Outdoors Report: Succulent Bivalve Tides and The Dudes Abide

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LONG BEACH — Nobody knew exactly what to do for the good old boy’s bachelor’s party, including the hirsute groom-to-be himself. The conventions of big occasions and observation of proper pomp and circumstance had, admittedly, never been his strong suit.

Still, it seemed a shame to all involved to let what should be a once in a lifetime opportunity slip through their fingers like some super strong succulent bivalve beneath the sand. And that’s how they decided to grab their guns and shovels and head for the coast.

They descended on the edge of the world from their disparate abodes, arriving alternately from their hideouts way out in the sticks, or from their bunkers thick in the heart of the concrete jungle. Some came fully equipped with enough gear for a regiment. Others brought nothing but bags bursting with bottles of barley pops and weather-proof positive attitudes. Neither way was right or wrong, necessarily. After all, there’s more than one way to skin a cat, or to slay a bucket full of clams, as it were.

The tide was late, which was great for a bunch of schlubs who were stuck working until the sun had darn near gone all the way down. As soon as they arrived at the beach house that belonged to the one real clamhound in the bunch they assembled like a cacophonous congress of Supermen in a cramped phone booth, switching up their outfits from day-job shills to become what they were convinced would be a Digging Dream Team.

However, it didn’t take long on the beach, with the wind howling and the surf pounding, to remember that there are sure things like birds in the hand, and then there are the best laid plans of mice and men that are as flighty as shorebirds in the dune grass.

And so they wandered shoulder to shoulder and then to-and-fro, lanterns wobbling in the dark against a roaring abyss of a backdrop all the while. Beyond the dunes a mac-and-cheese moon etched a patch over the scrub pines and played peek-a-boo from behind shards of tattered clouds.

At first there was nothing they could see in the sand. So they kept on at it. Then after awhile, they still couldn’t see any telltale marks of the meaty mollusks. But there wasn’t a quitter in the group, so they marched on against the tide of uncertainty. And then, finally, there was still nothing showing beneath the beams of their torches, nor the light of the moon.

Nobody wanted to be the one to call it a night, because heading back empty-handed seemed counterintuitive to the occasion. Eventually, though, once their sandblasted host and default digging guide decided he’d had enough and headed for home, it didn’t take long for the rest of the group to doggedly follow in his footsteps.

Returning to the seaside shanty with too many empty buckets and the air of failure wafting in the damp air, it wasn’t clear that the party would ever be able to find its spark. After unpeeling their sand soaked boots and socks and assembling around the round table in the dining room they wondered what the next step would be. As it turned out, there was no next step, just a smorgasbord of distilled spirits home brews mixed with tumbling Cuban cigar smoke and a back and forth banter that burned well beyond the mark of the midnight oil until they tipped over in empty corners of the room.

The next morning came around too quick, even for a batch of newfangled fathers who haven’t slept in past the proverbial cock’s crow since the first diapers of their baby boys. Even then, the day seemed to move slow like pickup trucks spinning out in the soft sand. And after eating a bit and imbibing in a bit of the hair of the dog that bit them, it seemed the day had already come and gone like some blinking light beyond the breakers. With sundown imminent the group realized that low tide was approaching and began going through their perfunctory paces in order to generate some steam to both reach the beach and hopefully stay warm while they were at it.

Perhaps the second best way to stay warm on the beach is to stay elbow deep in the sand and hot on the trail of razor clams. Once a person gets their eyes adjusted to recognize the dimples in the sand for what they truly are, it seems that there is no end to the bounty under foot. Equally true is that when one digger finds the scent, the rest of his crew are bound to start crowding around and checking out the prospects for themselves.

In true feast or famine fashion, on their final foray the succulent bivalves began coming out of the woodwork. Once one clam was in the bucket it seemed two more would nearly heave themselves out of the surf in order to assist their clumsy pursuers. As a few people got their hands dirty the rest stood around the peripheral cheering on their success, drumming on their buckets and keeping a running tally of clams attained.

Unlike the day before, the wind was calm and the waves were predictable. Rain was on the horizon but it didn’t fall on their particular spit of beach. Just before they could complain of being too hot from all their hard work, the group realized that each of them had somehow attained their full limit. So they said goodbye to the ocean and the moon and all the clams they wished they could dig to make up for lost time. Then they began the trek back home with heavy buckets in hand and the thrill of victory reverberating in their voices

That night they drank in big gulps, like whales closing in on their krill, laughing and back-slapping until the bottles were empty and the ashtray overflowed. They all knew it a was fleeting moment they were in and did their best to not let it end.

