The Fishing Report – A four letter word

All ocean fishermen are the descendants of ancient sailors. That is how fishermen got around, by sail boat. Evolution has produced a fisherman that now uses power to get to and from the fishing grounds, but he is still a sailor at heart. So it comes as no surprise that four letter words dot the vocabulary of most fishermen much as they do today’s sailors. But I don’t think there is a more heinous four letter word in the fisherman’s vocabulary than the word “wind.” And yet to a sailor, that word is their boat life’s blood, a dichotomy for sure.
And wind is what we have had a lot of lately. Gusts up to 40 miles per hour have routinely been reported off our coast for the last two weeks along with huge swell trains to 20 feet. Most sane salmon fishermen have been tied up at the dock since the opening weekend on April 6. To comfort their time off the water most experienced, knowledgeable fishermen know that the big spring winds allow for excellent summer fishing conditions. Without the winds, the sea can turn into a desert, like in 2009. The fish can starve to death. There was nothing for the out migrating smolt to eat and the larger fish sought food farther off our coast, out of the reach of most recreational fisherman. The following season was closed to all salmon fishing. But right now the nutrients are being forced to the surface and with it; the huge balls of krill and pink shrimp are becoming prolific. The king salmon will take advantage of any food source available but they grow extremely quickly when feeding on the krill. In addition, for whatever reason, the king salmon seems to be a stronger more spirited fish in the spring when feeding on the shrimp and as table fare, a spring chinook can’t be beat, piscatorially anyway.
A king salmon can grow an inch a week which equals about a pound. A two-year-old 20 inch, five pound fish can grow to more than 25 pounds by the end of the summer with an ample food source like krill and the wind is what starts it all. So when you hear someone complain about the wind, remind them of what they said in July when we are enjoying the great fishing and table fare to come.
Another advantage of not fishing right now because of the winds is that with the increased size limit of 24 inches this year through July 31, from Pt. Arena south (August 1, it goes to a 20 inch size limit), it will give the fish another 3-4 weeks to fatten up and get bigger. You won’t have to release any of those marginal 23 inchers. They will all be 24-25 inches or better. Speaking of regulations, I hope everybody that is planning a summer salmon fishing trip took notice that the DFG is going to close the season Mondays and Tuesdays from June 1 until July 9. This is intended to offset any incidental winter run catch. You would think that 3 or 4 weeks of spring winds forcing a lack of fishing could be considered enough to mitigate that but this just isn’t a fluid process. For those of you looking to buy your fresh locally caught king salmon, commercial season will open on May 1. The commercial season will be closed for a couple of weeks in June and then again in July.
For more fishing reports and/or information, please contact Hunt Conrad at Prospect Mortgage, 431-9715.