It was always so hard to explain what they'd actually been doing when they came home empty handed. People who don’t go just don’t know. It is the way it has always been.
The goodbyes never come easy, even if usually they’re never that sad. It’s always the same when you’re getting the gang back together again for another sojourn. There are a set of customs and rituals that hold sway. Like rummaging in the crawl space and the garage and trying to remember what you’re going to forget.
You know when you’ve got it all by the way it fits in the truck. Just like it always has, because you forgot what you always forget.
Old habits and bad luck. They die hard.
Hugs and kisses in the driveway always leave you wanting more. They never understand why you must go and you’ve never been able to adequately explain. You probably never will.
It’s only a few days, you say. I’ll be back in no time. Not even the leaves will have changed.
But it always hurts to leave. So you try to do it fast, like ripping off a bandage, so that the sting might dissipate quicker. As tires crunch down the gravel drive the seep of disappointment mashes under tread like roadkill racoons.
Still, your trusty band of nimrods are already on their way and the wild is calling. So you go and vow you will return with something special and procured by your own two hands that will somehow validate the entire enterprise. It is a gamble, casting your lot to the whims of the gods, but there is no hotline for these addictions. Heck, Daniel had a great deal of righteous ink spilled in his name after he killed both the lion and the bear. And even Jesus (especially Jesus?) would teach a man to fish.
Those are the reasons we tell ourselves we’re going, but once you’re in camp you remember that there’s so much more. Hard hugs and hearty back slaps from old friends. Old fashioned heckling and whole heap of fat to chew as tents go up and stakes go in. Soon the age old incense of campfire smoke permeates the air and the tales, all of them tall by nature, fly fast and free. Some are true. Most are not. The difference is as indiscernible as it is immaterial.
When the morning comes we shake off the fog and dew and rise in search of what we said we came for, even though we already know that we’ve already found it somewhere deep in the witches hour rambling. The answers to all the world’s problems that were so certain in the dark, always disappear at the end of the bottle, or at least by daylight.
These facts are indisputable. They are universal constants more certain than gravity and taxes. But when the fish won’t bite and the bucks won’t show those old runover feelings start to rise from the rutted potholes of our mind. It’s then that we remember it’s once again going to be impossible to explain what in the world we even do way out here and why oh why do we have to go.
It’s not a massive mounted rack or a silver back king for the wall that we’re really after. Those are just things to point at and dust. The real object is more like a mountain top that you’ve laid down upon but can’t take home. It’s something on the inside, and maybe it’s only for us to know.
FISHIN’
A sunny week along the banks of the Chehalis was good news for anglers with an eye out for silver salmon. The respite that followed a week of pounding rain seems to have drawn a large batch of returning coho up beyond Oakville and into the hearts and minds of Lewis County anglers.
Rumor from the shore is that the silvers have been biting on a variety of spinners (never blue!), especially if you can find a little hideaway hole where they can enjoy some time to get hungry in the slack water. Last week the Newaukum and Skookumchuck rivers joined the entirety of the Chehalis River as open grounds for game fishing. The daily limit on the Chehalis River system is six salmon, two of which may be adults. Both wild and hatchery coho may be retained but all Chinook must be released. The fall coho salmon fishery will remain open through the end of the year.
Bass anglers are also having some luck in the back eddies and side channels of the Chehalis and its associated waterways. This time of year bass are eager to eat as they attempt to fatten up for a winter down in the muck. It’s not a bad idea to try casting some big frog lures near the weed line in hopes of finding a greedy fat lipped hog looking to bulk up while it can.
Last week anglers were given another option for chasing coho when the lower Columbia River was reopened for sport fishing. Anglers can now catch up to six silvers a day, two of which may be adults, from the Rocky Point/Tongue Point line up to Bonneville Dam. All steelhead and salmon other than hatchery coho must be released. That fishery is set to close at the end of the month.
Anglers have also been plying the various tributaries of the lower Columbia in search of salmon lately, with a decent return on their time. On the Elochoman River last week the WDFW sampled eight bank anglers with two steelhead released. The WDFW also spoke with eight bank anglers on the Kalama River with two Chinook adults, two king jacks, and one coho jack all tossed back. On the Lewis River creel checking efforts turned up 26 bank anglers with three keeper kings while 19 rods on six boats kept two kings and one silver, with two more silvers released.
