THOSE FISHING IN this weekend’s Olympic Peninsula Salmon Derby could encounter something that participants in last weekend’s Murray’s (Geoduck) Salmon Derby hooked into when bringing aboard hatchery kings.
Dave Kamin’s 11-pound blackmouth took top honors at the derby, held on Hood Canal near Brinnon.
Quilcene’s Ward Norden was on scene as the winner came in last Sunday.
“The winning chinook came in while I was there and it was 11 pounds caught on a green Hot Spot Flasher and a green striped spoon right out in front of the Boy Scout Camp in Jackson Cove,” Norden said.
“That being said, fishing was very slow for this derby and it produced some interesting results to be cogitated over.”
Norden believes that almost an entire year’s class of chinook was not to be found on Hood Canal.
“Normally 60 percent to 70 percent of the chinook in this derby are ones released from the hatchery about 18 months earlier and weighing 3 to 5 pounds,” Norden said. “This year the majority of the fish weighed in were holdovers from last year weighing 6.5 to 11 pounds.
“I am wondering if the regular, younger chinook have already migrated out of the Canal months earlier than usual in search of larger food or if this is a sign of a problem. It will be interesting to see if there is a change in age distribution to the chinook weighed in during the Olympic Peninsula Derby.”
Derby through Sunday
Those fishing in the Olympic Peninsula Salmon Derby today through Sunday should be prepared for all manner of conditions. A Fraser River outflow wind event could bring high gusts, rain and snow and potentially limit participation.
Dress warmly, stock up on hand and foot warmers and if it’s safe to head out, enjoy the winter blackmouth fishing.
Anglers will target hatchery chinook across a broad stretch of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Admiralty Inlet and even a portion of Puget Sound. Derby boundaries range from Tongue Point in the west to the U.S./Canada border, a point west-by-northeast of the north buoy at Hein Bank to Rocky Point on Whidbey Island and from Double Bluff on Whidbey all the way south to Tala Point near Port Ludlow.
Weigh stations are at five launch ramps: Freshwater Bay and Ediz Hook in Port Angeles, John Wayne Marina in Sequim, Gardiner Beach and Port Townsend Boat Haven.
Launch fees have been waived at every ramp but Ediz Hook, so plan accordingly.
They will be open to weigh in fish from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. today and Saturday and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday.
Organizers ask anglers to plan ahead and make sure to be in line at the docks/ramps to weigh fish by those times.
A barbecue begins at noon Sunday and the awards ceremony will be held at 3 p.m. at the Gardiner Beach boat ramp in Gardiner.
Good luck to all the anglers competing for the $10,000 first prize.
The prize ladder is expected to reach nearly $20,000 in total.
For more information, visit www.gardinersalmonderby.org or www.facebook.com/SalmonDerby.
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
