Olympic Peninsula Salmon Derby Presidents day weekend

Well I guess you got that right Craig, I'm still new to this sport and didn't realize that it was so marginal.  It reminds me of the early days of Snowboarding, those of us riding then saw the future very clearly but trying to get the skiers on board was sure a challenge, I would just sort of chuckle to myself and say, "give us 10 years".  Yeah Mark, I was a bit miffed too when I saw the brief response.  But lets get out there and do our best to place.

Freshwater Bay is the most protected  from westerly's etc and quickest access to fishing grounds.  Ediz hook is a good place to launch from but will require quite a paddle to get to the humps or winter hole which usually is the best spot in our area.  That was one of the reason's I was thinking of a human powered division, the possibility of launching from easier access spots that boaters can't use.  I think the PA holes have the most potential for us.  I will post more later but these are the area's I've fished the most.

If we want to bunk up as a group check out Fort Worden State Park, it has lots of types of accommodations from tent camping to Officers Quarters Homes and everything in between:

http://www.parks.wa.gov/fortworden/rates.aspx

Also has miles of beach access and a boat ramp. I dont think thte PB'ers will be using this ramp so it could work well for kayaks. Looks like fishing right out of the boat launch would be good. Also if we work the logistics of leaving one vehicle at the check in station maybe it would make retrieving kayaks easier.



iHop

Sequim is good but have been blasted by tides there also. Just need to hit it at the right tide. Dairiki.org has a tide and current chart.

Freshwater Bay is a great spot. Probably the best spot launching in that area for kayaks. Fishing is really close.

I may be interested in this too.  I have no clue what my plans are for Presidents Day though.

I haven't completely read the rules but I think I saw something stating that fish must be transported directly off the boat to the check station.  I read this to mean we would have to launch at one of the check station ramps to enter fish.  I need to still fully read the rules so I have a better picture of the derby etc

I haven't completely read the rules but I think I saw something stating that fish must be transported directly off the boat to the check station.  I read this to mean we would have to launch at one of the check station ramps to enter fish.  I need to still fully read the rules so I have a better picture of the derby etc

From GSDA site:
b) Fish must be transported by boat (via water) to an official Derby weigh station (at each launch ramp; see “Weigh Stations” in this brochure). A Derby official will log in each catch. A fish biologist will be on hand to check fish.

There are five launch ramps with weigh stations:

• Freshwater Bay Boat Ramp (‘A’ on map) Off Rt. 112, near Joyce
• Ediz Hook Boat Ramp (‘B’ on map) Near Coast Guard Station at end of hook
• John Wayne Marina (‘C’ on map) On West Sequim Bay Rd., near Rt. 101
• Gardiner Boat Ramp (‘D’ on map) On Gardiner Beach Rd., near Rt. 101
• Port Townsend Boat Haven (‘E’ on map) At Boat Haven gas dock (Fish’n Hole)

That would make Freshwater Bay a nice spot. Ohbryant has some good insight on other alternatives (above).

how far to most power boaters run from those ports to get on fish?

I know nothing about Port Townsend but the Gardiner launch give's access to Discovery Bay and the good grounds are on the far side of protection Island a very long paddle.  In My experience you may find Blackmouth anywhere though, still I opt for the proven fishing grounds.  Same from John Wayne, just too much of a paddle to be productive for Kayaks and the currents can be hellish. 

So the only area's I would consider fishing are Freshwater Bay and Ediz hook.  Freshwater Bay puts you immeditatly on the fish, but locals  tend to favor the Winter hole off Editz hook which I believe is right off the Red Buoy, a good 1 hr paddle.  The upside is sometimes the fish are right off the tip of Ediz hook so you can troll your way there.  I haven't seen 2012 tide charts but it looks like there might be a moderate to strong exchange that weekend, in that event we want to focus our efforts around the tide changes.  Anywhere you fish in the Strait has current issues on the bigger tide exchanges and I've been stuck paddling upstream for several hours on more than one occasion.  You can usually wait out the tide change, but in the winter this could be problematic for obvious reasons.  Still, there has been an abundance of Blackmouth the last couple years and if the fall was any indication of the quantity of fish out there it may be a good winter and worth the hassles.

