Hefty blackmouth earns angler Brinnon derby crown

BOB BROWN, FOR THE OLYMPIAN

Originally published Friday, March 8, 2002

JEFFERSON COUNTY -- A 19-pound, 14-ounce blackmouth took top honors at the Geoduck Fishing Derby last weekend in Brinnon.

The fish, caught by Jerry Johnson of Brinnon, is the largest blackmouth taken in the 20 years of the derby.

The weather was great and so was the fishing, especially at Stavies Bay, Black Point and Oak Head, said Murray Perley, sponsor of the event.

Approximately 150 anglers participated and 85 fish were weighed in.

The first prize was $600. The second prize of $300 went to Rick Davis, also of Brinnon, with an 18-pound, 14.5-ounce blackmouth.

Here is a look at how fishing has been going elsewhere around southwest Washington the past few days:

Rivers

- COLUMBIA: Salmon angler effort has increased on the lower river, but catch rates have been low.

Boaters averaged only .25 chinook per vessel near Columbia City and bank fishers in the Portland-to-Longview area did not find much success.

Nearly 200 salmon boats were counted from the I-5 Bridge downstream.

In addition, 329 salmon fishers were counted along the banks on the Oregon side, with 57 more on the Washington shore.

- KALAMA: A creel check last week counted 52 bank fishers with eight steelhead, along with one hatchery fish and two wild steelhead released.

The 59 boaters checked had 14 steelhead and had released one hatchery fish and 12 wild steelhead.

- COAST: Fishing has been fair, but the native fish have not come back in expected numbers, said Bob Gooding of Olympic Sporting Goods in Forks.

The Hoh River is the best prospect.

A few steelhead in the 20-pound range have been brought in, but most have been 10 to 16 pounds.

Boaters are leaning toward plugs for best results, while bank fishers are relying on sand shrimp, corkies and yarn.

- CHEHALIS: Anglers must be willing to work to catch the fish, said Ray Dean of Monte Square Food Mart in Montesano.

The fish are averaging 10 to 15 pounds.

- COWLITZ: Fishing has been fair and boaters are saying there are lots of fish in the river, said Karen Glazer of Barrier Dam Campground.

A creel check last week counted 16 bank anglers at the barrier with one steelhead kept and one released.

At Blue Creek, six bank anglers had no catch, while 18 boaters had 11 adult and one jack steelhead. Two steelhead were released.

- SATSOP: Some big, native fish are being caught, said Walt Harvey of Verle's Sports in Shelton. Fishing has not been red-hot.

- LEWIS: Fishing has been slow for both bank and boat anglers.

Flows below Merwin Dam are reported to be 6,000 cubic feet per second.

Saltwater

- TACOMA: Fishing was a hit-and-miss proposition last week, said Art Tachell of Point Defiance Boathouse & Marina.

The fish are everywhere, but no one spot seems to be overly productive. Those fishing biting have not been hitting hard, Tachell said.

The blackmouth caught have averaged 5 to 7 pounds.

Mooching and trolling have been equally effective, Tachell said.

Sturgeon

Last weekend, the greatest concentration of Columbia River boaters after sturgeon in the Portland-to-Longview area was at Sauvie Island.

Boaters fishing near Columbia City and Sauvie Island averaged 0.1 legal-sized sturgeon per boat. Boaters in the gorge averaged 0.48 legals per boat.

Fishing was slow in the Kalama area.

Last Saturday, more than 500 sturgeon boats were counted from Bonneville Dam downstream and most of those were between Vancouver and the dam. Effort may have been heavier than normal due to a sturgeon derby.

Smelt

Smelt fishers on the Cowlitz River reported catching their 20-pound limits in 10 minutes near Castle Rock last weekend.

Fishing was slow on the Lewis River.

Fly-fishing

- SALTWATER: Good reports continue to come in on the resident coho outlook, said Tom Bolender of the Streamside Anglers store in Tumwater.

The Narrows is producing fish, but not in numbers earlier reported. Bolender said a little scouting can produce some good results.

Amphipod feeders are sipping the surface and can best be caught with a long leader and floating line.

The baitfish feeders are always susceptible to a Clouser Minnow. Many cutthroat trout are heading back from freshwater areas and any river mouth should be a good spot to catch those fish.

- RIVERS: Steelhead are still being caught in good numbers on the Wynoochee River, and the Skookumchuck is just starting to load up.

Egg-sucking leeches and Glo Bugs are always good bets.

The Deschutes has been a little slow, but the fish being caught reportedly are larger than normal. Woolly Buggers and stonefly nymphs have been good choices.

March browns and little brown stoneflies are hatching, so the top-water action is just around the corner.

- LAKES: In Mason County, Cady Lake is starting to heat up. Woolly Buggers fished close to the banks are good.

In Thurston County, Lake St. Clair and Offut Lake have been seeing hatches of chironimids and a few surface feeders on the warm evenings. Try thin mint buggers.

Bob Brown is a correspondent for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-754-5432.

The Olympian Copyright 2002

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