SALMON REPORT: Because salmon is king ...

ARLINGTON, Wash - Make no mistake about it: salmon is king in the Pacific Northwest.

We're a salmon people, with longstanding salmon traditions and deep, deeeep wells of loyalty to our beloved Chinook, coho, chums (and, yes, pinks, too).

Here's where we celebrate our fishing heritage. Welcome to the new NWWC Salmon Report.

ZOG BLOG: A Baker(s) half-dozen: images from the Baker Lake sox fishery
POSTED July 31, 2010 / 1:30 p.m.

CONCRETE, Wash. - My ongoing sockeye vision quest took yours truly, some fishing buddies and Edgar straight from the Brewster slama-rama-ding-dong to Baker Lake last week. And while the action on this historical first-ever Baker fishery is already fading, this is a spot that I - and may of our Wild Country listeners, apparently - have high hopes for in the future.

Haven't had the good fortune of taking in this fishery? No worries! C'mon along for a quick Baker(s) half-dozen (photos, that is).

8CHECK OUT HERZOG'S BAKER LAKE BONANZA and stay tuned early next week for the next vision-quest report: Lake Wenatchee.

ZOG BLOG: Helping you cash in on Brewster's (1/3) Millions
POSTED July 30, 2010 / 5:30 p.m.

BREWSTER, Wash. - Over 300,000 sockeye are heading for the Okanogan River near Brewster on the upper Columbia River. There’s a six-salmon limit per day. Wanna go?

That’s right, kids, the fish ladder count at Bonneville is nearing 400,000 sockeye as you read this. Over 300,000 are heading to one place: the Okanogan River, which dumps into the Columbia at Brewster. This is the second consecutive year of this plethora, as we saw some outstanding sockeye bites in Brewster Pool late last July into August.

Add over 150,000 more salmon, you have this year’s opportunity.

Knock, knock.

8CHECK OUT ZOG'S A to Z GUIDE TO BREWSTER SOCKEYE! Detailed information and diagrams of the most effective rigs for sockeye in the Brewster Pool.

SALMON REPORT: Team Pautzke sets the Queen Charlotte Islands on fire
UPDATED June 19, 2010 / 9:40 p.m.

QUEEN CHARLOTTE ISLANDS, B.C. - I have a lot of fun at the expense of Pautzke Bait Co.'s director of operations, Chris Shaffer. I've known, worked, travelled and fished with ShaffDog for almost 10 years now, and can easily name him as one of my best friends in the world.

So, it's okay when I pitch him s*it about his travel exploits.

Shaffer, you see, has had "The Reverse Mojo" working against him on many of his worldwide fishing expeditions the past several years. Whenever/wherever he shows up lately, weird things happen.

Fish stop biting. Animals go into hibernation. Sunshine turns to hailstorms and tornados. This week, though, Shaffer has found himself in exactly the right place, at exactly the right time.

All you need to do is look at the pictures.

Shaffer was making his very first trip to the Queen Charlotte Islands this week, and after nearly 5 years of disappointing fishing trip after disappointing fishing trip, here are the results. Enjoy.

8CHECK OUT THE VIEW FROM HIPPA ISLAND as Team Pautzke touches down in the middle of one of the wildest places on the West Coast.

WILD BLOG: Taking our shots at the Rogue's never-ending spring Chinook run
POSTED June 13, 2010 / 8:30 p.m

GOLD BEACH, Or. - Rain, rain, rain was the theme as June rushed into the Southern Oregon Coast. The Rogue peaked at 20,000 cfs on June 5 and was on the decline the last few days. With the phone ringing and reports of more spingers being caught, we decided to try our luck again with some skepticism that there would be numbers of Chinook in the lower river.

Could it be that this run fishes into mid June?

8CLICK HERE TO SEE SOME MAJOR JUNE SPRINGER CHROMAGE as our South Coast blog reporter continues to hammer on the Rogue River's amazing run of spring Chinook.

WILD BLOG: Settling into the summer season out of Gustavus
POSTED May 30, 2010 / 12:40 p.m.

