Salmon Opens in Marine Area 5, 6 & 7 on July 1

Salmon will open tomorrow in Marine Area 5 (Sekiu and Pillar Point), Marine Area 6 East Juan de Fuca Strait and Marine Area 7 (San Juan Islands) . These areas will open for retention of hatchery Chinook as well as other salmon species. Make sure that you read your regulations thoroughly before you venture out, as there are many suttle differences from area to area. Some have a two Chinook limit, some are just a single fish. In some areas there are areas that are not open to retention of Chinook. Just make sure to read those regulations as the WDFW agents are not in the business of being understanding. Good Luck!

Another Spot Shrimp Opener in Marine Area 7

Recreational spot shrimp fishing in
south Marine Area 7 to reopen

Action: Recreational spot shrimp fishing will reopen for four additional days in south Marine Area 7.

Effective dates: Wednesday, July 6, 2011 through Saturday, July 9, 2011, south Marine Area 7 is open.

Species affected: Spot shrimp.

Location: South Marine Area 7. Please note that only the southern portion of Marine Area 7 is open for spot shrimp. This is the portion of Marine Area 7 south of a line from the Initiative 77 marker on Fidalgo Island (which is the eastern boundary between marine areas 6 and 7) to Point Colville on Lopez Island, then south of a line from Davis Point on Lopez Island to Cattle Point on San Juan Island, then south of a line due west from Lime Kiln Point light on San Juan Island to the international boundary. This area includes the Iceberg Point, Point Colville, Salmon Bank and McArthur Bank shrimp fishing grounds. The Biz Point spot shrimp fishing ground, which is just north of the Initiative 77 marker will not be open.

Reason for action: Sufficient recreational spot shrimp quota remains in this area for more days of fishing.

Other information: Of all the popular recreational spot shrimp fishing areas in Puget Sound, south Marine Area 7 is the most exposed to rough weather and sea conditions. South Marine Area 7 has experienced westerly winds and relatively rough seas nearly every open day so far this season, keeping participation down. Shrimp gear in Marine Area 7 may be pulled from one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset.

Contact: Mark O’Toole, La Conner, (360) 466-4345 ext. 241.

Crabbing Opens - July 1

Crabbing opens 7:00 a.m.Friday, July 1! Crabbing will open in Marine Areas 4 (east of the Bonilla-Tatoosh line), 5, 6, 8-1, 8-2, 9, 10, 11, 12 & 13. In these areas it will be open to sports crabbing Thursdays through Mondays (Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. The season will run through September 5.

Remember the limit is 5 Dungeness Crab 6 1/4" minimum size, males only, and in hard shell condition. If you are unsure about any of these rules, make sure to reed the WDFW regulations!

Make sure that you have your current Shellfish / Seaweed License and Crab Catch Record Card!

Ted's has everything you need for your crabbing. Pots, Line, Buoys, Stanchions, Line Snaps, Pot Weights and we are happy to help you rig up your gear for the season.

Reiter Ponds Section Opens Tomorrow

I am sure that there will be quite a number of steelheaders fishing the Reiter Pond section of the Skykomish as it opens tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. ! We have had quite a number of individuals in the shop today gearing up. I am sure that the fishing should be quite good, with the high water that we have had all month I am sure that there are quite a number of fish that have stacked up. I will post what we are hearing from this first day of fishing once we start to hear the reports.

Neah Bay King Fishing

Had one of the regular customers in this morning that had just gotten back from his weekend trip to Neah Bay with the family. He mentioned that he found good numbers of kings fishing off the US side of Swiftsure Bank. He said that the fish were "Deep" for the most part finding most of them fairly close to the bottom. The fish ran from the low teens to low twenties though they did manage to land a nice 35 pound Chinook. He also mentioned that there were fair numbers of coho around. He did best fishing Silver Horde / Gold Star 3.5 Kingfisher Spoons in the Irish Creme finish.

Westport King Fishing

The reports that we had from our customers over this past weekend were not too bad for those fishing the beach north of Westport off the Quinault casino area. The fish
were on the beach in 50 - 100 feet of water and the 30 - 35 depth zones seems to be the most productive. The fish for the most part were in the low to mid teen range with an odd fish to 25 pounds. There were a few coho mixed in the catches but were not overly numerous. Everyone mentioned that dodging in and out of the crab gear was not a lot of fun and many lost a considerable amount of tackle to getting tangled in it. Most all of our customers managed to get limits for their time spent but the fish checker mentioned that there was perhaps a fish or two per boat average.

