TI GH T L I N E S CONTRIBUTED BY MARK YUASA
Hook Some Chinook MARK YUASA shares his favorite spots for nabbing winter Chinook in the fishing playground of Marine Catch Area 13. In Washington, winter Chinook options are currently limited to southern Puget Sound after the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) decided in mid-January to temporarily suspend fishing in central Puget Sound in order to preserve opportunities for later in the season. Luckily, the opportunistic can still hook some chinook in Marine Catch Area 13. Initial data for the first six fishing days after central Puget Sound (Marine Catch Area 10) opened on January 1 showed catch encounters had almost reached the halfway point of the guideline threshold, according to WDFW fishery managers. Fishing had been limited to three days a week and the agency instituted a daily catch limit of one salmon in hopes of stretching out time on the water after the 2021 winter season lasted just 18 days. WDFW understands it is a priority for the Area 10 fishery to be open in February and March, a timeframe when winter Chinook tend to be larger in size and the weather is more suitable. WDFW plans to make an announcement of a reopening date for Area 10 very soon. In the meantime, salmon anglers in the greater Tacoma and Olympia region have traditionally liked to keep mum about the fishing playground known as Marine Catch Area 13, which is open year-round for salmon. But word has gotten out about the potential of this fishery, and its relatively protected waters from winter’s ever-present blustery weather and rough seas make it an awesome area to fish. Most winter Chinook are delay released from local hatcheries and spend their entire lives in the fertile waters of the Puget Sound, gorging on herring and candlefish, their primary food source. These winter fisheries target abundant hatchery-produced salmon, while protecting wild stocks of concern that must be released if caught. Whenever it comes time to bundle up and cast out your line, one of my favorite winter spots south of the Narrows Bridge in Area 13 is the Fox Island area. A popular fishing hole there is Point Gibson near the “Big Rock” on the southeastern shoreline during an incoming tide. Here the bottom drops off sharply from 90- to 150-feet, and Chinook like to lurk along those deeper ledges. Another option is around Fox Island’s public fishing pier (commonly dubbed the concrete dock) located on the eastern shoreline, which can be good an hour or two before and after an incoming tide.
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Other notable southern Puget Sound places to target winter Chinook are Point Fosdick, Anderson Island, Lyle Point, Budd Inlet, Devil’s Head and Johnson Point. In my March column, we’ll dive into another winter/spring salmon fishery that opens along the western Strait of Juan de Fuca at Sekiu, and online at nwyachting.com, you will find some of my best tips for nabbing winter Chinook. I’ll see you on the water soon! Mark Yuasa is a longtime fishing and outdoor writer. Born and raised in Seattle, and a UW alum, Mark joined the Northwest Marine Trade Association in 2017 as the Director of Grow Boating Programs after 33 years at The Seattle Times. He also volunteers with the BSA Chief Seattle Council and National Order of the Arrow organizations, and enjoys fishing for salmon and other fish species in local waterways.