The bite was down a bit last week on the Cowlitz River, likely because of the pounding rain, but odds could be on the rise again with the temporary break in the downfall. Last week the WDFW found two bank rods in the lower river with no catch, but the boats did better. Twenty two rods on seven boats kept 15 coho and six jacks while releasing three Chinook, five jacks, and 20 coho. From the I-5 Bridge up to the Barrier Dam 20 bank rods had only one released king to show or tell about.
According to return numbers from the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery there should still be some fish in the river. Last week fish handlers retrieved 1,368 coho adults, 172 coho jacks, 297 fall Chinook adults, 48 fall Chinook jacks, 18 cutthroat trout, and 10 summer steelhead. Crews also released 397 coho adults and 39 coho jacks into the Cispus River by Yellow Jacket Creek near Randle, along with 251 coho adults, 46 coho jacks and one cutthroat trout at the Franklin Bridge release site in Packwood. Another 520 coho adults, 65 coho jacks, 89 fall Chinook adults, six fall Chinook jacks, and four cutthroat trout were plopped into the Tilton River at Gust Backstrom Park in Morton. River flow below Mayfield Dam was reported at about 3,540 cubic feet per second on Monday with a water temperature of 51.1 degrees and visibility of ten feet.
On the Green River angling is open from the mouth up to Miner’s Creek through the end of November. The Toutle and North Fork Toutle rivers are both open from the mouth at Castle Rock all the way to the cutoff markers just below the fish collection facility. That fishery will also stay open through the end of November. The daily limit for those rivers is salmon is six hatchery fish, four of which may be adults. Only one of those fish can be an adult hatchery Chinook.
The WDFW trout fishing derby is nearly over. That long running event will come to a close at dusk on Halloween after anglers spent six months chasing thousands of stocked trout in area lakes and ponds.
Those stocked fish included 1,000 tagged hatchery rainbow trout that were planted in more than 100 lakes across the state. At the beginning of October there were still several area billabongs with prize-winning fish lurking beneath the surface. Those promising waters included Silver Lake, Offut Lake, Mineral Lake, Carlisle Lake (Ol’ Mill Pond), Fort Borst Park Pond, South County Park Pond, and Lake Sacajawea.
HUNTIN’
Hunters had an unexpected bout of good fortune this week when Weyerhaeuser and the WDFW announced they’d come to an agreement that will open 6,638 acres of timberlands to the public.
Those acres are split up in several blocks of land located primarily in the vase backwoods south of Boistfort, east of Longview, and north of Naselle in what is commonly known as the Cathlamet block. That area includes the Game Management Units of Willapa Hills (506) and Ryderwood (530) which are popular with deer, elk, and bear hunters.
“I’ve gotten a lot of phone calls from people who are really excited about the access and want to get a copy of that map so I’ve been sending a lot of them out,” said Sam Montgomery, WDFW communications coordinator. “I think it’s really good for Washington hunters.”
Those openings come five years after Weyerhaeuser made the controversial decision to begin auctioning off permits in order to attain access to 340,000 acres of their timber holdings in southwest Washington.
A map detailing the coordinates of the recently opened areas is available online at privatelands.wdfw.wa.gov/private_lands/hunt/850/. Additionally, a full list of rules relating to access and conduct on Weyerhaeuser land can be found online at weyerhaeuser.com/recreational-access/northwest-region/faqs/.
Rifle hunts for black-tailed deer will continue to earn most of the focus in western Washington through the end of the month, or until hunters have filled their tags. At the same time a statewide opening for ducks will run through Oct. 30 before shutting down for a couple of days. Ducks will be fair game again from Nov. 2 through Jan. 26. Coot and snipe hunts will follow those same guidelines, but scaup are off limits through Nov. 1.
Goose hunting is open in Management Area 1 through Dec. 1 before the honkers receive a two week reprieve. In coastal range of Goose Management Area 2 (Coastal) hunting is open every day through Oct. 27, except for in the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge. In the Inland portion of Goose Management Area 2 hunting will come to a close on Saturday. In Goose Management Area 3, which includes Lewis County, goose closed on Oct. 24 but will reopen from Nov. 2 through Jan. 26.
Pheasant season remains open daily from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. in western Washington through Nov. 30. Farm raised pheasants can be found at release sites such as Lincoln Creek and Kosmos in Lewis County. The WDFW has planned on releasing 2,000 pheasants at the Skookumchuck Wildlife Area and another 3,900 pheasants at the Scatter Creek Wildlife Area this fall. An additional 4,000 pheasants are set for release at Joint Base Lewis-McCord.
