It was on. Then it was off. Then it was on again, with Debbie Sandwith frantically trying to keep 100 of “her” salmon anglers up to the minute on the status of the Roche Harbor Salmon Classic.
The derby had sold out its self-imposed limit of 100 boat/teams weeks ago, and was set to register anglers on Thursday, Feb. 5, and fish Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 6-7, in Marine Area 7, the San Juan Islands. Each boat team had paid an entry fee of $750, some had paid for lodging in and around Roche Harbor, and Sandwith, a veteran derby coordinator, had everything well in hand.
Winter blackmouth fishing in the Islands had been excellent since its Dec. 1 opener. Too good, perhaps, because state Fish and Wildlife Department salmon managers had decided last week that sport fishermen were getting too close to the harvest guidelines for chinook in Area 7. The state had cut the limit from two fish to one, earlier in the season, in an attempt to extend the fishery.
So Sandwith received what she says was a “courtesy call” from WDFW Friday, that the agency was “highly likely” to close salmon fishing in Area 7, beginning this week, for the remainder of the winter season. That closure would include the Roche Harbor derby dates.
Sandwith, also the manager of the Roche Harbor store, said she “cancelled an order for additional chips, beer and ice,” but was told she could listen in to a WDFW conference call on the situation early Monday afternoon. She said the call sounded to her like the closure was indeed going to be implemented, so she says she texted WDFW fishing program policy lead Ron Warren, but received no definitive answer. Sandwith checked with other event officials and then decided, about 3:30 Sunday afternoon, to send the following email to derby anglers:
“It is with a heavy heart that we must cancel the 12th annual Roche Harbor Salmon Derby, due to an early fisheries closing of Area 7. I expect an official press release soon from WDFW and will forward that along as soon as I receive it.
“You will be fully refunded your derby entry fees and lodging that was booked. We will follow up with further details over the next few days.”
Then, adverse public opinion apparently caused WDFW to rethink the situation, and a person knowledgable about the agency said it was likely that Fish and Wildlife Director Phil Anderson stepped in. Managers then orchestrated a new regulation which would allow limited chinook fishing in the islands and accommodate the Roche Harbor derby.
Why the director got involved with what could be considered a precedent-setter for future derbies, albeit a welcome one for sport fishermen, isn’t known. One angler said, “Maybe he just wants to leave on a positive note,” referring to the fact that Anderson is retiring and is staying in the office on an interim basis until the new director, Dr. Jim Unsworth, is officially on board.
At 7 p.m. Monday evening, Sandwith got the word she was waiting to hear, and sent out this email: “YES — got the call tonight; WDFW will send press release out tomorrow morning, BUT we got the call and the Roche Harbor Derby is NOT CANCELLED. Look forward to seeing all of you next week. Please spread the word that the DERBY IS A GO!! We will call each team captain to make sure every angler has the good news.”
The good news is that salmon fishing in Area 7 will be closed for one day, Thursday, Jan. 29, and then will reopen on a schedule of Friday, Saturday and Sunday each week, starting Jan. 30. WDFW’s Warren said the agency is evaluating catch rates and impacts to wild chinook stocks throughout Puget Sound to determine whether further action will be necessary in coming weeks.
So what looks good in the islands for derby time? T.J. Nelson, host of The Outdoor Line on 710 ESPN AM radio Saturday mornings, said you could do a lot worse than spend the whole day at Cypress Island. “Fish the flood on the north side of Tide Point, and the south side on the ebb,” he says. Thatcher Pass is also worth a shot, he says, especially if there’s bait in the area. Decatur Bay also puts out blackmouth.
He would be fishing a flasher on bottom, followed by one of the new Herring Aid spoons in UV blue scale, white and chartreuse on one side and glow on the other side. “I like it,” Nelson says. “It gets us back to lures that look like a baitfish.”
Nelson says he would run that combo on one side, and a whole herring on the other.
Local blackmouth
Meanwhile, areas 8-1, 8-2 and 9 have been slow, after a decent start for Area 9 two weeks ago. Gary Krein, owner of All Star Charters in Everett, said 9 has been spotty recently. Skipper Len Osborne fished Krein’s boat Sunday at Double Bluff and nailed a nice 9-pounder and lost another about the same size. Osborne was using a flasher, 42 inches of leader, and a 31/2-inch Kingfisher spoon in Irish cream color pattern. Krein said a few fish were coming from the Point No Point area.
Most of the action over the weekend was off Port Angeles. State creel checks on Friday showed 11 anglers with 10 chinook at the Ediz Hook ramp, and two anglers with two chinook at John Wayne Marina. On Saturday, the Ediz Hook count was 22 with seven chinook, and at the John Wayne Marina, 27 with seven chinook.
The San Juans continued to kick out blackmouth. Sunday at Cornet Bay had 22 anglers with six fish, and at the Washington Park ramp in Anacortes, 89 anglers had 28 fish.
The Port of Everett ramp count was very slow, at two chinook for 54 anglers, and Camano State Park ramp, 17 with zip.
Anacortes derby on tap
Tickets for the big Anacortes Salmon Derby, March 21-22, go on sale Feb. 1, and if you’re interested it might be a good idea to get right on it. The event typically sells out, and in a matter of days, not weeks. Only 1,000 tickets will be sold, at $60 a copy, for a chance at some of the guaranteed purse of $25,000, plus thousands more in merchandise prizes.
There are special prize categories for women, youth and active military, as well. Included in the ticket price are free launching at Cap Sante Marina (bunk trailers okay); three nights moorage; a free Friday night fishing film festival; a Saturday night no-host social, with snacks; and a Sunday BBQ lunch. The Fidalgo-San Juan Islands Chapter of Puget Sound Anglers sponsors the event and uses the proceeds for scholarships in fishery management and related science.
Tickets will be available at: Holiday Sports in Burlington; LFS in Bellingham; Ace Hardware in Anacortes and Friday Harbor; Ted’s Sport Center in Lynnwood; John’s Sporting Goods in Everett; Outdoor Emporium in Seattle; and SportCo in Fife.
For more information, go to www.anacortessalmonderby.com.
For more outdoor news, visit Wayne Kruse’s blog at www.heraldnet.com/huntingandfishing.
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