Puget Sound Anglers – Gig Harbor & Tacoma

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE FROM JEFF ZUNIGA

We had a lot on the agenda for our February meeting.  It started with our annual crab dinner.  We had about 75 members show up for the dinner.  A big thanks to all those who donated their time and talents to make this another great event.  The dinner was followed by our regular meeting.  We presented our annual 2013 fishing awards.  Each recipient was awarded an individual plaque and $100 cash prize.  Below is a listing of our 2013 award winners:

• Largest Trout Award – Avery Ng
• Largest Salmon Washington State Award – Susan Leahy
• Largest Salmon International Award – Robert Yoshioka
• Largest Steelhead Award – Susan Leahy
• Largest Halibut Award – Robert Yoshioka
• Lady Reelers Award – Maryellen Ward
• Gold Carp Award – Thom Names

In 2013, we also kicked off our first “Angler of the Year” award.  This award goes to the member who earned the most points fishing in our club events as well as earning points by volunteering at club functions.  And the winner is… Roger Chapman.  He also received an individual plaque and a Lowrance hand-held GPS, which was donated by Salt Patrol.  Congratulations to all of the winners!

Our monthly membership drawing was up to $370 and we finally had a winner.  The member in good standing was Steve Ng.  A huge thanks to John Hager at Southworth Marine for sponsoring our monthly membership drawing.  We had a knot tying demonstration at our fish-talk-table.  There was a large group gathered around the table, in addition to learning about knots, we pulled out the knot strength tester… not sure who tied the strongest knot, but it looked like everyone was having fun.  Our speaker for the meeting was Gary Miralles from Shasta Tackle.  It was another fantastic presentation.  The presentation was mostly geared towards kokanee fishing, good info for our upcoming May kokanee outing on American Lake.  There were lots of tips and tactics that work for salmon as well.  Thank you Gary for sharing your knowledge.  We concluded our meeting with our raffle prize drawings.

This is the final reminder to renew your annual memberships.  Cost is $30 for a family membership, and this can be done at our March meeting or online at our website (https://gigharborpsa.org).  You can also send a check to PO Box 91, Gig Harbor, WA  98335.  Remember you must be a member in good standing to participate in many of our club activities, or to win the monthly membership drawing.

In March, our guest speaker will be Mike from Jambo’s Sportsfishing.  It should be another fantastic meeting.  In addition, the Lowrance Pro Staff will be onsite and have offered to upgrade your Lowrance units to the latest software version.  So bring in your units and have them upgraded during the meeting.  If you haven’t been attending, you’ve been missing out.   Our regular meeting will start at about 7:00 PM, but come a bit early and grab a hot dog and a drink.  Our club membership is on the rise and meetings have been well attended.  Our April speaker will be Pete Chadwick from Riverbend Jigs.  You will not want to miss either meeting.

 Please check out our website or Facebook page for the latest updates regarding meetings our club activities.  We meet the second Tuesday of every month at the Tacoma Outboard Association (646 N Wilton Road, Tacoma, WA).   Guests are always welcome.  Better yet, come and join our club and be part of a great group of fishing enthusiasts who love to fish.  As always, we hope to see all of our members in attendance!

Wear your lifejacket, be safe on the water, and good luck fishing!

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE FROM JEFF ZUNIGA

We had a great meeting on January 14^th to kickoff the first meeting of 2014.  The meeting was very well attended and we had a large number of first time guests.  We held our annual elections for our 2014 officers.  The following officers were elected:

President – Jeff Zuniga

Vice President/Derby Chairman – Michael Brazeau

Secretary – Bob Watts

Treasurer – Robert Christian

We had our monthly membership drawing and there was no winner for January.  That means the February drawing will be up to $370, which is generously sponsored by Southworth Marine.  Club member Michael Brazeau shared his expertise on Cutthroat fishing at the fish-talk-table.  Our featured speakers for January were State PSA President, Ron Garner, and Sports-fishing Lobbyist, Carl Burke.  WOW!  What a very informative presentation by both gentlemen.  There was a lot of information shared about what has been happening and what is currently happening with some of the political issues facing our state fisheries.  I know that I certainly learned a lot – it was very thought provoking and hopefully “WE” will be able to help make a significant difference both now and in the future.  We concluded our meeting with our raffle prize drawings.  There were lots of great prizes, including a couple of very nice trout/Kokanee rod and reel combos – just in time for our Lake Washington Cutthroat outing which will be held on January 18^th.

