It might be a small event compared to others in the area, but Saturday’s friendly, local, Hot Plug’s Blackmouth Derby proved big in quality. Beautiful fishing weather brought brisk ticket sales, and 94 anglers — compared to 84 last year — answered the bell.
The first-place fish, a 15.12 pound hatchery beauty, would be a more than respectable entry at any of Puget Sound’s larger derbies, and far outstripped last year’s 12.11-pound Hot Plug’s winner. It was caught by Terry Pitt of Sedro-Woolley, off the north end of Camano Island on a spoon, earning a $2,350 payout.
Second place and $940 went to Ron Lampers, a familiar name on the local derby circuit. Lampers nailed his money fish on the Whidbey side of Saratoga Passage, on herring. Third, at 10.05 pounds and worth $705, went to Glenn Helton of Sedro-Woolley, at Greenbank, on a squid; and fourth, at 9.14 pounds and worth $470, went to Jack McKeehan of Arlington, who caught his blackmouth at the racetrack, on a spoon.
Derby coordinator Ed Keller said the weather was the best “we’ve had in a very long time; flat as glass and sunny. My boat even caught two fish — one at 9 pounds and another at 6 pounds, right off Pebble Beach.”
Keller said 13 fish were weighed in, almost doubling last year’s seven-fish field.
For a photo of the winning fish, visit www.heraldnet.com/huntingandfishing.
Everett’s up
Next on the calendar is this weekend’s ninth annual Everett Blackmouth Derby, offering $3,000 for first place, $1,500 for second and $500 for third. It’s limited to 100 boats, four anglers per boat, with fishing allowed in Marine Areas 9, 8-2 and 8-1.
But if you’re interested, better move on this. As of noon Wednesday, derby coordinator Woody Woods said he knew of just four tickets left — one at Bayside Marine and three at John’s Sporting Goods. For the latest numbers, call Woods at 425-501-4024.
Mike Chamberlain at Ted’s Sport Center said he was sold out. Other ticket outlets include Greg’s Custom Rods, Ed’s Surplus, Three Rivers Marine, Performance Marine and Harbor Marine. Tickets are $100 per boat. The derby weighed 50 fish last year and was won by a blackmouth of 12.42 pounds, cleaned weight.
All Star Charters owner Gary Krein in Everett said the best derby fishing probably will be the western portion of Marine Area 9: Port Townsend, Point No Point, and Double Bluff. His boat took a nice 14-pounder at the Tin Shed portion of Possession Bar on Monday, plus another keeper and released an unclipped chinook. The big one was caught right on bottom, on a Kingfisher Lite, 3½-inch spoon in Irish cream color pattern.
“Fishing has definitely improved over what it was two weeks ago in the local area,” Krein said. “There are a few nice fish in Saratoga Passage and other places, but the Port Townsend area will probably produce best.”
Everett derby coordinator Woody Woods said a 20-plus-pounder was caught Sunday off Liplip Point, on the south end of Marrowstone Island, and that he and a friend were out for a boat ride Monday and marked some fish at Hat Island.
Mike Chamberlain at Ted’s said the Port Townsend-Marrowstone Island area has definitely been putting out the best reports recently.
Next Derby
Coming right on the heels of the Everett event is the Stanwood Eagles Derby, scheduled for April 18-19, with tickets and fliers available next week at most local outlets.
North of Falcon
Salmon run forecasts have been issued by Northwest fish managers as part of the North of Falcon season-setting process. Briefly, some of the more important numbers are as follows:
¦ Should be another good pink year, with a forecast for more than 6.5 million humpies in 2015, roughly the same number as in 2013.
¦ Fall chinook returning to the Columbia River should number about 900,000 fish, which would be the third-largest run on record. More than 600,000 of those fish are “upriver brights,” many of which form the Hanford Reach sport fishery in October.
¦ Ocean fishermen, both charter customers and private boat owners, will find about the same fishing on the coast as they did last year. The forecast for chinook (lower river “tules) on the coast is up slightly from last year, but coho numbers are predicted to be down about 20 percent.
¦ Another solid run of coho is predicted for Puget Sound, up 20,000 fish from last year, but central and south Sound are expected to benefit the most.
¦ The forecast for summer/fall chinook in the Sound is down somewhat from last year, at a return of about 208,000 fish. The hatchery kings in this run make up the very popular mid-summer fishery in Marine Areas 9 and 10, and it’s iffy whether or not sport fishing supporters in the North of Falcon process can negotiate a longer season and more generous limit than was the scenario last summer. In 2014, anglers had a 30-day fishery and a one-hatchery-chinook limit. Charter owner Gary Krein said sport activists will try for what was the previous norm: 45 days and a two-fish limit, but that the outlook for that happening is dim.
¦ The forecast of 165,000 sockeye still falls short of the 350,000 fish minimum needed to consider a recreational fishery for Lake Washington.
¦ There should be plenty of sockeye returning to Baker Lake, but a harvest plan assuring a fair split of the catch is still being debated.
Recreational fishermen wishing to participate in the season-setting process can take advantage of a new online commenting tool, which is available along with meeting schedules, full salmon forecasts, and other information at state Department of Fish and Wildlife website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/northfalcon/.
Very Big Bass
Berkley’s Fishing Wire tells an interesting story about bass fishermen in Texas, who came out in droves last week — the first decent weather Texans (and a lot of other folks in the South and East) had seen in a long time. The result would knock local bass anglers to their knees: three bass weighing 15.18 pounds, 13.05 pounds, and 14.32 pounds. All three of the monsters were caught on the same day, Saturday, two on Lake Sam Rayburn and one on Lake Ray Roberts.
The largest bass was 26.25 inches long and 21.5 inches in girth. It took a jerkbait in 14 feet of 45-degree water.
For more outdoor news, read Wayne Kruse’s blog at www.heraldnet.com/huntingandfishing
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