The thousand-pound gorilla on the outdoor horizon is, of course, the opening of Washington’s general lowland lake trout fishing season on Saturday. And in case you missed the preview story in Sunday’s edition, here’s a quick synopsis of what should be the most productive waters:
Tops in the general area should be lakes Erie and Heart, between Anacortes and Deception Pass in Skagit County. Limits for everyone should be the rule. The only cautionary note is that the fish in Erie will be run-of-the-mill 10-inchers rather than the usual 12- to 14-inch hatchery “superior” rainbows.
Lake McMurray, also in Skagit County, will put out mostly limits of fat, foot-long rainbows. Lake Sixteen, the small water east of Conway in Skagit County, has been excellent the past two openers, and should produce again this year, but the fish will be the standard, smaller, hatchery plants. Lakes Ki, Armstrong, and Howard should all put out a dinner’s worth of trout for the faithful, and Lake Riley, sometimes hot, sometimes mediocre, could be a good choice for opening morning.
Blackman’s and Flowing lakes are year-arounders, but have been planted by the state and a fishing club coalition with truckloads of rainbows between 10 inches and 15 pounds.
If you make a trip to one of the lakes mentioned above, don’t expect to be lonesome. A fisherman from the Wenatchee area fished Blackman’s last week and mentioned to local tackle shop personnel that the newspaper there had picked up a westside mention about the lake and was touting it as “the place to be for trout fishermen in Washington.”
If you’d like to take a nostalgic trip back to what was once a wide-spread tradition, the Bryant Volunteer Fire Department offers an old-fashioned fisherman’s breakfast at the fire hall on Highway 9, three miles north of Arlington and within an easy drive of Lake Armstrong, Lake McMurray and Lake Sixteen. Remember, though, the breakfast is on Sunday morning, not Saturday. The hours Sunday are 6-11 a.m. All donations go toward lifesaving equipment for the department.
Another major Sunday event is the free Kids’ Fishing Derby on Lake Tye, at the west edge of Monroe just south of Highway 2, on Fryelands Boulevard. Expect lots of planted rainbows, some to 10 or 12 pounds or larger, and lots of Sky Valley Trout Unlimited club members on hand to help out. A limited amount of tackle is available for those youngsters who don’t have their own. The circus opens at 8 a.m. Last year it drew more than 2,000 young people, so get there early.
North Gissberg Pond goes to permanent juveniles-only regulations on May 1, and the following day, Sunday, May 2, kids get another shot at a free fish-in, sponsored by the Everett Steelhead and Salmon Club, the Snohomish Sportsmen’s Club, and the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. The state is saving 2,500 fat rainbows for the pond, and the clubs will add another 500, many of those multipounders, for the event. It will be open to those 14 years and younger and will be relatively informal, with no prizes offered. Club members will be on hand, however (by about 8 a.m.), to help anyone needing assistance, and while participants are encouraged to bring their own tackle, there will be a limited amount of loaner gear available. The Gissberg Ponds are adjacent to the west side of I-5 at Smokey Point, north of Marysville. Take Exit 206, go west across the freeway and then turn left (south) on the first road past the business area there.
Snohomish County Parks will have personnel on hand Saturday to make sure adults know the north pond is changing to a juvenile fishery.
Shrimp closure: Marine Area 10 (except for Elliott Bay), closes to recreational shrimp fishing at 3 p.m. today. The state estimates the quota of 1,680 pounds will have been taken by that time.
Razor clams: There are still two days left – Friday and Saturday – in the current recreational razor clam dig on Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis, Mocrocks and Kalaloch beaches (morning tides only). Friday’s morning low is a minus 0.3 feet at 9:43 a.m., and Saturday’s is a 0.0-foot tide at 10:22 a.m. Diggers will need a new 2004-05 shellfish license, even though the Legislature authorized the state to create two new razor-clam-only licenses. The kick-in date for the new licenses is June 10, according to shellfish manager Dan Ayres at Montesano
Spring chinook: Spring king counts over Bonneville have finally reached decent proportions, and fishing is starting to pick up at Drano Lake and the mouth of the Wind River. Counts on Saturday were 4,667 fish, and on Sunday, 9,488 fish for a cumulative 2004 total of 35,080 chinook. Guide and Lake Stevens resident Tom Nelson (tom@fishskagit.com) said that while the numbers don’t compare favorably with the 10-year average for that date of 44,305, it’s getting closer.
“That difference might lead to an in-season adjustment in the run-size forecast,” Nelson said.
Neah Bay lings: The lingcod season on the west end of the Strait of Juan de Fuca opened Friday to some very good fishing, according to Sue Jarrett at Big Salmon Resort in Neah Bay ( 1-866-787-1900 or www.bigsalmonresort.com). The largest ling weighed over the weekend was a 43-pounder, Jarrett said, and it came, along with a number of others, from Sail Rocks, east of Neah Bay and just east of Snow Creek. Lots of black rockfish (sea bass) and other rockfish species are also available, she said, on the Strait side of Waadah Island.
Charters for ling, bass and halibut on the Canadian side of Swiftsure Bank (where two halibut are allowed) start May 1, and bookings are going fast. Jarrett said the long-touted Internet system for purchasing a Canadian license has not happened – and may never happen – so interested anglers still must drive to British Columbia for a license.
The U.S. side opens May 11 for one halibut, and this is expected to be a good season, with a slightly increased quota from last year. A commercial boat nailed a 153-pounder last week, Jarrett said.
Spring turkey: The spring turkey hunting season, which runs through May 15, is likely to set a new record for birds taken. Harvests have been increasing in the state as a program of introductions from other states has proven highly successful.
State upland game manager Mick Cope in Olympia said more than 80 percent of the harvest now comes from northeast Washington and along the upper Columbia River.
Washington is one of the only states in the country where hunters can harvest three different sub-species, Cope said. Merriam turkeys are present in Stevens, Pend Oreille, Ferry, Klickitat, Yakima, Kittitas, Chelan and Okanogan counties; Rio Grand birds in Lincoln County and other parts of southeast Washington; and the eastern subspecies in southwest Washington.
Northwest Washington: From the folks at Holiday Market Sports in Burlington (360-757-4361) come the following bits and pieces: The upper Skagit is still worth fishing for steelhead to 20-plus pounds, as a couple of customers took seven there last week on plugs and plastic worms.
There have been several reports of sturgeon on the lower Stillaguamish river, including a legal fish taken last week .
After a week or so of mediocre fishing, smelting has picked up again at the Oak Harbor marina.
Warm weather improved bass fishing in the area, with one report from a customer who nailed three largemouth on Clear Lake, to just under 5 pounds.
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