By Michael Carman
Peninsula Daily News
Coho fishing has picked up in Marine Area 6 (Eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca), in effort, if not catch totals.
Clued-in anglers have been finding success amid the large throngs of pinks heading through the Strait and returning to the “S” rivers on the east side of Puget Sound such as the Stillaguamish, Snohomish and Skagit.
Sequim angler Dave Croonquist fished for coho during Labor Day weekend off Port Angeles, finding the best success last Saturday.
“We picked up four coho and a pink [Saturday],” Croonquist said in an email. “Released one small [legal-size] chinook. Started trolling north in the fog. Wasn’t too bad. The West ebb was ugly. Ended up over a mile west of the Port Angeles buoy.”
Croonquist and company were back at it Sunday, beginning their efforts at the Rock Pile.
“Picked up one coho and one pink close to the Rock Pile,” Croonquist said. “Rode the ebb over the next couple of hours to west of the buoy. Ran back up to the Rock Pile about noon and worked our way back in. Had a couple of hits, but nothing stuck.”
Monday, Croonquist released a natural-origin coho and a pink.
“All three days, the Army Truck and green spatter-back hootchie caught the keepers,” Croonquist said.
Croonquist also forwarded a raft of anonymous fishing reports from colleagues.
“Out of Port Angeles [on] Tuesday we had six coho to the boat, three [adipose-fin] clipped [and an] uncountable number of pinks. Fished from the Pilot area, drifted towards the yellow buoy and then northwest to the Canada line.”
Success came three miles north of Ediz Hook on Monday morning.
“Immediately hit a 17- or 18-pound native chinook, then a mix of coho, pinks and small blackmouth. Kept two coho and one pink. Most caught on a green/cream colored speckled 2.5-inch spoon and around 60 to 75 feet on the [downrigger] wire. Nice to see all the bait and birds out there, impressive.”
A fishing trip originating out of John Wayne Marina last Friday also came away with salmon.
“Dropped crab traps in Sequim Bay and near the lighthouse. Started fishing at the Dungeness yellow buoy. Current was too strong but it soon moved us west [where we] picked up a coho and extra large pink, as well as some sub-legal blackmouths. Objective was to be at the Rock Pile for the tide change, but had to power up to get near by. Just at tide change and south of the Rock Pile caught the largest coho I’ve ever had on the line, great action, but of course had to release it.”
An angler fishing the Strait west of Freshwater Bay swears by herring strips.
“I use a piece of a cut-up old halibut herring, no special size bait, again just a tiny strip on one hook. If you like using a squid, a little piece on the top hook works great also. I can only guess it’s the taste teaser that gets them going.”
This angler found the majority of pinks between 400 and 499 feet deep.
“When we went over 500 feet the silvers started to bite and no more humpies. … Those silvers, the bigger ones I found to be in the 6- to 7-pound range, roughly.”
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
