Down by the river where the grass grows tall and fast while the rushes roll past, time has a peculiar habit of slowing down.
The sun rises like a pre-coffee yawn before making its screaming ascent toward high noon. The mist of the early morning gathers in the crease of reeds and wets the boots of anglers as they walk on by while osprey keep an eye out for predators and easy meals from their perches upon high.
A father and son amble down the path and keep an easy conversation with the tempo of familiar tennis partners. Serve. Return. Volley. Good point.
Then, the flat surface of the river breaks. A fish surfaces with tail whipping aplomb but slips away back beneath the blackwater without being scene. The concentric ripples emanating from the spot of the sound are the only sign that anything was there at all, but the evidence left behind allows a riverside sleuth to imagine the jump in grand detail – Scales shimmering in the sun, a twist and turn and an egg jostling backflop. It was obviously a nice size fish.
With the flick of his wrist a weighted line unravels across the river’s width and comes splashing down near where that fish had been. When it lands with a splash another set of concentric circles make a run for the banks.
The cast appeared to be right on, but the big fish had already moved along. The father twitches his jig a couple of times to see if he can lure in the jumpy fish for a nibble but his overtures go unnoticed.
The son says to his father that it must be plain bad luck that the cast didn’t bonk the fish right on top of the head with such an expert cast. A patient man, the father watches as his line drifts in the current and expertly allows his rigging to set up in a slack water eddy.
That’s where that big fish went to hide, he says with a tom cat’s confidence.
With the line in place and the day just beginning the father and son begin to settle into a new pace of conversation. The preambles are longer and the answers are more elaborate. The subject matter moves on from the weather and begins to erode away the rote responses that build up like callouses from a lifetime of small talk.
Like the river, the subject of the conversation winds where it is easy and sometimes cuts a hard new path to reach parts unknown. All the while the line pulses with the current and a skilled hand reads the vibrations to know what is happening out of sight.
As the hours pass and the fish refuse to bite the father and son hardly seem to notice. Every now and again the old man at the river will readjust his line with a half crank of the reel, or by letting out a little slack. The son paces the river bank and watches his father work, net ever at the ready.
As the time slips away the conversation continues to plunge deeper beneath the surface and into the unknown. The father tells tales from his youth, and the son speaks in certainties about how he believes the rest of the story will play out.
When the father, finally tuckered out and ready for a nap, retrieves his empty line from the river, the two know they will be heading home empty handed with no bones to show, but that development means little to the man and his boy.
In the nexus of the riverside the world slowed down and distractions melted away so that a father and son could learn about one another. They may not have caught any fish, but by no means were they skunked.
The river is always sure to reveal its bounty in its own time.
FISHIN’
As the summer solstice prepares for its arrival the bass bite is heating up on the Chehalis River. While salmon fishing is set to remain open on the Chehalis through the end of the month the most successful anglers have already turned their attention to ripping lips on resident bass.
One local fisherman, who prefers to wile away his days along the banks between Independence and Fort Borst, says it hardly matters what you toss in the water this time of year so long as you’ve located a good hole.
“I usually just throw a worm on a j-hook with a pinch weight up the line a ways and then toss it in there while I jig this other rod,” said the fisherman, who requested anonymity due to his propensity to disregard particular fishing seasons.
The man, who does make sure to purchase a two-rod endorsement, explained that the complexity of the rigging on his second pole all depends on the whims of the fish on that particular day. Typically though, he sets it up for a chance to land a salmon or steelhead, while he hedges his bets with the other simple plunking bass rod.
The angler, who always has his head on a swivel, said that the best results for bass are typically had in the slackwater behind a good eddy where the flotsam and jetsam of the river collect in an appetizing swirl. Other anglers reported having success around dusk at the mouths of tributary streams as resident bass dip into the big river to feed.
On the mighty Columbia River anglers are currently allowed to keep Chinook jacks and steelhead from the Astoria-Megler Bridge up to Bonneville Dam. Beginning June 22 through July 4 that stretch of river will also be open for harvesting adult summer Chinook. Last Saturday fish officials sampled 113 salmon boats in that stretch, as well as 52 Oregon bank anglers. Anglers between Goble and Beaver averaged 2.4 steelhead and 0.6 sockeye per boat. From Portland to Westport, anglers just 0.04 Chinook and 0.13 steelhead per angler. Currently, up to two hatchery steelhead may be kept per day but all sockeye must be released. Night fishing is permitted on the Washington side of the river.
