STEELHEAD FISHING IS going strong right now with the new year just ahead, some blackmouth salmon are being caught in the saltwater but don’t forget about the crabs, whose season ends in just a few days.
Crab season concludes at the end of the month, which also is the end of the year, of course, on Monday.
“People are getting a few crabs,” Brian Menkal of Brian’s Sporting Goods and More (360-683-1950) in Sequim, said.
“The season goes until the end of the month, and it doesn’t open again, I think, until July 1, so it is last call, you know.”
Time is running out if you want fresh crab on the dinner table. And seafood right now would be a welcome change from all that turkey and ham.
The hottest thing going on right now is steelhead fishing in the West End rivers.
Anglers, though, need to keep their eyes to the sky (and on the Internet) this time of year to know what the water levels are in the rivers.
And don’t let the weather on the east end of Clallam County, in the Port Angeles and Sequim area, fool you if you plan to go fishing out west.
It’s always wetter on the West End, Menkal said.
After all, the Forks area is in an official rainforest while parts of Port Angeles and Sequim are in the rainshadow.
While it was somewhat cloudy but mostly dry in Port Angeles and Sequim a day ago, as mush as .79 of an inch fell on the West End, Menkal said.
That’s why Menkal always tells anglers to check river levels on the Internet before heading out to fish.
Go to http://tinyurl.com/7tyb9on to check those water levels in Washington streams.
And once you get to the rivers, expect some pretty good fishing.
“A few people have gotten steelhead on the Dungeness, which is pretty rare,” Menkal said.
“And they have been getting nice tweeners — 13- to 15- and 17- [pounds] — on the Bogachiel. They are all hatchery fish but they are seeing some nice fish.”
It’s still blackmouth season in the saltwater but not a lot of anglers have been going out because of wind and because it’s the holidays, according to Menkal.
“People have been getting a few fish but the wind has been a factor,” he said.
Fishing course at college
Ron Link will again be teaching fishing classes for Peninsula College, starting next month.
The classes are titled River Fishing and Fly Fishing.
River Fishing will be a tour of the fishable waters of the Sol Duc River and will cover the best techniques.
Fly Fishing will teach the basics of fly fishing, including the techniques and tackle to use.
Each class consists of weeknight classroom time and one Saturday “field trip.”
Here are the course details:
■ River Fishing
Dates: Friday, Jan. 11, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday, Jan. 12, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Location: Lincoln Center — 905 West 9th St. in Port Angeles.
Cost: $68.
Notes: No equipment necessary, but students will need to provide their own transportation.
■ Fly Fishing
Dates: Thursdays, Jan. 10-24, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturday, Jan. 26, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Location: Lincoln Center — 905 West 9th St. in Port Angeles.
Cost: $93.50.
Notes: No equipment necessary, but students will need to provide their own transportation.
To register for these classes, phone Peninsula College at 360-417-6340.
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Outdoors columnist is off for Christmas. His column resumes in Friday’s editions.
