Outdoors Notebook | Northern B.C. royal spot for catching king salmon

It must be something in the waters of northern British Columbia, but another monster-sized king salmon was caught this past week by a local angler.

Newlyweds Tom and Tessa Aydelotte of Bainbridge Island were on a four-day fishing trip to Rivers Inlet on the northern mainland of British Columbia when they landed what is so far the biggest king caught in Canada this summer.

"It was the third day [Aug. 5] of our trip when I caught the king motor mooching a cut-plug herring with only six pulls of line out," said Tom, whose brother Jay Aydelotte caught a 47 pound king that same day.

The couple was fishing in area known as Marker 16 when at 10 a.m. the king took the bait made one initial long run, and according to Tom, "showed me his face and then dove three times before he was able to lift it back up to the surface.

It took Tom about 45 minutes to land the 80 pound king.

"My wife Tessa, who is a rookie fishermen helped me net the fish," Tom said. "That fish is the biggest I've ever caught. I got really lucky."

Tom who is the owner of Doc's Marina Grill on Bainbridge Island plans to have the king mounted, and placed on a wall in his restaurant.

During the same morning tide an angler fishing at another Rivers Inlet resort landed a 71 ½ pound king.

"We've had at least one 50-pound fish caught almost every day since we opened," said Ron Shapland, co-owner of Rivers Inlet Resort. "The fish this season are unbelievably big."

The largest king ever sport caught in the Rivers Inlet area weighed 81 ½ pounds, and was caught by David McElveen in 1989. The largest king ever recorded was 126 pounds, and was caught in an Indian net at Rivers Inlet in 1986.

On July 28, Clifton Stratton of Seattle caught a 67 pound king that measured 51 ½ inches with a girth of 33 inches on the west side of the Queen Charlotte Islands out of Englefield Bay's West Coast Resort.

On July 2, Eric Bruener of Tenino was fishing on the northern Queen Charlotte Islands off Cohoe Point near Langara Island when he hooked a 65-pound king that was 49 inches long with a girth of 33 inches.

Another 70-pound king was caught by Debby Cuchna at Tasu Sound in The Gap off Queen Charlotte Island on July 24.

Word on Lake Wenatchee sockeye

The sockeye fishery has been pretty much a no-brainer with the vast majority of anglers limiting fairly fast since it opened this past Wednesday.

According to fisheries creel samplers about 75 percent of the anglers were catching two-fish daily limits.

"They were getting limits in an hour or two on opening day," said Jeff Korth, the state Fish and Wildlife north-central region fish program manager. "We have at least 2,500 sockeye to fish on, and it should last until midweek [Aug. 13 or later]. We'll get new numbers [tomorrow] on what is coming in."

So far, more than 25,500 sockeye have been counted at Tumwater Dam.

"It was pretty good from my perspective, and we hooked 10 sockeye and landed four off a shelf on the north shore of the lake in a matter of hours," said Frank Urabeck, a local sportfishing advocate who fished with his grandson on Aug. 7.

"The fish were just pouring into the lake, and you could look down in four feet of water and there was all kinds of fish moving up into the lake," Urabeck said. "There was probably 80 boats in the water and it took us only 15 to 20 minutes to launch our boat, but I would expect more of a crowd by the weekend."

"The fish aren't bright and shiny by any means, but the meat is fine and real firm," Urabeck said.

Urabeck fished in 130 to 140 feet of water down about 45 to 50 feet below the surface. The sockeye averaged 3 to 5 pounds.

Sockeye with a colored, plastic tag near the dorsal fin, as well as all bull trout, steelhead and chinook, must be released without removing them from the water.

Selective-gear rules are in effect, except that fishing from a boat equipped with a motor is allowed

No more than three barbless hooks are allowed, no bait nor scent may be used, and knotless nets are required. Anglers may fish from one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset.

Anglers fish it similar to the Lake Washington sockeye fishery.

Downriggers are most effective to catch sockeye or a 4- to 8-ounce lead crescent sinker attached to one or two bare red, blue or black hooks on a short 9- to 12-inch leader trailed behind a 0-size chrome dodger.

