CHINOOK ACTION CONTINUES to be solid around Midchannel Bank off Port Townsend, pinks and silvers have made their way to Sekiu and king fishing remains consistent off Port Angeles.
It’s prime time for bringing home some salmon from the salt water.
“We’ve had a few decent days [conditions-wise] this week,” said Bob Aunspach of Swain’s General Store (360-452-2357) in Port Angeles
“This morning, I got up and saw how flat it was out there and was asking myself, ‘Why am I coming in to work today?’”
Aunspach said anglers might need to fish up and down the water column to find some strikes.
“We’re catching some fish out here, but some of these fish seem to be suspended in that 50-to-60 feet bracket,” he said.
“It’s not like it’s a lack of action. You just have to hunt around and find out what depth they are at. Hopefully those pinks will show up and get those rods a bending and get more people excited to go fishing. Pinks are a great draw for a novice because you can’t hardly get off them. It almost becomes a question of what can I find to put on that they won’t bite.”
Choose spoon wisely
Aunspach said herring-aide spoons have been a hot seller, along with colors like cookies and cream.
“A little white and green is always a good bet,” Aunspach said.
“I’ve been using an Easter egg an awful lot, that has green and white on it.”
Brandon Mason of Mason’s Olson Resort (360-963-2311) in Sekiu said spoons in white color patterns are working well out west where the fishing, and size of those caught, has picked up recently.
“Some guys are doing good on bait,” Mason said. “Hoochies are still a little slow, and the spoons seem to be number one. Herring-aide, cookies and cream, cop car and Irish cream seem to be working pretty well for most folks.”
Mason said Wednesday’s catch included some of the biggest kings of the season so far, one at 26 pounds and many in the mid-to-upper teens.
“Wednesday was a good day with big fish,” he said. [Thursday’s] been good catches, just a little smaller fish. And there’s more pinks out now than I’ve seen, and some silvers are starting to show up.
“If you get out in the 400 to 600 feet of water you’re starting to run into the pinks. It’s been raining off and on out here today, so I wonder if that will pull some more fish in the next few days.”
Mason said that the next few days should provide good fishing conditions.
“No wind, the water is dead flat and looks like a lake out here. The weekend looks pretty good for us going forward. All in all, definitely a lot more fish starting to show.
“And If the king fishing is slow, slip out in a little deeper water and pick up some pinks and some coho.”
Area 9 active
Quilcene’s Ward Norden, a former fisheries biologist and owner of Snapper Tackle Company, made the rounds of customers in Marine Area 9 (Admiralty Inlet) on Wednesday, picking up an area-wide report.
“There are a fair number of kings and lots of resident coho about 3 to 4 pounds,” Norden said.
“Also there are lots of blackmouth with the majority sub-legal. Coho Killers are producing a lot of fish with the best colors being cookies and cream, white lightning, and herring aide.
“Similar colors in size 3 Kingfisher spoons are also doing well.
“Strangely enough, the lady subbing for Eric Elliott at the gas dock [The Fishin’ Hole] in Port Townsend, says she hasn’t seen any [state Department of Fish and Wildlife] fish checkers, but lots of coho. [I] don’t know if that means anything. Evidently reports of lots of dogfish were overblown since the bait casters at Bush Point on Whidbey Island are not seeing any sign of them, but they are catching lots of blackmouth bobber fishing herring.”
Tuna off the shelf
Norden pointed to recent Coast Guard rescues from commercial fishing boats off the Oregon Coast as an indication tuna are present in the Pacific Ocean.
“… The ocean is relatively calm and the tuna are likely to be found about 35 to 40 miles west southwest of La Push where the blue ocean water is at or above 60 degrees,” he said.
“Albacore tuna are generally 15 to 25 pounds and be caught with fast-moving jigs or live bait.”
Norden said salmon tackle isn’t the best equipment.
“Salmon tackle doesn’t usually have the sturdy drag system necessary and is not designed to cast and retrieve jigs at the speed required,” he said.
“The classic albacore setup is a Penn 500 Jigmaster reel loaded with 20-pound monofilament or 50-pound new generation braided line and a 8-9 foot stiff jig casting rod.”
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
Mason’s Olson Resort The Denke family brought in this 26.8-pound hatchery chinook while fishing off Sekiu.
