At the risk of damning the rapidly impending baseball season to a doomsday’s deluge of rain drops, I’m here to express some dismay at the lack of wet stuff we’ve been experiencing this winter.
Before you go bonkers and blister The Chronicle phone lines with flaming voicemails (thanks for reading!) let me say that I certainly realize that I am likely in the extreme minority here. After all, everyone likes sunshine. It’s just that these dry spells during the wet season have me feeling all out of sorts.
Granted, when taken in isolation, each one of the bluebird, white cloud, sun sparkled days can feel like an over generous blessing from on high. Mud puddles wick away and early bird blooms take their place. Lawns grow, bumblebees hum, and daydreams drift toward the dusty diamonds of America’s pastime. No rain today is nearly always good, for today anyway. It’s the inevitable ramifications on tomorrow that scare me.
Some of you are of course questioning my weathered recollection. In fact it might have been raining this morning when you collected your daily fish wrap from the front hedges. But let’s not kid ourselves. This winter has been a bit weird.
Last week I was scaling crumbling craggy rock walls along the river to reach fishing holes that are usually not accessible until the hot summer months. Low and clear flows in our area rivers have the fish sitting stagnant and swimming scared at the fish eyed reflection of bone dry anglers ambling along the banks. Worst of all, many headwaters are too low for hopeful salmon and steelhead spawners to reach their creeks of origin.
Even more worrisome than the relative lack of rain is the distinct lack of snow in the mountains. Most resorts have been patiently waiting for a winter season that has yet to arrive. As a result many mountains are currently operating on a limited basis due to pervasive protruding rocks and other obstacles around the mountain. Most of Washington’s ski areas have had their worst snow season in at least the last decade, which is of course bad news for skiers, snowboarders, and Abominable Snowmen. What’s more important though is that there will be very limited snowpack left to feed our rivers this summer, when it won’t matter one iota that two feet of rain fell in three days of January. All of that water will be long gone.
That lack of water flow is going to play out in a number of unfortunate ways. Boaters, rafters, and floater guides will be bumping the bottom of their favorite drainages. Farmers will be scraping the dregs of the barrel to water crops and animals. Cities will watch their municipal aquifers dwindle, and the evergreen trees may be the only vegetation that doesn’t crisp and dwindle in the heat.
Most of all the low water is going to be bad for fish populations.
So be sure to enjoy these shining strands of sunny days as they continue to put us deeper in debt to our hydro-charge account. Just remember that one of these days it will be time to pay the piper, and he doesn’t take rainchecks.
FISHIN’
Piscatorial prospects should be on the rise this time of year but dwindling river flows are hampering the bite by interfering with the migration of late winter steelhead and early spring chinook. As evidence, it should be noted that since the first returning adult spring Chinook was noted at Bonneville Dam on Feb. 8, no other springers have been observed.
The unseasonably dry weather and slack rivers have not dampened the collective enthusiasm of local anglers for the opening of spring salmon season on the lower Columbia River though. That popular fishery, from Buoy 10 up to the Bonneville Dam, is set to begin on Sunday, March 1 and continue through Apr. 10. The fishery will be closed on three Tuesdays however, March 24, March 31, and Apr. 7. Steelhead and shad harvest will only be allowed on the lower Columbia on days that the salmon fishery is also open. The daily limit during the fishery will be two adult salmonids, including no more than one hatchery Chinook.
Meanwhile, sturgeon fishing is set to close in the Bonneville Pool on March 1. Last week the sturgeon bite there was active, although legal size fish were fairly elusive. In all the WDFW sampled 38 bank anglers who released one oversize and 19 sublegal fish, in addition to 59 boat anglers who hauled in 156 sublegal fish and just five legal size white sturgeon.
The Dalles and John Day pools will remain open to sturgeon harvest until their respective guidelines of 100 and 500 fish have been met. Angling for the big fish was relatively slow in both of those pools last week. Sturgeon harvest below Bonneville Dam is currently closed but catch-and-release is allowed.
On the other pole, salmonid anglers in The Dalles and John Day pools were catching a fair number of steelhead last week. Those pools also saw a bit of walleye action, with 76 anglers catching 41 fish in The Dalles and 40 anglers hauling in an impressive 95 walleye at John Day.
In Cowlitz country the WDFW came back with very limited data last week, sampling just eight boat anglers who harvested four steelhead near the trout hatchery. Numbers from the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator reflect that lax effort with only four adult coho and 59 winter-run steelhead making it to the Tacoma Power facility. River flows at Mayfield Dam were recorded at approximately 5,060 cubic feet per second on Monday.
In trout news, Kress Lake was planted with ten adult steelhead last week. There was no report of angling success or effort. Spearfish Lake in Klickitat County was planted with 320 rainbow trout on Feb. 12.
A slew of new fishing regulations are set to take effect around southwest Washington in the coming days. For starters, between March 1 and June 15 on the Deep River the daily bag limit will depend on the specific fishing rules for the Columbia River. On days when the Columbia is open to salmon retention the Deep River bag limit will be the same as the big river (Two salmonids, no more than one Chinook). When the Columbia is closed however, Deep River specific fishery rules will apply. Anglers should be sure to check with WDFW for the most recent fishery rules before heading out.
