Tulalips Release Turkeys On Reservation For Future Hunts

The Tulalip Tribes recently released 170 turkeys onto their Snohomish County, Wash., reservation.

After being raised from chicks obtained this past spring, the Rio Grandes were let loose this month in a meadow in hopes the birds would build a harvestable population, according to a press release from the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission.

The effort began several years ago with restoration of the meadow for wildlife habitat.

Tribal wildlife manager Mike Sevigny thinks that if birds breed next spring, there could be hunts next fall.

THE TULALIP TRIBES RAISED TURKEYS FROM CHICKS THIS SPRING, HELD THE BIRDS IN A PEN AND THEN RECENTLY TURNED THEM LOOSE ON THE RESERVATION NORTH OF EVERETT. (NWIFC)

The Tribes plans to release more game birds in the meadow.

Western Fall Elk Forecast

With elk hunting starting in just over a week in Oregon, now’s as good a time as any to get a head’s up on this fall’s prospects for wapiti in the Beaver State and elsewhere around the West.

According to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation’s annual hunting forecast, Oregon and Washington’s herds are believed to be stable, and while certain herds in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming have taken definite hits from wolves, there are still around 100,000 elk in the Gem State, 150,000 in the Treasure State and 120,000 in the Cowboy State — 20,000 more than this time last year, and 40,000 above state objectives in that latter state alone.

MIKE AND JACK DONAHUE OF SEATTLE WITH MIKE'S FIRST ELK IN 20 YEARS OF HUNTING, SHOT IN KITTITAS CO., WASH., LAST FALL. (HI-VIZ PHOTO CONTEST)

“Generally speaking, elk populations are in great shape and hunters have much to look forward to across the West, as well as in several Midwestern and Eastern states,” says David Allen, president and CEO of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation in a press release. “A mild winter, much needed spring and summer moisture and our habitat conservation successes all factor into our optimism for the upcoming hunting season.”

He does note, however, that wolves continue to be a growing concern in regions where they share habitat with elk and other big game herds. In some areas, elk calf survival rates are now insufficient to sustain herds for the future.

EASTERN OREGON BULL ELK. (ODFW)

RMEF says the urgent need to control wolf populations is a localized wildlife management crisis now compounded by a recent court decision to return wolves to full federal protections under the Endangered Species Act. RMEF has asked Congress to intervene and grant management authority to the states.

A Montana Congressman has joined a Texan in cosponsoring legislation to remove wolves from the species that can be protected under ESA.

A statement on RMEF’s Web site above their hunting forecast addresses what became a war of letters earlier this year, where wolf activists “blatantly cherry-picked, manipulated and misrepresented the following population estimates to bolster their case for having more wolves in more places throughout elk country.”

Meanwhile, here is a state-by-state and province-by-province breakdown for the Western U.S. and Canada, straight from RMEF:

ALASKA
·       Elk Population: Kodiak Archipelago (GMU 8), 650; Etolin (GMU 3), not available
·       Bull/Cow Ratios: Not available
·       Nonresidents: $85 hunting license plus $300 elk tag, and must hire a guide
·       Hunter Success: GMU 8, 17 percent; GMU 3, 5 percent

Think you’re tough? Resume chest-thumping only after you’ve hunted GMU 3’s South Etolin Wilderness for a week in southeast Alaska. Rainfall exceeds 90 inches per year and the thick cover hides some of the world’s largest brown bears. Recent success rates hover around 5 percent with an annual average of six bulls killed for the entire unit. While bulls in the lower 48 average 700 pounds, bulls here can get up to 1,300. Consider yourself successful just for giving it a try. Zarembo Island northwest of Etolin has remained closed to hunting since 2006 because of low elk numbers.

For GMU 8 in southern Alaska, the odds are considerably better at 17 percent, though rest assured you’ll be hunting the fringes of hypothermia. Managers are trying to grow the herd to around 800-1,000 animals. Not bad when you consider in 1929 only eight elk were imported to the area from Washington’s Hoh Valley.

Fifteen years ago, these big-bodied bulls had comparatively tiny antlers. That all changed when herd numbers crashed with the winter of 1998-99. Lower herd numbers allowed more forage to flourish, and bulls took advantage of the all-you-can-eat buffet. Now, GMU 8 in southern Alaska gives you a shot at some mighty big Roosevelt’s. Area biologist Larry van Deale says some recent trophies would have made the record books had the hunters cared to enter them.