It’s time to renew your annual memberships.  Cost is $30 for a family membership, and this can be done at our February meeting or online at our website (https://gigharborpsa.org).  You can also send a check to PO Box 91, Gig Harbor, WA  98335.  Remember you must be a member in good standing to participate in many of our club activities, or to win the monthly membership drawing.

In February, we will be holding our annual Crab Feed and Awards Ceremony.  The dinner will start at 6:00 PM and costs $20.00 per person.  If you plan on attending the dinner, you will need to RSVP.  To RSVP, please email gigharborpsa1@gmail.com or call 253-841-8088.  Our regular meeting will start at about 7:00 PM and we will recognize the Largest Fish Awards for 2013, and also find out who won our inaugural “Fisherman of the Year” award.  The speaker for February will be Gary Mirales from Shasta Tackle.  It should be a great meeting.  Our February outing will be the Olympic Peninsula Salmon Derby, Discovery Bay, February 15^th – 17^th.

The speaker for our March meeting will be Mike from Jambo’s Sportsfishing.  We are actively working to finalize our remaining guest speakers and club outings for 2014.  Please check out our website or Facebook page for the latest updates.  We meet the second Tuesday of every month at the Tacoma Outboard Association (646 N Wilton Road, Tacoma, WA).   Guests are always welcome.  Better yet, come and join our club and be part of a great group of fishing enthusiasts who love to fish.  As always, we hope to see all of our members in attendance!

Wear your lifejacket, be safe on the water, and good luck fishing!

Annual Gig Harbor PSA Cutthroat Trout Outing

Location: Lake Washington, Renton WA. 

Date: Saturday 18th January

Time: 7:00AM-1PM.  

Rules: Must follow all WDFW rules. Largest cutthroat by weight wins. Only active Gig Harbor PSA club members in good standing may fish this event. Limit is 5 Cutthroat per angler.   

Weigh in: Fish can be weighed at Gene Coulon Park at 12:30 PM-1PM. We will take your fish weigh it and return it to you.

We will not tell you the weight of your fish at the dock.  The weight will be recorded and the winner will be announced at the Gig Harbor PSA meeting in February. Only cutthroat will be weighed in no rainbow trout, kokanee, steelhead, salmon or bass. All decisions by the derby committee are binding and final.

Lunch at Ivars for those wanting to attend at 1 PM. It’s located at the boat ramp. There is lots of moorage available next to Ivars.

Prize: Winner will receive a cash prize

Entry fee: $10.00 per angler entry fee paid at the boat ramp to outing director

Radio: VHF CH 68

Weather: Bad weather (High Winds) I will send out a cancellation e-mail on Friday afternoon 17th January. Watch your e-mail for updates.  

Boat Ramp: Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park

Directions: From the South Take I-405 northbound to Exit 5 and head west on NE Park Drive. Proceed to the bottom of the hill and turn right on Lake Washington Blvd, proceeding north. The park entrance is approximately 1/4 mile on the left. Users of the boat launch will see an automated pay box system for parking and launch fees. Launch fee is $10.00. The ramp has 8 lanes.

Recommended Tackle:

Let’s talk about the basics for the Lake Washington trout fishery. This is a troll fishery that requires nothing more than a downrigger and a good light action trout rod. My rod of choice is Kokanee rod with a reel spooled with 10lb Line.

Herring is my bait of choice for these winter trout. Sockeye smolts are present in the lake from winter to spring and these trout gorge themselves on them. I like to run orange label herring in a basic salt brine. To make the brine, I use kosher salt and distilled water and then add the frozen herring to the brine eight hours prior to fishing. I put two buckets in the bait cooler, both with the salt water brine. In one bucket I will sometimes throw in some green bait dye to color up the herring. On a tough day of fishing the addition of color to your bait can often put more fish in the net.