The two places to launch a boat is a small, primitive ramp on U.S. Forest Service property and the other is located at Lake Wenatchee State Park.

Word on Westport

The coastal salmon fishery is in full swing, and those venturing out are finding some exceptional fishing.

"We've had some real good fishing, and the charters were back at the docks early in the morning [on Aug. 6-7]," said Mark Cedergreen, president of the Westport Charterboat Association. "Most of the chinook were in the high teens up to the mid-20 pound range, and the boats were finding them down in the ocean off Willapa Bay."

"There are less and less people turning out for what has been a good year, and I think we got some pretty bad press back in the spring when many were led to believe that the whole West Coast was closed for salmon," Cedergreen said. "That is not the truth, and we may have enough fish to last through Labor Day."

"The quality of the coho caught are nice getting up to 10 pounds dressed, and they look like they've been weightlifting."

Notes

• The Seattle Boat Show Summer Sale is 10 a.m.-7 p.m. today at Qwest Field's north parking lot, and features 250 new and used boats on trailers with huge discounts. Outdoor Emporium, Cushman Boats crab pots and Kone Zone fishing tackle will also be on hand. Those who purchase a boat will receive a $200 gift card from West Marine. Details: www.nmta.net.

• The Coast Guard Auxiliary, Edmonds Flotilla are offering fall 13-week public boating courses on Boating Skills and Seamanship Course [$55] beginning Sept. 4, and Advanced Coastal Navigation course [$75] beginning Sept. 9.

There is also an America's Boating Course, a one-day eight hour class Sept. 13 and Nov. 1. The course covers all phases of boating and completion qualifies for a newly required Washington Boaters Card. Details: 206-546-4171 or email boatclasses@hotmail.com.

• The Renton Chapter of the Puget Sound Anglers meeting is 6:15 p.m. Aug. 13 at the Kennydale Memorial Hall, 2424 N.E. 27th St. in Renton. Guest speaker is Tom Nelson of Salmon University and co-founder of the Renton PSA Chapter. Details: 206-218-9759 or www.rentonpsa.com.

• The Sportsman's Warehouse in Federal Way is hosting a class titled "The Fundamentals of Fly Casting," 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Aug. 17. Instructors are Darrel Martin, certified by the Federation of Fly-Fishers, and Michael Martin. Students are required to have some of their own gear, but the store can help with supplies. Cost is $50. Details: 253-835-4100.

• The Puget Sound Anglers SnoKing Chapter Edmonds Coho Derby is Sept. 6. Weigh-ins will be held at the Edmonds Marina and at Bayside Marine in Everett. Largest coho is worth $5,000. Tickets are now on sale and will end Sept. 1. Details: 206-624-6550 or 425-743-9505 or www.edmondscohoderby.com.

• The Tacoma Outboard Association Salmon Derby is Aug. 23. Largest salmon is worth $1,000. Cost is $10. Weigh-in at the Narrows Marina. Details: 253-564-1468.

• The Buoy 10 Salmon Challenge is Aug. 21-22 at the Lower Columbia River mouth. All activities will be at Warrior Hall at Camp Rilea in Astoria. Derby is limited to 245 entrants. Cost is $270 for a team of three anglers. Details: 503-631-8859 or www.nsiafishing.org.

• The Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group is seeking volunteers to help with the summer chum project on the Union River in Belfair. Work is needed from Aug. 15 to Oct. 15. Details: 360-275-3575.

• The Sunrise area in Mount Rainier National Park is open, and has a lodge, snack bar and visitor center. Visitors should be aware that 3 to 10 feet of snow remains on the ground, and trails in the area are generally inaccessible.

The White River Campground is open, but silt from heavy snowmelt is clogging the water system. Mowich Lake Road is open to the Paul Peak Trailhead, but up to 8 feet of snow remains on the road beyond Paul Peak. Details: 360-569-2211.

• State Fish and Wildlife is offering a women's workshop on fishing, hunting and outdoor skills with experts and other certified instructors Sept. 12-14 at Camp River Ranch in Carnation.

