THE STRAIT IS the place to be Saturday to fish for halibut on the North Olympic Peninsula.
Marine Area’s 5 (Sekiu), 6 (East Strait of Juan de Fuca) and 9 (Admiralty Inlet) are open Saturday for halibut anglers, the second of six add-on dates added to the initial halibut season schedule after low catch totals on early season dates.
Halibut angling will continue each Thursday and Saturday in June in Marine Areas 5-10.
Anglers in La Push (Marine Area 3) and Neah Bay (Marine Area 4) won’t be fishing halibut Saturday, but will be back on the flatfish hunt Thursday and could see more dates added to the schedule if quota remains. A conference call with stakeholders was planned late Thursday afternoon after print deadline.
Halibut anglers are coming off the best weekend of the season so far, with more and bigger fish caught off Sekiu and Port Angeles.
“Weekend went good, Sunday was a really good day,” said Brandon Mason of Mason’s Olson’s Resort (360-963-2311) in Sekiu.
“We were seeing a few in the 70s [pounds], some 60s, 50s and 40s.
The popular setup is weight and bait attached via a spreader bar.
“Spreader bar, yep,” Mason said. “Depending on the current you can use up to a 5-pound weight with herring, squid or octopus as bait. It just kind of varies for each boat.”
Thursday was another difficult day with heavy fog lingering along the Strait from Sekiu past Port Angeles.
“It’s real foggy,” Mason said Thursday afternoon. “Nobody was out early this morning and I’m sure it took the guys a while to get out.”
We don’t have too many people fishing out here because of the short notice on the add-on days. “Not a lot of folks could make late plans and hurry and take off.”
Mason pointed out three days in which anglers could take advantage of double whammy potential if they fished both Marine Areas 4 and 5.
“Neah Bay opens June 22 for salmon fishing and that’s an open halibut date for Sekiu, so folks can salmon and halibut fish and there’s a possibility of three days of doing that,” Mason said.
The other two double dip dates are June 27 and 29.
Spot shrimp openers
The final spot shrimp openings of the season in the Discovery Bay Shrimp District in Area 6 and the Hood Canal Shrimp District (Marine Area 12) are set Saturday
Hood Canal will be open for spot shrimp from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The Discovery Bay Shrimp District is open for spot shrimp from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Marine Area 6 outside of the district is open for spot shrimp Thursday through Sunday.
Non-spot shrimp
Saturday also is the opener for non-spot shrimp species in Marine Area 9.
Shrimpers can set pots for coonstripe, dock, pink and sidestripe shrimp
To avoid spot shrimp, a depth restriction is in place.
Harvest will be limited to non-spot shrimp in waters less than or equal to 150 feet deep.
Free fishing, save the date
Save the date — the state’s free fishing weekend is coming up Saturday and Sunday, June 8-9.
That includes a halibut opening.
“If you haven’t fished in Washington, or want to introduce fishing to someone new, this is the weekend to get out there,” said Ron Warren, assistant director of the state Department of Fish and Wildlife’s fish program.
During those two days, no license will be required to fish or gather shellfish in any waters open to fishing in Washington State.
“We want everyone to have the opportunity to get outside and enjoy all that Washington’s waters have to offer,” said Warren. “Free fishing weekend is a time that we welcome anyone who is curious about fishing to give it a try.”
Anglers who take part in free fishing weekend can also participate in the department’s 2019 Trout Fishing Derby and redeem blue tags from fish caught over the weekend. Interested anglers should check for details online at Fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov/Home/FishingDerby.
Anglers will not need a Two Pole Endorsement to fish with two poles in selected waters where two-pole fishing is permitted.
Also, no vehicle access pass or Discover Pass will be required during Free Fishing Weekend to park at water-access sites maintained by WDFW or Washington State Parks.
Note that a Discover Pass will be required on state Department of Natural Resources’ lands both days.
Crabbing 101 workshops
Four Crabbing 101 workshops offered by The Clallam Marine Resources Committee and the Jefferson County Marine Resources Committee are planned this month, ahead of summer crabbing season.
Clallam Marine Resources Committee’s workshops are June 11 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the John Wayne Marina, 2577 W. Sequim Bay Road, and June 20 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Carver Room of the Port Angeles Library, 2210 S. Peabody St.
Programs are free but registration is required. To register visit www.clallamcountymrc.org or www.jeffersonmrc.org.
Rich Childers from the state Department of Fish and Wildlife will speak in addition to longtime crabber Dave Croonquist and Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe shellfish biologist Liz Tobin. At the second Clallam County Workshop, Childers and Tobin will be accompanied by crabber Don Hatler.
Crabbing 101 programs in Jefferson County are June 23 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Marina Room at Point Hudson in Port Townsend and June 26 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at the Washington State University Extension classroom, 97 Oak Bay Road in Port Hadlock.
Speakers will include Childers, crabbing veteran Troy McKelvey and Don Williams, who serves on the Crab Advisory Committee for the state’s Fish and Wildlife Commission.
