Tag Archives: espn.boat

The 2013 Anacortes Salmon Derby!

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You’ve heard it a thousand times: “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.”

This year, the Anacortes Salmon Derby fell on the final weekend of March, with weather that could only be described as “spectacular” and I’m not sure that word does justice to the conditions, or the event!

There’s a darn, good reason that the Anacortes Salmon Derby sells out each and every year. It’s an extremely well run event in a world-class destination: The San Juan Islands. This year the festivities commenced with the first ever Greater Anacortes Fishing Film Festival or GAFFF.

 

Robbo did The Outdoor Line proud by winning the GAFFF’y for best video by a 6’8″ Charter Operator/Radio Show host. Strangly enough Robbo’s video was the only entry in that category…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Saturday morning came and the derby fleet departed into the fog, leaving The Outdoor Line Crew behind at Anthony’s Home Port which, by the way is our new favorite remote broadcast location!

 

 

After the show, we hustled out to the north end of Orcas Island and it wasn’t long until Robbo was into a nice fish! Here, Larry Carpenter and Duane clear the gear for the “Gringo Grande”.

 

 

Unfortunately…or, fortunately for the fish, it was wild so Robbo cradled it for a quick snapshot and it was left to swim free, hopefully to hit the gravel and make more salmon with intact adipose fins!

 

 

 

One of the best reasons to fish all the derbies you possibly can is to get your gear dialed in for summer “Hammer Time”. I’ve made the switch to Diawa Saltist reels and braid mainline with a 30-foot shot of 25lb monofilament top shot. So far, so excellent!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday morning found us rubbing elbows with some past winners of the Anacortes Salmon Derby, Here is SJI legend Rod Nau making a close quarters pass.

 

After the fishing was done, it was a race to the sling! Big Red shows off her reverse-chine, chambered design which is the reason she is a chop cutter, not a back buster,,,

 

 

The final leaderboad tells the story with Scott Fowler win, Rich Olson place and Jay Murphy show!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Over 250 fish were entered in the two day event with the top three fish carefully displayed on ice for all to look…and drool over! 


 

Anacortes Derby Founder, Chairman and Master of Ceremonies Jay Field prepares to get the award presentation underway in front of the 1000 participants.

 

Scott Fowler’s 21.5 pounder from day one held up and here he holds the coveted $15,000 grand prize! Not a bad weekends work!

 

Left to right, Rich Olson, second place with a 19.4, Scott Fowler 21.5 and Jay Murphy 19.1 comprise the top three “money” fish! Congratulations to all three!!!

 

If you have not had the opportunity to experience the San Juan Islands, this may be a great year to do just that. The Islands remain open for chinook until April 30th and will re-open for salmon on July first. In May and June there will be shrimp, lingcod and halibut seasons to keep us busy. Without question, three more reasons to head up to Anacortes and experience all this region has to offer! A big thanks to Jay Field, Terry and Keri Nemeth and the entire Anacortes Salmon Derby team. You are all first class people that put on a first class event in a world class location!

Tom Nelson

The Outdoor Line

710 ESPN Seattle

www.theoutdoorline.com

2013 Olympic Peninsula Salmon Derby -Day One

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Last year was our first time at the Olympic Penninsula Salmon Derby and after experiencing the event, the location and of course the fishing… there was no way I was going to miss this year!

The Harborside Inn was very generous to host us and we did a remote broadcast of The Outdoor Line Radio Show from the lobby over the excellent complementary breakfast! Many anglers competing in the event stayed at the Harborside Inn and took no small enjoyment in pointing out that they were heading out on the water while we were stuck in the lobby to do the show. To make matters worse, our cell phones started blowing up with fish pictures from our “friends”…Brutal!

When we finally got out on the water, Robbo was still getting reports… and while he was on the phone…  Hey ROBBO! YOU GOT ONE!!! …Uh, just a sec Nelly…I’m on the phone…

Needless to say, we lost that first fish…and it was a good one… but it wouldn’t be too long before the good ol’ Coho Killer produced a nice blackmouth for me.

 

Olympic Peninsula Salmon Derby rules call for a 3pm weigh-in deadline so after a late start…it was an quick trip to the scale where lucky anglers were lined up to enter their fish.

Tony Dobson of Snatchin’ Lips Rods, fishing aboard John Keizer’s Team Lowrance boat, shares a laugh with the crew at the weigh in.

 

After my 8.9 pounder was weighed in, WDFW personnel were there to scale sample and measure the hatchery chinook entered in the event.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Team Lowrance heads for its slip at Point Hudson to get ready for day two of this three day event… Three solid days of fishing… No wonder they call this derby the “Iron Man”!

