By Capt. Ron Malast

    While many charter and recreational boats are chasing salmon in the ocean, those choosing to hang onto the prized sturgeon pursuit are catching big time. Recreational boats are reporting two to three keeper fish per boat; several charter boats reported limits or near limits over the weekend. Butch Smith of Coho Charters said, Sturgeon fishing is back to normal, a good run of fresh fish from the ocean is a welcome surprise for sturgeon fishermen.

    With the season scheduled to close on July 31, there is still time to book a spot on a charter boat. Many charter boats are already booked for the next week and a half for salmon, so the number of boats available for sturgeon is limited.

    Salmon season has also been on the upswing, with Washington Department of Fish and Wildlifes ocean (Area 1-Ilwaco) totals through July 10 showing 8.5 percent of Chinook quota (probably around 12 percent by now).  Coho was at 7.3 percent of quota for the same period.

Another big

salmon predator

    The salmon shark gets its name from one of its prey items, Pacific salmon.  Although it is considered one of the main predators of Pacific salmon, it is also considered an opportunity feeder. It is thought to use Willipa Bay as a minor rookery for its young. 

    About 10 years ago, as Mike Yedneck and I were returning from a day of charter fishing, we decided to drive up the beach in Ocean Park. While doing so, we spotted a 4-foot shark lying on the beach, above the surf line. We picked it up rapped in a towel, brought it home and put it in the freezer (it was dead). It had the same body shape as a great white, with big teeth, and we thought we had found a baby great white. The following week I took it to a fish biologist, who promised to return it after having his superior look at it.  The following month he called me and said it was a salmon shark, which are frequently mistaken for a great white. Thats the last I ever saw of the shark.

    The larger, more mature salmon sharks are more active in migrations while juveniles tend to remain in nursery areas until they reach a length of about 4 feet. The waters off the coasts of California, Oregon and southern Washington are where a significant number of young juveniles are found beached.

    The salmon shark has a total maximum length of 10 feet and a maximum weight of over 992 pounds. There have been reports of salmon sharks obtaining a length of 14 feet, but may have been confused with great whites.

    Salmon sharks lie in wait for the migrating salmon to gather offshore of their selected streams and then move in for their feast. The sharks are quite dramatic in their feeding habits, hurling themselves acrobatically into the air while catching their prey.

    Discovery Channel has an excellent show on the salmon shark, watch for it.

    Ron Malast can be reached at raiders7777@centurylink.net or 655-3573.