It’s easy to forget the sound of silence in the light of day. When Woodrow Woodpecker sounds the torpedo-billed morning alarm through the pockmarked cedar siding of the cabin, the day starts with a bang. It’s a ceaseless syncopated Morse-code of bangs, really.
In the manic swings of the day, deer and elk make frequent appearances, vanishing and reappearing in rhythm with the weather. Radiant clear morning skies shift to drizzly grey before the first cup of coffee is poured. Hail takes its place and sends the flocks scattering before white clouds wipe the sky blue.
A restless grouse jaywalks in front of the only car on a lonesome moss draped backroad. A greasy turkey vulture loafs along the roadside, waiting in the wings. The chatter of bird song raillery falls from the trees along with the patter of leftover afternoon rain.
Way out past the edges of any jerkwater town the roaring silence of the night fills your head like a freight train. Mischievous mystery ghosts torment the imagination and cause old dogs to bay into the darkness and chase night shadows in the rain.
Creeks, streams and rivers course the black air with static vibrations more visceral than simple sound. Rain tries to drown the feeling out but it inevitably returns with even more vigor. Hidden bulbous wart frogs croak with drunken timing when the rains retreat.
The moon bears silent witness to it all until the dawn turns the world to red roosters and woodpeckers once again.
FISHIN’
Improving salmonid catch rates on the lower Columbia River may be a sign that the bulk of the spring Chinook run is drawing near and developing an appetite. Of course springers are notoriously finicky fish when it comes to taking the bait. Time of day, water visibility, water temperature, river flow, size, shape, scent, and color of the bait are all profound factors, but mostly it is patience that is paramount when trying to lure in a vaunted spring king.
Last week on the lower Columbia the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife counted 15,236 angler trips which resulted in the hooking of 1,558 adult spring Chinook and 54 steelhead. The WDFW estimates that since Feb. 1 there have been about 45,686 angler trips made on the lower stretches of the mighty river and those excursions have resulted in the harvest of 2,371 adult spring Chinook. Only 405 springers have been released.
Sturgeon fishing was slow in The Dalles Pool last week but the walleye made sure there was still something to reel in, as 15 boats brought in 85 walleyes. In the John Day Pool last week boat anglers hooked five legal size sturgeon but had to throw back three oversize fish and 22 sublegal fish. Walleye angling was decent at John Day as well with WDFW numbers showing 22 walleye kept and another 11 released by 42 boat anglers. A smattering of bass were caught in both pools as well.
Fish numbers continue to improve in the Cowlitz River as we settle into spring although it’s a group of wandering steelhead that seems to be providing most of the bite and underwater river traffic. Last week the WDFW sampled 16 boat anglers who kept 27 steelhead and 44 bank anglers who kept 10 adult spring Chinook, one steelhead and released another two steelies. Per usual, the steelhead were plucked from near the trout hatchery. The salmon were clustered near the Barrier Dam.
A new fishing regulation implemented by the WDFW reflects the preponderance of winter-run steelhead in the Cowlitz right now. As of Apr. 1, all anglers on the lower Cowlitz are permitted to harvest up to three hatchery steelhead per day.
In a press release the WDFW explained their decision by noting that, “There has been a strong showing of late winter run hatchery steelhead on the Cowlitz to date. The hatchery broodstock goal is expected to be met.”
The lower Cowlitz River stretches from the boundary markers at the mouth of the river all the way up to the posted markers about 400 feet below the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery barrier dam. Barbless hooks are required everywhere on the river.
Elsewhere, the WDFW recently released the regulations for the 2015 halibut season. Those new rules include an emphasis on creating additional halibut opportunities in the Columbia River system, although the overall recreational quota for all Washington areas is 214,110 pounds, which is unchanged from last year.
One of the major changes to the Columbia River area is that the halibut fishery will now run continuously rather than being broken up into early and late seasons.
“We continue to look for ways to increase fishing opportunity in the Columbia River area, where the catch has been below the quota in recent years,” said Heather Reed, a WDFW coastal policy coordinator, in a press release.
“In addition to some great halibut fishing, anglers can look forward to more opportunities to target bottomfish in Westport, Neah Bay and La Push,” Reed said.
Marine Area 1 (Columbia River) will open its four day a week halibut fishery on May 1. That fishery will be allowed Thursdays-Sundays through Sep. 30 or whenever the area quota of 9,754 pounds has been reached.
