Skagit Area Report

[House]

SKAGIT ARMS SALE

Free Springfield XD pistol this weekend! We will be giving away a free Springfield XD 40 S&W 4” Service Model in a free drawing which will take place Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (Drawing will be at 5PM Sunday). The winner must be eligible to purchase and own a firearm in the state of Washington. Come on by and fill out a drawing slip to enter! Also, Ruger, Sig, Springfield, Smith & Wesson, Mossberg and more all sent some nice free stuff for customers this weekend! We will also have various other items on special.

FRESHWATER

The upper Skagit chinook fishery has been hampered by high water. John Koenig of John’s Guide Service said that his recent trip provided some action for his clients. They managed to land five nice chinook but they were all natives which were released. Cal Stocking of Cause for Divorce Guide Service said that his most recent trip was a little slow, they managed to land a wild steelhead which was also released. A few hatchery fish are still around but this fishery closes on the 15th of July so get your fishing in while there’s still time.

Sockeye fishing in the lower Skagit has still been a little tough due to the high water. Fishermen are still catching a few fish here and there though. Remember that this fishery closes on the 15th of July as well.

There was a recent influx of sockeye into the Baker Hatchery so hopefully this will be the trend and we will see some good numbers of fish in the lake soon. The rumor is that the tribes are done fishing for now with their quota so hope for lots of fish to roll in. Go to the following website for up to date counts at the trap.
http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/salmon/socke ... river.html **One fisherman just came in this afternoon with two nice sockeye from Baker Lake. He noted that there were about thirty boats up there and he didn’t see many fish caught.



SALTWATER

Fishing in the San Juans has been pretty good so far. Kevin and I made it out on Sunday afternoon after work. Weather has been really nice recently and Sunday was no exception. We decided to hit Thatcher Pass since our friend had landed a nice one there the night before. We marked tons of bait and herring were jumping everywhere. Birds were coming up with as many candlefish as they could hold. Unfortunately, we trolled around for about two hours and didn’t hook up. We decided to give Eagle Bluff a try since it was an incoming tide. We were surprised that there were very few boats in either spot. Eagle Bluff had over thirty boats on the evening of the opener but there was only one boat there this time. On our second pass, I hooked up on my flasher/squid setup. I saw a seal dive down right when I grabbed my rod. We managed to land a nice eleven pounder despite the seal grabbing it by the belly. Kevin checked the stomach contents and despite the hundreds of herring jumping along the beach, the fish was stuffed full of squid from an inch long up to about six inches long. We had heard of other fishermen catching fish full of squid recently as well. We made a couple more passes before dark but didn’t hook any more fish.

Other fishermen have noted that fishing has been decent throughout most of the popular spots in the islands. A couple people have said that Hein Bank has been on fire at times. The upcoming July 15 crab opener in most of Marine Area 7 will probably clog some of the boat launches so get out to the launch early in the mornings. It will open from Thursdays through Mondays each week. Crab numbers should be good!

The Bellingham PSA Salmon Derby takes place this weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday). The first place prize is $5000. Participants can still pick up derby tickets at outlets until tomorrow afternoon. This derby takes place in the San Juan Islands. Go to their website at http://www.bellinghampsa.com/derby.htm for more info.
Anthon Steen
Holiday Sports Center
Burlington, Washington
360-757-4361