Anglers enjoyed a successful 4th of July weekend, catching considerable numbers of chinook in the west and finding even better catch rates in the waters near Freshwater Bay and off Ediz Hook in Port Angeles .

Opening day July 1 saw an average of 0.68 chinook/per angler for the 72 anglers out of 31 boats registered at the west ramp of the Port Angeles boat shelter and an average of 0.69 for the 48 anglers counted in 26 interviews at the launch of Freshwater Bay.

Anglers Ediz Hook also had some success with 25 kings landed by 58 anglers on opening day.

That success continued off Port Angeles this week as 39 kings were recorded by 55 anglers Wednesday at West Ramp and another 32 caught by 48 anglers at Ediz Hook.

It’s about as hot as it gets for such a long time in Sea Area 6.

West of Sekiu, opening day catch rates were around 0.4 to 0.5 kings per angler in counts at Mason’s Olson’s Resort and Van Ripers’ Resort.

With a one chinook restriction in addition to the even-day fishery, anglers also began bringing coho ashore.

Coho returns were expected to be high this summer and fall, and Sekiu anglers had success Wednesday, with checks totaling 110 coho caught.

These coho catch totals are expected to remain high this summer, even with the practical in-season management approach implemented this year.

Neah Bay (Marine Area 4) is also now suspended for salmon fishing (all sorts of off-map bottom fishing is still available in the west).

Catch estimates through Sunday from the state broadcast show anglers in Marine Area 4 had consumed 61% (3,727) of the guideline of 6,110 chinook. Monday’s estimates have yet to be factored in, but it looks like around 30-35% of the quota will be there when Fish and Wildlife reopens the fishery.

I admit to being a little perplexed by the suspension off Neah Bay and the even-day fishing arrangement off Sekiu.

Anecdotal reports from Juan de Fuca Strait mention many lesser kings around the 22 inch limit, with most people saying they are resident kings.

I can’t tell if the estimates of king returns were terribly low, or if the number of resident blackmouths is abnormally high. There have been excellent feeding conditions for blackmouth in recent years, including record-breaking clutches. But there have also been better ocean conditions over the past two years.

Ward Norden, a fishing tackle maker and former fisheries biologist, believes the salmon downturn has been in the works for years.

“I hope these surprise closures and now the Alternate Days in Sekiu don’t surprise you,” Norden said in an email. “It’s consistent with the public goals of the two previous governors and the unofficial pronouncements of the former State Department of Fisheries as far back as the late 1970s. The bureaucracy has played a long game and it’s close to a conclusion.

“Neah Bay is (was) the premier saltwater recreational fishing destination north of Santa Monica, California on the West Coast of the United States, which is no doubt an embarrassment to the fishing and fishing bureaucracy. wildlife. Like everywhere else north of the Columbia River, bureaucracy makes it as unpleasant as possible for recreational anglers by making it impossible to plan a trip.

Norden believes that using salmon encounters rather than actual fish catches to come up with fishing estimates eats up quotas and indicative numbers all the more quickly.

Free Fishing Fault

The Washington State Fish and Wildlife Commission will consider a Department of Fish and Wildlife amendment that would significantly alter the state’s free fishing weekend on July 15.

Under the current rule, the Saturday and Sunday following the first Monday in June are declared open-fishing weekends in Washington. During this weekend, no fishing license is required for anyone, regardless of age or place of residence, to fish or possess fish and shellfish, except that it is illegal to fish or possess any species for which a catch record is required without a valid catch card in possession.

The proposed change would limit the free fishing weekend to fish that do not require a catch card.

Thus, no halibut fishing or harvesting of shellfish or shrimp would be permitted under the new “somewhat free” fishing weekend.

Reasons for change: Harvest peaks are of concern, increased impact on beach habitats, litter and overcrowding on state lands, etc.

It will probably be a vote of approval from the committee. Fish and Wildlife staff previously presented their case at a meeting in June and highlighted only one negative public comment on the change.

It’s a bad look for the Fish and Wildlife Department and the commission at a time when they no longer need to make easily avoidable missteps.

The meeting will be held on Zoom at 8 a.m. on July 15. To participate, go to https://tinyurl.com/PDN-FreeFishing22.

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Journalist/sports columnist Michael Carman can be reached at [email protected]