IT’S A BEAUTIFUL thing when something actually lives up to the hype.
Behold the beauty of the ocean salmon opener.
“The kings have been outstanding,” Brian Menkal of Brian’s Sporting Goods and More (360-683-1950) in Sequim said.
“It has been just fantastic in Port Angeles, and Sekiu has been hotter than a pistol.”
Chris Mohr of Van Riper’s Resort (360-963-2334) in Sekiu said the opener was especially nice considering the salmon fishery opened on a Sunday.
“There are plenty of fish, for sure,” Mohr said. “Lots of hatchery chinook.”
He reported that a bulk of the kings harvested weighed between 12 and 20 pounds. Many are as small as five pounds but some weigh in the high 20s.
Sekiu has a reputation for being a hot spot for kings. Mohr said there have been an abnormal amount of coho for this time of year.
“There is a tremendous amount of baitfish, and that’s pulling the silvers closer,” Mohr said.
He said that not many anglers in Sekiu are going out with the intent to catch coho, but they make for a nice consolation prize for those who don’t catch their limit with chinook.
Bob Gooding of Olympic Sporting Goods (360-374-6330) in Forks said chinook haven’t been hopping out of the water as much on the West End.
“The fish need to come closer,” Gooding said. “It’s almost more work than it’s worth. Most people don’t want to take their boats out that far.”
Ward Norden, a fishing tackle wholesaler and former fishery biologist, said it’s normal for the chinook to hang out far away from the beaches.
“These ocean conditions usually drive the chinook either very deep in search of food and cooler water or right up into the edges of the kelp or surf line,” Norden said.
The salmon fishery is open seven days a week throughout the North Olympic Peninsula.
The daily limit is a combination of two salmon of any species.
In Sekiu and Port Angeles, hatchery chinook must measure at least 22 inches long, and there is no size minimum for coho.
East of the No. 2 Bouy immediately east of Ediz Hook is catch-and-release for chinook.
Until Friday, July 15, Marine Area 9 also is catch-and-release for chinook.
In LaPush and Neah Bay, the size minimum is 24 inches for chinook and 16 inches for coho.
Currently, wild chinook can be harvested in Neah Bay and LaPush.
Crabby opening
The crab opener was good, but not great.
But after such a fruitful 2012 crab season, this year had a lot to live up to.
“Crabbing is not as hot as it was last year,” Menkal said.
“People seem to be getting their limits, so it must just be taking longer.”
Menkal added that the first two days of the opener, Sunday and Monday, were likely hampered by bad tides.
It’s also hard to make a solid judgement after only two days, so we’ll wait to see what happens this weekend before declaring the crab opener a letdown.
The crab harvest is open Thursdays through Mondays until Sept. 3.
The daily limit for Dungeness crabs is five. They must be male and measure at least 6.25 inches at the widest part of the shell.
________
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.
