As always I want to start with the most up to date news that I have from the state.
First a little bit of good news on the horizon, parts of Marine Area 8-2 have re-opened to recreational crab harvest. All areas except for those waters in Saratoga Passage from a line north and west from Camano Head to Sandy Point are open to crabbing Friday thru Monday.
The areas still closed includes, Ports Gardner and Susan along with Possession Sound. Current surveys have shown that crabs in the Everett area have sufficiently hard shells to allow for a limited harvest. In addition, Marine Area 9 waters from a line Partridge Point and Point Wilson, south along the west coast of Whidbey Island to a line between Apple Cove Point and Edwards Point will re-open to crabbing seven days a week on June 1.
It should only be a matter of weeks and the waters around Oak Harbor should begin to open. Last year it was in the first weeks of July that we were able to drop pots locally. Keep your eyes open.
Recreational non-spot shrimping re-opened Marine Areas 8-1, 8-2 and 9 on May 23. You are restricted from dropping your pots in excess of 150 feet of water and all spot shrimp must be returned to the water.
FISHING NOTES
Those of you who are still planning on targeting halibut may have to make alternate plans. Marine Areas 1, 3 and 4, all on the coast have closed to halibut fishing. The early season quotas for these areas have been met. Areas 3 and 4 should re-open July 1 when the second quota is set. The area around Westport, as well as the waters of the Strait and the Sound are still open to halibut.
If you were planning on fishing the coast, now is the time to hit the area for an expected banner run of Chinooks to the Columbia River. The early season opened on May 25 and is open seven days a week. It should remain open until June 16 or until a season limit of 20,000 fish are caught. Anglers can keep two fish with a minimum size of 24 inches.
Biologists are calling for a run not seen in decades. Preseason reports expected there to be about 375,000 fish returning, but they are now saying we could be seeing in excess of 675,000 fish!
If you can spare the time, this is an opportunity any serious angler needs to take a look at. On the downside, the return of Columbia River coho appears to be down considerably. Biologists warn the king season could close if they see too many coho taken. Be sure to return coho to the water and do so with great care.
A little closer to home the action on lings seems to be pretty consistent. Watch your tide tables and find the days with the flattest tides possible. Concentrate around structure. Any area with notable rock piles or some of the old shipwrecks are the places to look.
Lings like to lie in wait for prey and use the rocky crags as suitable cover. Tube and lead jigs along with live bait all will work. You only have about two more weeks to target these brutes of the deep.
If freshwater is more to your liking then take your pick. The lakes have not warmed up too much that trout fishing has totally shut down, but as the lakes bloom with more algae and the temps rise, you will see trout fishing start to slow down considerably.
The waters have warmed enough to start the many panfish species to become more active. In turn the predatory fish like bass are starting to lurk the shallows in search of food.
Another summer time favorite are the kokanee. They should start to become more active in areas like Baker, Shannon and Cavanaugh Lakes. Look for the fish in the temperature gradients. They tend to hang in water that is around 50-55 degrees. Use your electronics, once you find the fish either troll or jig in that column of water. If legal chumming can increase odds of catching fish.
A quick reminder for the hunter who plans on applying for a special hunt, the applications will be due next month so you best have your hunting license bought.
