HUMPY MADNESS HAS returned to the North Olympic Peninsula.
From LaPush all the way to the western edges of Port Angeles, plethoras of pink salmon are flooding into the area.
And according to Randy Lato of All-Ways Fishing (360-374-2052) in LaPush, they’re taking no prisoners.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” the longtime West End saltwater guide said.
“[Thursday] wasn’t too bad but [Wednesday] . . . I know I released over 50 of the damn things. It was just nonstop.
“It got to the point where I just said, ‘Guys, I’ve got to take a break.’ I said, ‘I gotta eat my sandwich.’
“By the time I got done with my sandwich, I had three fish waiting to get released.”
Yes, depending upon who you ask, it’s getting to the point where these fish are starting to be a bit of a nuisance; public enemy No. 1 for the king- and coho-focused contingent.
At the very least, they’re providing anglers a virtual guarantee of hooking at least one salmon on a given trip into the Peninsula saltwater.
Marine Area 3 (LaPush) and 4 (Neah Bay) fishers each averaged more than one salmon per rod last week, thanks in large part to the humpies’ prominent presence.
The same could be said last weekend for Area 5 (Sekiu), which saw creel checks count 674 anglers with 581 pinks from July 8-10.
And things haven’t changed all that much in recent days, according to Gary Ryan of Van Riper’s Resort (360-963-2334) in Sekiu.
“They go on a bite and it’s like a frenzy,” Ryan said.
“There’s a lot of fish out here, a lot of pinks. Nice ones, we’ve seen 7-8-pound pinks.”
Oddly enough, Marine Area 6 (eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca) has even gotten in on the humpy action near Freshwater Bay, Bob Aunspach of Swain’s General Store (360-452-2357) in Port Angeles said.
“For whatever reason, [the pinks] come in shallower there,” he said “You can catch them out off the flats at times [near Port Angeles], but on the whole they are typically out in the deeper water.”
More salmon
Of course, the pinks are really just a booby prize compared to saltwater anglers’ true target: kings.
So far, that’s been a bit of a hit-or-miss fishery throughout the area, with the coastal set producing perhaps the best results.
Joey Lawrence of Big Salmon Resort (360-645-2374) in Neah Bay said those who have been able to get out on the ocean near his neck of the woods have found a fair amount of success.
“The king fishing is going good for the guys out here, nice fish, lots of them,” said Lawrence, who added that a decent coho bite has also materialized.
“It seems like they are fishing down south there off Spike Rock all the way down to off Cape Alava [for kings].
“They are nice, big fish, anywhere from 12 to 30 pounds is what we’ve been seeing every day.”
Lato said his boat has been able to limit out on kings the past few days while fishing 17 miles northwest of LaPush.
“In between all of the pinks we did scratch out four kings [Wednesday]. Two of them were 26, 28 inches and one medium and a large that was pushing 30 [pounds],” he said.
As is almost always the case, it’s been an early morning bite for kings near Sekiu.
That means those who don’t score their chinook in the first few hours after daybreak are best heading off in search of pinks and coho at that point.
“It’s been early, early morning kings, but king fishing has been good,” Ryan said.
“The charter boat [Wednesday] had two people on board and they were back before 8 [a.m.]. We had one guy [that in] the last two days in a row he’s been back by 5:30 [a.m.]
“The biggest one I’ve seen this week was 28 pounds, but they are running anywhere from 10 pounds up to about 20.”
Speaking of big, Port Angeles’ Dan Roening hooked a 37-pound, 4-ounce hatchery king a few days back fishing out near Freshwater Bay.
It was one of a handful of nice chinook taken out of that area during the last week, according to Aunspach.
“It seemed to be running a few bigger fish out of Freshwater,” Aunspach said, “but there’s lots of bait here and there to hold the fish [around the PA king fishery.]
“It has its cycles where you have a really good day, and it tapers off a bit, and then it comes back strong.”
Area 9 opener
Expect some bumper boat action when the Area 9 (Admiralty Inlet) selective chinook fishery begins Saturday.
No doubt Mid Channel Bank will be flooded with anglers looking to score their first salmon of the season.
Just don’t expect the eastern edge of the Peninsula to get in on the hellacious humpy bite currently wreaking havoc on the rest of the area.
Admiralty Inlet doesn’t typically see such fish until much later in the season.
Also . . .
■ Dungeness River Audubon Center will lead a two-day Summer Bike Adventure camp for ages 11-15 next Tuesday and Wednesday.
Campers will explore the Olympic Discovery Trail east and west of Railroad Bridge Park in Sequim, with instruction on bicycle safety, simple bike repair and basic trail riding techniques.
Cost is $80. To register, visit the River Center’s website at www.dungenessrivercenter.org or call 360-681-4076.
■ The Wapiti Bowmen will offer free introductory archery classes for ages 10-16 at its Port Angeles headquarters, 374 E. Arnette Road, on July 16, 17, 23 and 24.
There will be separate two-hour classes for 10-13-year-olds and 13-16-year-olds, with the former meeting from 10 a.m. to noon and the latter from noon to 2 p.m.
To register, contact Scott Gordon at ScottinSequim@olypen.com or 360-460-5636.
■ Greenland national kayaking champion Helen Wilson will give a special presentation Wednesday at the Port Angeles Senior Center, 328 E. 7th St., in Port Angeles.
The presentation, set for 7-9 p.m., will examine modern kayaking and how ancient skills are becoming increasingly popular. Admission is $5.
■ Brian Menkal will discus river fishing for coho at the Coastal Conservation Association-North Olympic Peninsula Chapter meeting July 28.
Menkal, owner/operator of Brian’s Sporting Goods and More, will begin his talk shortly after the meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. at Moon Palace Restaurant, 323 E. Washington St., in Sequim.
■ Hunters have until July 22 to enter Fish and Wildlife’s special big-game hunt raffles for this fall.
Tickets can be purchased at retail license vendors statewide. By law, they are no longer available online or over the phone. One winner will be selected for each hunt.
■ Puget Sound Anglers-North Olympic Peninsula Chapter will hold its monthly meeting at Trinity Methodist Church, 100 S. Blake Ave, in Sequim on Thursday at 7 p.m.
Details on the guest speaker were not available.
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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; email 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.