Hunting & Fishing Report: Contemplating Impermanence and Castles Made of Sand

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Tucked inside the cobwebbed eaves of an old weathered wood barn a white breasted owl catches a midday nap. He stores up his energy while sunbeams cast shadows and dust shafts about the hayloft so that he is ready to catch scurrying rodents who venture too far from home under the false cover of moonlight. The brittle snap crunch of old owl pellets under foot provides ample evidence of the owl's natural advantage on its home turf.

Inside the adjacent farm house a silver-haired good ol' boy frets over the bottom line as he chews on the end of a corncob pipe. A reformed coal miner, he found it easier to grow grass on God's time, bale and buck it in the summer, and feed it out when the cows come home, typically around supper time.

But that relentless march of time means that the old barn is starting to sag in spots and the walls are beginning to bow. The front wall even collapsed entirely during the legendary Columbus Day storm before tired hands stooped and cobbled it back together again. The farmer wonders how long he will be able to store his hay upstairs and whether one day someone will knock the barn over, or simply let the wind tear it all the way down to the ground.

On the outskirts of town the Chehalis River runs swollen and silent as it oxbows its way to the ocean. Long reeds double over along the shoreline and eddies swirled in the strong spring current. Overhead, a big head osprey fights to stay aloft against strong, but inconsistent gusts of wind. In its clutches it holds a moss draped branch with a forked tip that measured at least as long as the bird itself.

Back at the nest, situated atop a decapitated light pole, fledgling birds chirp for more regurgitated salmon guts and huddle warily in the face of those dogged westward gusts. The adult osprey lands softly and begins to expertly weave the branch into the web work of the nest. As the big bird settles into its home the clutch of offspring grow quiet and gather softly beneath her protective wings. Now their nest feels like home again.

In the backyard mole holes burst forth like earthen volcanic eruptions in the middle of my tidy domestic prairie. Goats keep the weeds at bay and chickens keep up on the rest of the manicuring maintenance. With no monotonous yard work left to be done my mind moves on to other tasks in my ongoing attempt to sink roots into a new farm. I think about my young son. I ponder all that he is, and what he might be. I wonder what he will enjoy, what he will build, and what else he will destroy in fits of youthful exuberance.

With so much left to be determined I settle on a sandbox for an afternoon project. I cut the lumber and dig the corner posts and cobble it all together with a hammer and nails. A few wheelbarrow loads across the pockmarked yard and the play area is complete. All in all, it doesn't prove too hard.

One day soon, I hope, my son and I will sit together and shape castles made of sand. We will dig moats and fill them with real water and imaginary alligators while we contemplate the virtues, and ultimate impermanence, of home.

When we are through fooling around with our homes built upon the sand it be our turn to decide whether it is it better to tear down the things we have loved and built by hand, or to simply let nature knock it all to the ground in its own time.

FISHIN'

After a weekend deluge of rain the Chehalis River is still running thick and brown like the headwaters are coming off of a melting chocolate mountain. Those conditions have wiped out any lingering angling effort on the state’s second largest watershed, and nothing is shaking on the might Columbia River either.

“The Columbia River closed on Saturday,” said Andy Coleman of Andy’s Angling Adventures. “Trollers and hog liners we're finding scattered groups of fish in the Columbia the last few days of season, not what it should be for this time of year though.”

Limited fish reports from the WDFW last week indicate that anglers averaged a little more than half of one adult spring Chinook salmon per boat. However, fishing continued to be a slog along the shoreline.It is unclear when, or if, the spring salmon season will reopen again. Currently fishery managers are checking return and catch numbers in order to set the remainder of the spring salmon season. Most of that data is rather depressing as anglers and fish counters at Bonneville Dam have both been disappointed by the numbers they’ve seen. An email from the WDFW noted that the 101 adult spring Chinook counted at Bonneville as of April 10 is a new record low. The previous low mark was set in 2005 when 120 springers had made it past the dam wall.

While we wait for word from the WDFW on lower river salmon opportunities, impatient anglers can start gearing up to to the upper Columbia River in order to catch and keep sturgeon. On April 29 a sport fishery will open up for hatchery river monsters from the Wanapum and Priest Rapids reservoirs.

“Not only does this fishery provide a great opportunity for anglers but it’s also helping our efforts to recover white sturgeon populations by reducing their interactions with these hatchery fish,” said Chad Jackson, WDFW regional fish manager, in a press release.

This is the third time that the WDFW has opened up those waters to the harvest of hatchery sturgeon. In the early aughts the WDFW released several thousand juvenile sturgeon in the upper Columbia River. A size restriction will cover the fishery in order to target the hatchery origin sturgeon while preserving wild stock.

