FISHING SEASONS COME and go so quickly, don’t they?
The salmon seasons on the northern coast came to a close Sunday.
Doesn’t it seem like it was only a month ago that we were heralding the beginning of the saltwater fishing season with the combined halibut and salmon fisheries in Neah Bay and LaPush?
Now, it’s over.
If you call Big Salmon Resort (360-645-2374) in Neah Bay, you’ll hear a recording that says it is closed for the season. (But, call in Feb. 2014 to make reservations for the halibut season.)
For me, this past summer was a blur.
Things started happening in mid-May, and haven’t stopped since.
Maybe it was the same way for you, and you are lamenting never making it to the coast to catch some salmon.
Well, you have one last chance in 2013.
You might remember something called the LaPush late season.
It begins Saturday and runs through Sunday, Oct. 13. That’s 15 days of coastal salmon fishing.
And, as usual, along with the LaPush late season comes the Last Chance Salmon Derby.
The annual event, co-sponsored by the Forks Chamber of Commerce, the Quileute tribe and the city of Forks, will be Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 5 and 6.
That’s next weekend. (Yes, it’s almost October already. Wow.)
Tickets for the two-day derby are $25, and are available now at the Quileute Marina, Swain’s General Store in Port Angeles, Forks Outfitters, Olympic Sporting Goods in Forks, Forks Chamber of Commerce and during the derby at the Quileute Marina.
The derby includes separate divisions for chinook and coho.
Cash prize is $500 for the largest chinook, $250 for the second largest and $100 for the third largest; and $500 for largest coho, $250 for second largest, and $100 for third largest.
This salmon derby isn’t just for salmon, as there will be a $100 prize for largest bottomfish as well.
There are also drawing prizes, for which all ticket holders are eligible. Drawing for prizes will take place on the dock in LaPush within an hour of the close of the derby on Sunday, Oct. 6.
This is a family-friendly derby, and coffee, doughnuts and camaraderie are available in the Quileute Marina prior to and during the derby.
Visit www.tinyurl.com/pdnLastChance or phone 360-374-2531 with any questions.
Late season regulations
The daily limit for the LaPush late season is two salmon.
Wild coho must be released.
The size minimum is 24 inches for chinook and 16 inches for coho.
There are a sub-quotas of 50 chinook and 50 coho, and if they are reached, the season may close earlier than Oct. 13.
Or go bottomfishing
The salmon seasons have closed, but the bottomfish fisheries are still in effect in LaPush and Neah Bay.
The lingcod fishery runs through Saturday, Oct. 12, in Marine Area 3 (LaPush) and the portion of Marine Area 4 (Neah Bay) west of the Bonilla-Tatoosh Line. East of that line, the portion of Area 4 on the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the lingcod season ends Tuesday, Oct. 15.
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Sports Editor Lee Horton appears here Thursdays and Fridays. He can be reached at 360-417-3525 or at lhorton@peninsuladailynews.com.