Lake Chelan Update from Anton Jones

Here's a nice 10 lb. 9 oz. laker caught by Elina Engstom from Alsvsbyn Sweden, this was the first fish she had ever caught.

Here's a mess of Northern Pike Minnow caught off the Dock at Mill bay by Jaime Abarca of East Wenatchee. Kids don't mind catching any fish and you are doing everyone a favor getting them out of the lake.

What’s hot is trolling for Lake Trout on Lake Chelan early in the morning. Troll for Lake Trout in depths of 120 to 140 feet on the Bar just out from the Mill Bay boat launch. This last reporting period had great numbers with an excellent sprinkling of big fish. This is one of the two best “big fish” peaks for the year We have had consistent success pulling T4 flatfish in Purple Glow at 1.3 to 1.6 mph. Mack’s Lures Cha Cha Squidders in glow colors baited with a strip of Northern Pikeminnow or even Pautzke’s Fire Corn also works great.

Trolling the face of Manson Bay was another productive location during the reporting period for greater numbers of fish albeit much smaller on average. There, pulling little F7 flatfish from Worden Lures at 1.1 to 1.3 mph was the ticket.

The kokanee fishing is beginning to wind down in the lower basin of Lake Chelan. You can still catch some of these tasty landlocked Sockeye Salmon on Mack’s Lures mini Cha Cha Squidder in pink behind their Flashlites. Bait those Squidders with Pautzke’s Fire Corn in Natural or Orange. One to 1.3 mph is the best trolling speed for them.

We have been anticipating the opening of Salmon Season on the Upper Columbia, but looking at the counts of fish over the dam, don’t get excited yet. With the late spring and heavy snow pack we think the majority of the fish are holding downstream waiting for the runoff to subside a bit before swimming up to our neck of the woods. Also, there has been a nice glut of triploid rainbows available on Rufus Woods due to an earlier net pen release. They had to avoid mortality in the pens by releasing fish into the reservoir. I don’t know how long it will last, but for now, it can be great.

Your fishing and kids tip of the week is to use worms, spinners or even corn to catch Northern Pikeminnows from docks on Lake Chelan. This can be a great time of the year to fish close to shore for big schools of Northern Pikeminnow. These in turn make great bait for Lake Trout on Cha Cha Squidders and Ace Hi Flies. Since Lake Chelan is so clear, your kids can watch these eager biters inhale bait. It’s a great way to hook kids on fishing!

Your safety tip of the week is to be aware of our common weather pattern that allows for calm weather and flat uplake conditions in the morning, but heavy winds and big waves in the afternoon. Summer in Chelan! Another day in paradise!

Anton Jones of Darrell & Dad's Family Guide Service (1-866-360-1523 or http://www.darrellanddads.com/

Bonneville Shad Fishing

The Columbia River shad fishery continues to be quite good for those fishing below Bonneville Dam. With over 90,000 going through on Wednesday and over 30,000 the past two days the numbers equate to some really good fishing opportunities for anyone making the trip. We should still see some good fishing through the Fourth of July weekend and perhaps some fishing even after that. Though most folks do not fish them to any extent further up the Columbia the area below John Day Dam can be equally productive.

Still "Great" Lake Chelan Laker Fishing

The Mazor family (Rob, Ben, Evan and Suzan) with a really nice catch of Chelan lake trout. Ben and Evan are only 6 & 8 but did their share of the catching. The largest was 12.6 and was caught by Suzan.

Here's another nice catch caught by John Stephenson, John Jr. and Mr Eum. John has been a Ted's customer for many a year. Nice to see him and his son out there on the water. Nice catch guys!

If you are wondering how the Laker fishing has been on Chelan recently, all you have to do is look at the pictures above sent to me from Jeff Witkowski of Darrell & Dad's Family Guide Service. Both of the catches were the results of just half day trips. Lures of the day were Mac's Cha Cha Squidders and Yakima Baits u-20 Flatfish in the Glo purple finish. This would make a great family fishing day if you are planning on spending some time in the Chelan area this summer. What a way to spend a morning. If you would like to book a trip or get more information give Anton a call at 1-866-360-1523.