ALBERTA

·       Elk Population: 33,000
·       Bull/Cow Ratio: Not available
·       Nonresidents: $255, must hire a guide
·       Hunter Success: Not available
In the eyes of the record books, elk here live in the shadow of the province’s monster whitetails and beastly bruins. Yet there are opportunities for some fine elk hunting as elk expand east and south onto the prairies and parkland. As they migrate, managers establish more hunting opportunities—last year alone saw three new areas open to elk hunting. Some of the biggest bulls are in these new units. The northern-most units have hunts well into January, and landowners typically welcome responsible cow hunters with open arms.

The best (and only) shot for a nonresident is to go through an outfitter, as they are allotted roughly 10 percent of draw tags.

ELK ON THE WILD HORSE WIND FARM, KITTITAS CO., WASH. (PHOTO COURTESY OF PUGET SOUND ENERGY)

ARIZONA
·       Elk Population: 25,000
·       Bull/Cow Ratio: 34/100
·       Nonresidents: $121 hunting license (nonrefundable to enter drawing) plus $595 elk permit
·       Hunter Success: 30 percent
This mega-bull state allows hunters the chance to chase elk 365 days per year—and you don’t need a Governor’s tag to do it. These over-the-counter hunts are designed to help keep elk numbers in check where they are less-than-desirable, like the North Kaibab Plateau. One catch, though—there are generally not a lot of elk in these areas and hunt success is low, but at least you don’t have to blow any bonus points on the hunts.

For hunters looking for more traditional seasons, opportunities abound. Even though the state claims 25,000 elk, its mesas and arroyos could be hiding upwards of 40,000, says Brian Wakeling, Arizona’s game branch chief. They conduct elk counts in August and September, and the thick tree cover makes it tough to get accurate counts with aerial surveys. Overlooked elk means better odds of success for you.

With abundant moisture this winter and little winterkill, elk herds are flourishing. Last year saw little daylight rut activity, with bulls bugling only by moonlight, which held bowhunter success to around 25 percent. Logic says those big bulls that survived merely got bigger for this season. Also bettering your odds is Fish and Game’s goal to get bull/cow ratios down to 25/100 to create more hunter opportunity. That translates into more bull tags.

A great resource on Arizona harvest data, drawing odds and hunting pressure is “Hunt Arizona” available on the department’s website at www.azgfd.gov.

BRITISH COLUMBIA
·       Elk Population: 50,000
·       Bull/Cow Ratio: 20/100
·       Nonresidents: $189 hunting license plus $262.50 for elk permit. Must hire a guide.
·       Hunter Success: Not available
With 15 big game species to hunt, this province is a hunter’s paradise, boasting a thriving population of Rocky Mountain elk and some of the biggest Roosevelt’s bulls in the world, says Stephen MacIver, wildlife regulations officer. To hunt Roosies or Rocky Mountain elk in the province, one must first hurdle the odds of drawing a limited-entry tag. The odds are roughly 35:1. But, anyone, including nonresidents, can hire a guide, and lucky for you, guides are allotted a percentage of the tags.

If you watched the Olympics, you have an idea of what the winter was like for the entire province—mild. And that’s good news for elk. Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast in the far west have strong populations of Roosevelt’s. For Rocky Mountain elk, your best bet would be the Kootenay region in the southeast, which boasts the province’s highest success rates. Most of the area requires a minimum of six tines or more on one antler. So many bulls live long enough to reach their full antler-growth potential. Another good option is the agricultural zones in the Peace River region.

Visit www.env.gov.bc.ca/fw.

CALIFORNIA
·       Elk Population: 1,500 Rocky Mountains, 6,000 Roosevelt’s, 3,900 tules
·       Bull/Cow Ratios: 20/100 to 90/100
·       Nonresidents: $145 hunting license (nonrefundable to enter drawing) plus $1,173 elk permit
·       Hunter Success: 75 percent
Conditions are ripe for a world-record tule, says Joe Hobbs, California Fish and Game elk coordinator. For the East Park Reservoir Unit, good spring rains this year and a low harvest of old bulls last year have left the environment in top shape for antler growth. That’s the good news. The bad news? Your odds of drawing a bull tag there are 1 in 350. If you’re feeling really lucky, apply for Grizzly Island with bulls just as big and draw odds more than twice as bad (1 in 1,000). To add insult to injury, only one nonresident tag can be issued through the draw annually.

