King limit increases Saturday off Neah Bay, La Push

FISHERMEN CAN KEEP two kings while fishing off Neah Bay or La Push starting Saturday and continuing through Sept. 15, if guidelines remain in effect.

After meeting with sport fishing advisors Wednesday, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife announced that the catch limits for chinook salmon in Marine Areas 4 (Neah Bay) and 3 (La Push) were sufficient to increase chinook retention without risking an early closure of the fishery. Both areas opened to recreational salmon fishing for all species on June 22.

As of Sunday, in Marine Area 4, 25 percent, or 2,371, of the 9,430 chinook salmon covered by the directive, and 10 percent, or 800 of the 8,300 coho salmon covered by the hatchery quota, have been landed.

The total catch per fishing trip off Neah Bay is 0.52 for all salmon, 0.44 for chinook salmon, and 0.07 for hatchery-tagged coho salmon.

In Marine Area 3, 148 (9 percent) of the 1,630 chinook salmon targeted by the directive and 87 (4 percent) of the 2,070 coho salmon tagged by the hatchery have been landed as of Sunday.

The total catch per fishing trip is 0.85 for all salmon, 0.54 for chinook salmon and 0.32 for hatchery-tagged coho salmon.

Brinnon’s Beck appears

Keith Beck, owner of McKay Shrimp and Crab Gear, will provide an overview of his Brinnon-based business and share tips and techniques for crabbing and shrimping success at Wednesday’s meeting of the North Olympic Peninsula Chapter of Puget Sound Anglers.

Beck and his family have lived in the Brinnon area for five generations. His store is located at 306362 US Highway 101.

The meeting will be held at the Sequim Elks Lodge, 143 Port Williams Road, doors will open at 6:30 p.m. and the meeting will begin at 7 p.m.

A short business meeting, fishing reports and raffles will follow Beck’s lecture.

The top prize in the raffle is a custom-built, spiral-wound Rainshadow RDR96MH E-glass downrigger rod from Bill Batson and Batson Enterprises of Sequim.

Tickets for the fishing rod raffle are $10 each.

Raffles are for members only. Visitors can join the group for $25 or $35 for a family membership, which includes the monthly newspaper The Reel News.

Elwha Bridge Closure

Anyone traveling to Sekiu for Sekiu Fun Days or other points west should remember the nine-day closure of the Elwha River Bridge on U.S. Highway 101, which begins tonight at 6 p.m. and will reopen at 5 a.m. July 22.

During the closure, travelers will detour via National Highway 112 and National Highway 113.

The road closure will allow crews to build a section of highway approaching the new bridge and remove the portion approaching the old span.

A larger bridge with a much gentler curve leading into the span will await you.

The new bridge is 40 feet wide and has two traffic lanes of 12 feet each. The shoulders are 8 feet wide to allow for pedestrians or people on foot to pass through. The new bridge meets modern standards for earthquake resistance.

Halibut Update

After the final weeks of the spring halibut fishing season are tabulated, there are 78,743 pounds of halibut quota remaining, or 26 percent, statewide.

Puget Sound fishermen, including those in Marine Area 5 (Sekiu), harvested 67 percent (54,957 pounds) of their subarea quota of 81,729 pounds.

Fishermen on the north shore off Neah Bay landed 77 percent, or 101,852 pounds, of a 132,366-pound quota for the subarea.

When the halibut season resumes on August 15, all marine areas open to retention will have access to the full remaining quota.

Planning for the 2025 halibut season will begin with a virtual meeting at 4:30 p.m. on August 13.

Preliminary recommendations regarding changes to the catch-sharing plan and season structure will be made before the Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting scheduled for September 19-24 in Spokane.

To join via Microsoft Teams, use meeting ID: 232 465 130 970 and passcode: gcoZzY.

Or call 564-999-2000 with ID: 452 157 066#.

Burning Ban on DNR Lands

A burn ban on Department of Natural Resources lands went into effect Wednesday as hot, dry summer weather continues to increase wildfire risk across the state. Several wildfires are already raging across the state.

The order prohibits open burning, campfires, the use of charcoal briquettes and prescribed burning on all forest lands under the department’s fire protection until Sept. 30. That date may be extended or shortened depending on fire conditions.

“The record-breaking temperatures we’re seeing this week have left our state completely dry,” said Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz. “I’m asking all Washingtonians to do their part to protect our firefighters and communities this summer. Please do not light fires outdoors and stay alert when you’re outside.”

Residents who see smoke should call 911 to report the fire. For tips on how to stay safe during fire season, visit https://www.dnr.wa.gov/WildfirePrevention.

Wildfire statistics are available on the DNR’s fire dashboard at http://fireinfo.dnr.wa.gov.

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Sportswriter/columnist Michael Carman can be reached at [email protected].