Reiter Pond Section of the Skykomish Opens Wednesday June 29

FISHING RULE CHANGE WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE 600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, WA 98501-1091
June 24, 2011
Reiter Ponds section of Skykomish River opens June 29
Species affected: All game fish, including steelhead.
Location: Skykomish River from 1,000 feet downstream of Reiter Ponds outlet to 1,500 feet upstream of Reiter Ponds outlet.
Reason for action: The Reiter Ponds Hatchery is on target to collect enough summer steelhead broodstock to meet production needs.
Other information: A night closure and anti-snagging rule are in effect. Fishing from any floating device is prohibited.
Dolly Varden/Bull Trout - minimum size 20 inches may be retained as part of trout daily limit. All Other Trout - minimum size 14 inches, daily limit two.
Other game fish - statewide minimum size and daily limit. That information can be found on page 27 of the 2011-12 Fishing in Washington Sportfishing Rules Pamphlet.
Public access through the Reiter Ponds Hatchery grounds is allowed daily between 6 a.m. and dusk. However, on opening day fishing does not begin until 8 a.m. to ensure an orderly fishery. On Aug.1, this section of the Skykomish River reverts to rules listed in the sportfishing rules pamphlet.
Information contact: Jennifer Whitney, District 13 Fish Biologist (425) 775-1311.

Lone Lake - Damsel Fly Action

For those of you that are looking for some fairly good fly fishing action you might want to give Lone Lake on Whidbey Island a try. We have had a number of folks in this week that have had good days on rainbows in the 14 - 18 inch range fishing both chrinomids and damsel fly imitations. The number of fish brought to hand has varied with the angler but a few of the guys have caught and released as many as 20 in a day of fishing. Thant is not bad action by any means!

Another Day of Halibut Fishing for Marine Areas 3 & 4

Marine Areas 3 and 4 will reopenfor another day of halibut fishing

Action: Open the recreational halibut fishery in marine areas 3 and 4 (La Push and Neah Bay) to recreational halibut fishing.

Effective date: Thursday June 30, 2011, from 12:01 a.m. through 11:59 p.m.

Species affected: Pacific halibut.

Location: Marine areas 3 and 4.

Reason for action: There is sufficient halibut quota remaining in marine areas 3 and 4 to re-open the recreational halibut fishery for one day. This rule conforms state rules to federal action taken by the National Marine Fisheries Service and approved by the International Pacific Halibut Commission. Anglers are encouraged to check the
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife website or hotline for information regarding re-openings.

Shad Fishing - Bonneville Dam

With the shad numbers soaring to almost 75,000 on the 21st I would have to say if you are wanting to partake of this seasons run it is time to get down there. We have had great numbers of folks down there this past week and virtually everyone has had good results. I would have to say that this week and next will more than likely be the peak of the run and will decline after that. Some who have not had their fill of shad fishing will continue upstream and chase them at John Day Dam also. We still have a good supply of Shad Darts on hand though we are out of a few of the color choices.

Chelan Lake Trout Fishing

The lake trout fishing on Lake Chelan continues to be quite good as you can see by the photos of Ryan Hills, Carson Hills and Wayne Vanselus with a good string of fish fron a 1/2 trip on lake Chelan. Eight years old Carson caught the nicest fish of the morning, a 7 pound laker. I would have to say he is quite pleased with himself with the grin on his face. The fish were caught while fishing with Jeff Witkowski of Darrells and Dad's Family Guide Service. The productive lures were Yakima Baits U-20 Flatfish in purple and chartreuse glow colors and Mac's large Cha Cha Squiders. You can book a trip with Jeff or Anton, give them a call 1-866-360-1523.

Ocean Reports - Chinook

With the ocean Chinook fisheries opening this past weekend here's a little rundown on this past weekends results:

Columbia River Area:
June 18 & 19 - 135 anglers with 136 Chinook - 1.01 Chinook per angler trip

Westport:
June 18 & 19 - 1,375 anglers with 630 Chinook - .46 Chinook per angler trip

La Push:
June 18 & 19 - 42 anglers with 10 Chinook - .23 Chinook per angler trip

Neah Bay :
June 18 & 19 - 216 anglers with 81 Chinook - .38 Chinook per angler trip

Overall, I wouldn't say that the fishing was outstanding by any means. I was not surprised as the commercial salmon trollers were not finding any outstanding fishing prior to the sports opener. I suppose the only good thing is that we still have good numbers of fish to catch with the 4,800 June Chinook Quota.

Have a "Great" Father's Day!

To all the Dad's out there - Have a "Great" Father's Day tomorrow! Hopefully, your plans include a day on the water chasing your favorite species.

