A COMMON DECLARATION I hear around the newsroom is that summer weather doesn’t come to the North Olympic Peninsula until July 5.
Well, here we are, and it looks like there is something to it.
Suddenly the predicted temperatures are in the 70s and clouds are absent from the forecast.
For those of you still holding out, it’s time to go outside.
If you’re not going to head for water to catch some king salmon or Dungeness crab, then how about a hike?
The Signpost Blog on the Washington Trails Association’s website recommended 10 hikes throughout the state to try in early July.
On the list was the Geyser Valley hike in Olympic National Park.
Though there are no geysers, hikers get to explore the beauty of the Elwha River Valley.
The day hike is 7.8 miles round-trip with a 600-foot elevation gain.
Because it is located in Olympic National Park, an entry fee is required.
Another hike I keep hearing about is Cape Flattery near Neah Bay.
Cape Flattery has the distinction of being the northernmost point of the continental United States.
It also offers a view of the meeting of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean.
The 1.5-mile round-trip hike has only a 200-foot elevation gain.
A Makah Recreation Pass is required for this hike. These passes can be purchased at Washburn’s General Store in Neah Bay.
Both of these hikes are kid-friendly. Dogs, however, are prohibited.
Saltwater salmon
Like Sekiu, the salmon fishing in Neah Bay is easy.
“The fishing has been going really well,” Joey Lawrence of Big Salmon Resort (360-645-2374) in Neah Bay said.
“Lots of kings, lots of bait.”
Kings seem to be especially aggressive in the morning.
After about 10 a.m., the chinook harvest slows and the coho harvest booms.
“Most are just targeting kings,” Lawrence said. “But if you don’t get out early enough, you have to go after silvers.”
Ward Norden, a fishing tackle wholesaler and former fishery biologist, said water temperature is playing a part in Neah Bay’s success.
“The reason the fishing is so good is that unusually warm water has forced the Columbia River chinook migration near shore and cooler water.
“Makes fishing easy and predictable.”
Norden said LaPush could soon benefit from the warmer water.
Rivers report
The rivers have nice summer-run steelhead and king and sockeye salmon numbers, and not a lot of pressure.
Brian Menkal of Brian’s Sporting Goods and More (360-683-1950) in Sequim reports steelhead are getting caught the most, especially in the Bogachiel and lower Calawah rivers.
Bob Gooding of Olympic Sporting Goods (360-374-6330) in Forks advises anglers drop their lines before the sun gets too bright.
“The water is low and clear,” he said. “You want to get out there early in the morning.
“Once the daylight breaks, the fish can see you coming from 100 miles away.”
Spot shrimp closure
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has announced the recreational spot shrimp season will close Wednesday in Marine Area 6 because the catch quota will be reached.
Though Marine Area 6 isn’t as popular for spot shrimp as Hood Canal, the area is so big that the closure is typical.
“Usually we hit the quota sometime in July or early August,” state shellfish biologist Mark O’Toole said.
Other shrimp can still be harvested until Oct. 15, but all spot shrimp caught must be returned to the water immediately.
There is a 200-foot maximum fishing depth restriction.
O’Toole said this restriction keeps shrimpers away from the spot shrimp, but also directs them to coonstripe shrimp, which typically hang out 150 to 180 feet below the surface.
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 Lee Horton appears here Thursdays and Fridays. He can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5152 or at lee.horton@peninsuladailynews.com.
