteer work party at Lower Big Quilcene Trail on Tuesday.
Volunteers must pre-register 48 hours in advance. To pre-register, contact Washington Trails at 206-625-1367 or visit www.wta.org.
• The 10th annual Port Angeles Kayak Symposium arrives at Hollywood Beach and City Pier next Friday through Sunday.
The event includes on-water and off-water clinics, free demos and discounted kayak merchandise offered by a variety of vendors.
Admission is $5 for the demo beach or free with a donation to the Port Angeles food bank. For more information, visit www.raftandkayak.com.
Send photos, stories
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.
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Matt Schubert is the outdoors columnist for the Peninsula Daily News. His column appears on Thursdays and Fridays.
Last modified: April 09. 2010 12:22AM
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