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Ocean anglers excited again about salmon
Newspaperman Horace Greeley's advice to go West still rings true - especially for Mid-Columbia anglers looking for summer salmon success.
From Ilwaco to Neah Bay, coastal communities and anglers are gearing up for what could be one of the best ocean salmon seasons since the mid-1980s.
"It's going to be gangbusters," said Mark Cedergreen, president of the Westport Charter Boat Association. "This is going to be the payoff for the people who toughed it out during the lean years."
Cedergreen said he expects thousands of anglers to head west when the season opens July 1 along the Washington coast and the western portion of the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Larry Giese, owner of Deep Sea Charters in Westport, said the season could last all summer because of an anticipated return of 1.5 million hatchery-reared coho salmon that are expected to feed along the Washington coast en route to the Columbia River. Last year, 600,000 hatchery coho returned to the Columbia - an excellent run compared with previous years.
The huge surge in salmon is not confined to Columbia River stocks, said Doug Milward, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife's coastal fisheries manager in Olympia.
Returns to other coastal rivers of both hatchery and naturally spawning coho also are expected to be up this year, although ocean anglers are still required to release any coho with unclipped adipose fins.
Anglers can expect coho to average 4 to 6 pounds, with chinook likely to average 10 to 12 pounds.
Milward said the quota for recreational anglers is 225,000 hatchery coho. Last year's quota was 75,000. For chinook, the catch quota is 30,000 fish, compared with 12,500 last year.
"We expect the higher quotas to translate into a considerably longer season than last year," he said, adding that last year's quotas were met by mid-August.
Geise said the daily limit is two fish, one of which can be either a wild or hatchery-bred chinook or two hatchery coho. "Our catch ratio is four coho for every chinook, so there should be no problem for anglers to limit out," he said.
Because of the expected frenzy, Geise urges anglers to book early.
"We're only allowed to fish Sundays through Thursdays and many of the Sunday dates are already filled. But weekdays are a good time to fish, and there's plenty of space available," he said. On the northern coast, at La Push and Neah Bay, anglers can fish daily for salmon.
Geise said most all-day fishing trips average $80 to $90 a day and include tackle and bait. You provide the lunch, beverages and a license.
"A full-day outing is from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., but if the fishing is as good as we hope it will be, most of the boats will be back to port by noon with limits," he added.
Geise also recommend that anglers purchase their annual saltwater license before they leave home because there are few outlets, "and the lines will be long."
Anglers can buy either an annual saltwater license for $19.71 or a two-day fish/shellfish license for $6.57.
As for why the ocean salmon runs are so strong this year, Milward and other fish biologists attribute the boom to improved ocean feeding conditions and good freshwater habitat.
"Adequate water in our rivers and streams is a big factor," Milward said, noting that freshwater conditions are critical to the rearing of wild salmon and to outmigration.
"However, with the drought conditions anticipated this summer, that could be a factor for the next generation of salmon," he added.
This huge salmon run also will offer anglers other opportunities this summer, including a three-salmon bag limit in mid-August during the Buoy 10 fishery inside the mouth of the Columbia and a July 1 opening in the Sekiu area (Marine Area 5), which is about a month earlier than usual. Marine Area 5 will allow for one chinook a day until the 2,000-fish quota is met.
"People have been looking forward to a fishing season like this for a long time," Milward said. "This summer should be one to remember."
For more information on salmon charter boat bookings, call the Westport Chamber of Commerce at 800-345-6223.
Anglers may call the state's Fishing Hotline at 360-902-2500.
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