Forest grouse (blue, ruffed, and spruce) hunts will stay on the wing through the end of the year, as will hunts for crows. Quail hunts are open on this side of the Cascades through Nov. 30, while mourning doves will remain fair game through the end of the month.
Fall turkey hunts will continue through the end of the year in GMUs 101-154 and 162-186. However, wild turkey hunts are already closed in GMUs 382, 388, 568-578.
Black bear hunts will ramble on until Nov. 15 and cougar hunts will continue until at least the end of the year before population assessments are conducted. Bobcat, fox, raccoon, rabbit, and hare hunting are all allowed through March 15. And, as always, coyotes are fair fodder at any time in the Evergreen state.
Of course, roadkill salvage is also 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 Columbia 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’
Razor clam harvesters will be unleashed for a week-long set of digs on four Washington coast beaches beginning on Saturday.
That news was incrementally handed down by the WDFW this week as the results of marine toxin testing confirmed that the succulent bivalves are indeed safe to eat. Copalis and Mocrocks were given the go-ahead on Tuesday but Twin Harbors and Long Beach were put on hold after the first round of tests showed an increase in domoic acid levels. Domoic acid is a naturally occurring toxin that can cause illness or death if consumed in high enough concentrations.
"In the last few days, we've seen increasing levels of the algae that can cause domoic acid in ocean water at Long Beach and Twin Harbors," explained Dan Ayres, WDFW coastal shellfish manager, in a press release earlier this week. "Our first priority is safety, and we, working alongside the Department of Health, are reserving judgment on opening of these areas in order to ensure safety for all those who enjoy this activity."
However, additional testing conducted by the DOH showed that toxin levels remained below the threshold that would force a closure of those beaches. With that info in hand on Thursday the WDFW approved the southern coast beaches to join the seven-day set of digs.
"The health and safety of clam diggers is always our first concern, so we appreciate people's patience while we worked with our partners at WDOH to confirm that these clams are safe to eat," said Dan Ayres, WDFW coastal shellfish manager, in Thursday’s announcement. "We hope that everyone is able to get out and enjoy safe, productive digs at these beaches."
The upcoming digs are scheduled for the following days, beaches, and low tides:
Oct. 26, Saturday, 5:59 pm, 0.0 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
Oct. 27, Sunday, 6:47 pm, -0.8 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
Oct. 28, Monday, 7:33 pm, -1.2 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
Oct. 29, Tuesday, 8:18 pm, -1.4 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
Oct. 30, Wednesday, 9:03 pm, -1.2 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
Oct. 31, Thursday, 9:50 pm, -0.8 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
Nov. 1, Friday, 10:38 pm, -0.2 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
No digging is allowed before noon on open beaches. Ayres always recommends that diggers arrive an hour or two prior to low tide in order to find the best digging conditions.
“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,” noted Ayres.
Additional clam digging dates have been proposed through the end of the year. Approval of those digs will be dependent upon marine toxin tests conducted closer to those particular dates.
All clam diggers over the age of 14 are required to possess a valid fishing license. State law allows each digger to harvest up to 15 clams per day, but they must keep the first 15 clams they dig regardless of size or condition. Clams must also be kept in personal containers.
LISTENIN’
Last week the WDFW’s Fish and Wildlife Commission held a pair of meetings in order to hear updates on a number of ongoing matters in outdoors management around the state including black bear hunting, cougar management, land transfers, and fishing regulation changes.
The panel approved three land transactions, including 560 acres in Grays Harbor County, 900 acres in Yakima County. The properties in Grays Harbor and Yakima counties were purchased with the intent of providing increased recreational opportunities, like hunting, while simultaneously helping wildlife conservation efforts.
Proposals for changes to fishing regulations ranged from sturgeon to catfish. One of those matters was House Bill 1579, which was passed by the state legislature in the spring. That bill seeks to ease restrictions on bass, walleye, and channel catfish angling efforts and daily limits in order to eliminate known predators to juvenile salmon so that there might be more fish for endangered orca whales to eat.
Public comment was taken during the meetings and a press release from the WDFW noted that, “The commission will consider the public’s comments and testimony before staff brings recommendations at the December commission meeting in Bellingham.”
Changes to spring black bear hunting that were discussed included the elimination of permits in one area, expanded permit offerings in several other GMUs, and the addition of mandatory reporting by spring black bear hunters. A final decision on those matters is expected to be made in November. Cougar management was also discussed in relation to hunting regulations as well as conflict and public safety management practices.
A full broadcast of the meeting can be found online at www.tvw.org.