But like all good things, that night did end. Morning arrived with the sound of a wood mallet mashing clams to tender perfection on the counter. The old Clamhound was back at it in the kitchen and soon there was a piping hot stack of blueberry pancakes on the table adjacent to a plate full of deep fried razor clams. It seemed an odd combination, especially to their foggy brains and queasy stomachs, but as a batch of self-proclaimed perfect house guests, they knew they were obligated to indulge. And when they were finished, they all felt better and grateful for the nourishment.

With the marriage looming on the horizon like the future of an intrepid sailor, one of the already married men in the group noted that, “Sometimes you eat the clam, and sometimes, well, the clam eats you.”

And with that, as they said their see-you-soons, there was no doubt remaining that those dudes knew how to abide, indeed.

FISHIN’

Anglers have been waiting for a pulse of rain to bring fish up area rivers, but right now we’re being reminded what it looks like when you get too much of a good thing. Some areas have received upwards of 4 inches of rain over a 24-hour period and every drainage from Forks to White Salmon is running so high and soupy that piscatorial prospects are all but washed out for the time being.

The good news is that this week the WDFW lifted fishery restrictions implemented in November on several tributaries to the lower Columbia River. Catch limitations on the Cowlitz, Kalama, Lewis and Washougal rivers, as well as Cedar Creek, have all been rescinded with permanent rules going back into effect. A press release from the WDFW noted that the recent increase in rainfall has enticed enough coho back to their hatcheries of origin to meet broodstock collection objectives.

Last week on the Cowlitz River, the WDFW sampled two bank rods below the Interstate 5 bridge but found no catch. Between the freeway and the barrier dam, five bank rods released one coho jack and four rods on one boat released two adult coho and one jack. This week’s river report from Tacoma Power noted that flow just below Mayfield Dam was about 2,780 cubic feet per second on Monday. Water visibility was 12 feet at that time with a temperature of 47.5 degrees.

Meanwhile, at the Cowlitz salmon hatchery last week crews retrieved 1,102 coho adults, 17 coho jacks, four summer-run steelhead, three cutthroat trout, three fall Chinook adults and one winter-run steelhead. Those fish handlers also released 110 coho adults and four jacks into the Cispus River by Yellow Jacket Creek and dropped 410 coho adults and five coho jacks into Lake Scanewa located near Randle. Another 116 coho adults were deposited at Franklin Bridge in Packwood, while 75 coho adults, two cutthroat trout, one winter-run steelhead and three fall Chinook adults were put into the Tilton River at Gust Backstrom Park in Morton.

Other waterways leading to the lower Columbia River saw an equal amount of pressure with similarly disappointing take-home returns. A dozen anglers on the Grays River released one silver jack, and 30 bank anglers on the Elochoman River kept three steelhead but released 13 coho. On the Kalama River, 15 bank anglers and two rods on one boat had no catch at all, while 19 bank anglers on the Lewis River released one silver.

Soon there will be additional changes coming to fisheries around the state following a series of decisions by the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission last week. One of those changes will eliminate night fishing for sturgeon on the Chehalis River while defining an “oversize” sturgeon as any fish longer than 55 inches in fork length.

Not all of the changes were restrictive in nature, however. Beginning next year, bass anglers will be able to walk away with an increased daily limit in an effort to remove more predatory fish that feast on juvenile salmon. That change is intended to help protect salmon in order to provide more feeding opportunities for the endangered southern resident killer whales, as was outlined in House Bill 1579 last spring.

Over the last six months, the WDFW has held five public meetings and generated a pile of public comments on the proposal to allow anglers to bonk more bass, and 72 percent of the input has been favorable. After reviewing six options, the commission decided to adopt “Option B” in order to loosen harvest restrictions based on size and quantity for largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, channel catfish and walleye.

Those changes include:

• Largemouth bass: Change from five to a 10-fish daily limit; only one fish may be over 17 inches.

• Smallmouth bass: Change from 10 to a 15-fish daily limit; only one fish may be over 14 inches.

• Channel catfish: Change from a five to a 10-fish daily limit.

• Walleye: Change from eight to a 16-fish daily limit; only one fish may be over 22 inches.

In an unrelated change, anglers will once again be able to target salmon in Marine Area 13 beginning on Jan. 1. That portion of South Puget Sound was closed to salmon fishing in late fall in order to protect returning chum salmon. Now that the vast majority of returning chum have made it to their stream of origin, the WDFW deemed it no longer necessary to limit anglers in the salted waters of the old Salish Sea.

