Season Opener For Lingcod Gets Good Start At Neah Bay

Neah Bay is revered as a mecca for lingcod, and fishing on Tuesday's opener was excellent.

"There was lots of lingcod in the 10- to 20-pound range, and most were caught right off Waadah Island," said Ron Pennington at Big Salmon Resort in Neah Bay.

Other good spots are the harbor's jetty, Sail Rock, Seal Rock and Koitlah Point.

The daily limit is two lingcod over 22 inches long east of the Bonilla-Tatoosh line, and three fish west of the line.

The coast is open year-round. The daily limit is three lingcod over 22 inches long.

"We've found pretty good lingcod and rockfish fishing," said Steve Westrick at Westport Charters in Westport.

The Strait of Juan de Fuca (from the Sekiu River mouth to the Point Wilson-Point Partridge line) and Puget Sound opens for lingcod May 1-June 15. The daily limit is one lingcod over 26 inches long.

The San Juan Islands' deep rocky shorelines are prime lingcod areas. Other decent bets are Sekiu, Crescent Bay, Green Point east of Port Angeles, the Toliva Shoals (near Steilacoom), the old sunken Narrows Bridge, and Point Evans.

Lingcod populations have steadily rebounded in the past few years due to lower catch limits and new size restrictions. In the spring, lingcod spawn in shallow water near rockpiles and sharp dropoffs.

Top hot spots of the week

1. Razor clam digging on coastal beaches: "Success was limited (yesterday) due to bad weather, but there are plenty of good-sized clams on beaches and low tides this week should improve digging," said Dan Ayres, a state Fish and Wildlife shellfish biologist.

Beaches from Cape Shoalwater to the Grays Harbor south jetty, and from Kalaloch Beach Trail No. 3 to the Olympic National Park South Beach Campground are open on odd-numbered days during morning tides.

2. Trout fishing in local year-round lakes: Fair to good bets are Blackman's Lake in Snohomish; Flowing Lake north of Monroe; Spanaway Lake south of Tacoma; Ohop Lake north of Eatonville; Tanwax Lake north of Eatonville; Clear Lake south of Sedro-Woolley; Pass Lake near Deception Pass; and Roesiger Lake north of Monroe. Seasonal lakes open April 27.

3. Chinook fishing at Allen Bank off Blake Island and Point No Point: This week's morning ebb tides should offer decent action. Point No Point Boathouse anglers were averaging one chinook per boat. Allen Bank was fair at best, but a few anglers had glory moments for chinook, 7 to 15 pounds.

4. Chinook fishing on the Wind River and Drano Lake: Weekend average was one chinook caught for every 10 boat anglers on the Wind River, and one chinook for every eight on the Wind River. Gauge this fishery by the Bonneville Dam fish counts. On Monday and Tuesday, 811 chinook were counted.

5. Sturgeon and walleye fishing in the Columbia River: "Good sturgeon fishing in the gorge, but the best area is Horsetail Falls near Dodson," said Chuck Tracy, state Fish and Wildlife biologist. Excellent for walleyes in The Dalles Pool, with 57 legal walleyes kept, and 134 walleyes caught and released.

New salmon-steelhead fishing regulations

-- 1996-97 steelhead regulations for the Olympic Peninsula region rivers:

Five-wild-steelhead season limit in the Quillayute river system, includes the Bogachiel, Calawah, Dickey and Soleduck. Two-wild-steelhead season limit for Hoh River Basin and Clearwater River.

Bogachiel River, one wild steelhead daily from mouth to Hwy. 101, and wild steelhead release from Hwy. 101 to the park's boundary, Dec. 1-April 30.

Calawah River, one wild steelhead daily from mouth to Hwy. 101, and wild steelhead release from Hwy. 101 to the south fork mouth, Dec. 1-April 30. Wild steelhead release Dec. 1-Feb. 28 on the south fork.

Clearwater River, one wild steelhead daily, Dec. 1-April 15. Dickey River, one wild steelhead daily, Dec. 1-April 30. Goodman Creek, one wild steelhead daily, Dec. 1-Feb. 28. Quillayute River, one wild steelhead daily, Dec. 1-April 30. Soleduck River, one wild steelhead daily, Dec. 1-April 30.

Hoh River, one wild steelhead daily on mainstem from mouth to Hwy. 101, and wild steelhead release from Hwy. 101 to the south fork mouth, Dec. 1-April 15. Wild steelhead release year-round on the south fork.

-- 1996-97 salmon seasons for marine areas:

Catch Areas 1, 2, 3, 4 (Washington coast): Ilwaco, Westport, La Push and Neah Bay seasons are contingent on Canadian commercial coho troll fishery off Vancouver Island. A Westport boat basin fall fishery, and a Willapa Bay late summer-fall fishery may occur.

