THE CALENDAR SAYS it’s spring.
The snow and hail falling on the North Olympic Peninsula’s retirement mecca (aka Sequim) Thursday begged to differ.
Whatever the case, anglers don’t really have a choice at this point.
The much-anticipated lowland lakes opener arrives Saturday morning at ponds across the Peninsula.
And anyone looking to get on the Lake Anderson free-for-all had better hop to it.
As recent history has taught us, that lake’s blue-green algae problem leads to more premature shutdowns than the introduction of a Super Walmart.
“[The trout] should be a little sluggish, as cold as it’s been,” Brian Menkal of Brian’s Sporting Goods and More (360-683-1950) in Sequim said.
“Basically, they may not be as active. But you’ve got to fish when you can fish. If it warms up, fantastic.”
According to the weatherman — well known, like me, for his infallible forecasts — that might actually be the case.
Sunny skies and warm temperatures (for us) appear to be on the horizon Saturday and Sunday.
That just might give Anderson and its Jefferson County counterparts a little bit of a boost.
Just don’t expect the trout, especially all those holdovers from last year’s plants, to be all that active for a late April weekend.
“It’ll affect the fishing,” Bob Aunspach of Swain’s General Store (360-452-2357) in Port Angeles said about this spring’s unseasonably cold weather.
“It will play some, but for the little pressure that Anderson [got] over the last couple of years, I still expect it to be good.”
Little pressure
Indeed, Anderson had seen a little less than a month’s worth of fishing during the last two years.
Anglers had just three weeks to fish the 59-acre lake before it closed due to toxic algae issues last year.
The year before that, it didn’t even open.
Translation: These trout have little experience with the hook-and-sinker set. That makes them more than willing partners in our little piscatorial game.
Just don’t expect them to chase anything with too much vigor, according to Aunspach.
“Trolling will work, but I still think fishing [with power bait or eggs] is going to be your best producer, because I think the fish are a little sluggish,” he said.
“They are going to have a tendency to work the still bait rather than chase something down.
“If I am trolling, I’m going to troll really slow.”
Added Menkal, “It could go either way for you. It’s one of those things where the plants, they are slashers. They will hit anything that looks like food.
“The [holdovers], they are going to be a little more careful.”
Those with more misanthropic demeanors might want to avoid Anderson on opening day.
Make no mistake, there will be crowds.
Among some of the more placid picks for Saturday could be Teal, Tarboo and Silent lakes in Jefferson County and Wentworth in Clallam.
“Tarboo could be a nice lake to hit, but Anderson would be my best pick on this side of the Peninsula,” Menkal said.
“Teal lake should be smoking hot, too. I’ve heard some really good reports from that already.”
A complete rundown of area trout lakes receiving plants was listed in Thursday’s outdoors column.
Information on lake fishing opportunities can also be found at wdfw.wa.gov.
Requiem for a steelie
The time has come to bid adieu to steelhead season on the Peninsula.
While there still might be a few of the surly steelies swimming about the West End, anglers won’t be able to target them after Saturday.
Instead, the focus falls strictly on springers in the Sol Duc; a group that has yet to make much of an impact, according to Bob Gooding of Olympic Sporting Goods (360-374-6330) in Forks.
“I’ve seen, I don’t know, 12 or 15 caught in the last three weeks or something like that,” Gooding said.
“There’re some around, but it ain’t like there’s a gob.
“It’s early. Middle of May we start really seeing fish around. We’ll see what happens.”
If it turns out anything like this winter’s steelhead season, things will be just fine.
Sure, it was a bit lacking in the “bruiser” category, but the quantity was definitely there for anglers who made it out west.
“It was really very good,” Gooding said.
“It’s probably the best we’ve seen in 10 years, no kidding.”
Saltwater stuff
It’s about to get ugly on the Peninsula.
Area 6 (eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca) and 9 (Admiralty Inlet) anglers get their first crack at the fish best known for its facial deformity (halibut) next Thursday.
The opening weekend comes with a few minus tides, but that shouldn’t keep anglers from bringing a few flatties to the docks.
“I think it’s going to be good,” Aunspach said. “There’s going to be a bunch of fish caught, especially with that low slack at 10:30 [a.m. on Thursday].”
Halibut fishing will open Thursdays through Saturdays in Area 6 and 9 during the first three weeks of May.
The final week will open May 26-29 for Memorial Day weekend.
“Last year was a great year from start to finish, and I’ve heard a lot of the tribal [anglers] had a great year,” Menkal said.