GUSTAVUS, Alaska - Salmon are beginning to show up in greater numbers in the Glacier Bay area as charter operators begin their 2010 seasons out of Gustavus, Elfin Cove and Pelian. Halibut also have migrated into Icy Strait, and more are expected during the upcoming big tides.

"We've been seeing decent numbers of halibut, although it should get a lot better. The grade of fish has been great. Lots of fish in the 50- to 70-pound range.

8CLICK HERE FOR MARTIN'S FIRST REPORT from the Glacier Bay fishing grounds.

SALMON REPORT: Coyote Howls as local salmon hits April cruise control
POSTED April 4, 2010 / 10:50 a.m.

EDIZ HOOK, Wa. - Looking on a NOAA chart of the eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca, you won't find the words "Coyote Bank" anywhere.

What you will find, however, right on the dogleg of the U.S./Canadian border where Haro Strait dumps into the Strait of Juan de Fuca 13 miles due north of Ediz Hook, Wash., is a small seamount rising up out of 50 to 60 fathoms to 110 feet.

That's The Coyote, one of a handful of shallow banks located in Washington's Marine Area 6. And until this area closes down on April 10, it'll serve up a howling good salmon bite as both incoming and outbound Chinook mix together in this part of the east Strait.

8CLICK HERE TO READ MY ESPNOUTDOORS.COM COLUMN on the killer local salmon fishing going on right now at Coyote Bank, San Juan Islands and Sekiu.

SALMON REPORT: California Chinook season opens for business ... finally
POSTED April 4, 2010 / 10:30 a.m.

SAN FRANCISCO - Northern California saltwater anglers had their first Chinook opener since 2007 on Saturday morning when the season opened south of Horse Mountain.

8CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT NORCAL'S HISTORIC SALMON OPENER as I wrote about it in my saltwater column on ESPNOutdoors.com.

-JS

SALMON REPORT: Thomas' 27.48-pounder takes home top prize in Anacortes
POSTED March 28, 2010 / 5:10 p.m.

ANACORTES - When you go blackmouth fishing on a Saturday morning, you don't expect to be driving home on Sunday afternoon with a spare $15,000. Unless you're Ralph Thomas of Tacoma, and you just happned to hook into a 27.48-pound Chinook while you were fishing in the 2010 Anacortes Salmon Derby.

Thomas left Cap Sante Marina in Anacortes $15,000 richer this afternoon thanks to the hawg blackmouth he landed on Saturday morning. The biggest fish weighed in at the two-day Anacortes Salmon Derby was one of nine 20-plus-pounders brought to the scales at the North Sound's most popular derby. Second-place finisher John Belarde of Woodinville weighed in a hawg himself with a 25.72-pounder, followed by Seth Baumgarten of Kirkland wiht a 24.38-pounder.

8CHECK THE ANACORTES DERBY WEB PAGE FOR OFFICIAL RESULTS tonight or tomorrow morning.

SALMON REPORT: California gets first saltwater salmon season in 3 years
POSTED March 25, 2010 / 5:10 a.m.

SACRAMENTO, Ca. - This piece of sweet squaw candy from J.D. Richey at FishWithJD.com: Well, it’s official. Salmon anglers off the California coast will get their first crack at saltwater Chinook in three seasons.

The season is set to open April 3, 2010 and will run at least until April 30. In mid-April, the Pacific Fishery Management Council and the California Fish and Game Commission will determine the ocean salmon sport seasons for the balance of the year and those will go into effect on or after May 1. So, basically, there’s a one-month season guaranteed and maybe more.

As J.D. points out, our Golden State salmon brethren will be fishing for Chinook south of Horse Mountain courtesy of a "backdoor cut" (gratuitous March Madness reference there ... so sue me). Sort of. California's Department of Fish & Game chose not to close a season that's already regulated for an April 3 opener - much like the Columbia River's regulatory Jan. 1 Chinook opener - so, voila, we have California Chinook.

8HERE'S AN INTERESTING ANALYSIS OF RUN FORECASTS by longtime Sacramento River guide Bill Divens, who's of the opinion that the Golden State's salmon numbers are out of line with reality.

