Sushihunter
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http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/othersports/372920_out31.html
Tuna biting closer to shore
By ANDY WALGAMOTT
SPECIAL TO THE P-I
Anglers have begun catching big numbers of tuna off Westport, and the schools are within striking distance of private boaters.
In the past week, Ms Magoo Sportfishing and Deep Sea Charters report their boats coming back with averages of 26, 25 and 23 albacore per fisherman.
"That's as good as we've ever done," said Larry Giese at Deep Sea.
Tuna are 50 to 60 miles southwest of Westport and should move in closer through summer, he said. August and September are peak months.
As for salmon, state ocean creel sampler Wendy Beeghley reports last week was "mediocre." Ilwaco had the best catch rate, nearly a salmon per angler, while Westport anglers averaged .61 salmon a rod. It was .44 and .48 at La Push and Neah Bay, respectively. Kings made up the bulk of catches at Westport and La Push, coho at Ilwaco and Neah.
PUGET SOUND: Catches were not quite half last summer's in catch areas 9 and 10, but charters and others have been finding fair numbers of hatchery kings in recent days.
"The best spots have been on the south and west sides" of Admiralty Inlet, said Gary Krein at All Star Charters. "Port Townsend, Foulweather, Point No Point, Pilot Point, Kingston, Jeff Head — that seems to be the side they're traveling down."
He said co-guide Nick Kester landed five salmon and had nine hook-ups in the north end of Area 9 on Wednesday.
Chuck Fauls at the Port Townsend fuel dock said anglers are working inside Midchannel Bank "on a line from Marrowstone Point to Point Wilson. They're not fishing deep, 70 to 100 feet. They're using Coho Killers in army truck, apple core and watermelon."
Fauls said a 26-pounder was brought in Wednesday.
That's not the only nice-sized king landed this week.
"(Tuesday), we got a call from a customer who caught a 35-pounder Monday night in front of Todd Shipyards," said Tim Bush at Outdoor Emporium.
Bush said he and a pal also limited that morning off Salty's.
REITER WILL OPEN: Thanks to a late surge of hatchery steelhead, the Reiter Ponds area of the Skykomish River will open on schedule Friday at 8 a.m.
"It was a little bit down to the wire, but we won't be issuing the closure notice," said Chad Jackson, a Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist.
As of Monday, only 180 steelies had returned, and an emergency rule change was drawn up to keep 2,500 feet of river on either side of the ponds outlet closed, but it was scrapped after Tuesday's rain brought in more fish.
"It's going to pretty much be a bobber-and-egg show — a float with a one-eighth-ounce marabou or beaded jig with a prawn or sand shrimp tail," said Andrew Moravec at Three Rivers Marine and Tackle in Woodinville.
Also try swinging two-fifths- or three-eighths-ounce black or half-brass/half-silver Rvrfshr spoons in the tailout of the ponds pool, he said.
Meanwhile, parts of the Skokomish, Willapa and Klickitat rivers as well as Willapa Bay open Friday for kings and coho while areas 8-1 and 8-2 open for coho.
Friday also marks opening day for kings and coho at famed Buoy 10 at the mouth of the Columbia River. State managers expect 157,200 more fall kings to return there than last year, and have modeled a sport catch quota of 6,200 (a 63 percent increase from 2007).
AROUND THE STATE: The upper Columbia is "getting a little bit better" for kings, Bob Fately at Triangle Shell in Brewster said. He said 20 were landed on Tuesday among 37 boats.
A late sockeye return to the Wenatchee River, high flows and run variation were keeping a Lake Wenatchee fishery on hold. But as of Tuesday, just over 6,000 more were needed at Tumwater Dam to hold a season.
And an unusual note: At least 50 pink salmon have been counted at Bonneville Dam. Almost all Washington pinks return in odd years, primarily to Puget Sound and Hood Canal rivers, though some enter the Cowlitz.
Andy Walgamott is editor of Washington Fishing & Hunting News and www.fhnews.com/washington.
