Peninsula Sportsman

Layout Hunting

Hunting from a layout boat is one of the more classic, challenging and rewarding ways to take trophy ducks. Nobody who has experienced layout hunting says it’s easy, it is not.  The gunner’s laying down in the box 6 inches below the waterline with a shot window and swing that is narrow from the constraints and variables of a floating blind. Even on a calm day there is something to getting the timing right to rise, mark and shoot a duck that’s screaming in on the wing and often setting on your decoys only yards from the bow.  Now add in some wind chop with swell and you have something that no sporting clays course could ever match. But gunning old school is rewarding, especially when you get duck you’ve been waiting a lifetime to achieve.

Banded Surf Scoter

The 2012/ 2013 WA waterfowl season is off and running !   The 7 bird limit, 107 day season began the second weekend in October and things have been going very well for our duck hunters. A bout of mild 60 degree weather stalled the migration a bit after a great opening, but the weather has now cooled back down now with the first freeze . The ducks have responded with fresh flocks arriving from areas north of us. Hosted a group of hunters from the Houston , Texas area this past week and during an action packed scoter hunt yesterday Mark took his first banded bird in 25 years of waterfowl hunting. A primo drake surf scoter sporting some “bling” !  USFW data showed the drake as a 5 year old bird banded 50 miles NE of here during the WDFW banding efforts in summer 2009. Quite a trophy, that bird is destined for a spot on Mark’s wall.

Summer’s coming to an end

~ Wow what a couple months !  Haven’t had much of  a chance to blog these past couple months as I’ve been out on the boat most days.  Although the weather continues to be spectacular, Fall is rapidly approaching- you can smell it in the air . The summer crab season ended after Labor Day weekend and it will go down in the books as one of the best we’ve seen in recent years. Port Townsend Bay was consistently full of big delicious Dungeness crab and the boat averaged a dozen or so 7-9″ “bucks” for the pots each charter- that’s alot of crab dinners ! Here’s to hoping WDFW will give us a winter season in area 6, 9 and 12 so we can drop pots again while we chase the sea ducks. The local bottomfishing season was good, especially the old sandab “honeyhole”, those fish just carpet the bottom there on most days. Fishing on the Coast out of La Push was spectacular as always. We’ve enjoyed such a variety of folks from all over the country in the cabins and out on charters this past few months and wanted to thank them all for making this a great summer season.

Now we look forward to the hunting season as the geese, puddlers, harlequin ducks and scoters are already arriving back from their breeding areas. The other sea ducks ducks will be soon to follow in October. Bandtail pigeon opens September 15th , youth hunting weekend on the 22nd. The General waterfowl season opens October 13th with a 7 bird limit ( including scaup ! ) so we’re busy getting all the decoys , gear and boats set up for another great season of waterfowl hunting !

Port Townsend Crabbing

The 2012 Crab season kicked off July 1st this year, open on a 5 days a week schedule and most summer crabbers have been enjoying plenty of these yummy critters in the crab pots. Our charters have been running combination 1/2 day Bottomfishing/ Dungeness Crabbing trips all month and with the weather absolutely spectacular –Captain Dave, deckhand Spencer have been a busy crew aboard the charter boat Siwash.  The boat has been launching from the Fort Worden Marine Science Center Pier mid-morning, setting crab pots in Port Townsend Bay and running south to the sand-dab grounds while the pots “soak”.  

This time of year Admiralty Inlet and the Strait are alive with bait, birds and all sorts of marine wildlife — our Port Townsend charters have spotted harbor porpoises, river otters, seals and sea lions, a plethora of marine birds and even a minke whale. 

In the past week we’ve hosted groups from California, Texas, Indiana and Florida– great times out on the water (and the making of many yummy dinners ) were had by all.

Fly Fishing Port Townsend

~ Conventional fishing gear isn’t the only way to enjoy our often “wide open” bottomfishing here on the Peninsula. Many fishermen know the fun of presenting dry flies and small clousers to our plentiful sea run cutthroat trout  but when the spring and summer tides are right and fish on the bite we’ll occasionally switch over to the Fly Fishing gear and enjoy some really exciting catch and release fishing for the toothy denizens of our local reefs. Stout rods in 9-12 weight with heavy sinking lines and big bucktail streamer and clousers is the proper gear.  We work on casting then drifting flies down to reef level and the fish often cooperate enthusiastically.  Black rockfish are somewhat pelagic and chase presented flies all the way to the surface. 

