An ages-old question once again raises its hoary head: Which is more intelligent, an attorney or a Labrador retriever?
This has been debated over many, many years, and the issue has, at least to my knowledge, never been settled satisfactorily. I reluctantly bring it up at this point for a very specific reason: the recreational shrimp fishing regulations have been changed, again, making them even more complicated for 2005 than they were before. This will necessitate taking a companion along on your first shrimp trip of the new season, to help interpret the morass of murky rules, so that you don’t end up on the barbecue in place of the prawns.
I, personally, would opt for the Lab, feeling that the traditionally outdoor breed probably has a slightly better grasp on fishing issues than most lawyers, but that is, of course, up to you. I also have an attorney friend who both fishes and owns Labradors, and that dichotomy raises all sorts of interesting story possibilities concerning lawyers, Labs, and comparisons between the two, but that will have to wait for another time.
The most important new shrimp rule for 2005 is the starting date, set for May 7, throughout Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and Hood Canal (marine areas 4 through 13). This single opener is a major departure from past seasons, when various areas opened on various dates, and is intended to take some of the fishing pressure off such popular spots as Hood Canal, Port Angeles and Port Townsend. Last year, for instance, the Hood Canal fishery drew 1,400 boats daily, and the recreational quota was caught in only four days. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife estimates recreational shrimp fishing pressure in the Canal has increased 30 percent since 2000, when the season lasted for six days.
“We’re seeing a similar trend in popular areas around Port Angeles and Port Townsend,” said WDFW shellfish biologist Dave Sterritt. “By opening all shrimping areas at the same time, we’re hoping to keep these seasons from shrinking any further.”
While all areas of Puget Sound open on May 7, there will be three different fishing schedules:
Shrimp districts in Port Angeles, Discovery Bay and Port Townsend, as well as marine areas 8, 9, 10 and 11, will open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays and Wednesdays until quotas are reached.
Hood Canal will open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays and Wednesdays until the quota is reached.
Marine areas 4 (east of the Bonilla line), 5, 6, 7 and 13 will be open daily, with standard fishing hours pots can be checked only from one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset.
The other major rule change for this season involves shrimp pot mesh size. To reduce handling of undersized spot shrimp during the month of May, when most fishing is directed at spots, minimum mesh size will be M\, inches (allowing most undersize shrimp to escape). But also during the month of May, fishers will be allowed to remove shrimp heads while in the field, and there will be no minimum spot shrimp size.
Beginning June 1, when fishing begins in earnest for coonstripe, pink and other smaller species, mesh size drops to a minimum of 1/2 inch. Fishing will be open daily in areas with a remaining spot shrimp quota and in designated non-spot areas, with a daily limit of 10 pounds, including heads and tails, for all species combined, but no more than 80 spot shrimp. The spots’ carapace length must be longer than 13/16 inch (30mm) and, after June 1, heads must be retained on spot shrimp while “in the field.”
Your Labrador will almost certainly be able to remember all this, as well as the reams of remaining regulations, which have not changed from last year.
Tribal commercial shrimpers are likely to start a month earlier, while non-tribal commercials open with recreationists on May 7.
Anticipate abbreviated seasons and combat fishing conditions in most of the popular areas Hood Canal, Port Townsend Bay, and areas 8-1, 8-2, 9, 10 and 11, according to shellfish expert JD Wade, commenting in The Reel News, The San Juan Islands, a large area with the most generous quotas, usually remain open until early July, Wade said, except for popular Iceberg Point, on the south tip of Lopez Island. The point is open to prevailing southwest winds and weather, but puts out a lot of shrimp and will remain open only for a month or so.
Anthon Steen at Holiday Market Sports in Burlington (360-757-4361) also likes Iceberg Point, as well as the area all the way along “the wall” at Biz Point. When the south portion of the San Juans reaches its quota and closes, Steen said, shrimpers move up to the area around Jones Island, off the west side of Orcas.
