Anyone catch one of these, is this your fly, purple starfish, clams? Beach report...

So. Slow day on the water, tide was great, overcast, calmer than I'd think ideal, but spitting rain at times which helps I imagine.

Hit a few spots, one new one. Caught a few small SRC's, and 2 decent coho. Nothing steady, no pattern to the fish, about the time I'd be thinking about moving or changing up, I'd get a fish, just enough to keep at it. Nice to be out, slow or not.

Anyway, a few interesting things about the day outside of the general fishing. Firstly, anyone ever "catch" one of these? Fishing an intermediate line, fishing a shallow shelf and hung up if I cast too far (retrieve time was too long at a full line) but before I conciously shortened my cast, came across this guy, thought it was pretty cool. Actually just hung up across his legs, didn't actually hook him.




Saw some really cool, purple and pink starfish, I know it's old news for most of you here, but to a newbie to the area like myself, pretty cool. Tide was almost at 1.0 where I was, so lots of exposed critters at drop dead. Surprised that the starfish (my daughter would correct me and call them sea stars) are exposed dry for so long. Must not hurt them? Anyway, all of their little feet are super cool.



At another spot, found this interesting Clouser hooked in a barnacle. Tied with a stinger, and the main hook point cut off, I thought it was a tube fly at first. Thought it was interesting, much bigger than I've been using too. If it's yours, you're fishing a good spot! (Also, if you'd actually like it back I'm sure it could be arranged...)



And a stupid question to end... These are clams, right? They were squirting water all over the place, very cool indeed. They look like little Sarlac monsters (other SW nerds will get the reference) and they were shooting water everywhere, you could hear it, like a sprinkler on a garden hose.



That's all I have. As mentioned, the fishing itself was unremarkable, but was still a pretty good day. Noticed that a cast in the rain somehow seems longer to me. Saw some bald eagles. Watched the gulls dropping clams on the rocks, pretty clever of them it seems to me. Beaches around here are simply brimming with life, it's awfully impressive.

Dan

Great report as usual! I've come to really look forward to reading your reports, Dan. Your new-to-the-area excitement is super cool. Lest we all forget just how lucky we are to have such wonders at our back door.

Tie up a couple dozen copies of that there clouser and you'll be set for August!

hahaha mini sarlac indeed!

Nice report Dan. I'm glad you're discovering the area and the creatures. You're becoming a master sea run fisherman quickly and on your own! Some people come on here and ask where to go. You know where to go. Excellent. The Puget Sound is an amazing place. I was out last week with Richard Torres on here. Fishing was lousy that day, but, we watched a deer jump into the water near us, on the Hood Canal, and proceed to swim across!!!! It was easily a two mile swim! What a place!

Ditto. I have thoroughly enjoyed your reports, especially your photos. It's like I'm observing much of the same you have experienced. Great job, and thanks for the reports!

Thank you, great report!

Another fine report! You are getting out there, applying your knowledge, and learning the waters! And getting rewarded for your efforts!
That looks like a red rock crab with both pinchers broken off in your first photo. Apparently some greedy little bastard had to take both of 'em, and couldn't leave it with one so that it would have a chance to survive until it could grow a new pincher. Poor critter is like someone with no arms, in its current condition.

On clouser inspection, that red rock crab looks like it might already be growing another pincher. A second glance observes 3 arms on one side, and 4 on the other, despite the lack of pinchers. Perhaps that particular 4th pincher arm is still in the process of growing back, and has not yet attained its full re-growth. The arm for the pincher on the other side is not there at all.

Nevertheless, its always important for the crab that the partial harvester leaves it with one pincher!

By the way, I do not support "crab races" but believe them to be downright stupid, if not cruel.

Pugettia productus, the Kelp crab. And his buddy, Pisaster Ochraceous, the Ochre star

Low tide is a fun-as-hell time to be on the beach - I usually forget about fishing and end up poking around in all the nooks and crannies looking at all the cool stuff you normally don't get to see.

Looks like a lot of fun.

That's awful. Just so I'm clear, people pull the claws off of crabs then release them? That seems awfully tough fo the crab... Also, what is crab racing?
Thanks for the kind words all. I am learning a lot. It's fine to me to go out and see new water, even unproductive spots. I know spots are hard to come by, so I figure I'll put my time in and learn what I learn, you'll never have the same perspective if you only go to the popular spots, and when you know they'll fish well. Trying to catch up for no fishing the past few years down in Phoenix I suppose! (though I do miss the sun and warmth of an AZ winter...)

Dan

Nice report, Dan. I, too, like your posts; keep 'em coming.

I'm unsure whether you were surprised by the clipped hook on the clouser-like fly, but selective gear regulations in WA permit only a single barbless hook. So, for flies with a stinger, people often tie the fly on a streamer hook and then clip the hook at the bend. The salt isn't selective gear water, but searun cutts are precious, so fly fishers around here usually observe the ethics that go along with selective gear, whether it is required or not.

Dick

Just hadn't seen a Clouser tied in that manner is all. I wouldn't personally tie it this way myself. Tie all of mine "high style" with all of the material on the underside of the hook (inverted because of the eyes, obviously...)

Just checked, barb wasn't bent on the stinger, I've been real careful to do so at the vice over the years, other than big saltwater flies.

Dan

Nice report and I agree, lots of cool stuff living in the sound.
We are really lucky to have the big pond in our backyard.

As far as the stinger clouser goes, I'd highly recommend having some in your box. Having the single stinger set back further on the pattern really helps improve your hook-up rate when salmon or searuns are short biting.
It becomes even more important for salmon as the season progresses and fish start to get in the staging mode. The bites can be incredibly light and nothing like the aggressive takes you'll get earlier in the season. The stinger will help you connect with those fish.

Keep up the good work.
SF

The first picture looks similar to what we have here on the right coast. We call them spider crabs, not good for anything. I just saw a show on you guys out on the left coast and about those clams. I can't remember what they were called, some strange name but they had a 2-3 foot neck and the clam was about 1' or so. I think it was something like ducky or something, can't remember but, good eating. Sometimes I envey you guys and the great fishing then remember, we have great fishing also

That crab is a spider crab IMHO and probably does ok without claws compared to some other crabs (small weak claws anyway and they mostly use camo for self defense). Your "clam" looks to me to be an anemone. Tough to tell apart from just the squirt unless you dig up the shooter to get a good ID.

In Florida the only part of a stone crab that's legal to keep is the claw and there's a huge commercial harvest of them. Rather than tear the claw off which will probably kill the crab you just push the claw as far as it will go and the crab will retract its tendons and sever the claw itself because it thinks the claw has become trapped and is now just a liability to it. The intentionally self severed claw regrows much faster with each moult. Allegedly removing both claws is good for reproduction as the females can't say no to intercourse when they have no claws..

Thanks for the clarification on that. Yes, Red Rocks look a bit stouter/chunkier than the one in the pic. I miscounted. Crabs have four legs in addition to their pinchers. So it looks like its missing both claws and one leg.
Further research indicates that the crab in the pic is a Kelp Crab. They are related to Spider Crabs.

Kelp crabs are often called "spider crabs". Here's a pic from the ODFW:

The fly you found looks like a Coho Special originated by local author and fly fisher Dick Stoll. That one looks as though it is a bit larger . Mr. Stoll suggests a stinger hook in size 4 -8.

Just to add to the confusion I've had old timers tell me they call that a king crab ( not to be confused with Alaskan king crab)

Well, there is a spiny king crab according to the ODFW crab i.d. page. I don't want to clutter up this thread with more photos so here's the link to that page: http://www.dfw.state.or.us/mrp/shellfish/crab/Crab_ID.asp