FISHING
Sekiu and Washington’s Marine Area 5 are known for putting out a bigger grade of saltwater Chinook during the late winter/early spring fishery, with a few into the upper teens. Joey Pyburn shows off one he caught with The Outdoor Line radio show cohost Tom Nelson last March. (TOM NELSON)
More To Sekiu Than Chinook True, the Straits’ winter salmon fishery is the prime draw this time of year, and here we detail how to fish it, but don’t overlook nearby bottomfish ops. By Mark Yuasa
O
nce regarded as a major rest area along the salmon highway, Sekiu in the western Strait of Juan de Fuca has now turned into a much more diverse fishing area. While the focus this time of year is
primarily on prized winter Chinook, also known as blackmouth, there are other abundant fish stocks like black rockfish, lingcod and halibut that’ll come into play during late winter and spring. “I’m excited about what’s in store for winter Chinook. We had a good
season last year and are hopeful to repeat it again this year,” says Brandon Mason, owner of Mason’s Olson Resort (olsons-resort.com) at Sekiu. “The nice thing about Sekiu is we’ve got enough fisheries happening to keep3 folks busy from when it opens on March 1 clear into summertime.” nwsportsmanmag.com | MARCH 2022
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