But other chances abound if you’re willing to shell out the cash for a number of auction tags: one for Grizzly Island, one for Owens Valley, a multiple zone tag, and tags offered by RMEF at Elk Camp. If odds and auctions aren’t your thing, private landowners receive a limited number of hunts to do with as they please, like sell it to you.

Forest fires over the past few years have herds in other parts of the state doing very well. The Marble Mountains unit in the northwest—much of it in the spectacular Marble Mountain Wilderness—is one of those areas, with 35 bull tags, 10 antlerless and 5 late-season muzzleloader/archery either-sex tags. It’s also an area worth looking into if you’re a first-time applicant, as 10 of those tags (9 bull, 1 either-sex) are randomly drawn, while the other 30 are based on preference points. Odds there hover around 2 percent— 8 percent if you have max points.

If the odds have you down, this might help. Talks are in the works to reestablish a free-ranging herd on 200,000 acres of grassland in the Central Valley. Plans are still in the feasibility stage, but that could mean more habitat, more elk and more elk hunting opportunity. In the northeast corner, elk that walked in  from Oregon and Nevada are now thriving, including some of the biggest bulls in America. To help ease a sometimes thirsty transition onto the Modoc National Forest, the RMEF helped pay for and install four 1,800-gallon wildlife guzzlers, which will improve year-round habitat in an area that already has one of the most sought-after elk permits in the state.

COLORADO
·       Elk Population: 286,000
·       Bull/Cow Ratio: 30/100
·       Nonresidents: cow $354, any elk $544
·       Hunter Success: 23 percent
Let’s be honest, the land of the fourteeners is the land of plenty for elk and elk hunters, but it isn’t currently known for producing behemoth bulls. But that could be a different story this hunting season. The past two falls have been cursed with warm weather, leaving elk up high and the ground firecracker dry. In the northwest where many of the really big bulls roam, elk migration didn’t even begin until after regular rifle seasons were over. Couple that with abundant spring and summer moisture producing high-quality forage, and you have the perfect setup for high-quality bulls. Of course, you’re not going to be alone, as the state sees more than 200,000 hunters afield.

Those more than happy simply to go elk hunting and take home a couple hundred pounds of the world’s finest meat will notice the $100 fee increase for cow tags. Why? Elk populations have been carefully trimmed to at or near objectives in many places in the state. Colorado DOW has also recommended cutting 1,500 cow/either-sex rifle tags across the state. Places where herds remain above objective, such as the Gunnison Basin, will see more rifle tags available. For archery hunters there, over-the-counter licenses for units 54, 55 and 551 have been nixed. It’s all limited-entry now, as masses of bowhunters were pushing the elk onto private ranches where they remained the rest of the season.

In the west on the Uncomphagre Plateau, (GMU 61 to the west and 62 to the east) the best of both worlds awaits hunters. GMU 61 is a limited-draw area, while 62 sees quite a lot of hunters in this over-the-counter area. To help ensure the area stays full of elk and hunter opportunity, the Elk Foundation helped fund a habitat enhancement project, removing dense stands of pinyons and junipers. The scrubby pines proliferate due to fire suppression and choke out native grasses.

To get you started on the hunt or to jumpstart your to-do list for this season, check out DOW’s elk hunting videos on the web: http://wildlife.state.co.us/NewsMedia/Videos.

IDAHO
·       Elk Population: 101,000
·       Bull/Cow Ratio: 25/100
·       Nonresidents: license $155, tag $417
·       Hunter Success: 20 percent
Since 2007, Idaho’s elk population has fallen by 24,000. And for the second year in a row, out-of-state tag revenues in the state have mirrored that trend. Hunters list wolves, the economy and nonresident tag prices as factors. This isn’t ideal for state wildlife coffers, but it could be ideal if you’re looking for elk hunting all to yourself.

