BEST OF LUCK to all anglers dropping lines this weekend in the Olympic Peninsula Salmon Derby.
Sunny skies are expected to show up this afternoon and remain through Sunday.
There was no final number of tickets sold available as of Thursday afternoon, according to Gardiner Salmon Derby Association president Dan Tatum.
“We don’t have a final count yet, our ticket person is over in the Seattle area picking up our sales from retailers over there,” Tatum said.
“But ticket sales are looking good, better than last year for sure.”
Tatum also said the “fishing scenario” has changed for the better for winter blackmouth in the last week or so.
“Fishing is definitely picking up,” Tatum said.
“I’ve heard a 19-pounder was turned in at Freshwater Bay last Sunday.”
Tatum will be busy manning the scales at the Freshwater Bay boat ramp this weekend.
He said that if he were fishing in the derby, that’s where he’d start casting.
Derby participants can meet up for a barbecue at the Gardiner boat ramp at noon on Sunday, with the awards ceremony and cash raffle planned for 3 p.m.
Brian Menkal of Brian’s Sporting Goods and More (360-683-1950) in Sequim will be spending the weekend enjoying his birthday with family, but is excited for this weekend’s anglers.
“The weather will be fantastic and they should have a great turnout,” Menkal said.
I asked him the same question I asked Tatum. If he had only one spot to fish in the 500-square-mile derby area, where would he go?
“Protection Island in the normal spots, on the corners,” Menkal said.
“That’s been a mix of some trolling mooching and jigging there.
“I haven’t heard much from Port Angeles area recently, but traditionally most of the winning fish are on the east side of the whole deal, from Discovery Bay to Port Townsend.”
Menkal will offer his two-part introduction to salmon and steelhead class starting Tuesday, March 3, and continuing March 10.
Times are 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. each night, and cost is $25.
The maps of popular fishing locales he provides are one of the best benefits of taking the course, especially for those new to river fishing on the West End or new to the area itself.
Bob Aunspach of Swain’s General Store (360-452-2357) in Port Angeles has been hearing some solid fish tales about the blackmouth bite in the past few days.
“There’s been some really nice fish caught this week,” Aunspach said.
“As for location, well, everybody’s a little tight-lipped with the derby coming up.”
Aunspach offered a different fishing destination than Tatum or Menkal when I asked him where he’d send his line.
“If I were going to fish in just one spot, I’d head to Coyote Bank,” Aunspach said.
Coyote Bank is located in the middle of the Strait of Juan de Fuca between the U.S. and Canada, about 11 miles northeast of Port Angeles.
“I fished it last Sunday, and it’s a long run. And it’s deep-water fishing, probably 180 to 220 feet down, but there were some fish there.”
Coyote Bank offers some good structure for the chinook to explore, but much of it is off limits in Canadian waters.
“Probably two-thirds of it in is in Canada,” Aunspach said.
Ward Norden, a fishing tackle wholesaler and former fishery biologist, has been out and about this week, picking up the usual fishing tidbits.
“In my travels so far this week, I have heard from anglers and retailers that fishing out in the Strait just south of the Area 7 boundary has been very good, as long as the lure is kept within 10 feet of the bottom,” Norden said.
“One of the nuisances has been huge numbers of young lingcod taking lures in some areas.”
After a hot early season, Area 7 (San Juan Islands) closed to salmon fishing after the Roche Harbor Derby earlier this month.
Norden said that if anglers are running into lings, they may be fishing in the wrong spot.
“The primary [salmon] baitfish, candlefish, don’t spend their winters there,” Norden said.
In a hint for derby participants, Norden said to look to the bottom.
“Look for gravel and sand bottoms where the candlefish and the biggest chinook spend their winters,” Norden said.
“As usual, various Coho Killer spoons that imitate candlefish are working well.”
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Outdoors columnist Michael Carman appears here Thursdays and Fridays. He can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5152 or at mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
