SEKIU PRODUCED PLENTY of silvers for the switch to a wild-retention fishery last weekend.
Seattle angler Dave Sivret had plenty of success.
“Headed up to Sekiu for the wild coho opener and had a great two days,” Sivret said. “Fish were there and some tanks.
“Fished straight out in 500 feet of water, but the fleet was spread everywhere and it seemed like everyone had fish. Limits for three people by 11 a.m. both days.
“The bigger ones were pretty much evenly spread between clipped and unclipped.”
Sivret likes to fish a steelhead setup for silvers.
“Usual setup, motor-mooched herring with 2 ounces of lead. We fish very light gear — 200 Penn Squalls (baitcaster auto reeler), 12-pound monofilament line and steelhead rods. Very fun with a big coho or two going crazy.”
The Marine Area 5 coho fishery continues through Oct. 9. Anglers can keep a daily limit of two hatchery or unclipped coho while releasing chinook, chum and sockeye.
Boat ramp opens
The Port of Port Townsend partially opened the Gardiner Boat Ramp and anglers can launch their boats and fish in the limited duration recreational coho fishery through Oct. 15.
Gardiner Beach Road also has reopened to traffic.
While the concrete boat ramp portion of the facility will be open for use, installation of the handling floats (used to assist boat launching) is slated for later this month and won’t be available.
Razor digs start Monday
State shellfish managers confirmed that the first round of razor clam digging opportunities at Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis and Mocrocks beaches from Monday through Oct. 12.
“Razor clam digging will return to the Washington coast Monday with a seven-day tide series,” said Bryce Blumenthal, a coastal shellfish biologist with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.
“It’s common to encounter some small clams this early in the season. As a reminder, each digger must keep their first 15 clams regardless of size or condition. This is also the time of year when harvesters might encounter Dungeness crab buried in the clam beds, so please dig carefully to avoid damaging other intertidal species.”
The following digs during later afternoon/evening (noon to midnight only) low tides will proceed as scheduled:
• Monday: 6:35 p.m.; -0.2 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks.
• Tuesday: 7:18 p.m.; -1.0 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks.
• Wednesday: 8:02 p.m.; -1.4 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis.
• Oct. 9: 8:49 p.m.; -1.5 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis.
• Oct. 10: 9:40 p.m.; -1.3 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks.
• Oct. 11: 10:37 p.m.; -0.8 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks.
Oct. 12: 11:41 p.m.; -0.2 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis.
The next set of tentative dig dates run from Oct. 20-26.
Discover Pass hiked
The price of the annual Discover Pass has increased from $30 to $45 as a result of legislative action.
The state Legislature approved the rise in April and Gov. Bob Ferguson signed the bill in May.
The Discover Pass is a parking pass that provides one year of unlimited entry to all Washington state lands managed by the State Parks and Recreation Commission, the Department of Fish and Wildlife and the state Department of Natural Resources.
Changes to the Lifetime Disabled Veterans (LDV) Pass also were included in the bill.
Previously, the LDV Pass only provided access to State Parks-managed lands. Under the new law, LDV pass holders will continue to enjoy free camping, moorage, day-use parking, boat launch and trailer dump at all state parks, as well as access to 3.3 million acres of DNR-managed land, 80 campgrounds and several moorage and water access sites and more than 1 million acres of WDFW-managed recreation land at 33 wildlife areas across the state and hundreds of water access areas.
Approximately 71 percent of State Parks’ operating budget comes from Discover Pass sales and earned revenue. These funds support recreation and conservation opportunities, keeping bathrooms cleaned, trails maintained and more.
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Sports reporter/columnist Michael Carman can be contacted at sports@peninsuladaily news.com.