GUEST BLOG: "The Truth" putting plans together for Salmon Season 2010
POSTED March 1, 2010 / 1:50 p.m.

OLYMPIA - When it comes to salmon fishing, do you consider yourself a planner? I confess to being a planner, in many walks of life, but especially when it comes to looking ahead to salmon fishing trips now through the fall of this year.

Planning produces the opportunity to lock in my schedule, and make reservations for accommodations, moorage and team up with fishing buddies and friends. Sometimes, I find myself having too many friends when it comes to salmon fishing. In a perfect world, as a giver, I would like to take everybody salmon fishing and share what I have learned from the sport in the last 50-plus years, but it doesn’t work that way in life.

Back to planning.

8CHECK OUT TONY'S TACKLE BOX COLUMN FOR MARCH and some critical advice on how to best plan your salmon-fishing calendar for 2010

SALMON REPORT: 100K cash awaits winner of new Dash One Invitational
POSTED March 1, 2010 / 1:50 p.m.

ANACORTES - One fish + $100,000. A 1-in-60 chance for a six-figure payday. Good luck matching those odds in Lotto.

The new Dash One Invitational is a new breed of Pacific Northwest salmon derby, and it promises to shake up the general angling public of Western Washington.

8CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION ON THE DASH ONE and stay tuned to the Salmon Report as we follow the progress of Washington's biggest, baddest salmon derby.

SALMON REPORT: Anacortes Derby sells out 1,000 tickets in 10 days
POSTED Feb. 11, 2009 / 4:45 p.m.

ANACORTES - Subscribing to the Field of Dreams philosophy of fishing derbies, Jay Field and the men and women of the Anacortes Salmon Derby have built one of the best events on the West Coast. And the people have come.

Oh, brother have they. Field announced today that the 1,000 tickets for the 2010 Anacortes Salmon Derby have sold out, just 10 days after they went on sale. Good thing we're already booked to go LIVE FROM ANACORTES on derby day, just like we did last weekend at the Roche Harbor Classic.

More derby info to come on Field's hot new Dash One Invitational.

-JS

SALMON REPORT: Francois' 16.4-pounder holds out for $10,000 at Roche
POSTED Feb. 6, 2009 / 7:45 p.m.

ROCHE HARBOR, Wash. - Funny how things work out in the quirky world of salmon derbies. An out-of-nowhere bite here, a suicide fish there, and the next thing you know, somebody whacks a derby winner despite the odds.

Ask Mount Vernon's Raymond Francois about that sometime. Despite a six-year history that virtually guaranteed a 20-pound winner. Despite the "San Juan Islands Code" that almost requires that you fish with herring. Despite a non-typical tide and a non-typical gear setup, Francois is $10,000 richer tonight, thanks to the 16.4-pound blackmouth he caught yesterday morning at the Roche Harbor Classic.

Francois, who, this morning on our live broadcast from derby headquarters here in Roche Harbor pooh-poohed his own chances of winning the Classic with a 16.4-pound fish, withstood a Day 2 charge to take home first place in the seventh annual kickoff to the Western Washington derby calendar. Francois' fish, which hit a spoon fished on a 5-plus-foot leader, trolled smack in the middle of the ebb tide at Humphrey Head, stayed atop the leader board from the second it was weighed in at roughly 3 p.m. on Friday.

"I think it's going to take an 18," Francois said.

As I pointed out at the awards ceremony tonight, Francois' prognistication skills won't win him many bets at tomorrow's Super Bowl, because the biggest fish weighed in today was around 13 pounds.

Shangle's wrap-up: Oddly enough - and this is a lesson in DerbyOlogy - two fish bigger than Francois' (a 17- and 20-pounder) were weighed in today ... out of Thompson Point, which is outside the boundaries of the Roche Classic.

Francois' boat also participated in the side bet, which rang up an additional $7,000.

-JS

SALMON REPORT: Blackmouth bite stalls on Day 2 of Roche Harbor Classic
POSTED Feb. 6, 2009 / 1:05 p.m.

