Urban Outcast Music #17 - Amarillo Sky by Jason Aldean. I remember my farmer college roommate belting out this song back in simpler times.
There is a stretch of coast between the Quinault Reservation and Ocean Shores which has been described as a worn and tattered sweatshirt that you can't bring yourself to throw away. A little harsh maybe for a location that puts you that much closer to fishing on the Queets River! This year I decided a whole week of fishing was required to satisfy the calling of this National Park gem and Moclips was selected as the home base.
The River:
I was initially concerned that a week of salmon limits would run me afoul of the state's maximum transportation limits but that kind of hubris can only have one result... Sooo not a lot of salmon pictures coming but I blame the dry weather and jaded fish. Millennial salmonids just have no appreciation for the classics and clearly lack a competitive drive. What was awesome were the opportunities to observe evidence of the river's winter power and get up close with the wildlife.
Day 1 was nothing but sculpin. These little guys are the wingman of the surf perch. They latch on before the surf perch can be tempted and they are dedicated to their mission.
The River:
I was initially concerned that a week of salmon limits would run me afoul of the state's maximum transportation limits but that kind of hubris can only have one result... Sooo not a lot of salmon pictures coming but I blame the dry weather and jaded fish. Millennial salmonids just have no appreciation for the classics and clearly lack a competitive drive. What was awesome were the opportunities to observe evidence of the river's winter power and get up close with the wildlife.
For starters, there is this monster that was left stranded in the middle of the river bed. The other interesting tidbit from some satellite research is that the popular Salmon River hole's days are limited as there is only about 200' left of trees to chew through before the Queets shortens the Salmon River by a mile. A few of the more ambitious locals might be tempted to help things along as this also shortens the walk from a mile to about as far as I can throw a wiffle ball.
No good pictures of wildlife but twice in the morning darkness the elk and I scared the piss out of each other. That is not a subtle smell either... There was also a visit from a river otter and lots of random birds I should have learned to identify but I haven't. Finally the fish count, I ended with four coho on the bank and two had to go back. My photographer joined for a couple early mornings so I have action shots! The coho at the bottom is extra special because her eggs were cured up and tempted a king salmon to appear in a future post.
The Ocean:
So the rivers are where I go for a sense of peace but the ocean has a much more primal impact on me. On the exterior I maintain the stoic gaze of an angry monk but on the inside is a pretty steady stream of "AAAAAAAAHHHHHH" and expletives. But that is not a legitimate reason to stop fishing and the target along the Moclips shore is surf perch. I have attempted to catch these little guys a few times under sub-optimal conditions during work trips but this time I could dedicate my afternoons to learning new tricks.
Day 2 and lots more sculpin but now I am getting better at unhooking them and getting the gear back in the water. I even manage to get a surf perch pulled all the way up for the camera just to watch him slip the hook and swim away. All in all feeling pretty good about my fishing skills until I get a text that my dog has caught a live shark and left some bite marks on his tail. The wife has a healthy sense of self preservation but two strangers arrived to pull him back into the ocean where he can grow up to eat surfers like his parents.
Day 3 and success!! My first surf perch and its a double. These guys are the redtail variety which can get up to 3-4 pounds although in this case I would need 3-4 fish to reach the pound mark.
The other trick I learned was the crab dance. When the surf was tame you could spot dungeness crab and with careful footwork you could herd them into water shallow enough for the grab. Personally, I was too big of a coward to go for them when their claws are up but you can wait for them to start digging into the sand to effect a safe extraction.
Didn't catch any keepers but looking forward to a rematch next year.