In smaller fish news, there were no new trout stocked in western Washington lakes last week but the WDFW did announce the impending openings of two popular area trout lakes for spring break.
Bowers Lake (Vance Creek Pond #1) in eastern Grays Harbor County will be open from Apr. 4-12 to all juveniles 15 years old or younger and all seniors who are 70 years of age or over. Anglers with a WDFW designated harvester card are also eligible for that spring fling. Nearby Lake Inez (Vance Creek Pond #2) will remain closed during that time however.
In Pacific County, Cases Pond will be open to juvenile anglers only from Apr. 11-19. According to a WDFW press release, “The opener will allow additional fishing opportunity for young anglers on Cases Pond during spring break for local school districts.”
Both Vance Creek ponds, Cases Pond, and hundreds of other area lakes are set to open up on Apr. 25 in the state’s biggest “opening day” of the year.
HUNTIN’
The annual youth spring turkey hunt is clucking right around the corner. On Apr. 4-5 all documented hunters age 15 and younger will have a chance to flush out and call in wild turkeys all across the state. An all age general spring turkey hunt will kick off later in the month, running from April 15 through May 31.
Local hotspots for a shot at a wild turkey include the hills between Cosmopolis and Raymond and the rolling flatlands between Tenino, Rainier, and Yelm.
Prospective hunters who need to finish up their preliminary paperwork before the summer and fall hunting seasons should put the WDFW sponsored “Hunter Education Jamboree” on their schedule.
Planned for June 6-7 in Yakima County at the Boy Scouts of America Camp Fife, the jamboree will allow new hunters to finish their hunter’s education coursework, live target practice, and field skill requirements all in one flash bang stop.
Participants must register online by May 15.
All persons born after January 1, 1972 are required to show proof of hunter education course completion before purchasing their first Washington hunting license.
CLAMMIN’
The WDFW has approved a set of clam digs that are scheduled to start on Apr. 4 on four coastal beaches, and rumor has it there are some fat bottom clams wallowing in the tide.
With the seasonal switch to morning tides having come and gone no digging is allowed on any beach after noon. Additionally, diggers will need a new 2015-16 harvesting license. Last year’s cards expired on March 31.
“The razor clams we’re seeing are really fattening up, and are perfect for the frying pan,” said resident razor clam man for the WDFW, Dan Ayres, in a press release.
Under state law, diggers are required to keep the first 15 clams they dig. Each digger's clams must be kept in a separate container
The upcoming dig is scheduled on the following dates, beaches, and low tides:
- April 4, Saturday, 7:23 a.m.; 0.6 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks, Copalis
- April 5, Sunday, 7:57 a.m.; 0.3 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks, Copalis
- April 6, Monday, 8:32 a.m.; 0.3 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors
- April 7, Tuesday, 9:09 a.m.; 0.1 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors
- April 8, Wednesday, 9:48 a.m.; 0.1 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors
- April 9, Thursday, 10:32 a.m.; 0.2 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors
- April 10, Friday, 11:23 a.m.; 0.4 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors
Wildlife managers for the state are urging beachgoers to remain vigilant for nesting snowy plovers and streaked horned larks during this spring season. The birds are particularly fond of settling into the soft, dry sand at Leadbetter Point on the Long Beach Peninsula and a section of Twin Harbors beach. When taking vehicles on the beach drivers should remain on the hard sand close to the tide line.
The snowy plover is a small white breasted bird with gray wings while the lark is a small yellow breasted bird with a brown black. Male larks have a black mask, breast band and “horns”. Both species are listed as “threatened” under the federal Endangered Species Act.
The snowy plover is a small bird with gray wings and a white breast. The lark is a small bird with a pale yellow breast and brown back. Male larks have a black mask, breast band and “horns.” Both species are listed as “threatened” under the federal Endangered Species Act.
In other shellfish news, three Puget Sound beaches opened up to clam and oyster harvests on April 1. Purdy Spit County Park, Freeland County Park and Dayton West beaches are now open to the harvest of all clam and oyster varieties.
Purdy Spit County Park, located in Pierce County near Gig Harbor. It will have the shortest season of the three, remaining open only through April 30.
According to a press release provided by the WDFW, “The season for Purdy Spit County Park is being shifted to earlier in the year to avoid the time of year the area is usually impacted by Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning closures which frequently begins in June or July.”