Bonneville Shad Fishing

With the number of shad going through Bonneville increasing the past few days into the 30,000 - 40,000 numbers has made fishing has quite good for most of the anglers whom we have spoken with. If you are wanting to fish shad this season I would have to say that the time is right and the next couple of weeks will provide the most opportunity for doing such. These are good little scrappers and are a lot of fun to fish. Fishing shad requires a minimum of tackle with a good trout rod, 8 - 10 pound test line, some cannonball or pencil lead sinkers and a handful of shad darts and you are ready to do business.

Sitka Salmon Fishing

Captain Eddy and Jim Faro with a nice king.

Here's a nice fat king caught by Dennis Hill.

Jim Faro with a typical Sitka king salmon.

The king salmon fishing in Sitka has been all right over the past few days though not as good as we would be expecting this time of year and one is having to work at it a bit. Here's a few pictures from the past couple of days. The ocean weather conditions have been nothing short of outstanding. There are a fair number on coho starting to show up in the catches already as well as some chum and pinks.

Skykomish River - Steelhead and Kings

We have had some fairly good reports on both steelhead and kings coming from the Skykomish the past few days. The king fishing has been fairly good for those fishing the deeper salmon holding water at such spots as the mouth of the Wallace, mouth of the Sultan, Elwel Creek and Thunderbird. Most have been doing best fishing eggs either free drifting, back bouncing or pulling divers and bait. Most of the fish are in the low to mid teens with an occasional fish in the twenties. Steelhead wise, we have been receiving better reports from those fishing the upper river below the Reiter Pond deadline in the Cable Hole or the Proctor Creek area. Fish have been coming from virtually every method from fishing floats and jigs to drift fishing and even throwing spoons. One of the customers stopped by with a couple of nice fish with the largest pushing twelve pounds.

Lake Cavanaugh Kokanee & Cutthroat

We have been getting some fair reports on the kokanee fishing out of Lake Cavanaugh. Though the limit is just 5 fish, the folks that we have spoke with have had no problem in getting their fish fairly promptly! The fish have been smaller than those at Stevens with most in the 11 - 13 inch range, but are well feed and in great shape. There have been some good cutthroat trout fishing also with fish up to 17 inches being landed. These are fairly typical cutthroat being a little on the slim side, having that long and snaky look. There are a few really large cutts to be had in this lake for those that are willing to put in the time. In the old days 60's & 70's there was a number of fisherman that trolled 4" Silver Horde or Lucky Louie salmon plugs as well as larger salmon spoons and were rewarded for their efforts with fish from 3 - 10 pounds.

Lake Stevens Kokanee

The kokanee fishing at Lake Stevens is still holding up quite well. If you are going to fish the lake you want to make sure that you are there at first light, as it has been an early bite and for the most part is over by 7:00 a.m. . Yes, there are some fish to be caught latter in the morning and then again in the evening but the early a.m. bite has been the most productive time of the day. The fish are dropping down deeper into the water column as the water warms and there is greater light penetration. Some of the guys have been getting them as deep as 50 feet. Early in the morning the 15 - 20 foot zone has been good. Fish are getting a little chunkier every week, putting on more weight as they grow larger. Most fish are in the 13 - 15 inch range with a few pushing the 16 inch mark.

Tulalip Terminal Fishery

The Tulalip "Bubble" fishery put out some fish this past weekend. Though there were some fish caught I would not say that it was "Hot" by any means. Even when the fishery is "Hot", it is still averaging perhaps a fish every 10 boats or so. The folks that I spoke with that did have fish over the weekend mentioned that the tribes had lots of commercial crab gear plastered all over the area and made trolling next to impossible. Many guys were in this week replacing downrigger leads after getting them hung up in the crab gear. Some of the more successful anglers were those that were jigging utilizing 2 1/4 ounce Point Wilson Darts in Pearl White or Green Pearl finishes. Give the area just off the entrance of the bay off of the buoy in 40 - 60 feet of water first thing in the morning.