ROCHE HARBOR, Wash. - The San Juan Islands - at least, at this point in Day 2 of the Roche Harbor Classic - have turned into the "San WHERE Islands?"

As in, WHERE did all the blackmouth go?

Halfway through the second day of competition at the first derby of the 2010 season, Mother Nature is shining on kayakers and sunbathers, but salmon anglers are left to wonder if maybe the Islands' Chinook are afraid of the sun. As of this writing, only six fish have been tagged and verified by patrol boats working the derby boundaries, with only a 4:30 p.m. tide change left to kick-start the bite.

Day 1 derby leader Raymond Francois - who joined me LIVE on the air this morning from here at Derby Central - is clinging tenaciously to first place with 16.4 pounds. And even though the history of this derby indicates that a 16-pounder shouldn't win the $10,000 cash grand prize, today's sluggish bite might translate into a big, fat wad of $20 bills for a relatively small fish.

"The second day is almost never as good as the first," observes Tony "The Truth" Floor, who served as my co-host this morning on our live derby-HQ broadcast. "I'll have to admit, I'm surprised bordering on shocked that more fish haven't been caught today, but, that's exactly why we always say 'It's called fishing, not catching'."

Final wrap-up later today: I'll be back again late this afternoon with the final wrap-up from the Roche Harbor Classic as 99 other boats try to catch up with Francois. Final weigh-in is at 6 p.m.

nDOWNLOAD TODAY'S PODCAST at our ON DEMAND CENTER!

SALMON REPORT: Humphrey Head 16.4 holds leads after Day 1 in Roche
POSTED Feb. 5, 2009 / 9:05 p.m.

ROCHE HARBOR, Wash. - The thing about a salmon derby, boys and girls, is that you're fishing for THE ONE FISH. You're not scratching to catch a boat limit of 6-pounders. You're grinding and winging it in hopes of tattooing the 22-plus-pound money-winner.

Mount Vernon angler Raymond Francois did what every successful derby fisherman does today in Day 1 of the 2010 Roche Harbor Classic: He fished a known big-fish area with a slightly outside-the-box bait, at an outside-the-box spot in the tide. The result?

A 16.4-pound blackmouth that leads the 100-boat field competing for the $10,000 cash first-place reward.

Francois hooked the derby leader on the ebb tide at Humphrey Head, a San Juan Island favorite that 9 out of 10 people hit on a big flood tide. And, in an area where herring is king, Francois' big fish came on a 3-inch Kingfisher spoon that was "customized" by Wild Country regular Jay Field.

Heading into Day 2: Francois' derby leader was one of 31 fish weighed on a day where the bite was scattered and inconsistent, even for some of the San Juans' most talented anglers. Neil Kamrin sits in second place with a 15.13, David Arnold held onto third with a 15.12, Scott Veitz is fourth with a 15.11 and Richard Price rounds out the top 5 with a 14.12.

Live from Derby Central Saturday!: Listen in as NMTA's Tony Floor and I go LIVE from derby headquarters tomorrow morning here in beautiful Roche Harbor. We'll catch up to some of the San Juan Islands' most talented salmon anglers, and connect with the Hood Canal Gang for an up-to-the-minute report of the bite in the newly-opened Area 12. Also: Herzog'z Sekiu Preview!

nTUNE IN LIVE, 6-8 a.m. PST on SPORTSRADIO 950 KJR!

nCATCH IT STREAMING ONLINE at www.950kjr.com!

nDOWNLOAD THE PODCAST at our ON DEMAND CENTER!

SALMON REPORT: 16.4 current leader at Roche Harbor; late rush starting
POSTED Feb. 5, 2009 / 5:05 p.m.

ROCHE HARBOR, Wash. - Batten down the hatches, boys and girls, it looks like Roche Harbor is going to be a wild one. And, for once, I'm not talking about gale-force winds blowing through the San Juan Islands.