  Copper rockfish, greenling and lingcod will attack when your fly gets closer to the reef.  Most of these fish are in the 1-6 lb range but hang on as LARGE lingcod have been known to chomp down on flies and then the battle really gets interesting !

Lingcod/ Spot Prawn Combo Charters

~ Port Townsend has been enjoying some excellent weather this month and this weekend was no exception.  Cameron, his lovely bride and father-inlaw from West Seattle took some nice fish on Thursday, Dr. Jim caught a bunch Friday then a father/ son, grandson crew from Des Moines enjoyed a sunny Saturday of highs in the mid-70’s and calm seas with  lingcod fishing that has been consistently “off the hook ” !  Limits have been the rule on the local Port Townsend fishing charters with keeper lingcod averaging around 28-34 inches and the added bonus of dropping prawn traps in Discovery Bay on shrimp days. Friday and Saturday full pots of big spot prawns came up from the depths destined to be the makings of delicious shrimp cocktail with Tiffany’s famous Mojito’s.      

Sekiu Lingcod opener

~ Lingcod season opened West of the Sekiu river/ Area 4 this week and the guys from “Team Ling Hammer ” assembled for a couple days of camping and fishing on the West end. Most of the accommodations at Sekiu are still closed with the halibut opener yet a couple weeks away but Chris from Van Ripers Resort was gracious enough to let our team set our headquarters up in their great waterfront campground. Wind and weather cooperated enough to get out most of the day Monday and then again Tuesday morning and the fish did not disappoint. Many lingcod were caught and released during both days with the kept fish averaging 30″ and up . Cabezon, seabass and rockfish showed as well. Kasey took honors of the trip pot with three lingcod all over 30lbs and the biggest ling topping out at 40 lbs. Big Hammer swimbaits fished on 65# braid and shock leaders in 40-60 feet of water was the top bait– plus Braid thumper squid, live greenling and a variety of Chris Englehart custom lures took fish as well. It was a great Sekui opener and we’re all very excited for the prospects of  the local lingcod and halibut openings in the rest of the Strait/ Sound that first week of May.

Pacific TreeFrogs

~ The onset of the warmer spring rains have brought out one of our favorite little critters on the property and the namesake of our Cabins– the Pacific Tree Frog. The night is alive with sounds of these little guys calling to their mates from the woods and wetlands. Since we don’t hear much from crickets here in the wet Northwest these guys bring a welcome chime to the evening and let us know that spring is well underway.

Spring Clamming

~ Well it’s not quite spring yet around Port Townsend but there has been the occasional sun break and with the weather improving on our way into spring it’s motivated us out of the cabin and down to the local shoreline for some great clam digging excursions. Those small Manila and littleneck “steamer” clams are the prize and if one can dig enough of them you will have the makings of a very delicious dinner for your entire family. (the sport limit is 40 per digger and this is seldom a problem on our healthy local tidelands) Served simply, clams are the key ingredient to a great meal. In a shallow, covered pot briefly steam them in vegetable broth, garlic, fresh herbs and a splash of your favorite Port Townsend Brewery ale. Wait until just after the clams fully open and enjoy them with a loaf of artisan bread.  Fresh steamed clams are a treat to enjoy this time of year.

Snow Hunting on the Salt

Western Washington finally got its dose of winter weather this past week. Well over a foot of the white stuff fell here in Port Townsend and over 2 feet in surrounding areas. My buddies Doug and Sean from Saskatchewan were up for the challenging weather– heck they’re from Sask., this is nothing for them ! Roads and highways were a mess w/ many closed, snowed in and couldn’t get the big boats out of our road here but we persisted with the skiff and the big green Ford 4×4 to get us around and were rewarded with some great end of the season hunting. The guys took a nice mix of salt ducks. The NE wind blew us off the water by mid-morning, but the gunning was fierce while we were out. Good am flight in the blizzard with plenty of puddlers around looking for sheltered waters with the regular mix of sea ducks. One more week to go out here. the snow if melting off but the weather still blustery and WET. Great duck weather for the final week.