WINLOCK – I was still a boy when I first met the man that all the fuss was over.
He was an ageless surfer transplanted from the shores of The (Santa) Cruz to the banks of the Kalama River. He tied flies for a living and told fish tales by nature.
When we went camping he always had the biggest tent. He hit the hay the latest and he was awake the earliest. He built Goldilocks campfires, neither too big nor too small, and he could whip up a camp side meal fit to feed 15 growing boys with hollow legs before we even knew we were hungry.
As Dave Orzel always said, “You play like steak, you’ll get steak. You play like peanut butter and jelly, and you’ll be living on PB&J.”
Sometimes he had to straighten us out, like the time he made us run laps around the campground through the automatic sprinklers in the middle of the night because we wouldn’t stop fidgeting and snickering in our tents. Other times he had to cool us off, like the time he made us all jump in the Columbia River in Kennewick so that we could rehydrate through his theory of absorption.
Most of the time, thanks to our coach, we were able to earn those steaks.
I was a young man when I was first able to coach with the man that all the fuss was over.
I still didn’t know how old he really was, but I’d sprouted a beard and moved far away on several occasions in the meantime. He seemed the same to me then, but I know now that nobody comes through this world unscathed.
Together again, we spent hours on road trips traveling to far flung ballfields and belting out the soundtrack to our lives at the top of our lungs. We stuck to the wending goat trails of Washington whenever we could. When there was a roadside blowout, we would all get out of the van and lift the car until a replacement tire could be affixed. When the wheels were in motion again we reformed our caravan, but nobody dared to pass Big Poppa Orzel for the lead position in line.
On the first day of practice, every year, Coach Orzel told his players, “These are your teammates today and they will be your teammates for life. When you are an old and dumpy dude you’re going to see one of these guys on the side of the road with a flat and you’re going to stop and help him, when nobody else would, because you will still be teammates.”
When we lost he took the blame and stewed over his own perceived shortcomings until the next day’s songbirds had woken from their slumber. When we won he rejoiced in the players successes and made sure that everyone within earshot knew who his boys were and what exactly they’d done, and what they’d certainly be able to do again.
I was finally out of college and free falling from a failed relationship when my old coach got sick. For a year, he lived sporadically on the couch at the bachelor pad I shared with one of those lifelong teammates. He could still crack eggs and jokes. He was still the last one to slumber and quick to rise. Although, one time I was able to sneak a piglet into his sleeping bag and then watched with glee as it rooted all the way up to his nose and woke him with a cold snout and baby pigs breath.
Coach Orzel always knew what to say and how to read my mood. When life got heavy we’d head up the river toward the headwaters, or we’d recite stories from the tallest totem pole made from one single tree that casts its shadow closer to the mouth. WIth Orzy, big moods were never ignored and feelings were never stifled. Instead, they were tossed on the burn pile for all to see, stoked with explosive vapors and sparked with flame and oxygen. The resulting combustion fueled the next adventure and nearly always replaced sadness with a laugh, and regret with a memory to savor.
I’m a father myself now, just like the man that all the fuss is over was when he passed, and I see his influence in my life every day. On Wednesday 40 baseball players, some all old and dumpy, and others young and full of promise, gathered on a local diamond to play a game in his honor. Some brought stories of their own to tell, while others laughed and listened intently to the retelling of those old zany tales.
It’s been more than four years since my mentor, and friend, was called up to the big bullpen in the sky but his name, and his strange ways, live on in the hearts of the players and coaches who have carried on in the Rural Baseball program that he founded just before his passing.
As the innings ticked by and the end became inevitable I once again missed my friend and mentor and I wondered if some spirit could make the game last forever. But then, when I truly looked around, I could see Orzy everywhere. He was in the dirt. He was in the dugout. He was on the chalk line and in the sky. What’s more, he was there in the glint of the eye of a cherub cheeked youngster who never had the privilege to know the man that he honored by playing.
In that moment I recalled the famous movie quote that Orzy would so often recite while speaking of the “free flowing entity of God” that is the Kalama River, where he had spent so much time pondering life and the ripple of taught lines along the banks.
“Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it.”
I couldn’t have said it better myself.
FISHIN’
While the Chehalis River will remain open to salmon fishing through the end of the month the promised run of spring kings has by and large managed to escape hooks and nets within the basin.
According to Long Leader Lloyd in the sporting goods section at the Dennis Company in Montesano the spring run has been so bad for so long that most folks have simply stopped putting in an honest effort.
“The springer season here has been nearly non-existent for so long that I don’t believe that people really took a lot of faith in that ‘abundant return’ they forecast,” said Lloyd. “There is also a spring chinook gillnetting that is done as well and I have spoken to several tribal members on that and they say that it is rarely productive for them.”
