THE NEW SHRIMPING DATES ARE POSTED FOR PUGET SOUND WATERS

B

Byrdman

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Puget Sound recreational shrimp season opening days are:
Marine areas 4 (Neah Bay east of the Bonilla-Tatoosh line) and 5 (western Strait of Juan de Fuca): Open daily beginning May 11. The recreational spot shrimp season closes when the quota is attained.
Marine Area 6 (Port Angeles Harbor, eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca, excluding the Discovery Bay Shrimp District): Open Thursday through Sunday each week beginning May 11. The recreational spot shrimp season closes when the quota is attained.
Marine Area 6 (Discovery Bay Shrimp District): Open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on May 11, 15, 29, and June 1.
Marine area 7 South (Iceberg Point, Point Colville, Biz Point, Salmon Bank): Open May 11-12, May 16-19, and May 23-24.
Marine area 7 East (northern Rosario Strait, Bellingham Bay, Sucia and Matia islands, Strait of Georgia): Open May 11-12, May 16-19, May 23-26, and May 30-June 2.
Marine Area 7 West (San Juan Channel, Speiden Channel, Stuart and Waldron islands): Open Thursday through Sunday each week beginning May 11. The recreational spot shrimp season closes when the quota is attained.
Marine Areas 8-1 (Saratoga Passage, Deception Pass) and 8-2 (Port Susan, Port Gardner, Everett): Open from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on May 11, and from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on May 15.
Marine Area 9 (Edmonds, Port Townsend Bay, Admiralty Inlet): Open from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. on May 11, and from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. on May 15.
Marine Area 10 (Elliott Bay): Open from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on May 11 (this is the portion of Marine Area 10 east of a line from West Point to Alki Point).
Marine Area 10 (outside Elliott Bay): Open from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. on May 11 (this is the portion of Marine Area 10 west of a line from West Point to Alki Point, which includes the Bainbridge Island shrimp fishing grounds).
Marine Area 11 (Tacoma-Vashon Island): Open from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on May 11.
Marine Area 12 (Hood Canal Shrimp District): Open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on May 11, 15, 29, and June 1.
Marine Area 13 (South Puget Sound, Carr Inlet): Closed for spot shrimp harvest this season due to low abundance.
Additional dates and times will be announced if sufficient quota remains after the initial fishing days scheduled above.
In all areas of Puget Sound, fishers are limited to 80 shrimp a day (if open) during the month of May. A valid 2019-20 combination license, shellfish license, or Fish Washington license is required to participate in the fishery.
Velasquez reminds shrimpers that traps can be set one hour before official sunrise during any open period in marine areas 4, 5, 6 (except for the Discovery Bay Shrimp District), 7 East, 7 South, and 7 West only. As an example, one hour before sunrise is approximately 4:40 a.m. on May 11.
The pots must be removed from the water in these same areas by one hour after sunset at the end of an open period. The start and end times for the other areas are listed above.
More information on sport shrimp seasons, and a description of the marine areas, is available on WDFW's recreational shrimp fishing website at https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/shellfishin ... ons/shrimp.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is tasked with preserving, protecting and perpetuating fish and wildlife and ecosystems, while providing sustainable fishing and hunting opportunities.
 
I just did a tide analysis (and therefore currents) of the open days here in the San Juans (marine area 7). Absolutely horrible match!

I see they delayed the opening from the usual 1st weekend in May to the 2nd because of this tide mismatch, but the match up continues to be bad right into June. Nearly every time the tidal flows start to become reasonable, those days are closed. Almost couldn't be worse.
 
Funny , the WDFW is bragging about the dates because they are the better tides then the week earlier. We have had open dates on some of the biggest tides every year for as long a I can remember. That is why I hit 7west and 6. Longer season and better tides.
 
Tom,

The tides ain't good in 7-west either....indeed, nowhere in the entire 7-area are the tides good with few exceptions.

Yes, the WDFW did "brag" about better tides, but they only claimed that for the opening weekend; and indeed, moving the opening to the 2nd weekend of May instead of the first weekend was a great improvement; however, if you look at the whole season anywhere in area 7 up thru early June, the currents suck except very early or very late in the day (excepting opening weekend).


P.S. Note in my original post above I used the unfortunate phrase "open days"; although technically correct, that phrase is too easily confused with "opening day". In that original post I should have said:

"I just did a tide analysis (and therefore currents) of all the days here in marine area 7 (San Juans) which are open for shrimping up thru early June. Absolutely horrible match!
 
7west goes thru the summer. There has to be some good tides. I will have to look when work slows down. and remember you are looking for good currents more then tides, thu tides are a good indication. Do you have a copy of Waggoner tables for the current atlas .
 
7west goes thru the summer. There has to be some good tides.
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True, but note I am only talking thru early June. Why? Because, as you know, the WDFW shuts downs the spot shrimp fishery essentially overnight once they determine enough shrimp have been caught. Last year for example, I was planning a trip up near Waldron over the coming weekend only to have the season closed. So now, I plan to early June as if that's the entire season. If it stays open, then I plan June and so on. I've learned to plan as if the season will close at any time. Assuming the season will go into July; then yes, there will be some good tide days (but there aren't in May).

....remember you are looking for good currents more then tides, thu tides are a good indication.
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True. I used to plan looking just at currents (both NOAA data stations and the current tables you mention), but too often I found that did not work. Currents are just too fickle. Move a quarter mile and the current can change radically due to the shoreline or even the bottom structure. For example, I find that in the Iceberg Point area and back toward Coleville, slack can be 2 hours different than advertised. So now I don't play it cute any longer. I try not to shrimp by attempting to catch the slack just right on days with strong tides; instead I look for days when the overall exchange of water is low (i.e., 3 or 4 feet max btwn high and low tide) so that currents are low everywhere. This only happens for 4 or 5 days twice a month.
 
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