Surf rods and waders will be the order of the day on beaches from Westport to Tokeland Saturday, as the annual Westport Perch Derby draws anglers in search of redtail surf perch, fun and prizes. The event, coordinated by Jim Jackson of Angler Charters in Westport and sponsored by the Westport-Grayland Chamber of Commerce, will return 80 percent of net entry fees in cash prizes, including 25 percent for the largest single perch, and 30 percent for the largest string of five perch. Jackson expects more than 100 participants this year.
The entry fee is $20 and tickets can be purchased the morning of the derby, prior to 9 a.m., or by phone (1-800-422-0425). Weigh-in, for single fish or string of five fish, is at 4 p.m. at Angler Charters, across from Float 8 at the boat basin.
“I encourage everyone who buys a ticket to come to the weigh-in,” Jackson said. “Last year we had donated prizes for everyone who entered, most worth more than the $20 entry fee. Stuff like gas certificates, dinner certificates at various restaurants, rods and reels, and other items. And if you buy your ticket by phone, you don’t even have to stop by to pick it up. You can head right out fishing.”
Redtail surf perch average 1 to 2 pounds and are fine white-meated table fare. Any rod/reel combination which will throw two or three ounces of weight a considerable distance will work, and you can bait with clam necks, crushed mussels, sand shrimp, or small crabs, or various Berkley Gulp worms/grubs, or cut strips.
Perch can be caught along the coast year-around, but they congregate this time of year prior to spawning, and spring is considered prime time to look for a limit of 15 fish. Knowledgeable anglers walk the beach at low tide, looking for the “holes,” depressions, and steeper beaches the fish seem to prefer over low-gradient, flat areas. Sandy bottom next to jetties or rocky spots is also good habitat.
With weather becoming better, the derby is a sort of signal for many that summer activities are getting underway on the coast. Fishing, sightseeing, shopping and restaurants in the Westport area combine to make an interesting weekend vacation. The Chamber of Commerce number, for information on accommodations, dining and activities, is 800-345-6223.
Lake Stevens kokanee
Top local action right now for great-eating Lake Stevens kokanee, according to guide John Thomas (lamiglas@hotmail.com), trolling red Wedding Ring spinners tipped with maggots or white corn. Thomas said he hasn’t gone to downriggers yet, preferring 1-3 ounces of lead ball and 2 to 7 or 8 colors of lead line, depending on time of day. He works water at least 60 feet deep, and says that while the eastern portion of the lake, around the aerator, seems more productive, fish are scattered widely.
Lake Chelan
Good Mackinaw fishing on tap for trout up to 8 or 9 pounds, according to Anton Jones of Darrell &Dad’s Family Guide Service, along with a scattering of landlocked chinook in about that same range. Mark and Zeda Williams and son Paul, all of Everett, took eight nice Macs and a salmon there on a trip last week.
Trout
Try Lake Goodwin, Lake McMurray or Lake Sixteen, locally, for decent rainbow fishing. East of the Cascades, state biologists say good choices would include Park and Blue lakes in Sun Lakes State Park, averaging three to four 13-inch rainbow per person recently; Dry Falls, Lenice, Nunnally and Beda lakes, all early opening selective-gear fisheries with a one-trout limit and fishing well; Pearrygin (12- to 14-inch rainbow) and Patterson (up to 18 inches); fly fishing at Big Twin, near Winthrop, on chironomids; and Spectacle Lake, very good for yearling and carryover rainbow and browns.
And while in the Basin, note that state has closed the Sunland Estates access site on the Columbia because it has become unsafe for launching trailered boats. The ramp, about eight miles west of George, on the Grant County side of the river, will be closed indefinitely while the agency seeks repair or replacement funding.
Halibut
Anthon Steen at Holiday Sports in Burlington said better than usual halibut fishing is still available in north Sound and on the eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca banks, particularly Partridge, Hein and Eastern, in that order.
Lings
Deception Pass has held up well under heavy fishing pressure, and continues to put out good numbers of lingcod, along with the Biz Point area and other spots west of the pass proper.
State checks Saturday at the Cornet Bay ramp showed 262 anglers with 34 rockfish, 30 lings, 22 halibut and 61 greenling. On Sunday, it was 215 anglers with 37 rockfish, 22 lings and 7 halibut.
Some 79 anglers checked at the Port of Everett ramp on Saturday had 8 rockfish, 4 lings and 1 halibut. At Ediz Hook, Port Angeles, on Sunday, 166 fishermen had 32 halibut.
Springers
Get ‘em now at Drano Lake or the mouth of the Wind River, because the peak fishery won’t last too much longer. On the Wind, latest checks showed one chinook for every three rods, and on Drano Lake, boat fishermen took a half-fish per rod when jacks and released fish were counted, while bank anglers averaged one for every five rods.
Decoys
The annual Northwest Decoy Show is scheduled for May 30, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Cottontree Inn in Mount Vernon, with several experts on hand to provide a free appraisal of decoys brought in by visitors. The show this year will feature a particularly interesting personality, Gary Guyette of Guyette and Schmidt, Inc., the top antique decoy auction firm in the country. Guyette and his partner have handled sales of several individual decoys in the $800,000 to $850,000 range.
Take the College Way exit from I-5, go east on College Way to the main intersection with Riverside Drive, then north on Riverside to the Cottontree Inn, just before reaching the Skagit River bridge.
State cuts
The budget hammer has fallen on the Department of Fish and Wildlife, along with most other state agencies, but the Legislature came up with some interesting ways for state to survive. Originally scheduled to take a cut of about $30 million from the current budget period, measures approved by the Legislature this year are expected to partially offset that reduction by generating more than $9 million in new revenues.
And who will pay the “new revenues?” Sportsmen, of course, as follows:
About $6 million from a temporary, two-year surcharge on sales of fishing and hunting licenses and permits.
About $2 million for the privilege of fishing a second rod on certain lakes (and paying for the privilege).
About $1.75 million over two years from a new stamp for recreational salmon and steelhead fishing in the Columbia River and some of its tributaries.
College bass
The Washington State University team of Ryan Bernsen of Burbank, and Kyle Wright of Pasco, won the National Guard FLW College Fishing Western Division tournament on Lake Oroville, Calif., Saturday, with six bass weighing 10 pounds, 9 ounces. The victory earned the pair $10,000 to be split equally between the school and the school’s bass fishing club.
The Cougs beat teams from Chico State, Sonoma State, UC Davis, and San Jose State, among others.
“We caught most of our fish drop-shotting a Roboworm,” Wright said. “We were also throwing crankbaits and topwaters, but the drop shot is what worked.”
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