Derbies and More
Each week we round-up the top fishing news from the Northwest and beyond. Do you have a news tip? E-mail us at news /at/ salmonuniversity.com.
Contests for Best Outdoor Recreational Spots Announce Winners
The Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF) and its “Take Me Fishing“ campaign last week unveiled their list of 100 family-friendly places to fish and boat, with the Everglades National Park scoring top honors. Only three locations in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho made the RBFF’s list: North Cascades National Park, American Lake Park (Wash.), and Potholes State Park (Wash.). Locations were selected via online ballot. According to the RBFF, more than 280,000 votes were cast to determine the 100 locations chosen, which are available here.
Port Townsend was runner-up in Outside Magazine’s “Best Town 2015” competition.
Meanwhile, Outside Magazine completed their online vote in their “Best Towns” contest, with Chattanooga, Tennessee beating-out Port Angeles, Wash. from a field of 64 nominees to be crowned 2015’s “Best Town Ever.” Other Pacific Northwest nominees that lost out earlier in the bracket-style showdown included Bainbridge Island, Wash., Ashland, Ore., and Victor, Idaho.
Lake Washington Trout Derby on Weekend
The Lake Washington chapter of the Puget Sound Anglers (PSA) has scheduled their annual trout derby for next weekend, June 13. According to the PSA, the event will include $1,000 in cash prizes, and a free picnic lunch. The deadline for entry is June 12 with a $25 registration fee. More details are available here.
Other upcoming competition fishing events in western Washington include the Bellingham Salmon Derby (July 10-10), Puget Sound Speed-Crabbing (July 11), and the Brewster King Salmon Derby (July 31 to August 2). A regularly updated list of derbies can be found at Salmon University here.
Crab Fishing Opens Early in Hood Canal
The recreational crab fishing season in Washington’s Marine Area 12 (Hood Canal) will open June 15, more than two weeks earlier than originally scheduled. According to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), recent test fisheries indicate that crab in the Canal are in hard-shell condition, allowing for an early start to the season. Crabbing in Hood Canal will be allowed Thursdays through Mondays each week, and will be closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The season will get under way with a one-day opening on Monday, June 15, before reopening on its weekly schedule Thursday, June 18
National Marina Day on June 13
National Marina Day is June 13. Organized by the Association of Marina Industries, the event is now in its 12th year. More than a dozen locations in the Pacific Northwest will be participating in the day-long observance, including the Port of Bremerton, Carillon Point (Kirkland, Wash.), Foss Harbor (Tacoma, Wash.), and others. At Point Defiance Marina in Tacoma, a dock bottom fishing derby will kick-off at 7:00 a.m., with classes on topics including crabbing and shrimping later in the day. In addition, the Coast Guard Auxiliary will conduct free boater safety checks.
Duck Day Scheduled for September
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in conjunction with Ducks Unlimited and the Richland Rod and Gun Club, has planned “Duck Day” on Saturday, September 12, at McNary National Wildlife Refuge in Washington. Attendees at the free event will learn how to band ducks, identify waterfowl, call geese, retrieve ducks with a labrador and more. McNary National Wildlife Refuge is located approximately 35 miles west of Walla Walla, Wash.
Tiburon Salmon Institute Evicted
The Tiburon Salmon Institute (TSI) announced on Monday it was being evicted from San Francisco State University’s (SFSU) Romberg Center for Environmental Studies by the university. According to the institute, it was informed in a letter from SFSU that the university had “reviewed TSI’s history on the … property and determined it is not in the best interest of the owner … [SFSU] … to allow further use by TSI.” The TSI reports it has been given until July 1 to vacate the premises.
Cutthroat photo courtesy Darrell and Dad's Family Guide Service.
Port Townsend image courtesy Joe Mabel; duck image courtesy Atamari (CC BY-SA 3.0).
