The preliminary halibut fishing dates for 2018 have been set, but catch quotas won’t be decided until late next month and it’s likely they could be lower than it had been in past seasons. “The (Pacific Fishery Management Council) adopted the 2018 halibut dates at the (Nov. 28-29) meeting, but still need to be approved […]
By Mark Yuasa A look back at summer salmon fisheries showed a mash-up of surprises both good, bad and downright ugly. Salmon catches along the coast this past summer in general were decent for chinook, but mainly somewhat a mixed bag of success for coho. “At Neah Bay we saw a lot of chinook and […]
Living in western Washington, you get used to being around people. Lots of people… That’s not a good thing if you’re a rifle hunter,.. bust your butt to get to the ridge top only to find more souls in blaze orange than you do game animals. Don’t get me wrong, I love my home state but every now […]
While hordes of people will be hitting the shopping malls in the days to come, many others will opt out and head to a year-round lake to catch trout. “It’s going to be an exciting time to go trout fishing (and) certainly a much more wholesome activity than going to the mall,” said Steve Thiesfeld, […]
The marine chinook salmon fisheries this month have come to a screeching halt, after state Fish and Wildlife determined the sub-legal encounter rate was alarmingly high. Salmon fishing is now closed as of Nov. 13 until further notice in Marine Catch Areas 8-1, 8-2 and 9 (northern Puget Sound and entire eastside of Whidbey Island). […]
The good news for salmon anglers is two-fold as the chinook fishery reopens in some local marine areas, but the bigger news is what appears to be an extremely strong chum return. “It appears we’re at the beginning of a stronger than forecasted chum run for Hood Canal and South Sound,” said Marisa Litz, a […]
Jigging for squid in Puget Sound is often deemed a nocturnal fishing affair as the best action usually occurs in the middle of the night when the majority of people are sound asleep. Those willing to take on this late-night fishery will reap the rewards by having piles of tasty deep- or pan-fried calamari for […]
Coastal razor clam lovers have go ahead to proceed on four coastal beaches this Friday and Saturday (Oct. 6-7) for the first digs of the 2017-18 season. “Our summer assessments showed the amount of clams in general is down this coming season, but depending on the beaches it should be good,” said Dan Ayres, the […]
Diggers search for razor clams as the sun drops over the weatern horizon off Moclips Beach. By Mark Yuasa Those making plans to hit the coast for razor clams Oct. 6-7 will have to hit the pause button until early next week when a final, final decision will come to light. “I did have a […]
Coastal razor clam enthusiasts are waiting for the green light on whether the first digs of the autumn season will come to fruition, and much of that hinges on marine toxin test results. “We did our first run of results on Monday, and all the domoic acid — a natural marine toxin produced by certain […]
