The flannel patchwork of the maples reveals that it is past time to stop slaying kings and start chasing bucks.
In the afternoon pumpkin patches on the outskirts of town are overrun with seasonal revelers. Orange gourds are surveyed, selected, and ceremoniously scalped. Freshly eviscerated with jagged windows to the world they jockey on front porches to become the replacement heads for the midnight calvary of decapitated horsemen.
As night falls droplets of dew reflect the twinkling of the heavens while a single shooting star blazes a witch’s path beyond the soft edge of a pollen yellow harvest moon. Cornrows bow their heads in the dark as coyotes howl at the shadows of scarecrows. Underfoot, fickle fungus fruits and spoils. Rinse with rain, and repeat.
In the beating heart of the old forest slabs of gnarled bark reveal stories we don’t know how to read and yet our minds manage to perceive anyhow. A hirsute caterpillar curls up in fear. A greasy black crow caws to its scattered murder. A frayed leaf pinwheels in silence to the floor from which it sprang.
In the darkest hours before the dawn the scent of smoldering woodstoves permeates the air. Warm leather. Sweet tobacco. Black coffee. Morning’s doves clear their throats and flutter incognito from their perches. In the waning moments of night’s safety net earthworms wiggle their way back underground. Belching owls head back to the barn as an overzealous rooster root-a-roos from the rooftop.
In the wave of dawn’s first light a piercing shot rings out from across the distance. We do not know, but like a shrieking freight train whistle in the dark, our minds manage to perceive the age old story that it tells.
FISHIN’
It’s official silver season on area waterways from the Humptulips to the Elochoman. While kings are still hanging around, many of them are getting long in the tooth and beginning to show their less desirable colors. Coho on the other hand are just hitting their stride and the future looks bright for anglers with a penchant for collecting silvers.
Last week at the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator crews recovered 2,402 adult coho, 742 jacks, 498 adult fall Chinook, 19 jacks, four adult spring Chinook, 16 summer steelhead and 18 cutthroat trout. Out on the water last week the WDFW sampled 33 bank anglers downstream of the I-5 Bridge with a haul of five adult coho and one released Chinook and two chum, while 11 boat rods kept two adult coho and released two adult Chinook and two adult coho. Upriver 73 bank anglers kept seven adult coho and one jack, and released 25 adult Chinook, 11 jacks, two adult coho and four cutties. Four upriver boat rods had no catch to report.
Rumor out at the old fly shop on the Kalama River Road is that the old free flowing river has got a good mix of coho and kings in it right now with the run moving upstream from the mouth. Fly fishers are said to be poised to strike a wide legged pose and let a river run through it.
WDFW sampling on the mainstem Lewis River showed five boats with no catch. However, fish were biting up on the North Fork where 26 bank anglers kept four adult oho and 13 boat anglers kept four adult Chinook, a jack, and two adult coho.
On the lower Columbia River last Saturday officials tallied 457 boats and 156 bang anglers targeting salmonids between Tongue Point and Bonneville Dam. Off of Washougal boat anglers averaged 0.56 Chinook and 0.15 coho per boat while anglers farther downriver between Vancouver and Cathlamet averaged 0.24 Chinook and 0.23 coho per boat. Bank anglers in that same stretch caught 0.07 coho per angler. From October 1-8 anglers on the lower Columba made an estimated total of 10,288 fishing trips and caught about 2,573 adult Chinook, 23 summer steelhead and 895 coho.
Willapa Harbor is said to be awash in silvers this year and those fish are starting to move up into coastal tributaries in greater numbers. Of course the Willapa RIver is getting its fair share of attention but the Bone and Nema rivers are also worth a spin, troll, or plunk.
The silver scene is picking up on the Chehalis River as well. The bulk of the bite is still happening downriver from Elma but as the rains continue to pick up in frequency and ferocity those fish are slowing working their way upriver. Right now the odds are best from the Satsop on down but soon boats will be slinking around the bends at Porter as the fish bolt toward the Skookumchuck.
Trout stocking efforts have slowed considerably with the change of the season. The only local effort in the last month was In Thurston County at Munn Lake which was planted with 275 rainbow trout weighing more than a pound each on Oct. 4.
HUNTIN’
After a week in the woods early muzzleloader season for elk will come to a close on Friday and will then start up again in Western Washington at various times throughout November, depending on the area. Local units with high success rates include 505 (Mossyrock), 506 (Willapa Hills), 510 (Stormking), 516 (Packwood), 520 (Winston), 550 (Coweeman) and part of 524 (Margaret). Due to extreme hoof disfiguration in area elk hunters are required to sever the lower leg sections and leave them behind at the kill site. Any hunters who observe a lame or limping elk are encouraged to report the sighting to the WDFW.
General season for black-tailed deer will get started on Saturday, Oct. 14, and continue through the end of the month. Meanwhile, eastern Washington hunts for white-tailed deer and mule deer will begin on the same day and continue through Oct. 24 or Oct. 27, depending on the area. Some of the most popular, and successful units, are right here in southwest Washington, including GMUs 530 (Ryderwood), 501 (Lincoln), 520 (Winston), and 550 (Coweeman).