The sporting goods supply salesman noted that salmon fishing will likely be a bust until the fall rains roll around but other prospects will pick up the slack on the Chehalis River.
“Summer steelhead is also opening back up. Guys are starting to head up the rivers,” said Lloyd, noting that the Wynoochee is the most popular tributary for summer steelhead. “Up high on the Chehalis, up by Oakville, you will see some of the summer run but not nearly as much as the Wynoochee.”
Area rivers also opened up for trout retention on June 2. Regional rivers that opened to trout fishing on that day include the Chehalis, Queets, Quinault, Calawah, Humptulips, Bogachiel, and Dickey rivers. The Hoh, Quillayute and Sol Duc rivers also remain open, and closer to home the Skookumchuck Reservoir, Wynoochee Reservoir, and Quigg Lake near Montesano ar also open to trout fishing.
Trout fishing is not limited to rivers and streams though as many area lakes and ponds have been stocked with hatchery fish in recent weeks. In Grays Harbor County 1,000 rainbow trout averaging 2.5 pounds each were stocked at Lake Aberdeen, while Black Lake in Pacific County was stocked with 5,500 trout averaging more than two pounds each. In Thurston County 6,500 rainbow trout were dumped in Pattison Lake back in May, and numerous options abound in Lewis and Cowlitz Counties. Mayfield Lake, Mineral Lake, Carlisle Lake (Old Mill Pond) and South Lewis County Park Pond are all heating up for trout, as are Lake Sacajawea and Kress Lake. Additionally, tiger muskie fishing has been picking up at Mayfield Lake and Merwin Reservoir, while yellow perch have been biting at Silver Lake in Cowlitz County, and Pumpkinseed and bluegill have been active at South Lewis County Park Pond, and channel cats have been biting at Swofford Pond.
Turning back to area salmon fisheries, effort was depressed a bit last weekend on the Lower Columbia River in large part due to torrents of rain and clapping thunder clouds. Anglers fishing between Westport and Buoy 10 averaged just 0.09 steelhead caught per boat, while bank anglers from Portland to Westport averaged 0.06 Chinook and 0.10 steelhead caught per angler. The WDFW estimates that between June 4-10 salmon and steelhead anglers made 6,105 fishing trips to the Lower Columbia and caught 519 adult Chinook, 503 summer steelhead, and nine sockeye. All of the sockeye were released, along with 70 steelhead and 153 springers. Upriver spring Chinook comprised and estimated 56% of the retained catch.
That fishery will continue through the end of the day on June 15 but will then take a break until June 22 when it will restart just in time for the anticipated arrival of “June hogs”. The WDFW has forecast 67,300 summer run Chinook to return to the lower Columbia River this year, with some fish weighing 40 pounds or more. Current regulations allow anglers to keep a total of six salmonids per day, including two adult hatchery Chinook, two hatchery steelhead, or one of each.
Recent results on the Cowlitz River have been tempered but anglers near the mouth of the Kalama River have been able to keep busy with a smattering of small spring kings and a few steelhead. The various stems of the Lewis River have also been attracting anglers looking for salmonids but the results have been somewhat muted there as well. The Kalama River has had a three-fish daily limit since early May and beginning June 16 the lower reaches of the Cowlitz and Lewis Rivers will have the same limit. Additionally, anglers on the Cowlitz River should be aware that the area below the barrier dam that is closed to fishing will be extended from 100 to 400 feet in order to provide protection for returning fish.
Anglers will also be able to head to the ocean soon in search of salmon. Marine Areas 1 (Ilwaco), 3 (La Push) and 4 (Neah Bay), will all open on June 23 with a daily limit of two salmon, only one of which may be a Chinook. At Marine Area 2 (Westport) the salmon fishery will be open Sundays through Thursdays beginning July 1.
The nearshore halibut season will come to an end in Marine Area 1 on June 20, and then an all-depth fishery will open up for one day on June 21. An all-depth fishery will also open for one day in Marine Area 2 on June 21.
HUNTIN’
Spring turkey season is all wrapped up and now it’s time for hunters to return their reports to the WDFW. 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.
Reporting can technically be taken care of 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, time is drawing nigh for hunters to find out the results of the WDFW’s special permit drawings. 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, coyotes will remain in the crosshairs for anyone who wants to bag one.
CRABBIN’
The WDFW has announced the upcoming recreational summer crab seasons for Puget Sound. Those opportunities will get started on June 16 in Marine Areas 4 (Neah Bay - East of the Bonilla-Tatoosh line) and 5 (Sekiu).