With one hour of weighing-in time remaning in the first day of the 2010 Roche Harbor Classic, Mount Vernon angler Raymond Francois' 16.4-pounder leads the field in pursuit of a $10,000 cash first-place reward. Francois' fish is closely followed by Neil Kamrin's 15.13, David Arnold's 15.12, Scott Veitz's 15.11 and Richard Price's 14.12.

Weigh-in closes at 6 p.m., and history tells us that it'll likely take a fish upwards of 20 pounds to win the $10,000 grand prize: winners in the history of the event have gone from 18 to almost 22 pounds.

More to come: I'll be filing more EXCLUSIVE derby blogs and photos from Roche Harbor tonight and Saturday, and Wild Country will broadcast exclusive derby news from the center of the action tomorrow from 6 to 8 a.m.

nTUNE IN LIVE, 6-8 a.m. PST on SPORTSRADIO 950 KJR!

nCATCH IT STREAMING ONLINE at www.950kjr.com!

nDOWNLOAD THE PODCAST at our ON DEMAND CENTER!

SALMON REPORT: Roche Harbor weighs in first fish: 15-12 & 14-12
POSTED Feb. 5, 2009 / 11:45 a.m.

ROCHE HARBOR, Wash. - Derby Season 2010 has begun. The first two fish in the 2010 Roche Harbor Classic have hit the scales, and in the size range that might put them in contention for cash: 15-12 weighed in by David Arnold from Ferndale, and another 14-12 that went on the scales just hours into Day 1 of the first derby of the 2010 Northwest Salmon Derby Series.

"That’ll happen when people make a decision they've caught a money fish," says Tony Floor, the official judge for the Roche Harbor Derby, and the official co-host when Northwest Wild Country goes LIVE from Roche Harbor tomorrow morning. "It's real typical: during the day we might see 3, 4, 5 fish come in, but about about an hour before fishing shuts off, here they come. Bags of fish: 30 to 35 fish.

History tells us that it'll likely take a fish upwards of 20 pounds to win the $10,000 grand prize: winners in the history of the event have gone from 18 to almost 22 pounds.

More to come: I'll be filing EXCLUSIVE derby blogs and photos from Roche Harbor this weekend, and Wild Country will broadcast exclusive derby news from the center of the action tomorrow from 6 to 8 a.m.

SALMON REPORT: "Coho" checks in with the last 'mook 'nook of 2009
POSTED Dec. 26, 2009 / 9:10 p.m.

TILLAMOOK, Ore. - If you're going to usher out 2009, you might as well do it in style. Here's a quick missive from Andy "Coho" Schneider, who ended the '09 the same way he started it back in December: with yet another successful steelhead outing on Oregon's north coast ... but wait! That's no steelhead!

"While many boats passed us side-drifting today, I just couldn't get motivated to move around that much while bundled up for that brisk east wind. So we took the 'easy route' and back trolled plugs today and....it worked! The only other problem with catching Chinook in late December is that it's awfully tough on steelhead gear ... we put those 'Classic Glass' Fenwick's to work today!

Happy New Years to all.

-Coho

SALMON REPORT: Captain Downriggin's Green Point blackmouth options
POSTED Nov. 22, 2009 / 7:40 a.m.

TACOMA, Wash. - Of the several areas in the Puget Sound to fish, the Green Point/Fox Island sand spit area is my absolute favorite spot.  The reasons are numerous and I struggle to wonder why anglers do not fish this unmolested strategic chokepoint. 

Considering the odds a salmon faces with life’s struggles - e.g., nets, anglers, predation, etc. - the Minter Creek hatchery sees remarkable numbers of fish every year.

With that said, having once lived on Key Peninsula for several years made this area extremely convenient to fish a minimum of three days a week, and I learned to fish it well over the years.

8CLICK HERE TO READ John "Captain Downriggin" Abbott's super-detailed how-to on the Green Point/Fox Island winter blackmouth fishery.

SALMON REPORT: NWWC guide Martin puts client on 60-plus pounder
NEW Sept. 30, 2009 / 7:45 p.m

BROOKINGS, Ore. - The whole salmon-fishing world is familiar with Rogue Bay, but I'd wager a week's pay that 8 out of 10 anglers have no idea about the trophy fall Chinook fishery in the Rogue's neighbor to the south, the Chetco River.