As of the end of fishing Saturday 2/16/13, 123 fish have been submitted; top three are 15.90, 14.80, and 14.30. With a “sporty” forecast for Sunday… it would be nice to be sitting atop the leaderboard.That 15.9 pounder is looking good for the ten thousand dollar first prize!

Stabicraft 2600 Pilothouse

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There’s a dirty, little secret in the boating industry that no one is willing to admit or even talk about. The fact of the matter is that the Florida and southern California boating markets are so large that they tremendously influence domestic boat designs.

If you want to appeal to warm weather markets…you build a warm-weather boat. So, here comes another Boat Show season and what do you get along with it? The endless array of plastic, “T-top” boats with “Clear Canvas” windows. Or, as they have been come to be called, “Florida boats”.

Friends, if the only time I used my boat here in the Pacific Northwest was during weather you could call “warm”…my boating season would be quite short indeed. The Northwest is hardtop boat country. Boats that will keep you -and your expensive marine electronics warm and dry. T-tops with clear canvas windows need not apply.

Stabicraft of New Zealand recognizes that most folks want to use their boats more than a couple of months per year and outfits their hulls with diesel heaters, insulated fishboxes and a ride that makes even winter waves whimper…

Introducing the Stabicraft 2600 Pilothouse

Stabicraft Marine pioneered positive buoyancy boats, turning out the first rigid hulled aluminum pontoon boat from a back street workshop in Invercargill, New Zealand. Word quickly spread about the reverse chine pontoon design boat that posessed a ride that had to be experienced to be believed.

The original Stabicraft design was a compilation of the wish list of local divers. They wanted an evolution of the traditional Rigid Hulled Inflatable boat – one that retained the RIB’s superior buoyancy, stability on the water and ease of handling, but within a sturdier construction framework to make it even safer in rough waters.

Need serious fishbox space? The 2600 Pilothouse will challenge any angler to fill these three fish coffins! The aft box (top of pic) even has cutting board lids!

 

We’ve been talking a lot lately about the ride, safety and stability of reverse chine hulls. Stabicraft has -without a doubt- the “gold standard” of reverse chine.

 

I actually got a shot of this Stabi 2600 before the top was attached to the hull. Here is a unique shot of the interior giving you a perspective of the “fisherman friendly” layout of this model.

Stabicraft 2600 Pilothouse Specifications

Length:  26 Feet
Max Adults – 9
Recommended HP – 225hp
Maximum HP – 300hp
Fuel Tank – 95gal
External Beam – 8ft 2in
Internal Beam – 6ft 8in
Deadrise (Transom) – 21.8
Tube Thickness – 5/32in
Hull Thickness – 1/4in
Reserve Buoyancy – 930gal*
Dry Hull Weight – 3858lb
Tow Weight – 6172lb
Length on Trailer – 31ft 2in
Height on Trailer – 10ft 3in

Tom Nelson
The Outdoor Line
710 ESPN Seattle
www.theoutdoorline.com

Evinrude’s new player in the Jet Pump engine market!

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BRP has just introduced the new Evinrude E-TEC 135 H.O. — an outboard that should have strong attraction in the “jet sled” or shallow river running engine market.

Evinrude/BRP has the engine poised to compete in the hotly contested 100 to 150 hp outboard segment, given that its two–stroke design gives the 135 H.O. up to 36 percent more torque than 150 hp four-stroke outboards from other engine builders.

Essentially a detuned version of the “small-block” E-TEC 150, the 2.6-liter V-6 oil-injected engine weighs 418 pounds, 28 pounds more than the Evinrude E-TEC 130 V-4 outboard. Still the 135 H.O. is the lightest in its horsepower class. This is important in minimizing transom “squat” – a key consideration for fishing shallow-water, rapid rivers for steelhead and salmon.

Factory-tuned for high-performance applications, the 135 H.O. is available in 20- and 25-inch models, including counter rotation on the 25-inch version for twin-engine deep “V” hull big water installations.

Come see the entire Evinrude line at the West Coast’s Largest Boat Show:

The SEATTLE BOAT SHOW, INDOORS + AFLOAT JANUARY 25 – FEBRUARY 3, 2013 featuring more than 1,000 recreational watercraft, seminars and the latest accessories indoors at CenturyLink Field, plus afloat on South Lake Union.