Buoy 10 (Columbia River mouth): Open August to September, or until 30,000 coho are caught. Two salmon daily, 16-inch minimum size limit, release chinook, sockeye and chum Aug. 1-Sept. 30; six salmon daily (two adults only), 12-inch minimum size limit, release sockeye and chum Oct. 1-March 31. North jetty is open daily, when Area 1 or Buoy 10 are open.

Catch Areas 5 and 6 (Strait of Juan de Fuca): Two salmon daily through June 15. Chinook over 30 inches and coho must be released through June 15. Closed June 16-Oct. 31, but may reopen Sept. 3 with a 40,000 coho guideline (if Canada agrees to catch less than 1.2 million coho). Reopens with a two salmon daily (no coho in catch) Nov. 1-April 30. Dungeness Bay coho (two daily) fishery Oct. 1-31.

Catch Area 7 (San Juan Islands): Open through April 30, with a two salmon daily. Chinook over 30 inches must be released through June 15. Bellingham Bay closed through July 31, then two salmon daily Aug. 1-31; four salmon daily (two chinook only) Sept. 1-Nov. 30. Samish Bay closed Aug. 1-Oct. 15.

Area 8-1 (Deception Pass, Hope Island, Skagit Bay): Closed through Oct. 31; two salmon daily Nov. 1-April 15. Oak Harbor, two coho daily Sept. 1-Oct. 31.

Area 8-2 (Ports Susan and Gardner): Closed May 1-Sept. 30; two salmon daily, Oct. 1-April 30. Port Susan closed through Oct. 31. Tulalip Bay, two salmon daily, Aug. 1-Sept. 30 (contingent on Canada coho catch).

Area 9 (North Puget Sound): Two salmon daily through July 4, closed July 5-Oct. 15; two salmon daily Oct. 16-April 30 (no coho in catch Oct. 16-31). Edmonds Pier, two salmon daily open year-round. Port Gamble, two salmon daily Sept. 1-Oct. 31.

Area 10 (Central Puget Sound): Two salmon daily through July 4; closed July 5-Oct. 15. Areas south of Alki Point-Restoration Point and Agate Pass, two salmon daily July 5-Oct. 15, and Oct. 16-April 30 (contingent on Canada coho catch). Pier 86 and Seacrest pier in Elliott Bay are open year-round. Elliott Bay chinook fishery depends on in-season run assessments.

Areas 11 and 13 (South Puget Sound): Two salmon daily open year-round. Commencement Bay closed through June 30.

Area 12 (Hood Canal): Closed May 1-Oct. 31; two salmon daily Nov. 1-April 30. Hoodsport area, three chum daily Oct. 16-Dec. 15. Quilcene Bay and Dabob Bay, two coho daily Aug. 16-Oct. 31.

Fishing spots

-- Sekiu - Slow to fair during last weekend's derby. -- Port Angeles - Slow for chinook. -- Midchannel Bank, Port Townsend - "A few fish caught Saturday, but it was dead Sunday," said Jim Bates, expert salmon angler and a King County Superior Court judge. On Sunday, 35 boats caught two chinook. -- San Juan Islands - On Sunday, "there was a ferocious chinook bite between 7 and 9 a.m. off Middle Bank," said Tony Floor, expert salmon angler and a U.S. Fish and Wildlife spokesman. Also try Hein Bank, Smith Island, Obstruction Pass, Humphrey Head and Lovers Rock in Presidents Channel. On Saturday morning, Vic Haak caught a 40-pound chinook off Orcas Island's north shore, and won the Blakely Marina Derby. -- West Whidbey Island - Good for chinook off the Double Bluff buoy. -- Saratoga Passage - Slowed for chinook off Baby Island, Elger Bay and Camano Head. -- Possession Bar - Slow to fair for chinook off the bar's west side and Scatchet Head. -- Jefferson Head - Slow for chinook and coho. -- Shilshole Bay - Slow for chinook off West Point. -- Point Defiance area - Slow for chinook. -- Coastal rivers - Slow to fair for steelhead and a few spring chinook on the Soleduck and Quillayute. -- Skagit river system - Areas above Rockport are in decent fishing condition. Sauk River is a fair steelhead catch-and-release bet. A few cutthroat caught on willow flies in lower river. -- North Fork Stillaguamish River - Fair fly fishing only bet for steelhead on North Fork. -- Snohomish river system - Skykomish River is in poor fishing condition. Last week, a few steelhead were caught and released in the selective fishery area. -- Kalama River - Poor conditions. Closed for salmon. -- Lewis River - Slow for salmon from mouth to utility lines. East Fork is open for steelhead. -- Cowlitz River - Slow for steelhead and sturgeon. Very slow for salmon from mouth to I-5 bridge. -- Klickitat River - Very slow for chinook. Open Wednesdays-Saturdays until May 29 for salmon. -- Willamette River, Oregon - Fair for chinook from Oregon City to the Multnomah Channel head. Weekend average was one chinook caught for every six boats.