HUNTIN’

The onslaught of rain is certainly good news for waterfowl hunters in the area. So far this fall and early winter, hunters have been complaining about the dearth of waterlogged hunting grounds where waterfowl typically congregate.

Those disappointing conditions have been thoroughly washed away this week as rivers, creeks, streams and gutters have all been overflowing.

Until this week, most of the ducks in the area had been concentrated along the lower Columbia and lower Chehalis rivers, as well as Willapa Bay. Eric Holman, a WDFW biologist, noted that he observed thousands of ducks along the lower Columbia River west of Longview while conducting surveys of Columbian whitetail deer. He added that the density of those ducks was far more concentrated than usual.

"There are thousands of scaup, but there are also lots of dabblers, mallards, widgeon and others. More than usual for this time of year,” said Holman.

Duck hunting will remain open through Jan. 26 in Southwest Washington. In addition to the Columbia, Chehalis and Willapa waterways, other promising areas for targeting ducks include the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge north of Olympia as well as Henderson and Budd Inlets on South Puget Sound. The old Centralia Coal Mine also has a good reputation with quacker blasters, along with flooded farm fields near river channels where access can be obtained.

Goose hunting will also remain open through Jan. 26 in many areas. In Clark, Cowlitz and Wahkiakum counties, hunters are required to obtain a special permit, and Dusky Canada geese are off limits entirely. In Goose Management Area 2 (Coast) in Pacific and Grays Harbor counties west of Highway 101, goose hunting is currently closed but will reopen on Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays from Dec. 22 through Jan. 20. In Goose Management Area 2 (Inland), which includes Grays Harbor County east of Highway 101, hunting is allowed Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays through Jan. 13.

Like a rifleman with too much time on his hands, an anonymous sniper popped off a few more shots at me in another unsigned letter his week in order to detail an error in last week’s column. Indeed, I did screw up when I stated that ongoing hunts for deer were open to rifleman instead of archers. Modern rifle hunting for deer ended back on Nov. 17.

“Your trip to the Gifford Pinchot National forest (sic) must have rattled you some what (sic),” the letter began. “As you can see, a mistake of epic proportions was made … It is a shame that correct information can not be transcribed from one document to another correctly.”

I admit that sometimes my eyes go sideways when parsing through WDFW hunting regulations, but I regret the error and appreciate the attentive reading. I only wish that people who harbor such strong feelings and a habit of casting aspersions also possessed the courage to sign their name to their private letters, just as I do for this public column each and every week.



As it stands, archery hunts for black-tailed deer are open until the end of the year in GMUs 407, 410-417, 419-422, 454, 505, 564a*, 624, 627, 636, 648, 652, 654, 655 and 660-672.

Archery hunts for elk in Western Washington came to a close on Dec. 15, except in GMU 407, which is set to remain open through Jan. 20. That GMU will also remain open for muzzleloader toters searching for elk.

Pheasant hunts also ended on Dec. 15, but openings for crow and grouse will stay open through the end of the year. Wild turkeys can also be pursued until the end of December in GMUs 101-154 and 162-186. 

Cougar hunts will also stay open through at least Dec. 31, depending on harvest numbers for each area. Historically, most areas have remained open into April but closures are possible once harvest data has been examined.

Small game hunts for bobcats, fox, raccoon, cottontail rabbit and snowshoe will all remain open through the Ides of March, and coyote hunts never close in Washington. Meanwhile, beaver, badger, weasel, marten, mink, muskrat and river otter trapping seasons are set to continue through the end of March. Those animals may only be harvested by trapping.

Even as hunts for deer and elk wrap up, roadkill salvaging will remain legal in Washington with the use of an emergency permit provided by the WDFW. However, deer are not legal for salvage in Clark, Cowlitz or Wahkiakum counties in order to protect endangered populations of Columbian white-tailed deer. Permits are available online and must be obtained within 24-hours of any deer or elk salvage. Permit applications, and additional roadkill salvage regulations, can now be found online at wdfw.wa.gov/licenses/roadkill-salvage.

CLAMMIN’

On Thursday the WDFW, announced approval for a five-day set of razor clam digs on coastal beaches that will begin on Monday. Those digs will take a one-day hiatus on Christmas before resuming through Dec. 29.

"Five days of digging, four beaches, three flashlights ... and extra batteries," noted Dan Ayres, WDFW coastal shellfish manager, in a press release. "So, OK, the old holiday song doesn't quite fit, but this is going to be fun.”