Northwest Wild Country partner and endorsed guide Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing knows about the Chetco estuary, though, and so does his client Carl Johnson. Trolling a green/green Rogue Bait Rig and plug-cut herring scented with Pautzke Nectar, Johnson landed this 58-pound hawgasaurus this afternoon fishing with Martin below the Highway 101 bridge on the Chetco estuary.

The fish taped out at 49 1/2 x 35 inches, which, by the three salmon/steelhead estimator formulas commonly used these days, puts it between 70 and 80 pounds.

8CLICK HERE TO READ THE IFISH THREAD on Martin's Chetco River hawg , and TUNE IN THIS SATURDAY as the NWWC crew runs Martin through the Q&A about the Chetco River, and this extraordinary fish. And log on to ESPNOutdoors.com later this week for my West Coast Saltwater column, which will focus on the resurgence of Rogue Bay and the Chetco estuary.

nTUNE IN LIVE EVERY SATURDAY, 6 to 8 a.m. PST on SPORTSRADIO 950 KJR!

nCATCH IT STREAMING ONLINE at www.950kjr.com!

nDOWNLOAD THE PODCASTS at our ON DEMAND CENTER!

SALMON REPORT: Toutle hawgs starting to show on lower Cowlitz River
NEW Sept. 24, 2009 / 8:45 p.m

While the Chinook action slowed down noticeably on the lower Cowlitz River today, the quality of the fish went through the roof. For one boat, at least.

Bill "Swanny" Swann and clients whacked a 43-pounder and a 39-pounder on the Cowlitz Thursday morning, almost on back-to-back casts. Swanny has been laying a path of destruction on the lower river for most of the past month, but Thursday's fish hint at a possible resucitation of Toutle River genes that, in days gone by, produced some of the biggest fish in the state.

TUNE IN Saturday as we chat about those Toutle-bound fish on the Sept. 26 Northwest Wild Country.

nLIVE EVERY SATURDAY, 6 to 8 a.m. PST on SPORTSRADIO 950 KJR!

nCATCH IT STREAMING ONLINE at www.950kjr.com!

nDOWNLOAD THE PODCAST at our ON DEMAND CENTER!

DJ WILD BLOG: Live from Buoy 10: Bananas be damned!
NEW Aug. 27, 2009 / 11:30 a.m

ASTORIA, Ore. - Wednesday was the day to have some bananas on the boat (along with your spinners) while fishing the Columbia River.

My client Brian told me he was going to bring me two surprises that morning.  Before he could pull them out I guessed what both of them were: 1. A Rockstar, and; 2). A banana. Actually there were three bananas.

The morning's fishing started off as it has every morning for the last few weeks: hook-ups right away.
When it was all said and done, we were heading in at noon after hooking over 30 fish. We released 10, kept 12 and lost at least that many more.

When we got back to the dock I finally found some time to enjoy my bananas. Who says they're bad luck?

-DJ

HOW HEAVY?: Take your best shot at this trio of Kenai River monsters!!!

8Gamefishin.com

8IFish.net

8Piscatorial Pursuits

8Steelheader.net

BUZZ BLOG: Ocean salmon a million strong: how & where to catch your coho
POSTED July 12, 2009 / 11:30 a.m.

Over a million strong and the easiest of salmon to catch: Coho salmon are what many anglers are now chasing off the Oregon and Washington coastline. 

Although past ocean regulations have, at times, been confusing, this year’s large run offers seven-days-a-week fishing, and has made daily limits more normal than not.

For example, the ocean zone covering the majority of the ocean off Oregon - from Cape Falcon (near Manzanita) to Humbug Mountain (near Port Orford) - is now open daily for the taking of up to three fin-clipped coho, and will remain so until 110,000 Coho are harvested. Keep in mind that you’ll have to release any and all Chinook salmon caught in this area regardless of how many fins.

