Skagit County Report

[House]

Holiday Sports Center
Burlington, Washington
360-757-4361

Regulation Updates
Salmon in the Salt-
Marine Areas 7, 8-1 & 8-2 are open for salmon through April 30th with a daily limit of 2 hatchery Chinook with a minimum size of 22 inches. Area 6 remains open through April 10th.

Marine Area 9 (Admiralty Inlet) will reopen on January 16th and run through April 15th with the same 22 inch minimum length and a limit of 2 hatchery fish.

Crab-
Winter crab seasons have now officially closed for the season, be sure to report your catch record cards by Feb 1 to avoid a $10 administrative penalty.
Big Game-
It’s time again to report this past season’s big game hunting activity. Reports must be filed for each bear, cougar, deer, elk and/or turkey tag issued by January 31st to avoid penalties in the next license year.

Fishing & Hunting Licenses-
Beat the rush and buy your new license for next year today! The 2014 license year begins on the first of April but your licenses and tags are available for purchase today.


Waterfowl-
Ducks and geese are currently open seven days a week through January 26th and this year’s Brant season will open as listed in your regulation pamphlet. Approximately 6,500 birds were counted in Samish and Padilla Bays (about 2/3 of those in Samish) and another 3000-4000 in Whatcom county. Brant dates are January 11 & 12, 15, 18 &19, 22, and 25-26.

Lowland Lakes-
While most of the lakes across the state closed to fishing back in October many of our local lakes remain open on a year-round basis. Among those are Lake Cavanaugh, Big Lake, Clear Lake, Lake Campbell, Lake Samish and Pass Lake. Personally I love to hit up Cavanaugh this time of year and troll big spoons or a plug cut herring for big Cutthroat.

Skagit River -
The Skagit remains open for trout (steelhead too) and other gamefish through January 31st but has closed for salmon.

Closures

Several of our local rivers have/will close to fishing as local hatcheries have yet to collect enough returning hatchery winter steelhead broodstock to meet egg take goals. These fisheries will reopen if egg take goals are met early.

Cascade River- from the Rockport-Cascade Road downstream to the mouth. Closed Jan 6-31.

North Fork Stillaguamish River- from the Swede Heaven Bridge downstream approximately 4 river miles to the French Creek confluence. This closure includes the Whitehorse Hatchery intake and Fortson Hole area of the North Fork Stillaguamish. Closed Jan 6-31.

Nooksack River- the system will close on Jan 9-31 from mouth to the confluence of the North and South Forks; on the South Fork Nooksack from mouth to Skookum Creek; on the Middle Fork Nooksack from mouth to city of Bellingham diversion dam. And from the North Fork from mouth to Nooksack Falls.

CHECK THIS OUT
Orcas Island American Legion Derby-
January 18th & 19th are the dates for the 35th annual blackmouth tournament. $50 entry fee or the two day event, over $2600 in prizes and an $1100 first prize! Call (360)376-4987 or go to www.orcaspost93.org/events/salmonderby for more information.

Roche Harbor Salmon Derby-
Mark February 6-8 on your calendar, those are the dates for The 2014 Roche Harbor Classic. Tickets are $700 per boat with a 100 boat maximum and moorage is included. $10,000 first prize this year and a cool $30,000 prize for a 30Lb winning fish! For tickets or more information hit up Debbie Sandwith at 360-378-5562 or Email market@rocheharbor.com.

FRESHWATER FISHING REPORTS
SKAGIT RIVER-
Things have slowed a bit on the Skagit in recent days following the torrential rains. Over the past week or so things had been pretty consistent in the Hamilton to Birdsview stretch while fishing had slowed a bit from Rockport to Marblemount. Small gear has been the rule of thumb but as flow increase most guys are going to bigger presentations. Eggs have certainly been the go to for the majority of boaters while the bank fisherman are running mostly jigs or weighted spoons.

SALTWATER FISHING REPORTS

The bottom line is get out there! Fishing has been really solid throughout Rosario for most of the season. From Eagle Bluff, south to Lopez Flats, and west to the banks they have all had their days. Last weeks’ soaker tides really produced out on Eastern and McArthur Banks for fish in the 8-10lb range. Inside we’ve seen fish from Fidalgo Head while Reef Point hasn’t done much. The Flats have been busy (and productive) but if it were me I would think Thatcher Pass and Armitage or Tide Point to Strawberry Bay. The smaller spoons in the 3 inch range continue to be a good option but more and more guys are going the way of the small squids or flies. This season it seems that shrimp are a big part of our fishes diet this season. So far the secret weapon this season is bait, not exactly a new idea but there’s a twist. Baitfish heads are the ticket! A really small bait (anchovies and red or orange herring) six feet behind a flasher in a glow or UV helmet has been absolutely deadly. Bait can be a bit intimidating but the newer JDF and Bullet-Roll heads with a tuning wire make all the difference in the world. Come check ‘em out!

FROM THE FIELD
If you’re like me, we’re kind of getting down to crunch time for waterfowl with the 26th of the month looming just around the corner. For me that means no fishing for the next couple of weeks and a whole bunch of soggy cold mornings. Yesterday I spent the afternoon with a smelly (and very muddy) dog and an even smellier field full of rotten spuds. There is no shortage of birds in the area but they are very well educated. Hordes of snow geese are constantly moving around the Bow area and in just the past week the ducks have really committed themselves to the fields, FINALLY! As for my hunt it was a little rough, but more than enough to convince me that the ducks are very call-shy. Think about using fewer decoys and positioning yourself downwind of your spread as their first pass may well be your only opportunity.

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Tight Lines,
Kevin