THERE’S GOOD NEWS on two fronts for blackmouth anglers participating in the upcoming Olympic Peninsula Salmon Derby on Friday, Feb. 19, through Sunday, Feb. 21.
Boat ramp construction at the Port of Port Townsend’s Boat Haven launch is on schedule and should be finished in advance of the derby, Deputy Port Director Jim Pivarnik said Wednesday.
“Due to salmon recovery schedules, Feb. 15 is the last day we can work in the water, but the project is expected to wrap before that date,” Pivarnik said.
“The ramp should be wide open for the derby.”
The ramp’s width is to expand by 18 feet, adding a second lane.
A 6-foot-wide float is also to be added between the two lanes. The project will double the boat ramp’s current capacity, allowing a boater to launch while another is retrieving their boat.
Pivarnik also said that during Wednesday’s Port Commission meeting, Port commissioners approved eliminating launch costs for derby participants.
“We did. We joined the Port of Port Angeles in waiving boat fees for the derby,” Pivarnik said.
A full blackmouth season in Marine Area 9 (Admiralty Inlet) is the other piece of good news.
Angling opportunities will receive a boost Saturday when Area 9 opens for hatchery chinook retention.
The daily limit in Area 9 is two salmon. Hatchery chinook must be a minimum of 22 inches in length.
Finding legal-sized fish should be much less of an issue than just a few months ago.
A blackmouth season was scheduled for November until massive numbers of sublegal-sized chinook turned up in state Department of Fish and Wildlife test fisheries throughout Puget Sound.
Thankfully, the prevalence of these puny fish has fallen in the last few months, according to Puget Sound Recreational Salmon Fishery Manager Ryan Lothrop.
“Things are looking much better,” Lothrop said.
“We’ve gone out test fishing in November, continued to test fish in December, and they have been out the last couple days, and things are progressively getting better.
“Some sublegals may have left to migrate out to the ocean, and others are likely to have increased in size.
“Typically, you do see juvenile fish leaving during the winter.”
Anglers are still likely to encounter undersized fish, however.
“There are more normal legal-sized fish than sublegal, but there is still a higher sublegal ratio than during normal years,” Lothrop said.
“Delaying the season until this scheduled winter opener will likely prove to be very beneficial in terms of having a longer season and fishing all the way until the scheduled close on April 15.”
Lothrop said a total of 4,729 legal and sublegal encounters will be allowed during Area 9’s blackmouth season.
Area 6 update
Blackmouth fishing has been open in Marine Area 6 (East Strait of Juan de Fuca) since Dec. 1 and is scheduled to run through April 10.
Lothrop said that based on data collected through Dec. 31, Area 6 anglers are just about halfway to the fishery’s chinook guideline.
“I don’t see any major worries at this time,” Lothrop said.
“We are maybe a little ahead of schedule on catch numbers, but there’s no real danger of having this fishery cut off early.
“Especially when the neighboring marine areas are opening during the same scheduled season.”
The blackmouth season in Area 5 (Sekiu) is scheduled to open Feb. 16 and run through April 30.
Derby tickets on sale
The Olympic Peninsula Salmon Derby will be held Feb. 19-21, the weekend following President’s Day weekend, for the second straight year.
The derby, which features 500 square miles of fishing territory, five weigh stations and a $10,000 first prize, is part of the Northwest Marine Trade Association’s Northwest Salmon Derby Series.
Tickets are $40 for one day or all three days when purchased at various North Olympic Peninsula outdoors stores, including Swain’s General Store in Port Angeles, Brian’s Sporting Goods in Sequim and Four Corners Store and the Fishin’ Hole in Port Townsend
See the complete list of locations selling tickets at www.gardinersalmonderby.org.
Tickets also can be purchased online for $42.50 through that same website.
All ticket sales end Wednesday, Feb. 17. No tickets will be sold at weigh stations during the derby.
Thanks to donations, there also are tickets available at no cost for Wounded Warriors. See the website for more information.
The event spans much of the north Olympic Peninsula, with weigh stations at Freshwater Bay, Ediz Hook in Port Angeles, John Wayne Marina in Sequim, Gardiner Beach and Port Townsend Boat Haven.
The awards ceremony will be held at the Gardiner Boat Ramp on Sunday, Feb. 21, at 3 p.m., which is an hour later than in previous years.
The ceremony also will include a cash prize raffle and a free barbecue, which will start at noon.
In rod we trust
A fishing rod, reel and net is the potential prize for taking a short survey on a state Department of Fish and Wildlife program designed to enhance recreational fisheries in Puget Sound
The survey is designed to gauge public understanding of the Puget Sound Recreational Salmon and Marine Fish Enhancement Program.
The survey is available through March 31 on the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s website at tinyurl.com/PDN-FishSurvey16.
The program was created by the state Legislature in 1993 to improve and promote recreational fishing in Puget Sound and support sustainable populations of salmon and marine bottomfish.
The sale of certain fishing licenses fund the program.
Participants in the survey will be entered into a random drawing for a fishing net, rod and reel set valued at $500.
The winner of the drawing will be selected in late April.
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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.