Resurrection Derby 2012

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The early December sun had not yet crested the Cascades as I drove north to Anacortes to meet Robbo and Duane for our run to Friday Harbor and the 2012 edition of the Resurrection Salmon Derby.

As I exited Interstate 5, turning west on Highway 20, memories of our, uh,…experience at the 2011 event were spinning around in my head and I was seriously looking forward to getting into some San Juan winter chinook.

We quickly launched our 28′ Stabicraft “Big Red” at Washington Park in Anacortes and scouted a few locations on our way to Resurrection Derby Headquarters, Friday Harbor.

Even in winter, Friday Harbor is an inviting, scenic and unique location for a salmon derby!

We checked in at the Best Western Plus and headed down to the Captain’s Meeting where we received an review of the rules and exchanged barbs with the other angling teams. The morning couldn’t come quick enough!

After the Shotgun Start, we headed for the west side of Orcas Island and were quickly into a big fish… which we lost. The first fish to find the net was wild and gave Robbo the “stink eye” as he removed the Coho Killer from it’s grill.

It’s always nice to have something to weigh in on day one of a derby! Here’s Robbo and Duane with the two hatchery fish we kept. Wild fish far outnumbered clipped fish aboard Big Red for both days of this event.

 

After broadcasting live from The Best Western Plus Friday Harbor Suites, the derby fleet had a head start and as soon as we pulled in, there were fish on!

 

Fortunately, the fish were still into a biting mood when our gear reached them. Here, Duane Inglin reaches for a winter chinook!

Try as we may, no one could top the 15.5 pound specimen hoisted by Bob Norling which would end up taking the $10,000 first prize!

Bob Norling and Mark Shinman of Anacortes hang on to the $10,000 big fake check in 3rd annual Resurrection Salmon Derby!

The Resurrection Salmon Derby in Friday Harbor is fast becoming my favorite stop on the Northwest Salmon Derby Series trail. I hope you can come up next year and see what I mean!

 

 

The 2012 Bayside Marine Salmon Derby

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The 2013 Northwest Salmon Derby Series was given a yet another solid start by a surprisingly successful Bayside Marine Salmon Derby. On Saturday, November 3rd, the 21st edition of the Bayside event was greeted by Small Craft Advisory winds but the 250 competitors were not about to be discouraged by a little choppy water!

The winter chinook or “blackmouth” season opened on November 1st, giving anglers a chance to do a bit of pre-derby scouting. It didn’t take the recreational fleet long to find solid fishing on Possession Bar. Unfortunately, Possession is located on the southern tip of  Whidbey Island and is one of the most exposed points in Puget Sound. So, when the 15 to 25 knot winds arrived with the first hours of the Bayside Marine Derby Saturday morning, anglers were faced with  a strategic decision: brave the wind & waves of Marine Area 9′s Possession Bar and be rewarded with good numbers of fish or, work the calmer inside waters of Marine Area 8 where the last three derby winning chinook were taken.

One of the most fascinating aspects of the Northwest Salmon Derby Series is the information or “fishing intel” available at the end of each event and the 2012 Bayside Marine Derby would be no exception!

Despite the rough weather, anglers experienced very good blackmouth fishing and by Sunday afternoon a record 88 chinook were entered in the derby!

The award ceremony was highlighted by a salmon barbeque and by the looks of the crowd, everybody was having a great time!

No stranger to the award podium, Scott Bumstad’s 14.4 pounder entitled him to claim the first place check awarded by Bayside Marine owners Dan Hatch on the left and Jeff Lalone on the right.

Also no stranger to the podium, Derek Floyd, captain of Team AnglersChoice.com was awarded the angling team check for their two day tournament record 83.5 pounds total boat weight of blackmouth!

As a stop on the 2013 NW Salmon Derby Series, participants in the 2012 Bayside Marine Derby have a ticket in the raffle for the derby series grand prize 22 foot boat, motor, electronics and trailer package.

 

Next stop on the tournament trail is the Resurrection Derby in Friday Harbor. The event takes place December 7-8 2012 and is limited to 100 angling teams. See you in Friday Harbor!

The Colossal Coho Run of 2012: A look into our future?

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It’s been difficult to come up with new ways to describe a coho run that has exceeded forecasts and expectations, a run that started early -in mid August- and as of early October is still providing limit action.

Chris Beard and his daughter with the results of a morning aboard Big Red!

By any measure you can choose, this run of coho or silver salmon has not failed to impress. At the Edmonds coho Derby in early September,  over 600 coho were entered and the two-day Everett Coho derby posted a record 1700 fish…so many that the Derby’s data-entry system was overwhelmed.

