IT’S THE TAIL end of spring break and the kids are bored and looking for an activity.
Parents are in luck Saturday morning when the 20th annual Kids Fishing Day is held at the Lincoln Park Ponds in Port Angeles.
Youth anglers from age 5 to 14 will vie to win one of 35 brand-new fishing rods in five different age groups.
Fishing will run from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Anglers and their parents are advised to arrive early to claim a fishing spot.
The winning anglers will be announced at 10:45 a.m.
John Procter, president of the Olympic Peninsula Fly Fishers, will be on hand with fellow club members to assist with setting up poles as well as the inevitable tangled line.
The fly fishing club is one of the event’s sponsors, as well as the city of Port Angeles Parks and Recreation Department, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife and Port Angeles Kiwanis members.
Procter anticipates seeing a host of beaming youngsters holding up their catch.
“The smiles on those kids faces is what I’m looking forward to,” Procter said.
“I wish every one of them could catch a fish and feel that flash of excitement.
“Hopefully, that triggers a response and gets those kids interested in fishing as a healthy outdoor pursuit. I was outdoors fishing and hunting all the time when I was a kid.”
Procter said 1,500 rainbow trout from the Sol Duc Hatchery have been planted in the ponds.
“We just planted the fish out there,” Procter said Wednesday.
“They are beautiful fish too. Most of them are 12 to 24 inches long and there are at least 50 fish that are 24 inches or larger.”
Although the fly fishing group helps with the operations, there is no room for casting flies.
“This is not fly fishing,” Procter said. “This is using spinning rods and reels and that’s what we give away as prizes.
Young anglers should bring their own rods and reels.
“They can use lures, power bait or whatever they want,” Procter said.
“Bring what they have and our members will be going around with some supplies to help get rigged up.”
The young anglers can catch as many fish as they please, but only the largest will count for a prize.
Port Angeles Kiwanis members will provide hot dogs and bottled water for the kids.
Another early closure
The final day of blackmouth fishing in Marine Area 9 (Admiralty Inlet) is now Sunday after the state Department of Fish and Wildlife announced an early closure.
The season was originally set to run through Friday, April 15. But like Marine Area 6 (East Strait of Juan de Fuca) the fishery will close sooner than expected after projected chinook encounters were achieved.
Before the salmon fishing season started, Fish and Wildlife and tribal co-managers agreed that anglers in Marine Area 9 should be limited to 4,729 encounters with chinook salmon, including fish either released or retained.
Salmon fishing will remain open in other areas, including Marine Areas 5 (Sekiu) and 12 (Hood Canal).
Slow start at Leland
It appears that many of the thousands of trout planted last week in Lake Leland are a bit shy.
Or maybe the water is still a little chilly.
Ward Norden, owner of Snapper Tackle Company and a former fishery biologist who lives in Quilcene, was out testing the waters recently.
“Fishing has been a bit slow at Lake Leland in spite of the plants last week,” Norden said.
“Fewer than normal people are there as well, probably because many have not yet gotten their new fishing licenses.”
A good reminder there to purchase a new fishing license, especially in light of the lowland lake opener Saturday, April 23.
“On the other hand, we did well last Friday trolling after a couple hours of going through the tackle box to discover what the trout wanted,” Norden said.
“Small, green-colored flatfish lures slowly trolled about 4 feet below the surface turned out to be just right for catching some nice trout.”
Hood Canal extension?
Ever the optimist, Norden is hoping to see an extended chinook fishery in Hood Canal.
“I am still waiting to hear if the [state] will delay closing Hood Canal for chinook on April 30 and just let the fishery continue into the July 4 holiday,” Norden said.
“That would give sports anglers an opportunity to harvest their share of the 40,000-plus hatcherymarked kings returning to the Skokomish hatchery.
Gun show slated
A gun show presented by Big Top Promotions is planned for the Clallam County Fairgrounds in Port Angeles on Saturday and Sunday.
Show hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Modern, antique, military and collectible firearms will be on sale and display, as well as ammunition, knives, accessories and more.
Admission is $9, $7 for military members with ID and $14 for couples.
Admission is free for those under 18 accompanied by a paid adult.
Send photos, stories
Have a photograph, a fishing or hunting report, an anecdote about an outdoors experience or a tip on gear or technique?
Send it to sports@peninsuladailynews.com or P.O. Box 1330, Port Angeles, WA 98362.
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Outdoors columnist Michael Carman appears here Thursdays and Fridays. He can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 57050 or at mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