Those digs were approved following marine toxin testing by the Department of Health that determined the succulent bivalves are safe for human consumption. The approved digs are set for the following beaches, dates and low tides:

• Dec. 23, Monday, 4:35 p.m., -0.4 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

• Dec. 26, Thursday, 6:47 p.m., -1.1 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

• Dec. 27, Friday, 7:26 p.m., -0.9 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

• Dec. 28, Saturday, 8:05 p.m., -0.6 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

• Dec. 29, Sunday, 8:43 p.m., -0.2 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks 

No digging will be allowed on any beach before noon.

Last week’s digs, especially the first few days, were hampered by poor weather and high surf along the coast. By Saturday, though, the digging had improved and diggers at Long Beach were limiting out quick. Clam guns seemed to have an advantage over shovels during those digs since they could simply hold their muzzle in the sand when the waves encroached and then pull out their quarry once the water had receded. Meanwhile, shovel diggers were mostly left scrambling with empty buckets. 

In the press release, Ayres lamented that the popular tradition of New Year’s clam digging will not happen this year due to high tides.

"We also avoided scheduling a dig on Christmas Day or Christmas Eve, as we have found that past participation on those days is really light," added Ayres. "We are hoping more people will be able to participate by extending the dig further into the next weekend instead."

With nighttime digging in effect, Ayres added that it’s important to take extra steps for safety and comfort when hitting the beach this time of year.

"Diggers want to be sure to come prepared with good lighting devices and always keep an eye on the surf, particularly at this time of year when low tides come at dusk and after dark," said Ayres.

The next proposed round of razor clam digging would take place on the following dates, beaches and tides:

• Jan. 8, Wednesday, 5:05 p.m. -0.3 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

• Jan. 9, Thursday, 5:47 p.m. -0.8 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

• Jan. 10, Friday, 6:29 p.m. -1.2 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

• Jan. 11, Saturday, 7:11 p.m. -1.4 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

• Jan. 12, Sunday, 7:53 p.m. -1.3 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

• Jan. 13, Monday, 8:36 p.m. -1.2 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

• Jan. 14, Tuesday, 9:20 p.m. -0.5 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks

Those digs are still pending final approval based on the results of marine toxin testing.

Fifteen clams is the daily limit per person, and all diggers age 15 and older are required to possess a fishing license. Any clam that’s dug must be kept, regardless of size or condition, and individuals must carry their own harvest in a personal container.

COMMENTIN’

The WDFW has released its periodic status review of the Mazama pocket gopher along with a draft recovery plan and the agency is currently seeking feedback from the public at large.

Found primarily in the prairies of Thurston, Pierce and Mason counties, the Mazama pocket gopher has gained infamy in these parts for the havoc they can cause regarding land use rights for private property owners. The burrowing rodents are also found in the sub-alpine area of the Olympic National Park, but were formerly spread over a much wider swatch of land before habitat loss shrank their range.

A press release from the WDFW noted that, “Pocket gophers play an important role in ecological communities, providing benefits for soil structure and soil chemistry, serving as prey for many predators, and providing burrows that are used by a wide variety of other species.”

The Mazama pocket gopher was listed as threatened in Washington state in 2006. Then, in 2014, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed four subspecies of Mazama Pocket Gopher as threatened and acted to designate critical habitat areas. Some of those areas include the historic prairies between Rochester and Yelm. 

A full copy of the periodic status review and draft recovery plan can be viewed online at wdfw.wa.gov/publications/01449. Comments will be accepted through March 15, 2020.

Written comments on the review and recommendation can be submitted via email to TandEpubliccom@dfw.wa.gov, or by mail to Hannah Anderson, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, P.O. Box 43141, Olympia, WA, 98504-3200. 

SHREDDIN’

After a surprise opening last weekend, the White Pass Ski Area looks like it’s well on its way to another season of fun, and falling, in the snow.

On Friday morning, the weather was rainy with a westerly wind that left the temperature between 36 and 34 degrees from the base to the summit. However, at least 6 inches of new snow had piled up over the previous 24 hours. That accumulation left 3 feet of snow on the upper runs and between 20 and 30 inches of snow on the lower slopes.

White Pass is now open for daily operation. Unless conditions dictate otherwise, the ski area plans on running its surface lifts, Far East, Great White Express and Basin Quad to ferry plankers and boarders around the mountain.

Up to date conditions can be found online at skiwhitepass.com/snow-report, or by calling 509-672-3100.