Out in the rough and tumble the fall bear season will continue through Nov. 15 and cougar hunts will be allowed at least through Dec. 31.
Duck, coot, and snipe hunters will have a short window to shoot through from Oct. 14-18. Those seasons will then pick back up from Oct. 21 through Jan. 28. Goose hunting will also get off the ground on Oct. 14 with the length of the particular season varying depending on the area. Early season hunters typically have success along major watersheds like the Columbia and Chehalis rivers. In Washington the Canada goose population is estimated to be up 17 percent from last year and mallard numbers are thought to up by 74 percent. Goose hunters in Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Pacific, Wahkiakum and Clark counties are required to pass an identification course for Dusky Canada geese, which are off limits to hunting in Goose Management Area 2.
Forest grouse and crows are still open statewide and mourning doves will remain in the crosshairs through Oct. 30. The ever-popular general pheasant hunt in Western Washington will continue through Nov. 30. Those hunts are allowed from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. each day and hunters are held to a daily two bird limit and a possession limit of 15 birds. The California quail, standard quail and Northern bobwhite seasons in Western Washington will also continue through Nov. 30.
Fall turkey hunters have until the end of October to bag a gobbler in GMUs 101-142 but GMUs 145-154 and 162-186 will close to turkey hunting on Oct. 13.
Bobcat, fox, raccoon, cottontail rabbit, snowshoe hare all open through March 15, and of course, coyotes are fair game all year round.
CLAMMIN’
Last week’s season opening clam tides drew a strong turnout on Washington’s coastal beaches and most diggers walked away with their limit of the succulent bivalves, although the process was said to be laborious across the boards.
Stiff winds on Friday evening made the opening day particularly difficult as hoods and buckets went flying and the tell-tale clam pockmarks were blown flat, making the clams even harder to find. Reports from the frontline claimed that the clams were good size on average but they were spread out in wide swaths across the beach rather than in the dense pockets that have revealed themselves in banner years past.
The next tentative round of clam digs are set for Nov. 2-5. Confirmation on those digging dates is dependent upon marine toxin test results.
Razor clam digs proposed through December are listed below, along with evening low tides and beaches:
Daylight Savings Time
• Nov. 2, Thursday, 6:03 p.m.; 0.1 feet; Copalis
• Nov. 3, Friday, 6:47 p.m.; -0.7 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
• Nov. 4, Saturday, 7:31 p.m.; -1.2 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
Pacific Standard Time
• Nov. 5, Sunday, 7:16 p.m.; -1.4 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
• Dec. 1, Friday, 4:42 p.m.; -0.3 feet; Copalis
• Dec. 2, Saturday, 5:29 p.m.; -1.1 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
• Dec. 3, Sunday, 6:15 p.m.; -1.6 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
• Dec. 4, Monday, 7:02 p.m.; -1.8 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
• Dec. 31, Sunday, 5:12 p.m.; -1.2 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis, Mocrocks
So far there have been no digs proposed at Kalaloch Beach and officials say that it’s likely there won’t be any this fall or upcoming winter. That’s because there is a mystery unfolding on the Olympic Peninsula coast.
Coastal shellfish manager Dan Ayres explained that the beach at Kalaloch has been experiencing dramatic razor clam population shifts over the last few years that have puzzled scientists. While he says it’s too early to know for sure, Ayres says there is suspicion that hungry gray whales are swarming the beach at high tide and pulverising the sand in order to feast on the clams.
“We started getting calls at the end of July from folks saying there’s something weird going on. There are gray whales working at high tide right on the beach in water you'd never expect to see a gray whale,” said Ayres.
Ayres says he has even investigated the scene himself and came away with a grainy cellphone photo of whales squirming on their sides in the shallow surf with one fin stretched out in the air in the apparent act of feeding. One report told of about four dozen whales apparently feeding along one coastal section at one time. Just what exactly the whales are eating remains a mystery though since scientists have so far been unable to obtain a sample of whale feces that would put the matter to rest.
While he readily admitted that there is no rock solid proof yet, Ayres says the hypothesis seems to hold water. “What could they possibly be eating except these clams?” asked Ayres.
This summer a juvenile gray whale even made the news when it became stuck on the beach near Kalaloch. A multiple day rescue effort ultimately freed the animal but the occurrence has fueled a suspicion that the hungry whales could be behind the massive fluctuations of clam populations along the Olympic Peninsula coastline.
“If it is gray whales that’s not a bad thing, they certainly have to eat too,” said Ayres.
Ayres noted that there are currently no proposed clam digs at Kalaloch Beach for 2017. “I think it would be a little bit premature and shortsighted to open it up too soon,” he explained.
In Washington all clam diggers age 15 and older are required to have an appropriate fishing license. The daily limit is 15 clams and diggers are required to keep the first 15 clams they dig regardless of size or condition. Additionally, each digger must keep their own clams in a personal container.
In a press release Ayres noted that throughout the 2017-18 razor clam season, a research team from the University of Maryland will be out on the beaches looking for volunteers to participate in a survey about razor clam consumption and harvesting practices. Additional information on the study can be obtained by contacting Lynn Grattan at 877-668-4559 or LGrattan@som.umaryland.edu.