Chelan Report from Anton Jones

What’s hottest is continuing to troll the Bar early in the morning for Lake Trout on Lake Chelan. Troll for Lake Trout in depths of 115 to 145 on the Bar before the sun get “two hands” above the horizon on Lake Chelan. Worden Lures T4 Flatfish in either Luminous Chartreuse or Purple Glow on the Downriggers worked great. Another Flatfish pattern to focus on big fish is the M2 in Chub. On the outriggers try big Cha Cha Squidders by Mack’s Lures, purple glow Rushin’ Salmon Wobblers by Critter Gitter or Chartreuse Splatterback Kingfisher Lite spoons by Silver Horde. After that early morning shot on the Bar fade your troll over to the South Shore by pulling through the deep holes between there and Minneapolis Beach. We have had consistent success pulling U20 Flatfish in Purple Glow at 1.3 to 1.6 mph through there. Silver Horde’s Ace Hi Flies are a great alternate choice along there.

The Kokanee fishing has thinned out some but can be productive if you concentrate on them. This is the time of the year that the face of Mill Bay from Rocky Point to Wapato Point is best. The hot ticket should continue to be Mack’s Lures Mini Cha Cha Squidder in pink behind their Flashlites. Bait those Squidders with Pautzke’s Fire Corn in Natural or Orange. One to 1.3 mph is the best trolling speed for them, but don’t be afraid to vary that to trigger them when the bite goes cold.

For you shore anglers, this is a great time to throw little Worden Lures Roostertails or Mack’s Lures Promise Keepers for a potpourri of fish with Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pikeminnow or Trout all being possibilities. Flinging them around dock complexes is the strategy.

Your fishing tip of the week is to “match the hatch” on Lake Chelan right now. Big plugs on the Bar can produce nice trophy sized Lakers early in the morning or late in the evening this time of the year. Use plugs that imitate Kokanee or Northern Pikeminnow for best effect.

The kid’s tip of the week is to make sure the little kids life jackets are comfortable to head off fussing on the boat. It can make the day a lot more enjoyable.

Your safety tip of the week is to stay focused for floating debris on Lake Chelan to save your prop and lower unit. It is really loaded in the Narrows and scattered widely elsewhere. Also, if you’re trolling out there on Lake Chelan, remember our outrigger lines here can be four to six hundred feet behind the boat.

Bonneville Dam Shad Counts

It looks like the shad numbers have really soared over the past several days, with almost 30,000 going though yesterday. If you have been waiting to do a little shad fishing I would say the time is prime now and should be good for the next couple of weeks. We have lots of shad darts in stock. This is a "Great" fishery that will provide lots of action on this 2 - 7 pound herring family fish. Though they are not the best table fare they do make great crab / shrimp bait.

Wahoo - Big island

Tim is finishing up his stint on the Big Island and will be coming back to the North West to chase Chinook for a few monthe before he goes back. Here's a nice wahoo that he caught the other day on a live Opelu.

Lake Chelan Lakers - Rufus Woods Trout

Here's a nice catch of Lake Chelan lakers caught by Lee and Neil Anderson of Everett caught on a half day trip with Darrell & Dad's Family Guide Service. The fish were caught on Mac's Cha Cha Squiders and Purple GloT-4 Flatfish. Thanks to Jeff Witkowski for the information and photo. If you are going over to the Chelan area and want to sample the area's fishing give them a call at 1-866-360-1523.

Another fishery that has been "Red Hot" has been the rainbow fishing in Rufus Woods Lake. After the huge escape of the tribal net pen project for commercial purposes there are literally 1,000's of 3 - 7 pound rainbows freely swimming around the lake. Remember if you are using bait the first two fish is your limit, if you are fishing lures you can catch and release as much as you desire until you retain your limit.

Small black or olive marabou jigs in 1/8 or 1/4 ounce with a little crystal flash are quite a good choice.

Edmonds Pier - Kings

Over the past couple of days there have been a number of king salmon hooked off the Edmond's pier! While there have been a number hooked, most have been lost and just a couple of them landed. The largest in the past couple of days was a really nice 22 1/2 pound fish caught yesterday. For this time of June I would have to saw that the fishing is better than what we normally see, hopefully this is a sign for what we have to come.

Shad - Bonneville Dam - Numbers Increasing

Shad runs on the Columbia have so far been well below average. Though the numbers have increased over the past few days it is still very bleak to say the least. With the flooding on the river this year, the heavy flows and colder water might all have contributed to the lower numbers going through the fish ladders. Hopefully, the runs are just late and we still have good numbers of fish in the lower river. With the flooding there hasn't been much bank area to be able to fish and the boaters have been avoiding the area due to the unsafe conditions. For those bank fishermen that have found a place to fish, there have been a few fish to be taken. In talking with one of the regulars that was down a day this past weekend he said that most fisherman had only a couple for their efforts, the top rod having eight and many getting nothing. So, for the amount time to drive down and the high cost of fuel I would stay home for the present time until you see the dam counts start to improve substantially.

