FISHIN’
The recent cold-hearted fling with a shimmering winter wonderland has in fact done wonders for the conditions on area waterways. The clear, dry weather that rang in the subfreezing temperatures gave drainages a respite from the borderline overflow capacity they’d become accustomed to. Even the resulting precipitation of ice and snow played into the improving angling prospects by releasing their hydrological capacities in a more manageable, time-release fashion. All told, this week’s hinterland scenery has served to slow and calm what were recently raging rivers. In this case, exposure to the elements has indeed provided clarity.
Over at Sunbirds in Chehalis professional angling outfitter Jerry Barr says there are fish plying waters in nearly every direction. They’re even biting sometimes, too.
Barr said whispers wafted in from the Chehalis River between Oakville and Porter that a pair of bubbas were hooking honker-sized coho around the first of the month. With that good word percolating off of Washington’s second largest watershed, rumors picked up steam that hungry coho have been encountered as far up as Rainbow Falls.
“With the recent weather the water should be in good condition,” said Barr.
Barr added that no matter the season or conditions, there is nearly always something cooking on the Cowlitz. Sometimes it’s just that it cools down to a slow simmer. The burner has been turned way down in recent weeks with nearly all of the angling attention paid to the safe-bet waters below Barrier Dam. With the water rounding into shape in recent days though there are bound to be anglers inching their way down the river in search of a seasonal silver or two.
If you prefer empirical data to word of mouth, last week on the Cowlitz River the WDFW contacted nine boat anglers with a haul of three coho, and 80 bank anglers with five keeper coho and a catch-and-release tally of one adult Chinook, one adult coho and one jack coho.
During that same time frame at the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery employees collected 1,033 adult coho, 99 jacks, one adult fall chinook, five summer-run steelhead, four winter-run steelhead and 13 cutthroat trout. River flow at Mayfield Dam on Monday was reported at about 12,300 cubic feet per second with visibility of nine feet.
There’s no word from the WDFW down on the lower Columbia River these days since their creel report program ended, but they have released a list of 2016 retur numbers to along with the official prognostication for 2017.
Returning fall Chinook on the mighty Columbia were supposed to reach 960,000 fish but that actual run was only about two-thirds of that forecast and bright stock jack returns only reached about half of the recent ten year average. Looking forward, the WDFW is expecting bright stocks to match those from 2013 and projects the tule stocks to be on par with the ten year average. However, the official crystal ball says that poor ocean conditions off of Washington and Oregon could still wind up putting a damper on the tule fall Chinook and coho runs.
On the silver scene the WDFW noted that so far the return for 2016 has been much less than anticipated. Cushioning the blow slightly is the fact that jack returns to the Columba have been up from last year, but they’re still lower than the two years previous.
For those looking to cast a line in Washington’s largest watershed the Columbia is currently open to salmon fishing from Buoy 10 to up above McNary Dam and steelhead angling has been worth the effort in the dam pools.
Sturgeon fishing is closed for retention on the lower Columbia below Bonneville but just like steelie chasers the sturgeon hounds have been finding some success in the dam pools, although John Day is also closed to sturgeon retention.
For what it’s worth, walleye fishing has been excellent in The Dalles and John Day Pools. Sampling by the WDFW last week found 39 walleye kept in The Dalles between six boat anglers, and a boat angler at John Day kept five walleye while releasing seven.
Following the food chain right on down the line, trout fishing continues to have its perks in these weeks following the WDFW’s concerted Black Friday effort. Barr says that both Borst Park Pond and South County Park Pond have been fishing well in recent days as the thousands of stocked rainbows continue to work up an appetite in the wild. Anglers who hit the big Black Friday bonanza reported that the water was decidedly high, but the fish were still biting. The cold and dry weather has also helped those billabongs to come back into balance. The bite will likely be extra hot during the next rainstorm, which will warm the water up a bit.
HUNTIN’
The illegal slaughter of five elk near Ellensburg has prompted a collection of outdoors groups to offer up a $9,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction of the perpetrator.
“This is one of the worst poaching cases I’ve ever seen, and the reward money provides a big incentive for people to come forward and tell us what they know about it,” said Bob Weaver, WDFW enforcement captain in Yakima, in a press release.
