Willapa Bay report 8/31/10

Just talked to the marina----he said fishing for kings was good this weekend, a couple silvers brought in.  "Has been spotty, but things are picking up"

Thanks, kallitype. Sunday I bumped into to the local game warden down at another boat ramp in the Bay (Smith Creek), after not going salmon fishing. He told me that Sunday was a bit slower than it had been earlier in the week. A gal I spoke with said she fished with her husband and friends earlier in the week, and they got about .5 fish per angler in their boat. She said they got one of each, a king and a coho, but she wasn't one of the lucky ones, and she was dyin' to get back out!

I might try later in the week, or else after the 8th. I won't go out in that zoo over this weekend, though. They are having their annual Labor Day fishing derby. I usually like to go during the week and avoid the weekend congestion.

Good idea!  The commercial nets fo in Sep 12th this year, 3 days earlier than last year.  Bummer----I am camping on Lopez until the 15th.

Yeah, and there's a limited special gill net fishery going on at various times before the 15th in the Bay, too. I think 5 boats are involved. The WDFW is doing this to try to fine tune their info on the Wild King run timing vs the hatchery Kings. With better info, they might be able to design the commercial netting schedules and hatchery run timing so that more Wild Kings will escape. This info might also let the gill netters more effectively target the hatchery fish.
I asked my neighbor, a lifelong commercial fisherman and a gill netter, what he thought about this, and if his was one of the boats involved.  He laughed and said "Me? Ha! I think its just more bullsh*t!"

Have a great time on Lopez!

I have some property on the Bear River at the south end of Willapa Bay.  I've thought about giving it a try but just never got around to it.  There's salmon in the Bear River though so I wouldn't have to go far...