Skagit County Area Report

[House]

HOLIDAY SPORTS
895 NEVITT ROAD
BURLINGTON, WA 98233
360-757-4361
holiday_sports@yahoo.com

STORE HOURS
SUNDAY 7:00-5:00
MONDAY- FRIDAY 7:00-7:00
SATURDAY 6:00-7:00

May 1, 2014

I think it’s safe to say that we are now officially in full swing here in the PNW. With the openers for turkey and trout behind us now it’s on to lingcod, shrimp, halibut and river fisheries in just the next month.

Regulation Updates
Fishing & Hunting Licenses-
The new license year is upon us so make sure to stop by to get yourself current. Special hunt applications are on sale now and need to be submitted by May 22nd. Generally speaking, license prices haven’t changed with the exception of second deer tags and the multi-season deer tags; both of which have actually come down in price. HUNTING AND FISHING REGULATIONS ARE NOW IN THE SHOP!

Salmon in the Salt-
Marine Areas 6, 7, 8-1, 8-2 and 9 have all closed for salmon until summer fisheries begin in July.
Up and Coming

Lingcod-
The general Lingcod opener is TODAY May 1st and runs through June 15th with a 26”-36” slot limit. Lingcod may only be harvested/targeted in waters less than 120ft in depth but new this year, anglers targeting halibut will be allowed to keep Lingcod in waters deeper than 120ft on days open for halibut.

Shrimp-
The 2014 Recreational Shrimp Fishery is set begin on Saturday May 3rd in Puget Sound. The fisheries will start one hour before sunrise this Saturday in MA 4, 5, 6, 7(East, South and West) and 13.

• Hood Canal Shrimp District (MA12): Open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m on May 3, 7, 10 and 12.
• Discovery Bay Shrimp District (MA6): Open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on May 3, 7, 10 and 21.
• MA 4 (east of the Bonilla-Tatoosh Line), 5, 6 and 13 (Excluding Discovery Bay Shrimp District): Open Daily beginning May 3. The spot shrimp season will close when the quota is attained or September 15, whichever comes first. The exception will be MA13 which close for spot shrimp on May 31.
• MA7 East, South and West: Open May 3, 7-10, 21-24, and May 28-31.
• MA7 West: Open daily beginning June 1 until the quota is attained or September 15, whichever comes first.
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For more information check out the WDFW webpage at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/shellfish/shrimp/

2014 PUGET SOUND HALIBUT SEASONS

Marine Area 5: The fishery will be open Thursday through Sunday, May 22-25, for Memorial Day weekend. The fishery will open again May 29-31 and will be open one final day on Saturday, June 7.

Marine Areas 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10: The fishery will be open May 9 and 10 and May 17. The fishery will be open Thursday through Sunday, May 22-25, for Memorial Day weekend. The fishery will open again May 29-31 and will be open one final day on Saturday, June 7.

Marine Areas 11, 12, 13: These areas will remain closed to halibut fishing this year to protect threatened and endangered rockfish species.


Washington Brant Foundation Fundraiser-
Mark Saturday May 10th on your calendar, that’s the date for the annual fundraiser and Puget Sound Working Decoy Carving Competition. We are happy to announce that for the second year that the event will be held here at Holiday Sports. Festivities will kick-off around 10:30 with decoy judging followed the awards ceremony around 12:00 and moving on to the LIVE AUCTION at 12:30. You will also find lots of sales and raffles throughout the store, factory reps on site and fun activities for the kids! For more information check out the Washington Brant Foundation at wabrant.org or Kurt Benson at 425-231-6497.

Closures/Regulation Changes

Skagit River -
The Skagit is only open on the lower river from the mouth upstream to the Memorial Hwy Bridge under selective gear regulations. This means you will be restricted to one single-point barbless hook and no bait or scent and a ½” hook restriction. The whole of the system will reopen to fishing for the statewide general opener in early June. Beginning June 14-29 the Skagit will open for Sockeye from the Memorial Highway Bridge to Gilligan Creek with a two fish daily limit. Baker Lake will open July 10th with a 3 fish limit and I would expect to see some very fishable numbers by July 20th or so.


FRESHWATER FISHING REPORTS
Lake Samish-
Surface temperatures are hovering around 50 degrees but these warm days should be enough to really kick off this seasons kokanee bite. A few fish are starting to cooperate though, at this point the best bet has been the traditional wedding ring tipped with corn and maggots about 14” behind a dodger. The dodger should be flat-lined behind the boat 100ft or more and trolled about 1.2mph.

Heart Lake and Lake Erie-
Both Heart and Erie have fished quite well since the opener, Powerbait is the obvious choice for many early in the season and it has been quite productive. Most guys are running rainbow or sherbet but the guys who have really whacked them are using “Mice Tails.” These are essentially power eggs with a worm tail attached and they really wiggle in the water. This year it really seems like the fish have acclimated to the conditions quickly and both flies and brass spoons have been hot items.

Lake McMurray-
McMurray is planted with lots of fish every year and this is no exception, top producers have been DickNite Spoons, Woolley Buggers and Bingo Bugs for the gear guys. If you’re looking to anchor up go with Powerbait or cast some small Roostertails in black, brown or olive.

Baker and Shannon-
Tough fishin’ on the opener at both lakes, very few fish at Baker and tons of little guys at Shannon. The most action was definitely for the boats on Shannon but the keepers have been scattered from the log boom all the way up to Thunder Creek.

SKAGIT-
The Skagit River system is open only from the mouth to the Memorial Highway Bridge under selective gear rules. This means no bait, no scent, and only one single-point barbless hook measuring less than ½.”
Local Lakes-

SALTWATER FISHING REPORTS

Smelt-
Reports have been very good out of Cornet bay in the past couple of weeks with a large number of fish reaching the 7-8” range. A few herring are mixed in but your best bet to nab some numbers would be by taking the boat out closer to the pass around high slack.

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Tight Lines,
Kevin