In addition to the $9,000 reward cobbled together by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, the Northwest Chapter of Safari Club and Conservation Northwest, the WDFW is offering 10 bonus points for special hunt permits to persons who provide information that leads to a conviction.
The poached elk were first reported to authorities on Nov. 6 after being being discovered by two hunters in Schnebly Canyon. The poached animals included four yearlings and an adult cow. They were all killed illegally and in violation of area hunting regulations.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call the WDFW’s poaching hotline at (877) 933-9847 or text tips to WDFWTIP Report by sending them to 847411.
According to Weaver the guilty party may be charged with a Class C felony, which is punishable by up to five years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine. Convictions often bring about civil penalties which can include the estimated value of the elk.
Out in the field, waterfowl, especially fresh arriving snow birds, are caught directly in the crosshairs of open seasons and prime conditions. In Goose Management Area 2 goose hunting is allowed only on Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays through Jan. 22. In the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge though goose hunting is only allowed on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays until Jan. 21. In Goose Management Area 3 goose hunting will be open through Jan. 29, with no extra wishbone rules. Meanwhile, duck hunting will keep flapping away until Jan. 29 statewide.
Crow hunting will come to a close on Dec. 31, as will forest grouse (blue, ruffed and spruce), while coot and snipe hunts will stay open through Jan. 29.
The extended season pheasant season in western Washington will continue through Dec. 15 at the Skookumchuck, Fort Lewis, Kosmos, Scatter Creek, Belfair, Whidbey Island (except Bayview) and Lincoln Creek release sites, but no new birds will be released for that extended opportunity.
Turkey hunters still have a week of late fall season left in their search for big talking, tall walking snood in the hood. Turkey season ends on Dec. 15 and the harvest limit for the season is one birds of either sex. Classic gobbler killing spots include the tulies of Cinebar, the shady hillsides surrounding the Brooklyn Tavern and the giant-gopher prairies between Tumwater, Tenino and Yelm.
Elsewhere, late archery season for black-tailed deer will run through Dec.15 or 31, depending on the area, while late season archery hunts for mule deer will continue through Dec. 31 in some areas. Similarly, archery hunts for white-tailed deer will continue through Dec. 15 in applicable areas. Late muzzleloader seasons for black-tailed deer will also amble on through Dec. 15.
Late archery season for elk will continue through Dec. 15 in some areas of eastern Washington, although some closed on Thursday. Late archery season for elk in western Washington will run through Dec. 15 in all applicable areas and late muzzleloader seasons for elk will also march on through Dec. 15 in certain areas on both sides of the Cascades.
Cougar hunts will continue through at least through the end of the year, depending on harvest quotas, while bobcat, fox, raccoon, cottontail rabbit and snowshoe hare hunts will scramble on until Mar. 15 of next year.
Coyotes are always open year round and beavers, badgers, weasels, martens, minks, muskrats and river otters can be harvested through trapping only.
CLAMMIN’
The fickle tide is turning, ever so slowly, back in favor of succulent bivalve imbibers. There’s no telling how long it might last in the midst of this stop-and-start fall digging season, which has been upset by unpredictable domoic acid toxin readings, but the WDFW has approved a two day clam dig at Copalis and Mocrocks for this weekend.
Recent toxin testing at those beaches found the resident clams to be below the state mandated action level.
Diggin’ will be allowed on Saturday, Dec. 10 and Sunday, Dec. 11. The tides will allow for afternoon daylight digs, which are exceedingly rare this time of year. No digging will be allowed before noon.
“This opening is also the last chance diggers will have to fill their buckets before the Christmas holiday,” said Dan Ayres, WDFW coastal shellfish manager, in a press release announcing the digs. In a separate email Ayres noted for fun that the largest clam he’s ever dug had a shell 5 ⅝ inches long, while the largest he’s ever seen was a full seven inches long.
The upcoming dig is approved on the following beaches, dates and evening low tides:
Dec. 10, Saturday, 3:28 p.m.; 0.5 feet; Copalis, Mocrocks
Dec. 11, Sunday, 4:21 p.m.; -0.5 feet; Copalis, Mocrocks
Converse to the opportunities at Copalis and Mocrocks, both Long Beach and Twin Harbors are closed to razor clam harvesting due to the elevated levels of domoic acid, which can cause illness or death if consumed in sufficient quantities.
