There was more than one catch of the year in 2001
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This year's salmon fishing in many parts of Washington was superb. But, it didn't stop there.
The buzz among anglers and fisheries officials was the sheer number of state and world records being shattered in Washington.
"I had people bring humpies (pink salmon) that weighed over 14 pounds, and I had to tell them that it wasn't big enough for a record," said Curt Kraemer, a state Fish and Wildlife biologist. "There was some pretty big salmon caught, and there was a lot of them to catch, too."
Anglers who were at the right places at the right time, scored not only big fish, but plenty of hatchery salmon this year.
This included, a 54-pound king salmon caught off Westport, and many more averaged 35 pounds to 45-plus pounds. Coho in the 15- to 20-pound category weren't uncommon, as well as pinks weighing more than 10 pounds.
In August and September, Gary Ryan, a manager at Van Riper's Resort in Sekiu, would call nearly everyday with another 20-plus pound coho headed into the cooler.
"Yes, it has been an unusual year in the number of fish records broken," said Jim Byrd, who verifies records for state Fish and Wildlife. "... I would guess that the ocean conditions led to the improved numbers of fish, and also contributed to outstanding growth, at least for a few fish."
This year, the pink salmon freshwater record changed hands four times, the pink saltwater record fell twice and the coho saltwater record was surpassed three times.
Here is a list of Washington records for 2001:
• Largescale sucker — Caught: April 22, Mason Lake. Weight: 5.34 pounds. Angler: Andrew Wallman of McLeary. Lure-bait: Crawfish. Old record: 5.0 pounds, Cowlitz River, 1996, James Scott.
• Chum salmon (saltwater) — Caught: Aug. 7, Westport. Weight: 25.26 pounds. Angler: Fred Dockendorf of Stanwood. Lure-bait: Herring. Old record: 19.94 pounds, Point No Point, 1988, Arnold Hansen.
• Lake trout — Caught: Aug. 9, Lake Chelan. Weight: 33.41 pounds. Angler: Lyle R. Smith of Tacoma. Lure-bait: Plastic hoochie squid. Old record: 31.17 pounds, Lake Chelan, 1999, Phillip Rettstatt.
• Pink salmon (saltwater) — Caught: Aug. 25, Possession Point. Weight: 11.56 pounds. Angler: Jeff Bergman of Bothell. Lure-bait: Flasher and fly. Old record: 10.92 pounds, Marine Area 8-2 (Ports Susan and Gardner), Aug. 11, Christopher J. Lewis.
• Tiger musky — Caught: Sept. 22, Mayfield Lake. Weight: 31.25 pounds. Angler: John V. Bays of Chehalis. Lure-bait: Scampi. Old record: 28.25 pounds, Mayfield Lake, 1995, Ronald J. Jutte.
• Coho salmon (saltwater) — Caught: Sept. 28, Sekiu. Weight: 25.34 pounds. Angler: Martin Cooper of Port Orchard. Lure-bait: Herring. Old record: 22.48 pounds, Sekiu, Sept. 19, James Veselovec.
• Pink salmon (freshwater) — Caught: Sept. 30, Skykomish River. Weight: 14.86 pounds. Angler: Alex Minerich of Kirkland. Lure-bait: Dick Nite spoon. Old record: 14.49 pounds, Skykomish River, Sept. 22, Avis Pearson. (Note: Also breaks existing all-tackle world and junior world records).
• Coho salmon (freshwater) — Caught: Nov. 11, Quinault River. Weight: 25.27 pounds. Angler: Brad Wilson of Union. Lure-bait: Vibrax spinner. Old record: 23.5 pounds, Satsop River, Jan. 12, 1986, David Bailey.
Notes
• Barring winter storms, the coastal razor clam digging, open today through New Year's Day, should be very good.
Digging is allowed from noon until midnight each day at Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis and Mocrocks. Kalaloch is closed because of high abundance of small clams. Low tides: Today, 6:40 p.m., minus-0.8 feet; tomorrow, 7:24 p.m., -1.0; and Tuesday, 8:09 p.m., -1.0.
• Northwest Trek, a 625-acre wildlife park in Eatonville, Pierce County, offers activities throughout the year. Park hours from Jan. 1-Feb. 14 on Fridays and weekends are 10 a.m.-3 p.m., and Feb. 15-March 31, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on weekends.
Kids are Free at the Kids' 'N' Critters Naturefest, Jan. 19-21, at 9:30 a.m.; Animal Care Camps, for ages 8 to adult (ages 8-14 must be accompanied by an adult), are Jan. 27, March 17 and April 6, 8 a.m.-noon. Camp cost is $60 per person; Evergreen State Volkssport Association winter walk-a-thon is Feb. 2-3, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
Volunteers are also needed for the education and admissions departments and the gift shop. Benefits include free passes and special event discounts. For details, call 360-832-6117, or check www.nwtrek.org.
• The Winter Trails free snowshoe event is Jan. 19, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., at the Snoqualmie Pass Nordic Center.
Members of The Mountaineers Club will take newcomers and beginners snowshoeing on short snow hikes to test various types of snowshoes and to learn winter travel basics. A snowshoe class will be offered the following week for interested beginners.
For details, call 206-284-6310 or visit the Web sites at www.mountaineers.org or www.wintertrails.org.
• The Seattle Boat Show is Jan. 11-20 at the Stadium Exhibition Center located near Safeco Field. Hours are noon to 8 p.m., Mondays-Thursdays; Fridays, noon-9 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; and Sundays, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Cost is $8 adults, $4 youth, and children under age 10 are free. For details, call 206-634-0911, or visit the Web site at www.seattleboatshow.com.
• The Lake Union Boats Afloat Show is Jan. 11-20 at Chandler's Cove on Lake Union. Hours are 11 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays, and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. weekends. Cost is $10 per person or $20 for multi-day pass. For details, call 206-748-0012, or at www.boatsafloatshow.com.
Send outdoors items to Mark Yuasa, The Seattle Times Sports Dept., P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111; phone: 206-464-8780; e-mail: myuasa@seattletimes.com.