A couple of annual events make March a big month on the coastal beaches: the ninth running of the Ocean Shores-North Beach Razor Clam Festival and Seafood Extravaganza, and the shift in razor clam digging hours from afternoon/evening digs to the more popular morning tides.
The festival runs March 20-22 and features clam chowder cook-offs and chowder tasting; seafood entree cook-off and tasting; live music and other live entertainment; a decorated clam gun/shovel auction; artisan and food booths, and more. It all takes place at the convention center in Ocean Shores. Hours are 2-7 p.m. on Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.
It’s a good opportunity to combine the festival with some serious clam chasing, since all three days offer decent digging tides. March 20 is the last of this season’s p.m. tides, a minus 0.4 feet at 7:26 p.m., on all beaches except Kalaloch. Digging then shifts to morning tides on March 21 (minus 0.5 feet at 7:55 a.m. on all beaches except Kalaloch) and March 22 (minus 0.7 feet at 8:42 a.m. on all beaches except Kalaloch).
Digs coming up, in addition to the three festival days, include: today through Sunday, with a minus 0.7-foot tide on Friday; March 2-5, all plus tides; and March 16-24, with a minus 0.7-foot tide on March 22, and a minus 0.6-foot tide on March 23.
Smelt
Saturday was the second and last day of recreational smelt (eulachon) dipping on the Cowlitz River, and state biologist Joe Hymer in Vancouver said it was good, but not great. The crowd was estimated at 3,700 folks, from Castle Rock down to the Columbia, larger even than the good participation on the first day (Feb. 7), which was estimated at about 2,000 recreationists.
There were a number of limits taken Saturday, but more time and effort were required than on the first day, Hymer said.
“The river dropped and cleared between the two dipping days, which could have accounted for the lower harvest on Saturday,” he said.
When the Cowlitz runs high and dirty, the smelt tend to stay in the Columbia. When the Cowlitz is low and clear, the fish tend to move away from the bank toward better cover in mid-river. Hymer said he’s heard no talk of opening additional dipping days this season.
According to the Longview Daily News, the first day’s fishery was marred by several dozen citations handed out by state Department of Fish and Wildlife enforcement officers, mostly for over-limits stashed in vehicles or hidden in riverside brush.
The limit is 10 pounds of smelt per person per day, about one-quarter of a five-gallon bucket.
Upcoming derby
The Everett Blackmouth Derby, presented by the Everett Steelhead and Salmon Club, is scheduled for March 14. The event offers a first-place cash prize of $3,000; second, $1,500; and third, $500. Tickets, at $100 per boat (a maximum of four anglers per boat), are on sale at John’s Sporting Goods, Everett Bayside Marine, Greg’s Custom Rods, Ted’s Sport Center, Ed’s Surplus, Three Rivers Marine, Performance Marine, and Harbor Marine. Fishing will be restricted to Marine Areas 8-1, 8-2 and 9.
For full rules and more information, visit the derby website, www.everettblackmouthderby.com, or call Woody Woods at 425-501-4024.
Prior to the derby, John Martinis, of John’s Sporting Goods, will again host his popular — and free — seminar on chinook fishing in local waters. His two-hour presentation starts at 7 p.m., March 11, at Bayside Marine in Everett (1111 Craftsman Way).
This derby is a stop on the 2015 Salmon Derby Series schedule, sponsored by the Northwest Marine Trade Association, and participants will be entered in the drawing for the series’ grand prize boat, motor, and trailer package at the end of the season.
Susan Krein
The north Sound recreational salmon fishing community has been diminished by the loss of Susan Krein on Saturday to cancer. This lovely lady was the “voice” of All Star Charters for 20 years, answering the phone and running the daily operations of the successful charter fishing business while her husband, Gary, was on the water. Our sincere best wishes are with the Krein family at this difficult time. Susan will be missed.
Islands closed
The recreational salmon fishery in Marine Area 7, the San Juan Islands, closed Sunday after state fish managers evaluated catch rates for the area. Ron Warren, policy lead for the agency’s fish program, said he was “thrilled that anglers have done so well fishing in the San Juans over the last several weeks,” but that it was time to protect wild chinook stocks by ending the season.
The closure followed earlier measures to lower the harvest rate and extend the season — cutting the daily limit of hatchery chinook from two fish to one, and instituting a Friday-through-Sunday fishing schedule.
Adjoining Marine Areas 6, 8-1, 8-2 and 9 are scheduled to remain open into April.
Local blackmouth
Nick Kester, of All Star Charters, said local winter blackmouth fishing has been tough. The flat tides recently haven’t helped a whole lot, but he noted bigger tide series are coming on, and bait seems to be increasing as well.
“There are a few big fish in the area,” Kester said. “We caught a nice one over the weekend that was pushing 20 pounds, on the west side of Possession Bar. And I’ve heard that Point No Point and Pilot Point have put out a few nice fish the last few days.”
The big one was hooked on a 3½-inch Kingfisher Lite “yellowtail,” on the outgoing tide.
Fishing Textbook
The Reel News, a tabloid-size monthly fishing newspaper published in Lake Stevens, will once again be required reading for 150-plus undergraduate students in a University of Washington class entitled “Recreational Fisheries Science, Management and Policy.” Christian Grue, associate professor and teacher of the course, was quoted in a release by TRN saying: “The course was extremely successful in 2014, and TRN as required reading contributed to improving the understanding of the complexity of the issues and different perspectives related to the management of recreational fisheries.”
For more outdoor news, read Wayne Kruse’s blog at www.heraldnet.com/huntingandfishing.
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