The set up for these trout could not be more simple. Run the herring on a solid mooching rig with hooks to match the bait size 1/0.  From your main line tie on a ball bearing swivel then tie on your leader. Add the herring and your off and trolling. Shasta Tackle Wiggle Hoochie’s behind a Swing Blades also work quite well.

These trout seem to be real boat shy so let your gear out 100′ and then attach it to your downrigger clip. As far as the downrigger clips go be sure to switch over to the small trout size clips because the trout can’t pull the line from the big salmon size clips.

With the lake temperature dropping the fish will begin to slow and not want to use much energy to find a meal, so you need to put the bait right in the path of the fish. Watch your electronics close and keep working your gear to stay in the money zone. I like to start out fishing at about 1.4 to 1.9 mph and adjust accordingly. If you’re marking fish and not getting bit, switch something up. Speed up or slow down, switch out your bait or add some new scent. You need to keep working to keep catching.

Lake Map:

Best fishing red stars, ramp green triangle

Questions????

Contact Chris Tremblay

Chris@nventure.com

253-370-2230

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE FROM JEFF ZUNIGA ON BEHALF OF VENICE ROOF

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!   Our annual Christmas Party and Potluck was held on December 10th.  We had a phenomenal turnout, the largest of the year.  I guess we saved the best for last!  It was great to see all of the families in attendance.  The kids had a special visitor from the North Pole (AKA Santa Clause).  In addition to our regular fishing related raffle prizes, we also had lots of door prizes just for the ladies.  It’s our way of saying thanks for letting us fish throughout the year and allowing us to buy all of the fishing and boating gear that we cannot live without.  A huge thanks to all the volunteers who helped setup, prepare the food and cleanup afterwards.

Our first meeting of the 2014 will be on January 14^th.  We have a lot planned so we hope to see you in attendance.  As a reminder, final nominations and elections will be held for our President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer Positions.  We will resume our monthly membership drawing, which is sponsored by Southworth Marine.  Since we had no winner at our November meeting and we skipped this activity at our December party, the January drawing will be at $260. You must be a member in good standing, which is also my subtle way of reminding everyone to renew your annual membership.  This can be done in-person at the next meeting, via the USPS or online at our website (https://gigharborpsa.org).    Our featured speakers for our January meeting will be State PSA President, Ron Garner, and Sports-fishing Lobbyist, Carl Burke.  We are looking forward to a very informative session.   We will also have club member, Michael Brazeau, sharing his knowledge on Cutthroat fishing at the fish-talk-table.  The fish-talk-table is an informal session that is held during our mid-meeting break, where you can ask specific questions about the topic or technique being discussed.  This is a great opportunity learn from some of the best!   The club outing for January will be announced on our website, Facebook page and sent out to all current members via our email distribution list.

In February, we will be holding our annual Crab Feed and Awards Ceremony.   Unless something changes dramatically to the price of crab, the dinner will cost $20.00 per person.  If you plan on attending the dinner, you will need to RSVP and pre-pay for this event.  To RSVP, please email gigharborpsa1@gmail.com or call 253-841-8088.  You can also signup and pay at the January meeting.  Hopefully everyone remembered to submit their entries for the largest fish awards.  We will recognize the 2013 winners and also find out who won our inaugural “Fisherman of the Year” award.  The speaker for February will be Gary Mirales from Shasta Tackle.  It should be a great meeting.

Our club will be staffing the PSA booth at the Puyallup Sportsman’s Show on January 25^th and the Seattle Boat Show on January 31^st.  Stop by and say hello and we’d be more than happy to talk about becoming a member of PSA, share more about our local chapter or just talk fishing.  Hope to see you there.

We are actively working to finalize our guest speakers and club outings for 2014.  Please check out our website or Facebook page for the latest updates.  We meet the second Tuesday of every month at the Tacoma Outboard Association (646 N. Wilton Road, Tacoma, WA).   Guests are always welcome.  Better yet, come and join our club and be part of a great group of fishing enthusiasts who love to fish.  As always, we hope to see all of our members in attendance!  January’s meeting will return to its normal start time of 7:00 PM, but come early and grab a hot dog.

Wear your lifejacket, be safe on the water and good luck fishing!