Jim's Fishing Charters
www.JimsFishing.com
http://ca.youtube.com/user/Sushihunter250
Tuna biting closer to shore
By ANDY WALGAMOTT
SPECIAL TO THE P-I
Anglers have begun catching big numbers of tuna off Westport, and the schools are within striking distance of private boaters.
In the past week, Ms Magoo Sportfishing and Deep Sea Charters report their boats coming back with averages of 26, 25 and 23 albacore per fisherman.
"That's as good as we've ever done," said Larry Giese at Deep Sea.
Tuna are 50 to 60 miles southwest of Westport and should move in closer through summer, he said. August and September are peak months.
As for salmon, state ocean creel sampler Wendy Beeghley reports last week was "mediocre." Ilwaco had the best catch rate, nearly a salmon per angler, while Westport anglers averaged .61 salmon a rod. It was .44 and .48 at La Push and Neah Bay, respectively. Kings made up the bulk of catches at Westport and La Push, coho at Ilwaco and Neah.
PUGET SOUND: Catches were not quite half last summer's in catch areas 9 and 10, but charters and others have been finding fair numbers of hatchery kings in recent days.
"The best spots have been on the south and west sides" of Admiralty Inlet, said Gary Krein at All Star Charters. "Port Townsend, Foulweather, Point No Point, Pilot Point, Kingston, Jeff Head — that seems to be the side they're traveling down."
He said co-guide Nick Kester landed five salmon and had nine hook-ups in the north end of Area 9 on Wednesday.
Chuck Fauls at the Port Townsend fuel dock said anglers are working inside Midchannel Bank "on a line from Marrowstone Point to Point Wilson. They're not fishing deep, 70 to 100 feet. They're using Coho Killers in army truck, apple core and watermelon."
Fauls said a 26-pounder was brought in Wednesday.
That's not the only nice-sized king landed this week.
"(Tuesday), we got a call from a customer who caught a 35-pounder Monday night in front of Todd Shipyards," said Tim Bush at Outdoor Emporium.
Bush said he and a pal also limited that morning off Salty's.
REITER WILL OPEN: Thanks to a late surge of hatchery steelhead, the Reiter Ponds area of the Skykomish River will open on schedule Friday at 8 a.m.
"It was a little bit down to the wire, but we won't be issuing the closure notice," said Chad Jackson, a Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist.
As of Monday, only 180 steelies had returned, and an emergency rule change was drawn up to keep 2,500 feet of river on either side of the ponds outlet closed, but it was scrapped after Tuesday's rain brought in more fish.
"It's going to pretty much be a bobber-and-egg show — a float with a one-eighth-ounce marabou or beaded jig with a prawn or sand shrimp tail," said Andrew Moravec at Three Rivers Marine and Tackle in Woodinville.
Also try swinging two-fifths- or three-eighths-ounce black or half-brass/half-silver Rvrfshr spoons in the tailout of the ponds pool, he said.
Meanwhile, parts of the Skokomish, Willapa and Klickitat rivers as well as Willapa Bay open Friday for kings and coho while areas 8-1 and 8-2 open for coho.
Friday also marks opening day for kings and coho at famed Buoy 10 at the mouth of the Columbia River. State managers expect 157,200 more fall kings to return there than last year, and have modeled a sport catch quota of 6,200 (a 63 percent increase from 2007).
AROUND THE STATE: The upper Columbia is "getting a little bit better" for kings, Bob Fately at Triangle Shell in Brewster said. He said 20 were landed on Tuesday among 37 boats.
A late sockeye return to the Wenatchee River, high flows and run variation were keeping a Lake Wenatchee fishery on hold. But as of Tuesday, just over 6,000 more were needed at Tumwater Dam to hold a season.
And an unusual note: At least 50 pink salmon have been counted at Bonneville Dam. Almost all Washington pinks return in odd years, primarily to Puget Sound and Hood Canal rivers, though some enter the Cowlitz.
Andy Walgamott is editor of Washington Fishing & Hunting News and www.fhnews.com/washington.
Jim's Fishing Charters
www.JimsFishing.com
http://ca.youtube.com/user/Sushihunter250