   I'd be up for a recon anytime after Jan 1st.Except Superbowl Sunday too.That's like a national holiday at my house.
   Maybe a couple of trips ---one to try Freshwater Bay--another to try off Ediz Hook---and maybe a 3rd for the hell of it.
   Stay tuned.


   Just got this e-mail from the derby director.Wanted to share it with you all...................

  Message body
 




Hi Mark & Bryan.

 

Just to drop the other shoe on this: The Gardiner Salmon Derby Association, which runs the Olympic Peninsula Salmon Derby each February, discussed your comments at a regular meeting last night (Tuesday 11/29). The conclusions were:

 

1.      We’re obviously all glad about anybody who is fishing for salmon and supporting the fishery! Keep it up!

2.      As always, we are happy if kayakers and other non-powered boaters choose to participate in our derby, and compete for our normal prize ladder, mystery fish prizes, etc. Considering that each year’s prizewinners often come from kayak-accessible areas, we think you’d have a good chance as even competitors.

3.      If your group is able to assemble its own set of special prizes, sponsorships, donations, etc. for awarding after our Presidents Day Weekend event, then we suggest you organize your own prize ladder – essentially like a “side bet” among the kayakers. We’ll be happy to provide you with the complete fish ladder in electronic or paper form on Monday, shortly after the end of the derby, so that you can compare our list with your own members to identify your own winners. You could award your own prizes on Monday afternoon.

4.      If you have significant numbers who want to participate, and significant donations, then we suggest you consider running your own derby, which would probably be the most fun for you as a group, rather than trying to piggyback on ours. Fish BOTH derbies.

5.      You might find better kayak participation levels later in the year, when the hazards of February weather are past.

6.      We are to have as many people as possible participating in our derby, regardless of what gear they use. However, we are uncomfortable about promoting our derby in a way that features kayak or unpowered fishing. We are concerned that this might encourage novices to get involved. Although you and your peers may be very experienced in rough-/cold-weather fishing, we’d obviously have liability concerns if a bunch of kids from California came up expecting a light-duty weekend event. People have to be prepared for snow, high seas, self-rescue, etc.

 

If it does turn out that dozens or hundreds of kayakers decide to participate in this February’s event, then we would of course be interested in coordinating the best way to develop that activity in future derbies. However, those kind of numbers seem unlikely, frankly, based on our past experience.

 

Best wishes - Trevor

 

 

 

 


 

Trevor Hanson

THanson@GardinerSalmonDerby.org



Gardiner Salmon Derby Association

P.O. Box 357
Sequim, WA 98382

360.797.0087
www.GardinerSalmonDerby.org

Seems very reasonable to me.

  I was looking at google maps for a launch site in Freshwater Bay.It looks like there might be one at Observatory Point off of Seagull Drive.Is there another launch area that I'm not seeing ?
  Looking forward to some recon missions...........

Freshwater Bay has it's own launch site, and the rules for the derby do require us return by the listed sites, this is the main reason I was lobbying for a kayak division.  It is a good kayak launch site.  The big problem in our area is a shortage of good spots to get to the water from.  There is no water access between Freshwater Bay and Salt Creek.   I thought I read in the rules last year that we had to launch and return at a derby site, didn't see that this year.

Salmon fishing here opens on the that weekend so a mission prior to that would be a fishless one.  It is a great place to paddle and shoot photos. 

We will be out of town for a bit but back in mid Jan.

Weather can be a concern as always but last year was pretty good the whole derby.

Try Google Earth and NOAA Charts to get some idea as to where to fish.  I think salmon university has some tips too. 

Is catch and release allowed prior to the season opening? Are there other fish that would be open in January?

   Looking at the regs--the species that are open to year round fishing are:surfperch,Pacific cod,pollack,hake,trout(2 hatchery steelhead may be retained)sturgeon,mackeral,herring,smelt,anchovy,sardine,adn sand lance.
    No rockfish (bummer) allowed.And during the derby--chinook,min.size 22" daiily limit 1.

    I'd guess that catch and release would be okay.Otherwise it seems pretty restricted for keeping much if I'm reading the regs correctly.