Wolves have hit elk populations in the classic elk country of the Lolo, Sawtooth and Selway areas hard, and the state has capped tags. Bull:cow and cow:calf ratios are in tough shape, and the statewide population could fall below 100,000 for the first time in decades. But the declines are by no means across the board. Elk populations are at or above objectives in 22 of 29 elk hunt zones. And a mild winter boosted cow and calf elk survival rates across most of the state.

It’s no secret that wolves can hammer elk populations, but the most lasting damage is done by the jaws of subdivisions and mini-malls devouring habitat. When conservation-minded landowners want to see their land protected, the Elk Foundation is there to help. Donna Standley’s 350-acre ranch in the northern panhandle provides year-round elk habitat and she wanted to see it stay that way forever. So in 2009, she placed her property in a conservation easement with the RMEF.

Those elk populations around Donna’s ranch, and along the western and southern borders of the state, continue to be strong. The Beaverhead, Lemhi, Island Park, Teton, Snake River, Palisades and Tex Creek zones all have healthy herds and offer the kind of elk hunting Idaho is famous for.

Visit fishandgame.idaho.gov.

MONTANA
·       Elk Population: 150,000
·       Bull/Cow Ratio: 5-25/100
·       Nonresidents: $593
·       Hunter Success: 22 percent
There are plenty of elk in many pockets of Big Sky country. In fact, Montana continues to boast the second highest elk population of any state by a margin of 30,000 animals. But some populations have plummeted in the past five years. The northern Yellowstone herd is down to 6,000 animals from 19,000 in 1996. Areas north of Yellowstone National Park have seen permits cut and over-the-counter tags change to a draw. Populations in the West Fork of the Bitterroot River and the lower Clark Fork River are 60 percent below objective, with just 7 calves per 100 cows. All antlerless tags have been cut, and bulls will be hard to come by. Elk populations are well below objectives throughout much of Region 1 in the northwest. Hunters will find elk widely dispersed and wary throughout their traditional ranges in the western third of the state where wolves howl.

But the farther one goes east of the Continental Divide, the more elk appear. Most of the eastern portion of the state is 20 percent above population objectives. And the Elk Foundation is doing its part to ensure those herds continue to flourish. The RMEF helped fund prescribed burns in the rangeland and timbered coulees of the Musselshell Breaks in 2009 to improve forage on BLM land for elk and other wildlife. In ranges like the Tobacco Roots and Gravellys, elk populations are healthy. Hunters venturing into antelope country might do well to explore the Little Belt Mountains for elk. Also be on the lookout for new Elk B tags sold over the counter in some units with too many elk.

The big bulls are most definitely out there. A mild winter and moist spring should make for optimum antler growth. But it’s doubtful they’re going to run in front of your truck. Lace up those boots, hump a few miles in, and you’ll encounter elk on their terms.

Visit www.fwp.mt.gov.

NEVADA
·       Elk Population: 12,300
·       Bull/Cow Ratio: 32/100
·       Nonresidents: $142 hunting license plus $1,200 tag
·       Hunter Success: 44 percent
This year’s “baby boomer” award goes to the land of craps tables and bordellos. In the past two years, the elk population there has grown nearly 30 percent. The opportunities for hunters to chase them have followed suit. A few hundred tags more than last year will be issued this season, for a total of 3,350. Ten percent of those tags go to nonresidents who are looking at pretty decent 1:44 odds to draw a bull tag.

Elk herds here grow as sagebrush and bitterbrush succumb to drought and wildfire. Then grass takes their place. The mule deer aren’t happy about it, but the elk love it. The quality of bulls in the harvest remains high with more than 67 percent of bulls reported being six points or better. Landowners seem content as well. The state’s Elk Management on Private Lands Program distributed 66 tags to property owners to do with as they wish. Estimated revenue generated from those tags topped nearly $500,000 for the landowners. So if you don’t draw in the lottery, you can always track down a landowner—though they may not take plastic.

Visit www.ndow.org/hunt.

NEW MEXICO
·       Elk Population: 75,000-95,000
·       Bull/Cow Ratio: 42/100
·       Nonresidents: $27 nonrefundable fee to enter drawing, plus $562 standard bull tag or $787 quality bull tag
·       Hunter Success: 30 percent
With a little bit of everything, the Land of Enchantment allows hunters to stalk alpine elk during a blizzard or drop down to the Chihuahuan desert and sweat it out chasing wapiti through mirages. Most hunters though seem content enough to stay nestled right in-between in the mixed conifer and pinyon-juniper stands.