The fishing continues to crawl along slower than a troller’s pace on the Cowlitz River. However, steelhead returns are beginning to show some promise. Last week the WDFW sampled six bank anglers downstream of the I-5 Bridge with no catch. Above the I-5 Bridge, 17 bank anglers released two cutthroat trout and 25 boat anglers kept two adult spring Chinook and 11 steelhead.
Last week at the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery Separator, employees recovered 83 spring Chinook adults, 40 summer steelhead and one winter steelhead. Crews also released ten spring Chinook adults into Lake Scanewa near Randle. River flow at Mayfield Dam were reported at about 5,100 cubic feet per second on Monday, June 18, with water visibility of 15 feet and a temperature of 49.9 degrees.
Steelhead also made up the bulk of the bite on the Kalama River last week. While the WDFW sampled six bank anglers with no catch, six boat anglers kept at least three steelhead. Over the next ridge though, on the North Fork of the Lewis River, 15 bank anglers showed no catch. Those slow results segued into a rule change that will prevent the retention of Chinook until Aug. 1. However, steelhead will be fair fodder and anglers pursuing steelies are allowed to use floatation devices between Johnson Creek up to the overhead power lines below Merwin Dam. Anglers are allowed to keep up to three hatchery steelhead per day but night closures remain in effect above Johnson Creek.
In hatchery trout news, the WDFW released 5,200 rainbows into Mayfield Lake last week. There were no reports of angler success but locals say that both Riffe Lake and Swofford Pond are also producing a fair amount of nice sized fish this time of year.
Out on the big pond, recreational salmon fishing is set to begin in the ocean on June 23. Marine areas 1 (Ilwaco), 3 (La Push), and 4 (Neah Bay) will all be open daily starting on Saturday. Marine Area 2 (Westport) will be open Sundays through Thursdays beginning Sunday, July 1.
According to Wendy Beeghley, a WDFW fishery manager, fewer Chinook are expected in Washington’s coastal waters this year compared to last year. However, Beeghley said the return of silver salmon is likely to match last year’s return.
This year there is a recreational catch quota of 27,500 Chinook, which is 17,500 fewer fish than last year. The quota of 42,000 coho is equal to last year’s limit. The recreational salmon fishing season is set to close in the Ocean on Sep. 3 but Beeghley noted that the seasons could close earlier if those quotas are met ahead of schedule. In marine areas 1, 2, and 4, anglers will be allowed to keep two salmon per day, with one Chinook allowed in the bunch. In Marine Area 3 there is also a two-salmon daily limit and anglers must release all wild coho in any area.
SHRIMPIN’
Fishers seeking big shrimp will be able to head to Hood Canal this weekend for a four-hour opening on Saturday, June 23. That shrimp fishery will take place from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. and all shrimp species, including spot shrimp, will be open for harvest.
A press release from the WDFW noted that, “Sufficient recreational spot shrimp quota remains for one more day of fishing.”
HOPPIN’
At a meeting last week in Olympia, the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission chose to continue protecting pygmy rabbits as an endangered species in the state. That decision was made after the Commission heard a report that stated the fate of pygmy rabbits remains imperilled due to ongoing human infringement on sagebrush habitat in Central Washington.
The commission is expected to make a decision about the status of sea otters and Columbian sharp-tailed grouse later in the summer.
Currently it is estimated that there are only 250 wild pygmy rabbits left in Washington. According to Hannah Anderson, WDFW wildlife recovery specialist, those rabbits live primarily in the “recovery emphasis areas” at Sagebrush Flats and Beezley Hills in Douglas County.
Those numbers are considerably short of WDFW’s goal of a five-year average population of at least 1,400 rabbits in six separate populations. Those thresholds have been established in order to allow for a potential “downlisting” to threatened status. Pygmy rabbits are also considered endangered by the Federal government.
According to Anderson, pygmy rabbits face numerous threats to their recovery and ultimate survival. Those risk factors include loss and fragmentation of their sagebrush habitat, wildfires, and the relatively small size of the population.
So far the WDFW’s recovery plan has been to reintroduce the animals into their historical range. Captive breeding of pygmy rabbits began in 2002 and a semi-wild breeding program began about ten years later. A press release noted that the WDFW has released almost 2,000 rabbits into the wild since 2011.