Between April 29 and Sept. 1 anglers will be allowed to keep two hatchery sturgeon per day, so long as they measure between 38 and 72 inches from nose to fork. Any sturgeon caught in those reservoirs will not count against the annual harvest limit on sturgeon.

The salmon prospects have been moderately improved on the Cowlitz River recently as a late return of winter steelhead has finally begun to arrive. Controlled river flow provided by the series of hydroelectric dams has also served to keep the river from running wild, free, and too turbid to fish.

"We've seen steelhead numbers pick up on the Cowlitz River in the last two weeks and the quality of them has been great,” wrote Coleman, who typically sticks to the upper reaches of the lower Cowlitz River. “A few Spring Chinook (are) around but not plentiful yet. Should start seeing a good push of Chinook in the next few days with a heavy rains we've had and timing wise. The few boats and guys plunking in the lower Cowlitz seem to be getting a few Chinook and steelhead but no exciting numbers yet.”

In other news, salmon seasons have been set for the upcoming summer and fall fisheries. Those dates will be condensed in many cases due to low projected returns for both Chinook and coho salmon on several regional rivers. At a recent Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting state and tribal co-managers agreed on fishing seasons that they say will meet both conservation goals for wild salmon and provide adequate angling opportunities where possible.

A press release from WDFW noted that subpar environmental conditions,severe flooding in watersheds, and warming ocean waters, conspired to diminish salmon returns in recent years. A continued loss of spawning and juvenile rearing habitat is also creating decreased salmon stocks.

"It's critical that we ensure fisheries are consistent with ongoing efforts to protect and rebuild wild salmon stocks," said Ron Warren, head of the WDFW fish program, in a press release. "Unfortunately, the loss of salmon habitat continues to outpace these recovery efforts. We need to reverse this trend. If we don't, salmon runs will continue to decline and it will be increasingly difficult to develop meaningful fisheries."

Fishery managers came out of the recent talks with a renewed sense of optimism that future discussions will be conducted in good faith between sport anglers, commercial fishers, government and tribal agencies.

"No fisherman wants to catch the last salmon. We know that the ongoing loss of habitat, a population explosion of hungry seals and sea lions and the needs of endangered southern resident killer whales are the real challenges facing us today. We must work together if we are going to restore salmon to sustainable levels," said Lorraine Loomis, chair of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission.

The Columbia River will be one area where recreational fishing opportunities will be hampered this year with shorter seasons than years past. Ocean fishing will also be limited, and tribal fisheries have been restricted in some areas. Many of this years conservation efforts have been targeted at areas where orca whales are known to feed. Those actions are intended to reduce disturbance of whales by boat presence and noise, while simultaneously decreasing competition for salmon stocks that are critical to the survival of orcas.

Full details on salmon seasons can be found online at https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/northfalcon/,

while information on tribal fisheries can be obtained by contacting the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission online at http://nwifc.org.

On Monday the WDFW debuted their new Fish Washington online app. That gadget technology is designed to keep anglers up to date on the latest fishing seasons and regulations for every lake, river, stream, and marine waterway around the state.

The app is available for free on the Google Play, Apple’s App store and the WDFW website (wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/washington/mobile_app.html).

“The Fish Washington app is a step in our ongoing effort to make fishing simpler in Washington,” said Steve Thiesfeld, WDFW fish program lead, in a press release.

The application contains these features, among others:

Interactive map-based rules to help anglers find fishing near them.

Details on harvest limits and allowable gear for fishable species in each body of water.

Links to the Fish Washington website and instructional videos designed to convey when, where and how to fish in Washington.



Locations of boat launches and other fishing access points.

Ability to add waypoints on maps, and report poaching in progress.

Downloadable updates and offline capacity designed for those who may not have cell service in remote areas or on the water.

Currently the only feature missing from the app is information on shellfish and seaweed collection regulations.

“The Fish Washington app is a planning and mapping tool that should be on every Washington angler’s smart phone,” said Thiesfeld, in the release.

The Fish Washington app is one of the first efforts in an ongoing communication outreach planned by WDFW. Those efforts were inspired by public feedback in recent years. Other transparency efforts include a move to simplify fishing rules and overhaul the department's website.

The Fish Washington app was tested by thousands of volunteer anglers in recent months. In addition to adding shellfish and seaweed information in the future, officials hope to add a feature to report sport fishing catch cards online, and a comparable mobile applications for use by hunters.

“We are grateful to the outdoorspeople (sic) that made suggestions, tested and helped support us as we have worked to develop this phone app,” said Thiesfeld. “They are a big part of our work to maintain and improve the fishing experience in Washington.”