One More Halibut Fishing Day - June 16th - Marine Areas 3 & 4

WDFW FISHING RULE CHANGE Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, WA 98501-1091http://wdfw.wa.gov
June 8, 2011
Halibut fishing will reopen June 16for one day in marine areas 3 and 4
Action: Open the recreational halibut fishery in Marine Areas 3 and 4 (Neah Bay and La Push) to recreational halibut fishing for one day.
Effective date: Thursday, June 16, 2011, from 12:01 a.m. through 11:59 p.m.
Species affected: Pacific halibut
Location: Marine Areas 3 and 4.
Reason for action: There is sufficient halibut quota remaining in Marine Areas 3 and 4 to re-open the recreational halibut fishery for one day. This rule conforms to federal action taken by the Pacific Fisheries Management Council. Anglers are encouraged to check the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife website or hotline for information regarding re-openings.
Information contact: Heather Reed, (360) 249-4628 ext. 202.
Fishers must have a current Washington fishing license, appropriate to the fishery. Check the WDFW "Fishing in Washington" rules pamphlet for details on fishing seasons and regulations. Fishing rules are subject to change. Check the WDFW Fishing hotline for the latest rule information at (360) 902-2500, press 2 for recreational rules. For the Shellfish Rule Change hotline call (360)796-3215 or toll free 1-866-880-5431.

Sitka Salmon Derby Results

Here's the Results of Sitka's Annual Salmon Derby that concluded this past weekend.

SITKA, ALASKA (2011-06-06) The Sitka Salmon Derby is over, and Steve Burrell is the unofficial winner. Burrell landed a 45.6-pound king on Sunday morning to take the lead in the 56th annual derby, put on by the Sitka Sportsman’s Association.“These are unofficial until the night of the ceremony, which is June 16, 7 p.m., at Centennial Building," said John McCrehin, the derby’s barge chairman. "I don’t anticipate any of the top five changing."Ken Rear, the first weekend’s leader, fell to second place with a 42-pound salmon. Jack Owens is in third at 41.5 pounds, Burt Edenso is fourth at 41.4 pounds, and Greg Kahler (Caller) is in fifth place with a 38.6-pound fish.McCrehin says Burrell’s leading fish, at 45.6 pounds, will be the smallest ever to win the derby. “All the fish this year were small," McCrehin said. "Most of them were a pretty good looking shape, but just small.”The smallest to win prior to this year was a 46 pounder caught by Dave Pearson in 1970. The largest fish was more than 73 pounds, caught by Connie See in 1956 – the derby’s first year.This year, 135 people turned in a total of 539 fish.

Additional Spot Shrimp Fishing Opprutunities in Marine Areas 7 & 9

We are going to receive an additional day of spot shrimp fishing in Marine Area 7 on Wednesday, June 22. Marine Area 9 will also be open Wednesday, June 22 but only from 7:00a.m. till 3:00p.m.. In addition, we will get 2 additional days in the southern portion of Marine Area 7 on June 24 and 25. This is only the portion of Marine Area 7 south of a line from the Initiative 77 marker on Fidalgo Island (which is the eastern boundary between Marine Areas 6 & 7) to Point Colville on Lopez Island, then south of a line from Davis Point on Lopez Island to Cattle Point on San Juan Island, then south of a line due west from Lime Kiln Point light on San Juan Island to the international boundary. This area includes Iceberg Point, Salmon Bank and McArthur Bank shrimp fishing grounds.

Edmonds Pier - Salmon Fishing

Though the fishing has not been hot by any means there are at least a few kings that have been hooked over the weekend. We heard that there were three hooked and lost Saturday evening. There were a couple of smaller fish landed this past week in the 7 -8 pound range but those that were in the teens or low twenties were all lost. John went down to the pier last evening for a little while but did not hear of any fish hooked before he got there nor did he see any hooked during the time we was there.

Sitka Salmon Fishing

The fishing reports out of Sitka have been fairly good, the fishing is not a slam dunk by any means but those who have been working at it are getting their fish. Here's a few photo's that Eddy Sisom fom Scales & Tales emailed me this AM. The lower photo is Jason Cox from Iowa with a very respectable 25 pound king. The other photos are Jim Faro with a nice 32 pound white king and Gino with a couple of representive fish. From what we are hearing the sealions are eating just about as many fish as are being landed each day. They have become a real problem this season!