SALMON REPORT: 18.62-pounder takes Anacortes Salmon Derby
NEW March 30, 2009 / 3:45 p.m

ANACORTES, Wash - If you're Brian Darling of Anacortes, you can now look Jimmy Houston in the eye and say "See, I make money fishing, too."

Darling walked away with the $12,000 grand prize for the largest blackmouth weighed in at this weekend's Anacortes Salmon Derby, beating out almost 900 competitors with an 18.62-pounder caught in Lopez Pass.

Darling weighed his fish in on Saturday, and then sweated out the weigh-in on Sunday as his fish clung to the top spot in the derby.

"I was worried about a bigger fish, as an 18-pounder is not that big … and I can’t tell you how excited I was when the scale closed on Sunday” Darling said.

Jamie Morrow of Mount Vernon cashed a $4,000 second-place check with a 17.86-pounder and Bill Lavalle of Sedro Woolley banked $2,000 with a 17.6-pounder in third. Eight-year-old Axel Wilhonen landed a 17.18-pounder to win the youth division, using a rod and reel that he won in the 2008 derby.

Benefitting future fish professionals: Proceeds from the Anacortes Salmon Derby fund scholarships for young men and women pursuing careers in fisheries and related sciences. Over $29,000 was generated for such scholarships in 2008.

"This event is the result of hundreds and hundreds of hours of planning and effort by members of the Fidalgo Chapter of the Puget Sound Anglers, who are dedicated to producing the premier salmon derby in the state,” said derby chairman Jay Field. “This charitable community event could not take place without the ongoing support from the Port of Anacortes and the generosity of local businesses."

-JS

SALMON REPORT: 34-pounder hits the beach for Lopez Flats angler
NEW March 8, 2009 / 10:45 a.m

ANACORTES, Wash - Imagine the double-take at Washington Park when Lester Cole hauled this Hawgasaurus out of his fish box for the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife fish checker.

That's 34.5 POUNDS of hatchery winter Chinook, taken off the Lopez Flats late last week.

T-H-I-R-T-Y F-O-U-R P-O-I-N-T F-I-V-E!!!

A 20-plus-pound winter blackmouth is common enough around the Juans (it typically takes a 20-plus-pounder to win a winter derby up there), but a 34?

That's just ridiculous.

"Biggest fish I've ever caught was a 26, but a 34? Man, that's a BIG fish," says Jay Field, organizer of the Anacortes Salmon Derby.

Derby days a'comin': Need I remind you that $12,000 cash awaits the winner of the abovementioned Anacortes derby, March 28-29?

-JS

SALMON REPORT: Seattle PI runs feature story on San Juans
NEW March 6, 2009 / 3:10 p.m

ANACORTES, Wash - Just try to get away from Jay Field, I dare you.

Field, the Tasmanian Devil organizer of the Anacortes Salmon Derby, is the poster boy for the 2009 Northwest Salmon Derby Series - if you've been to a tackle shop between Blaine and Beaverton, you've seen him grinning back at you in full 2 x 4-foot glory.

PI outdoors writer Greg Johnston fished the San Juans with Jay a couple of weeks ago, and the resulting feature story is a great read.

8CLICK HERE to read the PI feature on winter blackmouth. And, the next time you see Field out on the water, bring a Sharpie. He loves it when people ask him for autographs.

-JS

SALMON REPORT: Kester whacks 'em at Point no Point

EVERETT, Wash - The blackmouth bite has been hot and cold out of Marine Area 9, but for Nick Kester at All Star Charters, last week saw a flurry of activity at Point No Point.

Checking in on the Saturday, Feb. 21 Wooldridge First Water segment of Northwest Wild Country, Kester gave us the scoop on the three fish above: an 11.7-pounder, a 9.8-pounder and an 8.11-pounder.

"We finally had some good flat, calm water out there, and got into No Point and Norwegien Point and found some good numbers," says Kester.

X CLICK HERE to listen to the First Water podcast.

