FISHIN’
Spring has arrived and soon happy days will be here again. Temperatures will rise and the bite will get hot. Here in the first few days of the new season though, the area fishing scene is still looking suspiciously similar to its lackluster late winter counterpart.
Last weekend a few Centralia College baseball players took advantage of a dry spell, and a rare day off thanks to a last minute game cancellation by the Clark College Penguins, and headed for East Lewis County where the wild things roam in order to try their luck at a trusty pond.
“We took Wes’ boat out to Swofford,” said Zach Weinert, a former Winlock Cardinal in his first season with the Trailblazers.
Weinert was enjoying a day on the pond thanks to the dingy knowhow and skipper skills of former Toledo standout Wes Kuzminsky. Those two South County boys were flanked by Napavine alum Cole Doughty and Braden Smutz, a big fish-catcher who was raised in Lake Stevens before escaping to Swofford Pond.
“We didn’t get anything, but saw some bass,” said Weinert. “It’s still a little early and cold for them.”
WIth history, and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife trout-stocking schedules as our guide, that optimistic prediction will become reality much sooner than later. To wit, on the Ides of March Swofford Pond was stocked with 5,000 fingerling rainbow trout.
Similarly, Lake Sacajawea was planted with 3,083 fingerling rainbows on March 13, and then another 3,000 tiny rainbows on March 15.
In other happenings on golden ponds, South Lewis County Park Pond received 1,840 fingerling rainbow trout on March 8 and Kress Lake was planted with 2,880 fingerling rainbows on the same day. Casting a wider net, Failor Lake in northwest Grays Harbor County was planted with 100 winter steelhead from the Humptulips Hatchery on March 6. Those fish weighed an average of 10 pounds each. The WDFW has no data on angler success.
Keeping an eye on Grays Harbor, anglers on opposite ends of the age spectrum will be able to cast a line during the spring break season opener at Vance Creek Pond Number 1, also known as Bowers Lake. That popular body of water will be open to anglers under the age of 15 and over the age of 69, as well as anglers with WDFW disability status, and their designated harvesters. That opening for trout and any other game fish will last from March 31 through April 8. Following that brief window of opportunity the lake will again be closed until the regularly scheduled lowland lake opener on April 28.
Out on bigger waters, where hope floats on in bigger boats, effort has been increasing across the board. Anglers young and old have been seen traipsing the banks of the Chehalis throughout the Twin Cities with rod and reel in hand. And to the south, effort has been improving on the Lower COlumbia River, even if the fish aren’t fulfilling their end of the bargain quite yet.
According to WDFW data, last week anglers made 6,973 fishing trips and hauled in just 193 adult spring Chinook and 25 winter steelhead. Of that catch, 24 springers and 16 steelhead were released. More specifically, a sampling by Oregon officials tallied 523 boats targeting salmon on the lower river last Saturday, along with 226 bank anglers on the Oregon side. From Westport to Buoy 10 anglers averaged 0.14 springer per boat with a smattering of steelhead mixed in.
On March 17 the daily limit for adult Chinook salmon on the Cowlitz River was lowered. The new limit allows for up to six hatchery Chinook per day, of which only one may be an adult. That regulation applies to all areas open to salmon fishing from the mouth up to Forest Road 1270, as well as Lake Scanewa. That action was taken in response to a poor return of springers that are only expected to make up about 30 percent to the recent five year average. The reduction is intended to save enough fish for broodstock purposes at the hatchery. In a press release the WDFW noted that, “This action should also allow for fish to be transported above Cowlitz Falls Dam for an upriver fishery, and for reintroduction purposes.”
Last week on the Cowlitz River the WDFW sampled 44 bank rods below the I-5 Bridge with no catch to show. Upriver there were 38 bank rods sampled with five keeper steelhead. Another 97 boat rods kept 23 steelhead, while releasing six steelies and two cutthroat trout.
On the Kalama River 26 bank anglers were tallied with three released steelhead to talk about and 11 boat anglers told the same story. On the mainstem Lewis River for bank rods reported no catch and three boat rods released on steelhead while seven bank anglers and two boat rods on the North Fork Lewis were all skunked. Three bank anglers were also sampled on the East Fork Lewis River and they also had no catch. On the Grays River the WDFw talked to three anglers who had released two unclipped steelhead and 17 anglers on Salmon Creek caught one fish. It was a fabled hatchery steelhead.
