Tengu Derby Returns
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.
The Oldest Derby in Puget Sound Scheduled to Begin November 6

Tengu’s 2014 first place winner, Justin Wong
Ok anglers, you want to prove you are among the best? Then compete with the best! The Tengu Blackmouth Derby has its beginning in 1946 and is open to moochers only; this is a no downrigger or attractor derby that is limited to the almost lost art of mooching.
Mooching started in Elliot Bay by Japanese anglers many years ago as a method used to catch herring to use to catch salmon. Most anglers at that time trolled large spoons. It didn’t take long for them to see how much more productive and fun it was to use herring. They went to the Japanese fishermen and begged for some herring. Thus, as the story goes, they became “moochers.”
The Tengu Derby, named after a fabled Japanese character whose nose grew after he didn’t exactly tell the truth, was an appropriate name for a fishing derby.
The derby begins November 6th and takes place every Sunday through December 18th in Elliot Bay. Fishing starts at daybreak at Seacrest Boathouse and ends at 11:00 AM with weigh-in at the Seacrest Boathouse in Elliot Bay. Membership fee is $15 and $5 for children 12 years and under. The Seacrest Boathouse will be open at 5:30 AM on November 6 and then at 6:00 AM every Sunday after that. Rental Boats are available. Tickets are available at Outdoor Emporium, Seacrest Boathouse and Linc’s Tackle.
Click here for complete Tengu Derby Rules and fishing boundaries.
Washington Fish & Wildlife Commission to Discuss Proposed Rules
The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission will hold a public hearing on proposed changes to sportfishing rules for the saltwater areas of Puget Sound and the Washington coast during its public meeting Nov. 4-5 in Olympia. At that time, the commission will also take public comment on state recommendations to change the listing status for five protected wildlife species in Washington – bald eagles, peregrine falcons, American white pelicans, marbled murrelets, and lynx.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is recommending that 11 sportfishing rule proposals move forward for public comment. The rules are specific to saltwater areas of Puget Sound and the Washington coast. The proposed rules include:
- Require fishing vessels carry a descending device when fishing for bottomfish or halibut in Puget Sound (marine areas east of the Bonilla-Tatoosh line). The devices are used to return rockfish to deep water, reducing the number of rockfish deaths due to barotrauma, which occurs when rockfish are brought to the surface quickly.
- Make it unlawful to possess another person’s shellfish or food fish (including halibut, salmon and sturgeon) without written permission while in the field or in transit.
- Implement a 4 ½-inch minimum size requirement for Tanner crabs harvested in Puget Sound.
- Prohibit shellfish harvesters from cooking oysters in the shell or using heat to open oysters on the beach.
- Allow squid harvest year-round, including the harvest of Humboldt squid, in Hood Canal.
The meeting will convene in Room 172 of the Natural Resources Building at 1111 Washington St. SE in Olympia at 8 a.m. both days. A complete agenda is available here.
Seattle Boat Show Announces Travel Partners
following is a press release from the Seattle Boat Show
The Seattle Boat Show is so popular it attracts visitors from 27 U.S. states, eight Canadian provinces and from as far away as Vladivostok, Russia and Dubai, UAE. And with good reason. It’s the largest boat show on the West Coast and the third largest in the U.S., with two locations — indoors at Century LinkField Event Center and afloat at South Lake Union — and more than 200 free seminars. To make it easy for out-of-town visitors, show organizers have put together specials which include rates as low as $139.00 per night at conveniently located downtown hotels and Victoria Clipper packages for those travelling from Canada. The show opens Jan. 27 and runs through Feb. 4, 2017.
Official hotels
The Seattle Boat Show is partnering with three local hotels – the Courtyard Pioneer Square, the Crowne Plaza Seattle and the Silver Cloud Hotel Stadium – to offer special rates for show guests.
The Courtyard Pioneer Square in historic Pioneer Square is offering Boat Show attendees weekend group room rates of $139 for a King guest room.
The newly renovated Crowne Plaza Seattle, which has been an official hotel of the Seattle Boat Show since 2001, has special Boat Show rates of $145 per night (single/double occupancy).
The Silver Cloud Hotel Stadium is the closest hotel to the show and is located next door to the CenturyLink Field Event Center. It is offering a special discounted rate of $159 for a Deluxe King Room and $169 for a Double Queen Room with two queen beds.
Details at: http://www.seattleboatshow.com/official-hotels.html
Travel from Canada
Clipper Vacations is offering customizable Seattle Boat Show packages for visitors from Canada, which include transportation to Seattle, a stay at a downtown Seattle hotel and admission to the Seattle Boat Show. Travel from Victoria, B.C. is via the Victoria Clipper and travel from Vancouver B.C. is via Amtrak. For more details about the packages, visit http://www.seattleboatshow.com/canada.html.
Special Nights at the Show – Uncorked and Sails & Ales
Visitors might want to plan their trips around two festive events – Uncorked on opening night, Friday Jan. 27, and Sails & Ales on Friday, Feb. 3. At Uncorked, showgoers can sniff, swirl and sip their way through the Boat Show, tasting a variety of domestic and international wines at stations set up throughout the indoor location at CenturyLink Field. At Sails & Ales, showgoers can taste and toast the very best in Northwest craft beers from artisan breweries.