Numerous other Marine Areas will then open up on June 30 for recreational crab fishing. However, two areas around San Juan Island will remain closed until later in the summer in order to protect green molting crabs.
“Crabbing should be good again this year in several areas of Puget Sound,” said Bob Sizemore, WDFW shellfish policy lead, in a press release.
In open areas recreational crabbing can be conducted Thursday through Monday each week. The fishery will be closed on July 4 and all shellfish gear must be removed from the water on closed days.
Crab seasons are scheduled as follows:
Marine areas 4 (Neah Bay east of the Bonilla-Tatoosh line), and 5 (Sekiu): Open June 16 through Sept. 3.
Marine areas 6 (East Juan de Fuca Strait), 8-1 (Deception Pass), 8-2 (Port Susan/Everett), 9 (Port Gamble and Admiralty Inlet), 10 (Seattle/Bremerton), and 12 (Hood Canal): Open June 30 through Sept. 3.
Marine Area 7 South (San Juan Islands/Bellingham): Open July 14 through Sept. 30.
Marine Area 7 North (Gulf of Georgia): Open Aug. 16 through Sept. 30.
The following areas are closed this season:
Marine areas 11 (Tacoma-Vashon Island) and 13 (south Puget Sound): These areas are closed to promote recovery of Dungeness crab populations in those areas. WDFW provided more information about the closure in a previous news release available online at https://wdfw.wa.gov/news/may1018a/.
The daily limit around Puget Sound is five Dungeness crab, which must be males in hard shell condition measuring at least 6 1/4 inches across the carapace. The law also allows fishers to harvest six red rock crab of either sex, so long as they measure at least five inches across.
Puget Sound crabbers are required to record their harvest of Dungeness crab on their catch record cards immediately after retaining crab. Separate catch record cards are issued for the summer and winter seasons. Catch record cards are not required to fish for Dungeness crab in the Columbia River or on the Washington coast, where crabbing is open year-round.
CRUISIN’
Sections of State Route 410 (Chinook Pass) and SR 123 (Cayuse Pass) reopened to the public earlier this month. That change in road status is part of the annual spring reopening.
The first sections cleared by WSDOT crews and reopened to the public included SR 410 between Morse Creek and the SR 123 junction, and SR 123 between Stevens Canyon Road and the SR 410 junction. Then on Tuesday, SR 410 between the SR 123 junction and Sunrise Park Road was reopened after a construction project near Crystal Mountain no longer blocked access.
“We are excited to reopen part of this scenic route to travelers,” said WSDOT Assistant Regional Administrator Dave McCormick, in a press release. “Our crews had a lot of snow to clear and worked hard to make the roadway accessible for travelers.”
Other road work recently conducted by National Park road crews include repairs to a quarter-mile stretch of rough road on SR 410 near milepost 64 in the park. That area has been impacted for several years by a “slow-moving and deep-seated landslide.” One lane was projected to be open this week with both lanes reopened by the end of the month.
Both passes are closed each winter due to elevated avalanche risk, poor road conditions, lack of snow storages space and no emergency response services in close proximity. Last year, the passes closed on Nov. 7.
DIRECTIN’
The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission is set to select a new director and review numerous plans for recovery efforts during a public three-day meeting in Olympia that starts Thursday.
The commission has interviewed seven candidates to permanently fill the WDFW director position. Former WDFW director Jim Unsworth resigned in January and the commission voted long term employee Joe Stohr to act as temporary diretor.
From that original group of seven only three candidates remain but the WDFW has not released any additional information about the makeup of the finalist group. Final interviews with those candidates will be held on Jan. 1.
The commission will convene at 8 a.m. each day. On Thursday, June 14, the group will meet at the Doubletree Hotel, 415 Capitol Way North. Then, on Friday and Saturday, June 15-16, the commission will meet in Room 172 of the Natural Resources Building, 1111 Washington St. SE.
A complete meeting agenda is available at https://wdfw.wa.gov/commission.
In other action, the commission is scheduled to:
Consider purchasing about 2 acres of wetlands along the Columbia River in Pacific County. The proposed acquisition is part of an effort in the area to improve habitat for salmon.
Review the department’s status recommendations of sea otters, pygmy rabbits, and Columbian sharp-tailed grouse. Public input will be accepted and the commission may decide to revise the protected status of pygmy rabbits and Columbian sharp-tailed grouse in accordance with WDFW administrative rules.
Hear a briefing about the efforts of regional salmon and steelhead recovery organizations.
Receive briefings on the department’s hatchery reform efforts and the management of Columbia River summer chinook salmon. Commissioners will take public comment on each topic and may provide additional guidance to WDFW staff.