Tulalip Bubble Fishery

With virtually no salmon fishing going on in the immediate area the Tulalip Bubble Fishery which opened yesterday is the only game in town! With it opening yesterday there was a good number of folks that took the chance and fished it both yesterday and today. There was perhaps 60 boats trying their luck this morning and in speaking with a number of guys that decided to give it a try I heard of exactly zero fish caught. Even the Tulalip tribal members netting the bay have said that there have been very few fish returning.

Skagit & Cascade Rivers

We have heard some fairly good results from the Skagit in the Rockport / Cascade stretch of river for Chinook. There seems to be at least a fair number of fish in that section of river. Fish the deeper / heavier water sections of the river where the kings like to hold. Most everyone has been fishing good sized globs of eggs and fishing them slowly by either drift fishing or back bouncing them with a fair amount of lead to slow down the presentation and keep the bait in front of the fish for a longer period of time. Fishing the eggs in conjunction with a jet diver is also a great way to go. Bank fisherman have been getting a few out of the big and little eddy section of the Skagit below the mouth of the Cascade. There have been a few Chinook coming from the Cascade for bank fishermen fishing the hatchery hole.

Some of the sled fishermen, fishing the middle section of the Skagit have been targeting the last of the late returning wild winter run steelhead and doing quite well. Most of these fish are a little on the colored side but are providing some action.

Salmon Fishing Area 11

With Marine Area 11 re-opening yesterday for salmon we heard of at least a little action, though nothing really spectacular. The best area was that of the Dolphin Point area of Vashon Island where we heard of perhaps a fish a boat average with fish from barely legal to 9 1/2 pounds. We heard that there were a fair number of sub legal fish from 19 to just under 22 inches. The Point Defiance area reports were not anything to write home about yesterday with just a few legal fish landed. At least we have an area to fish!

Lake Stevens Kokanee Fishing

The fishing for kokanee at Lake Stevens has been a little on the temperamental side recently. If you do want to catch fish and just not go for an outing you want to make sure that you are on the lake and fishing at first light as the fishing has for the most part been over by 7:30 a.m.. From most of the guys that have been getting fish regularly the 10 -15 foot depth range has been the productive zone. Everyone has been mentioning that their are lots of fish showing in the 30 - 35 foot zone, but no matter what they do they cannot get them to bite. Perhaps they will go on the bite a little latter in the summer. The lake has quite an algae bloom on at the present and the clarity of the water has diminished. The fish are fating up quite nicely and are getting larger every day. A few of the fish are pushing the 16 inch mark.

Skykomish -Opening Day

Sort of a mixed report from the Skykomish today. Talked with some of the bank fishermen that fished below the deadline at Reiter Ponds and heard that there were a few fish caught there. It was a mix of colored winter fish and some dime bright summer runs. From what we heard there was perhaps a fish for every 4 -5 fishermen. The section of the river below the Wallace was predominated with sleds that were targeting Chinook. Shawn said that he saw a few 10 - 12 kings caught amongst the boat fishermen, the fish that were landed were some really nice fish in the mid to upper teens. He also mentioned that there were a couple of steelhead also caught, smaller 4 -5 pound dime bright summer runs. Shawn mentioned that the river was on the rise and starting to color up this afternoon. Hopefully, we will see a couple of days of fishable water before we get hit with the warm weather and the snow melt.

Cascade River Reports

With the Cascade River opening up today a couple of the customers went up to test the waters this AM. They fished the hatchery section of the river and said that there was perhaps 4 kings hooked this morning, which were not landed. There were a few late winter steelhead also hooked as well as a few Dolly Varden but overall the fishing was nothing to write home about on the Cascade. The river was quite low for this time of year. With the warmer weather on the way I am sure that the river volume will change over the weekend. Hopefully, not putting it out of shape and into the trees.

Port Angeles Halibut Derby Results

Here's a little rundown on the 11th Annual Port Angeles Halibut Derby that took place this past weekend. In speaking with Norm Metzler there was a total of 665 tickets sold for the event this year, slightly down from last year. Though the total participation was down there was still a good turn out and good fishing with around 100 halibut turned in for the derby. The largest fish caught was 138 pounds by Chuck Brown of Renton and taking home $5,000.00 for first prize. The top 30 places ranged from 138 pounds down to 45 pounds at the bottom. The fishermen were blessed with two days of very good weather.