-JS

SALMON REPORT NEWS FLASH: Anacortes Derby sold out
NEW Feb. 15, 2009 / 5:30 p.m

ANACORTES, Wash - Tickets for the 2009 Anacortes Salmon Derby are officially sold out. Derby organizer Jay Field announced Sunday that the last 100 of the 800 total tickets alloted for the March 28-29 derby had been purchased.

8Click HERE for derby info

SALMON REPORT: 18.6-pounder takes Roche Harbor Classic

ROCHE HARBOR, Wash - The weather was in full cooperation for the 80 boats competing in the Roche Harbor Classic this weekend. So were the blackmouth: 113 fish were weighed in, including an 18.6-pounder that won one angler a cool $10,000 cash.

Bellingham angler Shannon Terrell hooked an 18-pound, 6-ounce fish near Point Doughty to lead the derby after the first day, and then held up to the charge of 46 fish weighed in on Saturday's final day. Terrell's fish was a full 2 pounds heavier than any other fish weighed in (a 16.1 took home the $5,000 second-place prize).

"Excellent, excellent derby," said Tony Floor, the organizer of the Northwest Salmon Derby Series, which kicked off its 13-event schedule in Roche Harbor. "There were quite a few bigger wild fish that had to be released, but overall, the mark rate was good, the fishing was excellent, and I'm already making my reservations for the Islands for the summer. The sizes of the fish weighed in indicates a good survival of 4-year-old fish. Fishing up here in the summer is going to be outstanding."

SALMON REPORT: San Juans provide February big-fish opportunity
NEW Feb. 2, 2009 / 6:00 p.m

ROCHE HARBOR, Wash - You talk to the regulars of the Roche Harbor Salmon Classic, and, to a man, they have an "I got my butt kicked" story about February weather in the San Juan Islands.

Also to a man, they have stories of the 15- to 20-pound blackmouth that it takes to be in the money in the Roche Harbor derby. To put it bluntly, Marine Area 7 and the San Juan Islands are among the best winter blackmouth fisheries in Puget Sound, weather be damned.

8CLICK HERE for a handful of spots that kick out a derby-winning fish while protecting you (somewhat!) from the weather.

SALMON REPORT: Featured in January Salmon, Trout, Steelheader
NEW Feb. 2, 2009 / 6:00 p.m

ARLINGTON, Wash - Here's a little flavor of the Marine Area 8-1 & 8-2 map feature I wrote for the January issue of Salmon, Trout, Steelheader Magazine:

In the early 1960s, Washington governor Albert Rosselini tapped a young Department of Fisheries biologist named Frank Haw to engineer a hatchery program that would provide a year-around Chinook fishery in Puget Sound.

Haw’s research in local hatcheries had uncovered the fact that, when held in their natal rearing facility for a year beyond their regular 3- to 4-month-old release timing, hatchery Chinook lost their instinct to migrate into the north Pacific Ocean. At the direction of the governor’s office, a new “local” Chinook stock was created, and on its heels came a Puget Sound blackmouth fishery that became the backbone of metropolitan Seattle’s winter saltwater fisheries in the 1970s and 80s.

8CLICK HERE to order the back issue.

-JS

SALMON REPORT: Anacortes Derby bumps cash prize to $12,000
NEW Feb. 2, 2009 / 6:00 p.m

ANACORTES, Wash - How'd you like to cash a check for $12,000, just for catching one blackmouth?

Only one place you can do that: at the Anacortes Salmon Derby, March 28-29.

The Anacortes Derby is only 3 years old, but it's quickly become one of the major derby events on the West Coast. It's already the biggest blackmouth derby in terms of sheer number of competitors (800 tickets are sold), and now with a $12,000 grand prize, it's the richest as well.

Tickets went on sale Feb. 1, and I wouldn't wait around to get one: the derby will sell out by the end of the month.

This is a great event that has generated tens of thousands of dollars for the Fidalgo Chapter PSA's scholarship fund, which has awarded tens of thousands in scholarships for college students participating in fisheries/biology studies at the University of Washington, Western Washington U. and Skagit Valley College.

Wild Country Live!: It's fast becoming a tradition: I will broadcast LIVE from the Anacortes Derby on March 28.

Tune in!

-JS

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