THE FALL FLUCTUATION in river flow isn’t helping anglers, but when the rivers recede back into shape there are plenty of silvers to catch and even some steelhead making their presence known out on the West End.
I spoke with Guy Lipsky of Jerry’s Bait and Tackle (360-457-1308) in Port Angeles as Jerry Wright was out on the Clearwater on Thursday morning.
“Guys are still doing really well on the Sol Duc and Clearwater pulling plugs out of the high water,” Lipsky said.
“They’ve been doing well on silvers and twitching [jigs].”
Twitching the rod and reeling in slowly to remove the slack is how an angler can give the jig the motion that invites the fish to strike.
Lipsky also mentioned that some folks are having success finding hatchery steelhead out west.
“Getting some reports on guys catching steelhead, and they are catching those floating eggs and using jigs on a float,” Lipsky said.
“Bogachiel more or less is where those have been and we should start seeing them coming up the Sol Duc in the next week or two.
“Normally guys are starting to hear about those and finding them around Thanksgiving, so they should be on time.”
Dungeness report
“The Dungeness, well, it’s still kind of hit or miss,” Lipsky said.
“The water has jumped up and down and I hear a few guys saying they are doing really well and others are having a rough time.”
Lipsky said spinners have been doing the trick for those finding success.
“Spinners have been working well for the guys that have been hitting it hard,” Lipsky said.
With procreation on the brain, these coho are going to be as nervous and wary as a freshman at a homecoming dance, so be patient and try not to spook the silvers.
My buddy Max Raymond of Port Townsend has told me when spinning to cast out 45 degrees from your spot and give the lure time to sink down as much as possible and into the strike zone.
Take time reeling them in, not a mad scramble, and make sure you can see your rod tip throbbing slowly as your spinner blade rotates. If it stops on the way back in then set the hook and bring it ashore.
Razor digs continue
Razor clam digs continue through Tuesday at Long Beach and Twin Harbors, and through Sunday at Mocrocks. A Saturday-only dig at Copalis also is planned.
Digging is allowed from noon to midnight each day. The most productive digs occur one to two hours before low tide.
Evening low tide is set for 6:42 p.m. today, 7:24 p.m. Saturday, 8:05 p.m. Sunday, 8:47 p.m. Monday and 9:31 p.m. Tuesday.
More razor digs are planned this month through December.
Free day in parks
The final free day in Washington State Parks for 2014 is Tuesday in honor of Veterans Day.
Visitors are not required to display the Discover Pass to visit a state park on that day.
The “free days” are in keeping with legislation that created the Discover Pass, a $30 annual or $10 one-day permit required on state-managed recreation lands.
The Discover Pass legislation provided that State Parks could designate up to 12 “free days” when the pass would not be required to visit state parks.
The Discover Pass is still required to access Fish and Wildlife and Natural Resources lands on State Parks free days.
Intro to salmon/steelhead
Brian Menkal of Brian’s Sporting Goods and More in Sequim, will offer another of his excellent two-part Introduction to River Salmon and Steelhead courses this Tuesday, and again Tuesday, Nov. 18.
For $25, anglers will receive five hours of instruction on where to go, what to use and how to target salmon and steelhead in our area rivers.
The store is located at 542 W. Washington St., in Sequim and the class starts at 6 p.m. each night.
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. 5152 or at mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