The workshop is coordinated by Washington Outdoor Women, a nonprofit program dedicated to teaching women outdoor skills and natural resource stewardship.

Classes offered are archery, basic fishing, fly-fishing and tying, canoeing, kayaking, preparing fish and shellfish, big-game hunting basics, map and compass reading, wilderness first aid, survival skills, wildlife identification, outdoor photography, and more.

Several state Fish and Wildlife staff members serve as volunteer instructors for the event, including biologists Laura Till and Shelly Ament who will teach "Map and Compass" and "Wildlife Identification" workshops, respectively. In all, 36 instructors will volunteer their time. Participants must be at least 18 years old and must have a current Washington recreational fishing license to participate in the fishing and fly-fishing sessions.

Cost is $225 includes the weekend's lodging, meals and use of all necessary equipment. A limited number of partial scholarships, provided by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, are available for first-time participants. Details: 425-455-1986 or www.washingtonoutdoorwomen.org.

• Mount Rainier National Park visitors can now ride a shuttle from Ashford, six miles from the park's Nisqually Entrance, to Longmire on weekends.

Shuttles will depart from Ashford every 30 minutes from 9:15 a.m. through 10:45 a.m., and every 75 minutes from noon to 5 p.m.

Although the shuttle itself is free, visitors will be required to pay the park entrance fee of $5 per person (no more than $15 per car load). Details: 360-569-2211, ext. 2301.

• The Lake Chelan National Recreation Area is celebrating its 40th Anniversary, and the Stehekin and Lake Chelan National Recreation Area are providing plenty of opportunities for family fun this summer.

Stehekin is accessible by foot, air, or passenger ferry. Hike down the Pacific Crest Trail from Highway 20 or over Cascade Pass and along the Stehekin River to arrive in Stehekin. The Lake Chelan Boat Company operates two boats (www.ladyofthelake.com) and Chelan Airways flies floatplanes (www.chelanairways.com).

Hikers of all ages and abilities can trek through nearly 400 miles of trails and more than 100 backcountry campsites accessible to hikers, boaters, and stock users are available. Details: 360-854-7245 or www.nps.gov/noca/planyourvisit.htm or www.stehekin.com.

• The North Cascades National Park Visitor Center, near the town of Newhalem, is open daily 9 a.m.-5 p.m. The center features exhibits, theater presentations, and is staffed by park rangers and volunteers. The center has access to the scenic Sterling Munro Overlook and a network of easy hiking trails such as the 1/3 mile Rock Shelter Trail and the 1.8 mile River Loop Trail.

The Wilderness Information Center in Marblemount is open daily, and offers trip planning information and is the main location for backcountry users to obtain permits required for all overnight stays. Details: www.nps.gov/noca/planyourvisit/hiking.htm. Reservations for campgrounds can be made at www.recreation.gov.

• The Washington Trails Association offers statewide trip reports and trail conditions. Details: www.wta.org.

• The Northwest Fly Anglers offers various public classes through the year. The public also is invited to club meetings on the third Thursday of each month, at the Haller Lake Community Center, 12579 Densmore Ave N., in North Seattle. Details: 206-684-7524.

• The Emerald Sea Dive Club offers year-round activities including the big buddy program and weekly and monthly dives. The club meets on the first Wednesday of every month, 7-9 p.m. at Alfy's Pizza, 4820 196th S.W. in Lynnwood. Details: 425-775-2410 or www.emeraldseadiveclub.org.

• The Seattle Audubon Society offers field trips and classes every month. Details: 206-523-4483 or www.seattleaudubon.org.

• Northend Bassmasters is accepting new members who want to learn more about bass fishing. The group meets on the first Tuesday of every month at 7 p.m. at the Crystal Creek Cafe, 22620 Bothell-Everett Highway (Canyon Park) in Bothell. Details: 206-789-4259 or e-mail Gary Millard at glmillard@comcast.net.

Mark Yuasa: 206-464-8780 or myuasa@seattletimes.com