NOW COULD BE the time to head out to Marrowstone Island.
Word of coho running through Admiralty Inlet is picking up more volume than a Port Townsend drum circle.
September is typically one of the better times to fish for coho on the beaches near Port Townsend; including Point Wilson.
“After Labor Day is when we usually see a big push of ocean coho move into Puget Sound,” state fish biologist Steve Thiesfeld said in the Weekender.
“We should see more and more of those ocean fish make their way into the Sound as the month progresses.”
Buzz bombs and Point Wilson darts — yes, they are called that for a reason — are always a popular choice to fish right before and after a high tide.
Pincers waive goodbye
I can’t help but look upon this year’s crab season wistfully.
Having made it out for only one hand-to-pincer crab date, it’s almost as if the season passed me by.
Crabbers have the entire Labor Day weekend to grab some crabs before the season comes to a close in Marine Area 6 (eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca), 9 (Admiralty Inlet) and 12 (Hood Canal).
Unfortunately, this weekend’s tides aren’t near low enough — minus 0.7 feet in Dungeness Bay will not cut it — for the beach waders.
Summer catch record cards are due for all licensed sport fishers by Oct. 10, whether or not they caught crab or not.
Crabbers may submit catch record cards to WDFW by mail at CRC Unit, 600 Capitol Way N., Olympia, WA 98501-1091. They can also report their catch online at http://tinyurl.com/yhjxf79 from Sept. 7 through Oct. 10.
Those crabbers who continue to harvest in Areas 4 (Neah Bay) and 5 (Sekiu) — both of which remain open through Jan. 2 — should record catches on their winter catch cards.
“This fishery is becoming more popular every year, which makes it more important than ever to track the catch as closely as possible,” state shellfish biologist Rich Childers said in a news release.
“Catch reports by individual crabbers are a critical part of that effort.”
Crabbers who fail to file their catch reports on time will face a $10 fine when they purchase a 2011 Puget Sound crab endorsement.
This year’s reporting deadline has been extended by more than two weeks to give crabbers more time.
Those who meet the deadline will be entered in a drawing for one of 10 free 2011 combination fishing licenses, which allow the holder to fish for a variety of freshwater and saltwater species.
For more information about recreational crabbing in Puget Sound, visit http://tinyurl.com/285l4yd.
Closure ends
How quickly things change.
One week the state decides to close the waters inside Makah Bay to salmon fishing because of expected low returns.
The next week it opens it back up after concerns from the Makah National Fish Hatchery’s egg take goals were alleviated.
Fishing on the Sooes River river is open as well.
The Makah Reservation river can offer some decent salmon fishing for those willing to make the drive. Perhaps it’s best you wait a week for more rain, though.
Just make sure to purchase a $20 tribal fishing license, required while fishing on the reservation, before dropping a line in the river.
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Matt Schubert is the outdoors and sports columnist for the Peninsula Daily News. His column regularly appears on Thursdays and Fridays. He can be reached at matt.schubert@peninsuladailynews.com.