Former Seahawk and Outdoor Line host Robbie Tobeck would have made a dent in the Everett Coho Derby but this coho came the day before the event!

License sales are a key statistic when considering the significance and popularity of a fishery. If we compare this seasons sales to the last non-pink salmon year (2010), September Annual Saltwater license sales are up a whopping 45%! Sportfishing is alive & well in Puget Sound! Just show anglers some fish and they will come…in droves.  In fact, WDFW’s  angler trip data suggests at or near record numbers of people went salmon fishing in the successful summer of 2012!

While it’s fun to look back -and it’s hard not to grin while doing so- there may indeed be a larger, longer term aspect to this 2012 bumper crop of salmon. This aspect has a foundation in scientific research and it’s nothing short of great news!

The climate cycle that drives the El Nino/La Nina weather trends is known as the Pacific Decadal Oscillation or PDO. This 25 to 30 year cycle has a profound effect on salmonid abundance on a coast-wide basis and research now suggests that the Pacific Northwest is in for a very productive decade…or two!

The current phase of the PDO is known as “negative” which results in cooler ocean water off the west coast of the U.S. and Canada. Cool sea-surface temperatures unlock the vital oceanic process known as upwelling.

Upwelling opens up the “refrigerator door”, allowing nutrient-rich cold water to come to the surface and experience direct sunlight which brings temperatures up and drives photosynthesis.

So, how do we know if the PDO is responsible for the upswing in local salmon stocks?

Stay tuned… If winter-run steelhead show up in numbers above forecasts and Columbia River springers show up fat and early, the reason may well be increased oceanic survival. If that is indeed the case, you may not have to travel far for world class salmon angling!

Imitation: the sincerest form of flattery…for fish and fishermen!

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One of the aspects of fishing that never ceases to fascinate me is the fact that there is always something new to learn. No two days are the same, let alone seasons! Each year a new wrinkle, a new point of emphasis, a new way to use old gear or perhaps a new area to fish works its way into my approach. This season there has been no shortage of new, surprising developments and as far as I travel to fish, I always come away with the thought that there is always, always more to learn. The challenge as I see it is to try and glean something new each and every day.

So, in no particular order, here are a couple of the finer points that the salmon -and salmon anglers- have taught me this season!

Size Matters

While some may look at the calendar and judge their seasons end on New Year’s Day, I look at the birth of a new salmon season when the first genuine spring chinook start poking their heads in from the oceanic pasture. The first true springers I see are at the Anacortes Salmon Derby in late March followed closely by the Columbia River spring chinook.

No matter what you find inside of your catch, it's up to you to identify it and be able to quickly and effectively mimic it!

For those that are paying close attention, the food items found in these early arriving chinook are a valued clue and actually set the tone for lure/bait selection throughout the season. Keep in mind that in general, bait sizes increase as winter turns to summer. There are exceptions, such as the small, summer candlefish hatches we see in the Straits of Juan de Fuca and Midchannel Bank but one concept remains concrete: Find the predominant, preferred salmonid food item and mimic it to the best of your ability with regard to size, color and depths.

Tacit Knowledge

Left Field time sports fans… Bear with me: There is a field of study known as “Knowledge Management”. The cornerstone of this philosophy is a concept known as “tacit knowledge” which describes the fact that we all know more than we can tell or teach . In other words,  people are not often aware of the knowledge they possess or how it can be valuable to others.

Have you ever been out fishing with someone, just going through your normal routine and they said “Hey, I didn’t know how you did that!..” You were most likely surprised at your companion’s response since it never occurred to you to mention it because you thought to yourself  “Heck, everybody knows that!” Welcome to tacit knowledge.

In my seminars and the Radio Show, I always try to put myself in the audience’s shoes. I’m very fortunate to be able to spend a lot of time on the water and I sincerely try to bring the benefit of that experience to the table each and every time. The problem is that I can’t know exactly what it is that you don’t know.

What Pacific Northwest angler wouldn't want to spend a day on the water with Captain John Keizer aboard the Lowrance boat?

 

I experience this situation myself when I get to fish with other guys in their signature fisheries. Buzz Ramsay at Buoy 10, Eric Linde on the Columbia, Rob Endsley, Jay Field & Larry Carpenter in the San Juan Islands , John Keizer out of Westport and Reel Class Charters Derek Floyd in Sitka, Alaska to name a few. I learned something specific from each of these talented, passionate professionals. Literally, I didn’t know what I didn’t know until I got a look how these guys did business in their own boats!