Gary Krein, owner/operator of All Star Charters in Everett (425-252-4188) said there are several good shrimp spots available in more local waters. One of the best, but also crowded, will be the shoreline between Everett and Mukilteo, particularly off the Mukilteo oil dock. Lots of pressure, but lots of shrimp, Krein said, from 140 out to 280 feet of water, depending on the time of day and tide conditions, probably averaging 240 to 250 feet. Move around until you find ‘em, he said.
A second option is the southwest corner of Camano Island, to the left of Camano Head when running up from Everett, from the south tip of Camano Head maybe a mile or a mile and a half north and west up the shoreline, in 200 to 250 feet of water.
A third spot, the “Bait Box hole,” is harder to fish because of heavy tidal run, Krein said, but it also holds good numbers of shrimp. Anywhere from 180 or 200 feet out to 250 feet should be successful, he said, and the area lies just “inside” the south tip of Whidbey Island, off the row of residences surrounding the Bait Box, the small bait and tackle facility there, well known to salmon anglers.
It’s possible to pull pots by hand, Krein said, but it becomes a real day’s work and he strongly recommends some type of pot-puller, or buoy-puller setup. Not only does a puller make shrimping a lot easier, but the faster you pull a pot the fewer shrimp are lost on the way to the surface.
“The old, square-style pots are probably still the most popular,” Krein said. “I believe that round or octagonal pots outfish the square ones, but they’re also a little more expensive.”
McKay’s Shrimp and Crab Gear, at Brinnon on Hood Canal, is known as sort of the shellfish equipment headquarters in Western Washington (360-796-4555; www.mckayshrimpandcrabgear.com, and Val Beck said they’re making both the Hood Canal-type pots with one-inch mesh, and also the half-inch mesh pots. All are top-quality, with all-metal mesh covered with PVC, she said, to be long-lasting. The square pots are probably the best sellers, but the octagon styles are gaining in popularity, she said. A small octagon pot popular with those who pull by hand, 24x24x9 inches, fishes very well and sells for approximately $56, Beck said. Their “super pots,” used by many commercial shrimpers and the better-equipped recreationists, measure 30x30x12 and sell for $69 in square and $75 in octagon styles.
“Our ‘Puget Pot,’ with half-inch mesh, sells for about $79,” Beck said, “but since the large females are considered the sweetest, many recreational shrimpers stick with the larger mesh even when they’re not required to.”
Beck said shrimpers should consider that cheaper pots lose more shrimp when being pulled than does better-quality gear, and that service is also a major consideration.
Besides pot design and quality, weight is crucial, Krein said. Pots must lie firmly on the bottom in order to fish effectively, and be heavy enough to not be swept away by tidal current. He recommends at least 10 pounds in the bottom of each pot steel rebar, lead ingots, bricks, or something similar, attached firmly. Wade recommends even more, saying 15 pounds is not unreasonable.
Line length is also a critical factor. Krein uses a line twice as long as the depth he’s fishing, while Wade recommends at least depth plus 50 feet. Check the 2005-06 Fishing In Washington regulation pamphlet for buoy and line-rigging requirements, due out before May 1.
The most popular shrimp bait by far is a can of Puss N Boots fish cat food, punched full of large holes it’s cheap, it lasts well, and it’s effective. Most tackle shops stock the stuff if your local supermarket doesn’t carry it, but buy plenty, well before the season opener, before it’s gone.
“Don’t cheap on bait,” Krein said. “Check your pots at intervals of no longer than 2 hours. If you haven’t caught shrimp, move; if you have, put in fresh bait and drop it back down.”
Wade likes to check his first couple of drops in only 20 or 30 minutes, to see if he’s in a productive area, and many shrimpers routinely pull their gear every hour.
Another tip, according to Krein: “The regulations require a yellow buoy, but you’re also allowed to attach an additional buoy of any color you want. So you can personalize your gear to make it more recognizable in what will probably be a fairly crowded fishery.”
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