If the river prospects have you feeling down there’s plenty of lake trout fishing opportunity burbling to the surface. Many lakes are already open and April 28 is the official lowland lake opener, which is the busiest fishing day of the year in Washington.

At Mineral Lake 3,276 fingerling rainbow trout were planted on April 6, with an additional 6,474 small rainbows planted the previous day. Mayfield Lake received 4,020 half pound rainbow trout on April 5 as well, and nearby Swofford Pond was planted twice at the end of March. On March 29 Swofford was stocked with 4,200 half pound rainbow trout, and on March 22 the East County backwater received 4,400 fingerling rainbows. Lastly, South County Park Pond, aka “Wallace Billabong” was planted with 1,840 fingerling rainbow trout on March 8.

HUNTIN’

With the spring youth turkey hunt in the bag after last weekend it’s now time for the big boys to go searching for brazen toms. That statewide spring turkey hunt will take place from April 15 through the end of May.

According to the WDFW, turkey hunters had a 52 percent success rate statewide in 2016. Those turkey hunts have a combined limit of three birds for the season, of which only two may be taken from Eastern Washington, with the exception of Chelan, Kittitas, and Yakima counties where only one gobbler may be killed per person. A one turkey limit is also applicable in Western Washington, although two turkeys may be taken in Klickitat County. Only male turkeys, or those with visible beards, are legal for hunting.

Some of the best areas for wild turkeys in southwest Washington are found out Highway 6 near Pe Ell, where they roam the logged hillsides, and the Mima Mounded prairies between Tenino and Yelm. The birds can also be found in the hills south of Cosmopolis along Highway 101 and up toward the Brooklyn Tavern. Rumor has it from hunters, loggers, and undercover State Troopers alike that wild hogs roam the same hills.

Meanwhile, time is growing short for cougar hunts that have been on the prowl since last fall. Those big cat opportunities are scheduled to continue through April 30 in most areas. However, hunters should check for closures in units with harvest limits before marking a mountain lion. Of course, state law stipulates that coyotes never go out of season.

During a set of public meetings from April 12-14 the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission will set new hunting seasons for deer, elk, waterfowl, and other game species that will last through 2020.

Those meetings scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. on Thursday, and 9 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. The meeting will be held in Room 172 of the Natural Resources Building at 1111 Washington St. S.E. in Olympia.

Changes in hunting rules proposed by WDFW wildlife managers for the commission’s approval include:

• Scheduling special seasons for hunters under age 16 so they can participate in hunts for game birds on both sides of the state.

• Reducing the time bowhunters can hunt for antlerless elk in the Yakima and Colockum elk herds during the 2018 early general season from 13 days to six. The season for bull elk would not be affected by this change.

• Providing hunters an opportunity to take antlerless white-tailed deer in game management units 101-121 in northeast Washington. Special permits would be available to seniors and hunters using modern firearms, while other hunters could take antlerless deer during general hunting seasons.

A complete agenda is available at http://wdfw.wa.gov/commission/.

CLAMMIN’

We are one week away from the next proposed round of razor clam digs on the coast and diggers are still twiddling their thumbs waiting for final approval from WDFW. Once marine toxin testing has been conducted in the vicinity of the clam digging beaches a final decision will be announced.

“We collected all but one of the last set of razor clam samples for toxin testing (Tuesday) night. Really crummy surf conditions prevented the crew from collecting the full Mocrocks sample so we are going back out tonight…we should have all the results by Friday…crossing my fingers!” wrote Dan Ayres, WDFW coastal shellfish manager, in an email to the FishRap command center. “The domoic acid levels have been low…but we still need to do the testing.”

Although final approval is still pending, last week the WDFW added a new digging opportunity to the proposed list. That addition would open Copalis to a morning dig on Saturday, April 21.

Tentative razor clam digs in April are proposed for the following dates, locations and tides:

• April 19, Thursday, 9:46 a.m.; -0.9 feet; Mocrocks

• April 20, Friday, 10:37 a.m.; -0.7 feet; Mocrocks

• April 21, Saturday, 11:34 a.m.; -0.4 feet; Copalis, Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks (digging hours will be extended to 1 p.m.)

• April 22, Sunday, 12:38 p.m.; -0.1 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks (digging hours will be extended to 2 p.m.)

According to Ayres, those digs could very well be the final coastal razor clam openings until the fall.

‘We won’t have any word on how populations have changed until we complete our summer stock assessment work that will begin next month. However, I can say the coming April opener will very likely be the last one for the season,” wrote Ayres.

State law allows clam diggers to keep up to 15 razor clams per day so long as they keep the first 15 clams that they dig. No highgrading allowed. Additionally, all diggers age 15 and up are required to have a fishing license, and each digger must keep their harvest in a personal container.