Fish & Feathers: Albacore season closing out with a bang

Published 8:00 pm Tuesday, October 11, 2016

By Oct. 2, all other charter boats had put their fishing rods to bed for the season, but Shake & Bake had to make just one more trip and did they do a bang-up job! Hosting the crew from the fishing TV show Angler West, they went on a record-setting trip for the 42-foot boat.

Being a fast vessel capable of cruising at 27 knots, they headed slightly up the coast and about 50 miles west of Westport. Capt. Mike Colbach explained:

“We were almost to our GPS mark when someone yelled fish! We stopped the boat and were in a boiling mass of tuna. The next hour and a half was a blur. Everyone on the boat was going crazy — we almost had the boat plugged and it stopped.

“We started up again, ran a short ways and the fish were there again. Amazing!

“We ended up with 97 albacore in two stops, in one and a half hours, a record for the boat. We were catching them on bait and iron.”

The tuna trip will be aired by Angler West shortly and we will keep you tuned on viewing opportunities.

Tuna season traditionally ends out of Ilwaco on Oct. 1 — not from lack of fish, but because the ocean starts welling up with winter storms and wind, and it does get chilly.

Ilwaco is becoming the hot spot for tuna on the northern coast and if you a planning a trip for next year, now is not too early to make reservations with your favorite charter office. Many dates have already been booked for next year.

Charter offices booking tuna trips for 2017 starting July 1:

• Shake & Bake: 360-562-0333

• Pacific Salmon Charters: 1-800-831-2695, 360-642-3466

• Seabreeze Charters: 1-800-204-9125, 360-642-9125

Crabbing season in the river is just around the corner. An excellent grade of crab should be available in the next three to four weeks.

Right now, the clamming opener is an up and down, but should firm up soon with tons of clams to be had.

One other memorable event happen this past month. Those famous outdoors persons Earl and Kelly Chipman got married and honeymooned at Lake Koocanusa in Libby, Montana. Kelly established herself as the primo fisherperson of the family.

Ron Malast can be reached at 360-665-3573 or raiders7777@centurylink.net.