No one could come up with a name, except “Butch,” from Anacortes, retired military and apparently in the paint business, but his story is worth telling with or without a last name.
He launched Sunday at the Fort Casey ramp on Whidbey Island to fish halibut in Admiralty Bay, boating alone because his fishing partner cancelled due to illness that morning – a most unfortunate turn of events.
Sometime around 11 a.m., something big inhaled the sardine he was drifting on a spreader bar, in 160 feet of water, and he began to work on what he knew was a jumbo halibut. He played the fish. And he played the fish. And he played the fish. By himself now, remember, with no one else aboard to keep the boat and the fish properly aligned or otherwise make things a little easier.
“He played that halibut for two and a half hours,” said Bob Ferber at Holiday Market Sports in Burlington. “and, being equipped for what he was doing, he managed to finally get a harpoon into it.”
Ferber said passengers on the Keystone ferry cheered and the skipper celebrated with a toot on the horn as Butch tied the huge flatfish to a cleat with the harpoon line and began to tow it to shore. Ferber said spectators there, who had gathered during the epic struggle, then helped the angler pull the fish to the beach.
The halibut measured 5 feet, 8 inches in length, and was estimated at 165 pounds, and anyone who has ever fought a big halibut knows a fish that size can wreck your day.
So congratulations, Butch, whoever you are.
Reports are circulating of other halibut, of 50 and 90 pounds, from Admiralty Bay as well, during the first full week of the season. Ferber said fishing in north Puget Sound has generally been good but, a lot like the blackmouth season, wind has kept anglers ashore for much of the time. On the better days, he said, moderate tides have provided pretty decent fishing conditions.
“We’ve heard of several fish from both Hein and Partridge banks,” he said, “and somewhat fewer from Dallas Bank. The best rig has been a spreader with large herring.”
State checks at the Port of Everett ramp over the weekend showed 118 anglers on Saturday with 20 chinook and seven halibut. Many of those halibut probably came from Mutiny Bay.
At the Cornet Bay ramp, with access to the banks west and northwest of Whidbey Island, 28 anglers on Saturday had four halibut, and 105 anglers on Sunday had six halibut.
Out on the Strait of Juan de Fuca, 158 fishermen at the Ediz Hook ramp in Port Angeles had 15 halibut. At Olson’s Resort in Sekiu, 13 anglers fishing Marine Area 4, east of Tatoosh, had 14 lings, two greenling, and one cabezon.
Steelhead: A great chance to dance with a big, bright, powerful native steelhead of 20 pounds or better continues on the upper Skagit through the end of the month (catch and release; Concrete to Marblemount; selective regulations and knotless nets), and many of the wild ones are going 15 pounds and up. Drifting a pink plastic worm is a popular way to do it, Marblemount to Rockport, or Rockport to Concrete.
Springers: The season for spring chinook on the lower Columbia has closed as scheduled, but if a substantial number of fish are only late, as they were last year at this time, the fishery could be reopened. The estimated catch through Sunday was 6,100 salmon, according to Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife salmon manager Cindy LeFleur.
The preseason estimate for Columbia springers this year was 78,500 upriver adults. Last year, 132,100 fish returned – significantly more than the predicted 88,400 – allowing managers to reopen the fishery for another month, starting in mid-May.
The closure doesn’t affect seasons above Bonneville Dam but, with just 755 springers reported over the dam through April 12, the Bonneville pool fisheries probably aren’t worth driving that far for. State checks sampled the first springer of the season at Drano Lake last week, and reports indicated a half-dozen fish taken Friday. About a dozen boats were fishing the mouth of the Wind River over the weekend, and a handful of springers were caught.
Trout: If you can’t wait until the April 28 general lowland lake trout opener, there are several year-around waters available to practice on this weekend, full of planted rainbow. Lake Campbell, between Anacortes and Whidbey Island in Skagit County, is a good bet for big triploid ‘bows. It will receive a total of about 1,300 state-planted trips this spring, half of which are already in the lake and half coming next month.
Club plants of triploid rainbow in Snohomish County lakes are nearing completion, and the lakes are putting out fish. Blackman’s Lake (on the north edge of Snohomish) and Flowing Lake (north of Monroe) will have received about 600 purchased trips by this weekend, running from 11 inches through 3- to 5-pounds, and up to a few lunkers of 8 pounds or better. The two lakes get their final 200 club fish the first week of May, but they also have been slugged with state triploid rainbow going 1 to 2 pounds (350 in Blackman’s and 700 in Flowing).
Panther and Chain lakes (north of Monroe) have received 400 purchased triploids each (plus 350 state trips in Panther) and, while not known as the top producers Flowing and Blackman’s are, they’re still worth some serious exploring.
Silver Lake in south Everett, and North and South Gissburg Ponds at Smokey Point, all have been slugged with big club-purchased triploid plants. Silver also has received 645 state fish, and South Gissburg 1,110.
Remember, also, that most of the above triploid plants are in addition to the standard state plants of “catchable” rainbow going 9 or 10 inches or so.
Rufus Woods Reservoir, behind Chief Joseph Dam on the upper Columbia River, continues to produce nice triploid rainbow in the 4- to 6-pound class. Drift and cast black Roostertails or Little Cleos around points and other structure above the dam, or fish bait at the Corps of Engineers access sites, also just above the dam.
Kids ‘n Trout: Mark your calendar now for the extremely popular fish-in on Lake Tye, in Monroe, on Sunday, April 29, the day AFTER the general state lowland trout opener on April 28. The big event, sponsored by the Sky Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited, offers a little something for everyone – a free kids’ derby for those 12 and under, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., and an adult derby ($10 entry), 2-5 p.m., with a top cash prize of $250 for largest trout and a bonus prize of $500 for anyone catching the special “tagged” fish.
Club spokesman Gary Bee said the City of Monroe and local businesses have supplied the funds for $6,000 worth of fat rainbow, including a good number of lunkers to over 10 pounds. The kids’ fish will be in a netted area on the south end of the lake, where fishing is easy. Bring your own gear, or borrow the club’s stuff.
Lake Tye is just west of the Fryelands, off Fryelands Boulevard on the west edge of Monroe. Also on hand will be representatives from the Monroe/Sky Valley YMCA, promoting and accepting applications for their new facility on Fryelands Blvd.
Call Gary Bee at 360-794-6378, or Ken Chisholm Sr. at 360-563-1399.
Spring turkey: The season opened April 15 and experienced turkey hunter Anthon Steen at Holiday Market Sports in Burlington said it’s probably more productive to plan a trip based on good weather conditions, rather than to simply try to be there early in the season. The northeast quarter of the state has the highest turkey populations by far, and Steen said hunters should be successful almost anywhere along the shore of Lake Roosevelt.
“I’ve taken birds all along the lake, from the Keller Ferry area all the way up north of Kettle Falls,” he said.
Bass: Some of the best smallmouth fishing in the state is found on the Bonneville and John Day pools on the middle Columbia River, and now is prime time. State checks show boat anglers averaging nearly 11 bass per rod, and about one walleye per rod, last week.
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