“It’s disappointing that we aren’t able to open Long Beach or Twin Harbors,” Ayres noted. “We’ll continue to monitor toxin levels at all ocean beaches and hope to offer more digging opportunities in the future.”
Twin Harbors was most recently open on Nov. 26-27 and Ayres broke down that digging effort and payoff in an email this week. Ayres noted that an unusually large crowd of 4,300 diggers came out to dig on that Saturday, despite choppy and chilly beach conditions. Many of those diggers were undoubtedly regular Long Beach diggers who were jonesing for a fix, since The World’s Longest Beach has yet to open for clam digging this fall/winter.
“While plenty were able to get their limits, there were plenty who struggled – bringing the average to eight clams per digger,” said Ayres in his email. “Sunday the crowd dropped considerably, but digging success remained about the same. The average size of the clams was all over the board. There are small clams, particularly on the south part of this beach…and there are also plenty of big clams.”
Ayres explained that Long Beach makes up 40% of Washington’s clam digging coastline so an overall dip in digging effort is expected to some degree. However, he noted that during the 2014-15 season only one day exceeded the dense crowd that was seen at Twin Harbors on Nov. 26.
“That tells me there is a lot of penned up desire,” wrote Ayres.
Still, with toxin levels still too high at Long Beach, Ayres is sad to report that those peninsula diggers who are itching to get sand in their pants will likely remain frustrated for the foreseeable future.
“We are VERY disappointed to not be able to open Long Beach and now once again Twin Harbors,” wrote Ayres. “We are concerned for the small business that depend on clammers and so we will continue to test regularly until we can get this fishery back underway.”
Additional information about razor clams can be found online at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/shellfish/razorclams/.
SNOWIN’
After a soft opening at White Pass last weekend the powderhead scene has picked up considerably up and down our section of the Cascade Range.
White Pass has between two and four feet of snow piled up, depending on the elevation, with trace amounts of accumulation Wednesday night and three inches for the week headed into Thursday’s predicted storm. The lifts are currently running Thursday through Sunday from 8:45 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Snoqualmie Summit has opened up their Summit West runs. The slopes were showing about 30 inches of snow with temperatures slinking close to ten degrees late Wednesday night. The Summit picked up six inches of snow early in the week and the runs are open 9 a.m to 4 p.m.
Crystal Mountain has opened up their Northway runs and Quicksilver is set to open on Saturday. The runs were showing between three and nearly four feet of snow depth with three new inches stacking up Tuesday and Wednesday.
Mt. Hood Meadows dropped down into the single digits Wednesday night adding a slick of ice to the top of nine new inches of snow that piled up this week. They are open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
WILDLIFERS
Last week state and federal biologists released 10 fishers in the Nisqually River watershed of Mount Rainier National Park. That action ended a period of about 75 years where the animals were absent from that historic range.
Fishers are about the size of a housecat and are a member of the weasel family. They were killed off in Washington by the mid 20th century through over-trapping and habitat reduction and they have been listed as a state-endangered species since 1998.
The ten fishers released on Friday are part of an effort to reintroduce 80 fishers to the southern Cascades. Last year 23 fishers were released in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.
“Watching the fishers return today to their native forests of Mount Rainier National Park after a long absence was inspiring,” said Randy King, Mount Rainier National Park Superintendent, in a press release. “It was an honor to have the Nisqually and Cowlitz Tribes, and the Canadian Chilcotin and Northern Shuswap First Nations attend bringing their blessings and songs.”
Fishers were previously released between 2008 and 2010 in Olympic National Park. Tracking efforts of those 90 initial animals indicate that they have redistributed themselves around the peninsula and successfully reproduced.
“We are excited to work with so many committed people to reintroduce fishers into another area where they have lived historically,” said Hannah Anderson, WDFW’s listing and recovery manager, in a press release. “Fisher enthusiasts ranging across nations have come together to work toward a more robust natural balance with the introduction of these animals in Washington.”
Fishers are closely related to minks and otters and are native to the Cascade range of Washington. They are highly elusive in the wild, although a friend of mine once hit one with his car while actively trying to avoid it, and prey on small mammals like mountain beavers, squirrels and snowshoe hares. They are also one of the few predators of porcupines.