LEARNIN’
Washington Outdoors Women are seeking participants for their annual gathering at Camp Waskowitz in North Bend from Sep. 14-16.
That female only workshop is intended to teach women a variety of outdoors skills and the tenets of natural resource stewardship. This will be the 21st year of the WOW workshop, which is an educational outreach program under the umbrella of the Washington Wildlife Federation.
The workshop will feature twenty-five certified volunteer instructors and 18 different classes. The lessons will cover endeavors like archery, freshwater fishing, fly-fishing and fly-tying, big-game hunting basics, map and compass navigation, basic survival, backyard wildlife habitats, Dutch oven cooking, backpacking, duck hunting, wilderness first aid, and other skills.
The WDFW provides several staff members as instructors at the workshop, including biologist Stacie Kelsey, who will teach basic freshwater fishing, and biologist Laura Till, who will decipher the complexities of working a map and compass. Additionally, biologist Camille Speck and outreach coordinator Shannon Haywood will teach a course called, “After the Harvest,” while bear and cougar specialist Rich Beausoleil will make a presentation called “Living with Wildlife.”
Only women age 18 and older will be allowed to participate in the weekend workshops and a recreational fishing license is required to participate in the fly-fishing class. Scholarships are available for first-time participants through the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and additional information can be found online at www.washingtonoutdoorwomen.org/.
DIRECTIN’
The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission has voted unanimously to appoint Kelly Susewind as the newest director of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Susewind, of Olympia, will join the WDFW after a nearly three decade long career with the Washington State Department of Ecology. He was selected late last week following an interview process in May that included seven candidates.
Susewind officially accepted the position of WDFW director following the commission’s vote. As director Susewind will be responsible for 1,800 employees as well as the $460 million operating budget allotted to the WDFW for the current biennium. According to a press release from the department, “WDFW is charged with conserving fish and wildlife and providing sustainable recreational and commercial opportunities.”
Susewind comes to the WDFW after former director Jim Unsworth resigned his position in February. After Unsworth’s sudden resignation, WDFW employee Joe Stohr was appointed as interim director of the department.
"The commission sincerely appreciates Joe's strong leadership over the past five months," said Commission chairman Brad Smith following last week’s appointment of Susewind as Stohr’s replacement. Stohr will continue to serve as interim director through the end of July but no decision has been made yet about what sort of work Stohr will undertake for the WDFW after his temporary term as director come to an end.
"All of the commissioners look forward to a fresh start for WDFW under Kelly's leadership, particularly in the approach our agency takes to improving our working relationships with the Legislature, native American tribes, and the people of Washington to manage the state's wonderful fish and wildlife resources," said Smith, in a press release.
Susewind will begin his work as WDFW director on Aug. 1 and is set to make $165,000 per year.
"Today's appointment marks the beginning of a new era in the department's history," Smith added, in the release. "We have an immensely dedicated, talented, and energetic staff, and we are confident that with Kelly in the director's position, WDFW will achieve the high level of success we expect."
Susewind also expressed excitement over his new position with the state.
"I'm honored to have the opportunity to serve the people of Washington at an agency whose effectiveness is critical to our ability to conserve fish and wildlife resources while providing outdoor recreation and commercial opportunities throughout the state,” said Susewind, in the release. “The public has high expectations for WDFW, and I'm excited about being in a position to deliver the results they deserve."
HUNTIN’
Hunters would be wise to send in their spring turkey reports soon in order to avoid fines the next time they go to purchase a license. Reports are required whether hunting expeditions were successful or not since the information is used by the WDFW to establish a database on hunting effort, distribution, harvest and other trends.
Reports can be submitted through Jan. 31, 2019, but the WDFW requests that hunters compete their spring report while the information is still fresh in their minds. Reports can be made by phone at 1-877-945-3492, or online at https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov/#/login.
Additionally, hunters should anticipate final results for the results of the WDFW’s special permit drawings in coming weeks. Applications were due on May 23 and results are expected to be released online in late June. WInners should expect their actual permits to show up by mail sometime in mid-July.
General bear season will be the first to open up again in early August, along with some master hunter muzzleloader seasons. Until then though, hunters will still be permitted to call in and put down coyotes.
