SHRIMPERS FISHED THE best locations in the state as the Hood Canal and Discovery Bay shrimping districts held their season openers. Those spots will be open again Monday, while other marine areas offer a chance at the barbecue staple through the weekend.
All shrimp — including spot, dock, coonstripe and pink species — can be kept as part of the daily limit. However, because only larger mesh (1-inch) traps are allowed during these seasons, most harvest will be spot shrimp.
The daily limit in June is 10 pounds of all shrimp with a maximum of 80 spot shrimp per shrimper.
• Marine Area 4 (Neah Bay): remains closed
•Marine Area 5 (western Strait of Juan de Fuca): Open daylight hours. The recreational spot shrimp season closes when the quota is met.
• Marine Area 6 (Port Angeles Harbor, eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca, excluding the Discovery Bay Shrimp District): Open today and Saturday and then Thursdays through Sundays each week beginning Thursday until quota is met. Daylight hours.
• Marine Area 6 (Discovery Bay Shrimp District): Open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday and again June 28.
• Marine Area 12 (Hood Canal): Open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday and again June 26, 28 and July 15 and 28.
A head’s up for Hood Canal shrimpers as the Skokomish Tribe has decided to delay opening its Skokomish Park at Potlatch (also known as Saltwater Park) Hood Canal boat launch due to COVID-19 concerns.
This boat launch located just north of Potlatch State Park in southern Hood Canal will remain closed until further notice.
Great googly moogly
A video of the initial moments following recovery of the rare King-of-the-Salmon last Sunday at Salt Creek Recreation Area has been posted by Harbor WildWatch.
The sea creature, a member of the ribbonfish species, lives in depths of up to 3,000 feet along the Pacific coast from Alaska to Chile.
Running into these fish is an infrequent occurrence, and you can hear the delight in the voices of the Harbor WildWatch employees as they discover exactly what they, with the help of a paddleboarder who pointed out the find, have encountered.
And another look at that enormous, coffee-cup-size eye is worth it. Check out the video at tinyurl.com/PDN-KingOfSalmon.
The fish’s eye resembles those childhood craft supply “googly” eyes almost perfectly, proving once again that Mother Nature has a sharp sense of humor.
Hoh closed
The Hoh River has been closed to all fishing through Sept. 15 in an effort aimed at conserving wild summer-run chinook.
Preseason forecasts for these Hoh River summer-run kings indicate a run size of 804 fish, which is 96 fish short of the escapement goal for this run.
Fish and Wildlife said this year is expected to be the seventh time in the last 10 years that wild summer-run Chinook have not met escapement goals.
This closure refers to the Hoh River from the Olympic National Park boundary near the mouth upstream to the Olympic National Park boundary above Morgans Crossing boat launch and the South Fork Hoh River from the river mouth upstream to the Olympic National Park boundary.
Some beaches open
Kalaloch-area beaches opened Wednesday for day-use recreation.
That includes Ruby Beach and Beach 1-6.
Beach 4 at Kalaloch is probably your best bet to come away with a meal … or maybe a snack or appetizer.
Surf perch fishing and surf smelting can be tried at this secluded spot.
The basic setup for surfperch fishing is similar to that of plunking.
Just attach a piece of lead to the bottom and tie on two six-inch leaders a foot or two above.
Any piece of traditional bait will do, including clam necks, squid or sand shrimp.
If you happen to catch a calico surfperch, a species that is much more rare in area waters than the common redtailed surfperch, a University of Washington study is available at bit.ly/Surfperch TripReport.
Smelt dippers stand in shallow water and strain the water with a dip net when the waves break. Usually you can see the surf smelts on the waves, jumping and flipping out of the water.
You can see the surf smelts on the waves, jumping or flipping. If you don’t see them, you are likely going home empty handed.
The tried formula for smelt dipping is to dip as if you were raking your front yard, pushing the net in front of you and sweeping back toward you like you are raking up leaves in the fall.
As always, pack a healthy respect for the Pacific Ocean. Never turn your back on an incoming wave and be mindful of currents.
Other ocean beaches in Olympic National Park have not been reopened to public use.
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-406-0674 or mcarman@peninsuladaily news.com.