The key concept here: Be aware of the “players” in each of your fisheries. There is something that you can learn from them.  If you can get aboard with them,  great! But, if not there are always ways to learn by observation…and imitation!

Tom Nelson 710 ESPN Seattle

www.Theoutdoorline.com

Scent: The Key To Successful Crabbing!

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One of the greatest things about living near coastal waters is enjoying the world-renowned delicacy that is dungeness crab. However, the tasty crustacean is highly sought-after and those anglers that fish the best bait are, more often than not, the ones who will be enjoying a crab dinner!

Successful crabbing begins with fishing the best available bait in the correct combination.

With any type of bait fishing, establishing a long-lasting scent trail quickly and dependably is a key to success. The bait’s natural lipids, also known as “fats” or “oils” is the most significant element to forming a scent trail as water cannot mix with any type of oil. This resistance to mixing -and therefore diluting- makes oily baits the most desirable and effective for most if not all types of fishing.

Next time you watch The Discovery Channel’s “Deadliest Catch”, take a close look at what the professionals bait their pots with: A one-two punch of “broadcast” and “hanging” baits.

The Bering Sea crab fishermen use a combination of ground, frozen herring which quickly spreads a scent (the “broadcast” component) and a whole cod which gives the crab something to eat (the “hanging” component). The “broadcast” portion rings the dinner bell making your gear easier for the crabs to find. The “hanging” portion of the bait keeps the crab in our pots longer. Make no mistake, when there is no bait or scent, crabs will find a way out of your pots!

Lurking in the deepest part of most fishermen’s freezers is undoubtedly some old bait herring, sardines or even salmon eggs which is a bit on the freezer burnt side and no longer suitable for use as effective fishing bait.

Pautzke Crab & Shrimp Fuel to the rescue! The oils and semi-solids in Pautzke Crab & Shrimp Fuel can replace most if not all of what the freezer removed and then some! The trick to making an effective, long-lasting scent trail from old bait is maximizing it’s surface area… which is a fancy way of saying that we’re grinding it up! Grinding the bait serves the dual purpose of getting the oils from within the frozen bait out to the surface and giving the Pautzke Crab & Shrimp Fuel something porous to soak in to.

Get an old hand crank grinder or check out garage sales for an electric food processor and set up your bait "disassembly" station.

We’re turning our bait into a fine grind and adding Pautzke Crab & Shrimp Fuel to the mix, so we have to use something that will keep the mixture from washing away too quickly…

Commercial crabbing bait cups are closed at the bottom and have a vented lid. This configuration allows a controlled release of your broadcast bait and will not spill in your boat before deployment!

Grind your “freezer fodder” into the bait jugs, filling them half to 3/4 full of the ground bait. You want to leave space in the bait jug to allow water to mix within the cup and slowly release the scent trail.

By grinding herring, sardines or even unwanted salmon eggs, you bring fresh oils to the surface providing the best scent trail possible!

After the grinding you can add Pautzke Crab & Shrimp Fuel immediately to the jug, or wait until you are ready to drop the pot in your location of choice!

Pautzke Crab & Shrimp Fuel absorbs into the frozen, ground bait producing a very effective, long-lasting scent trail that will keep bringing crab to your gear long after other's baits have washed out!

The crab bait “one-two punch” is Pautzke Crab & Shrimp Fuel soaked ground bait and a “hanging bait” of fish scraps or chicken parts which allow the crab a little something to grind on while they wait for you to pull the pot!

The "one-two punch" of a hanging bait (in this case a salmon head in a bait bag) and a bait cup containing Pautzke Crab & Shrimp Fuel soaked ground bait is the best way there is to ensure that you'll never pull a "zero" pot again!

Here’s the “after” shot of the baited Stearns nesting crab pot above after a several hour soak in a very heavily fished crabbing area in Puget Sound.

Seven keeper male dungeness crab greet us as we open this pot! Pautzke Crab & Shrimp Fuel gives you the effective scent trail you need to keep crab coming to your gear... and then to your dinner table!

Taking the extra effort to prepare your bait a few minutes ahead of your crabbing trip is well worth it! When you consider the time and cost of simply running your boat out to the crab grounds, the cost of bait is small potatoes and the wrong place to try and save a buck. If you try a Pautzke Crab & Shrimp Fuel spiked bait mixture on your next crabbing trip, I’m willing to guess that you’ll have the same results I’ve enjoyed and several crab dinners that your friends and family will enjoy even more!

Tom Nelson

710  ESPN Seattle

www.TheOutdoorline.com