Out on Coal Creek (west of Longview) steelhead and game fish will be off limits below the falls after Feb. 28.
The Lewis River will not be joining the spring salmon bonanza on March 1, as their predicted return of 1,100 adult Chinook is below the hatchery escapement goal of 1,350 fish. Until further notice, all Chinook caught on the mainstem and North Fork of the Lewis River must be released. Steelhead are still a viable option in those channels however.
On the lower Kalama River the daily steelhead limit has been increased to three fish. That change applies from the downriver boundary markers at the mouth to within 1,000 feet of the upper salmon hatchery. According to the WDFW, “the hatchery escapement goal for late winter run steelhead is expected to be met and surplus fish are available for harvest.”
Elsewhere, WDFW is inviting the public to participate in the next round of their fishery season-setting process with a public meeting on March 2 in Olympia. Attendees will be presented a preview of this year’s salmon returns as well as an outline of potential fishing seasons.
Members of the public will have an opportunity to speak with fishery managers about pre-season forecasts and to participate in work sessions focusing on conservation issues and possible fishery dates. The fish meeting will be held from 9 a.m to 3 p.m. in room 172 of the Natural Resources Building, 1111 Washington St. SE, Olympia.
HUNTIN’
Hunters hoping to hang a bear skin rug this spring have only until midnight on Feb. 28 to submit their application for a permit.
The WDFW will hold a random drawing in mid-March in order to distribute the black bear permits. In total there are 383 permits available for western Washington and 314 permits for eastern Washington. Hunters who are awarded a permit will be notified by mail no later than March 31.
In order to qualify for the permit drawing hunters must purchase a special permit application in addition to a 2015 hunting license, including a bear species option, all before the deadline. Licenses, tags, and applications can be purchased on the WDFW website, by phone at (866)-246-9453, or through licensed outdoors vendors. Spring bear hunt applications can be submitted on the WDFW website or by phone at (877) 945-3492.
The WDFW reminds hunters that private timberland owners in many areas have been severely limiting access to their grounds or charging fees. The state recommends that, “If you cannot secure access in advance, do not apply for these hunts.”
Bows, muzzleloaders, and modern firearms will all be allowed for the bear hunt, but no bait or hounds may be employed.
Deer and elk hunters meanwhile have until March 31 to get entered into the 2015 multiple-season permit drawing. That random drawing will take place in mid-April when the WDFW selects 8,500 multiple-season deer permits and 1,000 multiple season elk permits.
Hunters who are selected in the drawing will be eligible to purchase a special tag that will allow them to take part in archery, muzzleloader, and modern firearm general hunting seasons in 2015.
“This is a great opportunity for hunters to extend their hunting season this fall,” said Mick Cope, game manager for WDFW, in a press release. “Rather than having to choose just one hunting method over another, the multiple season permit allows more flexibility.”
The permit application costs $7.10 for Washington residents and can be purchased on the WDFW website, through licensed vendors, or by calling, (866) 246-9453.
CLAMMIN’
February’s clam digs are all over but the fun will resume again on March 2 when the next approved set of digs begins. The WDFW has announced proposed digs all the way through March as well.
“We’re announcing these dates so people can make plans for digging in March,” said Dan Ayres, WDFW razor clam manager, in a press release. “The proposed digs include an opening for the Ocean Shores razor clam festival.”
Another special digging opportunity will come on March 20 and 21, so long as those digs are approved by the WDFW. March 21 is the first day of the seasonal switch to morning digging times, so diggers who hit the beach on the evening of March 20 can claim a legal “double limit” within twelve hours of first hitting the beach.
Below is the list of proposed razor clam digs, along with low tides and beaches:
· March 2, Monday, 4:46 p.m.; 0.5 feet, Long Beach, Twin Harbors
· March 3, Tuesday, 5:26 p.m.; 0.4 feet, Long Beach, Twin Harbors
· March 4, Wednesday, 5:59 p.m.; 0.4 feet, Long Beach, Twin Harbors
· March 5, Thursday; 6:30 p.m., 0.5 feet, Long Beach, Twin Harbors
· March 16, Monday, 4:15 p.m.; 0.3 feet, Long Beach, Twin Harbors
· March 17, Tuesday, 5:08 p.m.; -0.2 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors
· March 18, Wednesday, 5:57 p.m.; -0.5 feet, Long Beach, Twin Harbors
· March 19, Thursday; 6:42 p.m., -0.5 feet, Long Beach, Twin Harbors
· March 20, Friday, 7:26 p.m.; -0.4 feet, Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis, Mocrocks
Seasonal switch to morning tides
· March 21, Saturday, 7:55 a.m.; -0.5 feet, Long Beach, Twin Harbors Copalis, Mocrocks
· March 22, Sunday, 8:42 a.m.; -0.7 feet, Long Beach, Twin Harbors Copalis, Mocrocks
· March 23, Monday, 9:31 a.m.; -0.6 feet, Long Beach, Twin Harbors
· March 24, Tuesday, 10:21 a.m.; -0.3 feet, Long Beach, Twin Harbors
