THANKS TO A coworkers lunch decision, I have salmon on the brain.
Anglers along the Strait of Juan de Fuca could soon put salmon on the grill because the summer salmon fishery opens Wednesday.
Marine Areas 5 (Sekiu), 6 (eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca), 9 (Admiralty Inlet) and 12 (Hood Canal) will join waters already open off 3 (LaPush) and 4 (Neah Bay).
Detailed regulations for the salmon season are available in the 2015-16 sport fishing rules pamphlet at tinyurl.com/PDN-FishRules.
In this odd-numbered year, pinks are forecast to swarm along the Strait.
The state Department of Fish and Wildlife estimates 1.2 million will head to the Dungeness River alone.
Two elements combined to curtail any possible river fishery for pinks this summer.
A drastically low Olympic Mountain snowpack coupled with a federal mandate to protect Endangered Species Act-listed Dungeness king and chum stocks prevent the state Department of Fish and Wildlife from sanctioning a pink fishery on the river.
“The low stream flow is going to affect where the chinook are spawning and have a significant impact on that population,” Puget Sound Recreational Salmon Fishery Manager Ryan Lothrop said.
“We did have conversations with the tribes about a river fishery, but with the lack of snow during the season-setting process in the winter we knew it wouldn’t be feasible.”
Pinks have to migrate through Dungeness Bay to make it to the river, so Fish and Wildlife added a Dungeness Bay pink fishery from Thursday, July 16, through Saturday, Aug. 15.
Gear restrictions are in effect for this period, and bait is prohibited.
Instead, anglers have to use a single-point barbless hook measuring half an inch or less from point to shank.
There is no minimum size limit, and anglers are able to keep a limit of four pinks each day.
“We added that opening, and the state and tribes will operate a very limited beach seine fishery in the area,” Lothrop said.
“It’s the same reason the tribe [Jamestown S’Klallam is] using the beach seine method: to minimize the impact on chinook.
“And through all that we can stay under our conservation objectives for those pinks.”
For the first time in 22 years, Hood Canal north of Ayock Point will open for a pink-focused fishery of an estimated 312,000 fish.
The same single barbless hook restriction from Dungeness Bay exists from July 1-31 in Hood Canal.
“The gear restrictions are there in both sites to minimize chances of catching chinook,” Lothrop said.
“Pink are typically higher on the water column than chinook, so we just want to limit bycatch.”
The first wave of the estimated 6.8 million pinks returning to Puget Sound watersheds (and some of the 14.5 million expected back in British Columbia’s Fraser River) is expected soon.
“Peak time for pinks in the Strait is late July,” Lothrop said.
“We can sometimes see significant pulses of early fish in early July, so we tried to match up the Dungeness Bay opening to reflect that.
“We wanted to have a lot of pink available for anglers.”
Lothrop also answered why the waters of Area 6 east of a true north/south line through the No. 2 Buoy immediately east of Ediz Hook is closed to chinook, wild coho and chum from July 1 to Aug. 15.
“In that area, we are trying to protect low stocks of Dungeness River spring chinook,” Lothrop said.
“There are other stocks going through there, yes, but the numbers have been extremely low for chinook returning to the Dungeness for the last 10 to 15 years.”
Puget Sound-wide, the chinook forecast is for a tough year.
“Chinook are down across the board,” Lothrop said.
“We are expecting a 20 to 25 percent dip for hatchery and wild stocks compared to the last few years.”
Coho numbers are expected to stay relatively constant.
“We estimate 830,000 returning to for Puget Sound, which is similar to the last three or four years,” Lothrop said.
Exactly when the coho come through the Strait could be different this year.
“Often times we see during pink years, the odd years, the coho come in a little early.
“In drought years they tend to stay out in the saltwater until a rain raises up the water levels on rivers.
“With both in play this year, the timing of the run will be something to watch.”
Chinook seminar
Less than a week remains until chinook season opens around the North Olympic Peninsula.
Area chinook fishing expert Rick Wray will discuss how to catch kings during a seminar at Brian’s Sporting Goods and More, 609 W. Washington St., at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 25.
“Wray will discuss using mooched herring as bait, jigging, techniques to find them on the bottom and many other king-related topics,” Brian’s Sporting Goods and More owner Brian Menkal said.
Menkal said Wray will touch on fishing spots in Marine Areas 5 (Sekiu) and 6 (Eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca), with more of a focus on Marine Area 6.
“These are techniques you can use anywhere for kings,” Menkal said.
Cost is $20.
Anglers should bring a notepad, writing implement and a chair.
A July seminar will discuss fishing for coho.
To sign up, phone Brian’s at 360-683-1950.
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Outdoors columnist Michael Carman appears here Thursdays and Fridays. He can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5152 or at mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.