Anglers enjoyed a successful Fourth of July weekend, catching solid numbers of chinook out west and finding even better catch rates in the waters near Freshwater Bay and off Ediz Hook in Port Angeles.
Opening day July 1 saw a 0.68 chinook/per angler average for the 72 anglers in 31 boats checked in at the Port Angeles boat haven’s West ramp and a 0.69 average for the 48 anglers counted in 26 interviews at the Freshwater Bay launch.
Ediz Hook anglers also found some success with 25 kings landed by 58 anglers on opening day.
That success has been sustained off Port Angeles this week as 39 kings were checked in by 55 anglers Wednesday at the West Ramp and 32 more caught by 48 anglers at Ediz Hook.
That’s about as hot as it gets for such a long stretch in Marine Area 6.
Out west off Sekiu, opening day catch rates were right around 0.4 to 0.5 kings per angler in counts conducted at Mason’s Olson’s Resort and Van Ripers’ Resort.
With a one-chinook restriction on top of the even-numbered days fishery, anglers also have started to bring coho ashore.
Coho returns were forecast to be high this summer and fall, and Sekiu anglers had success Wednesday, with checks totaling 110 coho caught.
Those coho catch totals should stay high this summer, even with the hands-on in-season management approach implemented this year.
Neah Bay (Marine Area 4) also is now suspended for salmon fishing (all manner of off-the-charts bottom fishing is still available out west).
Catch estimates through Sunday from the state show Marine Area 4 anglers had eaten up 61 percent (3,727) of the 6,110-chinook guideline. Monday’s estimates still must be factored in, but it appears that somewhere around 30 to 35 percent of the quota will be there when Fish and Wildlife reopens the fishery.
I’ll admit to being a bit puzzled over the suspension off Neah Bay and the even days-only fishing arrangement off of Sekiu.
Anecdotal reports from the Strait of Juan de Fuca mention a lot of smaller kings around the 22-inch limit with most folks saying they are blackmouth, resident kings.
I can’t tell if the estimates of king returners was dreadfully low, or if the number of resident blackmouth is unusually high. There have been excellent feeding conditions for blackmouth in recent years, including record candlefish spawns. But there’s been some better ocean conditions in the last couple of years as well.
Tackle maker and former fisheries biologist Ward Norden believes the salmon slowdown has been years in the making.
“Hopefully these surprise closures and now the alternate days at Sekiu aren’t surprising you,” Norden said in an email. “It is all right in line with the public goals of two previous governors and unofficial statements by the former state Dept. of Fisheries as far back as the late 1970s. The bureaucracy has played a long game and it is close to conclusion.
“Neah Bay is (was) the premier saltwater destination recreational fishery north of Santa Monica, Calif., on the West Coast of the U.S., which no doubt is an embarrassment of the Fish and Wildlife bureaucracy. Like everywhere else north of the Columbia River, the bureaucracy is making it as unpleasant as possible for recreational fishers by making it impossible to plan a trip.”
Norden believes the use of encounters with salmon rather than actual fish catches to establish fishing estimates gobbles up quota and guideline numbers all the faster.
Free fishing blunder
The Washington State Fish and Wildlife Commission will consider a Department of Fish and Wildlife amendment that would significantly alter the state’s Free Fishing Weekend on July 15.
Under the existing rule, the Saturday and Sunday following the first Monday in June is declared to be free fishing weekend in Washington. On that weekend, a fishing license is not required for any person, regardless of age or residency, to fish for or possess fish and shellfish, except that it is unlawful to fish for or possess any species for which a catch record is required without a valid catch record card in possession.
The proposed amendment would limit free fishing weekend to fish that do not require a catch record card.
So no fishing for halibut or collecting shellfish or shrimp would be allowed under the new “somewhat free” fishing weekend.
Reasons for the change: spikes in harvest are cause for concern, increased impact to beach habitats, trash and overcrowding on state lands, etc.
This will likely be a rubber stamp vote of approval from the commission. Fish and Wildlife staff already presented their case at a June meeting and pointed to just one negative public comment on the change.
This is a bad look for the Fish and Wildlife Department and the commission at a time when they don’t need to make any more easily avoidable missteps.
The meeting will be held on Zoom at 8 a.m. July 15. To participate, visit https://tinyurl.com/PDN-FreeFishing22.
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Sports reporter/columnist Michael Carman can be contacted at mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