HUNTIN’
Spring turkey hunting season is only a few weeks away and the WDFW is speaking up now to remind greenhorn hunters to prepare by taking their hunter education course. State law requires that all hunters born after Jan. 1, 1972 must complete a hunter education course before purchasing a hunting license.
“While other major hunting seasons don’t open until September, now is the time to enroll in hunter education to ensure you can participate in the exciting spring turkey seasons,” said David Whipple, hunter education division manager for WDFW, in a press release.
That release noted that spring turkey hunters enjoy a high success rate, with 52 percent of hunters harvesting a turkey statewide in 2016. When looking at just the northeast section of Washington, that figure rose to 62 percent.
Turkey hunting is considered a good avenue to introduce a new hunter to the activity. Helping to pave the way for aspiring young hunters is the youth-only turkey hunt that is scheduled to take place on April 7-8 as a jump start of sorts to the regular season.
“Completing a hunter education course now will also help hunters who want to hunt this fall, since summer and fall courses fill quickly," Whipple said, in the release.
Hunter education courses are offered in traditional classroom settings as well as online. In person training includes direct instruction from certified volunteer instructors that can be particularly helpful with younger hunters. The online course covers the same material but allows each aspiring hunter to proceed at their own pace. Still, those who take the online course are still required to complete an in-person field skills evaluation led by certified instructors, added Whipple.
Hunters who are unable to attend a hunter education course prior to the end of spring turkey season on May 31 may be eligible for a hunter education deferral. Additional information on deferrals can be found online at https://wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/huntered/he_deferral.html.
Those turkey hunts have a combined limit of three birds for the season, of which only two may be taken from Eastern Washington, with the exception of Chelan, Kittitas, and Yakima counties where only one gobbler may be killed per person. A one turkey limit is also applicable in Western Washington, although two turkeys may be taken in Klickitat County. Only male turkeys, or those with visible beards, are legal for hunting.
Cougar hunts continue to linger on as the only holdover from the abundant fall and winter hunting seasons. In most units cougar hunts will remain open until April 30, but hunters should check for closures in units with harvest limits before marking a mountain lion. Conversely, coyote hunting never ends.
Getting back to paperwork, hunters who would like to hunt with multiple tags next fall have just over a week to submit their applications. According to the WDFW those tags can “can greatly increase the opportunity for success in the field.”
Applications received before the end of March from eligible hunters will be entered into a drawing for 2018 multiple-season tags. The drawing is scheduled for mid-April. A total of 8,500 multiple season tags for deer will be handed out along with 1,000 multiple-season tags for elk. Winners will be allowed to purchase special tags to participate in archery, muzzleloader, and modern firearm general hunting seasons for deer or elk in 2018. Additionally, winners who purchase the multiple season elk tag are allowed to participate in general elk hunting seasons in both eastern and western Washington.
“This is a great opportunity for hunters to extend their hunting season this fall,” said Anis Aoude, game division manager for WDFW, in a press release. “The multiple season tag allows more flexibility, since winners do not need to choose one hunting method over another.”
The deadline to purchase the multiple-season tag is July 31. Hunters can apply only once for each species and are limited to harvesting one deer or elk. Applications cost $7.10 for residents and $110.50 for nonresidents. A hunting license is not required to submit an application, but winners of the drawing must obtain one before they can purchase a multiple-season tag.
SNOWIN’
They say down on the mountain it can drive you insane when you’re listening to the winds howl. Fortunately for local snow plankers, the weather has been downright pleasant at White Pass recently. While some snow melt has begun to set in on the slopes, a run of snowy days is likely to buffer the weekend shredding prospects.
“Clouds are moving in this morning and we've got machine groomed runs ready for you to ski from 8:45 until 4,” read the White Pass snow report on Wednesday. “Planning ahead? There's snow in the forecast.”
Midweek the base snowpack at White Pass stood at 65 inches with 124 inches still stacked up at the summit. No new snow fell on Monday or Tuesday but the flakes began falling on Wednesday. Additional now showers expected to hit every day through the weekend, with Saturday likely turning into the clearest day on the mountain top. Temperatures the rest of the week are supposed to range between 18 and 32 degrees, so the runs should stay in decent shape even if there is a big turnout.
As an incentive to visitors, White Pass Ski Area is currently offering free skiing for the rest of the year to individuals who purchase their 2018/19 season pass. Additionally, children’s passeas are alread discounted by more than 50 percent and adults passes are discounted by more than 40 percent. That sale will continue through May 31.
White Pass is currently open from 8:45 a.m. until 4 p.m. each evening, but night skiing sessions have ended for the season.