Area 3 (LaPush) and 4 (Neah Bay) open to halibut fishing Thursdays and Saturdays from May 12-21.
Until then, anglers can target lingcod in both spots.
From what Joey Lawrence of Big Salmon Resort (360-645-2374) in Neah Bay says, that fishery is well worth the work.
“The boats that do make the drive out are doing very well,” Lawrence said.
“Sail Rock, Slant Rock, Skagway and Green Bank are all producing some decent-sized lingcod and a lot of bass to go with it.”
VideOlympics
Warren Miller wannabes are on notice.
Anyone with a digital film promoting the Peninsula outdoors has until Sunday to submit it into the VideOlympics film contest.
More than $1,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded, with submissions being judged on technical merit, local interest and “stoke” factor. (No, I’m not making that last one up.)
“One of the great things about the Olympic Peninsula is the wide range of outdoor activities available within a relatively small area,” event organizer Greg Halberg said in a news release.
“We want submissions from a wide variety of sports. There is also no restriction on when the movie was made, so if you have an oldie but goodie we would like to see that also.”
The event is sponsored by North by Northwest Surf Co., Sound Bikes and Kayaks, Adventures through Kayaking, LibTech, Hurricane Ridge Winter Sports Club and BarN9ne.
Films can be submitted electronically to frank@nxnwsurf.com, by mail at HRWSC c/o NXNW 902, S. Lincoln St., Port Angeles, WA, 98362, or in person at North by Northwest, 902 S. Lincoln St., in Port Angeles.
Selected submissions will be shown at the VideOlympics Film Festival at BarN9ne, 229 W. First St., on May 14 at 7 p.m.
Also . . .
■ Spot shrimp season begins next Saturday, May 7 throughout the Peninsula.
Hood Canal will open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on May 7, 11, 14 and 25, while Discovery Bay will open May 7, 11 and 14 from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Areas 4 (east of the Bonilla-Tatoosh line), 5, and 6 open daily beginning May 7 at 7 a.m.
There will also be openers in Area 9 on May 7 and May 11 from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
■ Waters West Fly Fishing Outfitters will host an introductory fly tying class at its Port Angeles shop at 140 W. Front St. in May.
The four-session class will meet on successive Tuesday nights starting Tuesday from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., with the focus on trout nymphs, streamers and dry flies.
All tools and materials can be provided. To sign up, call 360-417-0937 or email info@waterswest.com.
■ Dungeness River Audubon Center will host a six-week beginning birding class starting Tuesday.
Taught by River Center volunteer and newspaper columnist Dave Jackson, the class will meet six straight Tuesdays from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the River Center, 2151 Hendrickson Road.
The cost is $40 for River Center partners and $60 for non-members.
To register, contact the River Center at 360-681-4076.
■ Olympic National Park is looking for volunteers to help monitor the status of Olympic marmots within park boundaries.
Groups will visit designated survey areas to gather information about population abundance and distribution.
Volunteers must be capable of hiking to and camping in remote areas, be comfortable navigating off trail and be able to work on steep slopes.
Application deadline is Sunday. For more information, visit tinyurl.com/48pw4jx.
■ Fish and Wildlife released its completed rockfish conservation plan to restore rockfish populations in Puget Sound.
The plan builds on the department’s efforts to protect rockfish in Puget Sound, where three species – bocaccio, yelloweye and canary rockfish – were listed for protection under the federal Endangered Species Act in 2010.
To view the plan, visit http://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/fisheries/rockfish.
■ Dungeness River Audubon Center will kick off its annual Spring Fling fundraiser next week.
Held during the month of May, the event raises money by asking volunteers to solicit pledges for doing any number activities, including walking, biking, birding or dancing.
To learn more about Spring Fling, visit www.dungenessrivercenter.org.
■ Washington Trails Association will gather an all-day volunteer work party at Peabody Creek Trail on May 10.
Volunteers must pre-register 48 hours in advance.
To do so, contact Washington Trails at 206-625-1367 or visit wta.org.
■ The East Jefferson Chapter of Puget Sound Anglers will talk halibut fishing at its monthly meeting May 10 in Port Townsend.
The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the Marina Room at Hudson Point Marina, 103 Hudson St.
■ The Olympic Peninsula Fly Fishers will hold their monthly meeting this Monday in Port Angeles.
The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the Loomis Log Cabin at Lincoln Park. Details on the guest speaker were unavailable.
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; email matt.schubert @peninsuladailynews.com.
