BRINGING IN A coho weighing in the double digits isn’t an impossible task, but let’s face it, the silvers are smaller than normal this season.
The pink run that pushed through in the thousands in July and August also was smaller than usual.
There’s a correlation at play here between the two salmon species, according to research done by biologists at universities up and down the West Coast.
Coho and pink salmon returning this year left for the ocean in the spring of 2014.
When they reached the Pacific Ocean, these fish found themselves in the middle of an unusual, massive “blob” of warm water estimated by scientists to be nearly 3 degrees above normal.
This section of ocean has grown, and now stretches from the Gulf of Alaska south to Baja Mexico, a swath 2,000 miles long and 500 miles wide.
Coho and pinks typically thrive on zooplankton full of fatty oils and acids found in the Pacific Ocean.
But due to the presence of that warm water, changes are occurring.
And not for the better, with ripples up and down the food chain.
“I suspect what is happening is a brief switch from subarctic species of plankton to temperate species due to the warmer waters that showed up a year ago,” said Ward Norden, owner of Snapper Tackle Company and a former fishery biologist.
“The temperate species dominated the ecosystem off our coast from the late 1970s to the late 1990s, then were replaced by subarctic.
“Temperate species, mostly copepods, are lower in fat and protein than the subarctic copepods.”
Increased pressure from predators also is an offshoot of a poor diet.
Find it difficult to function when you skip breakfast? So do salmon, who are likely to have issues avoiding becoming a meal.
There’s no consensus on if the blob is a result of climate change, but it does provide a glance at what major variations in ocean ecology look like and an opportunity to understand what may be headed our way.
And in the near future, it appears to be smaller salmon.
Norden said next year might be a boon season for coho.
“There was a huge nearshore plankton bloom on the Washington and Oregon coast all summer that has guaranteed a huge coho and even a humpy return next year,” Norden said.
“But with the plankton being lower quality, they may not be that big when returning.”
Sounds like smaller salmon is the new normal, perhaps.
Port Angeles hot
The coho bite is going strong off of Port Angeles.
“Port Angeles had some really good numbers, said Larry Bennett, the head state Department of Fish and Wildlife fish checker in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Creel reports were the highest of this season’s coho run over the weekend.
Warm fall sunshine helped boost the pressure as 746 coho were landed by 512 anglers in 211 boats in checks conducted at the Ediz Hook and Port Angeles ramps this past Saturday and Sunday.
This translates to a 1.46 fish-per-angler average.
Port Angeles angler Grant Ogle found success at the Rock Pile, a ragged undersea hump located north of Ediz Hook.
He landed his two-coho limit, bringing in silvers weighing 10 and 8 pounds.
Ogle said he was trolling with a white hoochie rigged with a small piece of herring.
Eric Brenner of Brian’s Sporting Goods and More (360-683-1950) in Sequim hit the salt water Tuesday and Wednesday.
He and a buddy were fishing near the Yellow Can buoy north of the Nippon Paper mill.
“We found a lot of small fish in the 3-pound range, and ended up taking two 6- pounders,” Brenner said.
“I would guess we were in about 250 feet of water and running our gear in about 60 feet of water.”
Brenner said they were trolling with flashers and chrome-colored Coho Killer and Kingfisher spoons.
“The Kingfisher was the more popular,” Brenner said.
“The fish were hitting that in droves.”
Sekiu still strong
My report of Tuesday’s fishing trip with Brandon Mason and his dad Denny, owners of Olson’s Resort in Sekiu (360-963-2311) can be found at tinyurl.com/PDN-SekiuCoho.
Set the downriggers for 50 to 75 feet and head past the Bell Buoy towards the shipping lanes in about 530 feet of water.
Try green hoochies rigged with a slice of herring fillet on your line.
That worked well for us.
LaPush wraps up
The late-season salmon fishery will wrap Sunday in Marine Area 3 (LaPush).
More than 100 anglers took advantage of last weekend’s superb weather to participate in the annual Last Chance Derby.
Tommy Wood of Port Angeles landed the winning king, a 34.7-pound whopper, to win the $500 first prize.
Burleigh Surbeck of Medina caught a 33.2-pound king for second place ($250) and Issaquah’s Dave Johnson was third with a 32.4-pound chinook ($100).
Ken Schoonover of Langley caught the winning coho, a 9-pound silver that netted him $500.
Moses Lake’s Douglas Muscott brought in the biggest bottomfish, a 23.3-pound lingcod, to earn $100.
Dungeness Bay slow
Brenner said he hadn’t heard of any reports from Dungeness Bay.
Creel reports showed little pressure and little action at John Wayne Marina near Sequim.
“Most folks coming through there were going crabbing,” Bennett said.
“Crabbers have been doing good over there and out in [Port Angeles] Harbor, as well.”
Van De Wege to speak
State Rep. Kevin Van De Wege (D-Sequim) will speak at Thursday’s meeting of the North Olympic Peninsula chapter of the Puget Sound Anglers.
The meeting will be held at Trinity United Methodist Church, 100 S. Blake Ave., in Sequim at 6:45 p.m.
Van De Wege represents the 24th District, which covers Jefferson and Clallam counties and a portion of Grays Harbor County.
The club has asked Van De Wege to speak on a variety of topics.
This includes providing an overview of the legislative process and how agency budgets are handled and how citizens can work with the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, of which Van De Wege is a member.
He’ll also discuss pending legislation that will impact the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, such as license fee changes, support for new law enforcement hires, hatchery issues, and whether there’s an avenue in the legislature to grow participation in fishing and hunting among youth.
Van De Wege also will take questions from the audience.
Refreshments will be served, fishing reports will be shared and a $50 membership drawing will be held (must be present to win).
For more information, visit www.psanopc.org or www.facebook.com/psanopc.
Monday night bird talk
Bob Boekelheide, the former director of the Dungeness River Audubon Center, will give a presentation titled “Water Birds of Strait and Sound” at the Port Angeles Library, 2210 S. Peabody St., at 6:30 p.m. Monday.
The event is part of the North Olympic Library System’s Nature Talks series, and is free and open to the public.
This discussion will focus on the waterfowl (duck, geese and swan), loon, grebe, alcid and gull populations found along the bays and coasts of the North Olympic Peninsula in fall and winter.
It also will examine their diets, predators, and prey.
Boekelheide has organized and compiled the annual Sequim-Dungeness Christmas Bird Count and the Clallam County Migratory Bird Count for the past 20 years.
Send photos, stories
Have a photograph, a fishing or hunting report, an anecdote about an outdoors experience or a tip on gear or technique?
Send it to sports@peninsuladailynews.com or P.O. Box 1330, Port Angeles, WA 98362.
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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.