Last year’s harvest tallies were average, and the state picked up great winter moisture. The hills greened up nicely this spring, providing herds plenty of forage.

Out-of-staters looking to hunt here will find no over-the-counter tags. Those who didn’t draw may be able to contact a landowner for one of their tags (be ready to write a fairly hefty check). The state has no bonus or preference point system, so—love it or hate it—every year, everyone has the same chance. Residents get the bulk of the tags, 78 percent.

The state’s units are broken into “quality” and “opportunity” hunts. The former will get you a better chance at bigger bulls, but odds are steep. You can only apply for three units in one season. Looking for close to a sure thing? The state offers four Enhancement Tags. Some go to raffles, others go to auction. Money from the tags goes back on the ground for landscape-level projects, like those found on the Gila in the southwest. The Gila elk herds make up around 20,000 elk, and the RMEF is pitching in funds to help the Forest Service return fire to nearly 95,000 acres. Doing so will remove understory debris, improving the forage in this quality- management unit regularly producing bruiser bulls.

Visit www.wildlife.state.nm.us.

NORTH DAKOTA
·       Elk Population: 2,000
·       Bull/Cow Ratio: Not available
·       Nonresidents: One auction tag available
·       Hunter Success: 42 percent
Big news this year is the potential for culling elk inside Theodore Roosevelt National Park using park volunteers. With 950 elk, the park is looking to control elk populations, possibly killing 275 elk for the next five years to get populations between 100-400.

For the rest of the state’s elk, things are pretty much status-quo. Managers issued 561 tags—with 245 any-sex and 315 antlerless tags, the same as last year. Almost all hunting is now in the western Badlands, but elk may be moving south from Canada into the Turtle Mountains in the state’s north-central portion. No hunting is currently permitted there, but in the future anything can happen with the right habitat.

Visit www.gf.nd.gov/hunting.

OREGON
·       Elk Population: 120,000
·       Bull/Cow Ratio: 15/100
·       Nonresidents: license $140, tag $500
·       Hunter Success: 13 percent
Due to budget constraints, biologists aren’t exactly sure how many elk they have as aerial surveys have been limited. But they think herd populations are stable. And this year, managers plan to issue nearly 1,000 more permits than last season.

OREGON BOW ELK SEASON BEGINS AUG. 28. (HI-VIZ PHOTO CONTEST)

Rocky Mountain elk dominate the east side of the Cascades while Roosevelt’s reign to the west. Most hunting in the steep and dark west is open to all comers with over-the-counter tags, while eastern Oregon is draw-only for rifle hunters. Bowhunters can still hunt most of the east side with a general tag. Those eastern elk have some new neighbors, as a couple wolf packs have established themselves in the northeast corner. Individual wolves are also dispersing into the state from Idaho.

A great new resource for both resident and nonresident hunters is an interactive map system (www.oregonhuntingmap.com). The map not only provides contours, Forest Service roads and trails, it also allows you to readily locate all the state’s wildlife management units and hunting access areas. It even includes a write-up for all access areas, along with a hunting report. Let’s hope every state gets on board with this one.

Visit www.dfw.state.or.us.

SOUTH DAKOTA
·       Elk Population: 5,000
·       Bull/Cow Ratio: 75/100
·       Residents only
·       Hunter Success: 50 percent
So you want to hunt elk in South Dakota? If you don’t live there, better stick to pheasants, as elk tags are only available to residents. But as game managers look to build up herd numbers, you never know what the future may hold.

The state’s largest herd in the Black Hills National Forest numbered as many as 5,000 animals back in 2003. Aggressive management knocked that number down to the current 3,000. Public attitudes have shifted and there is once again a cry for more elk and more hunting opportunity. To reach a goal of 4,000 in the Hills, managers have had to cut rifle tags again this year to 1,065—a drop of 300 from last year. It’s all a means to an end, though, as “hunters want more elk, and I want more elk,” says Ted Benzon, big game biologist.

As part of a 12,000-acre, landscape-scale effort in the Black Hills, the Elk Foundation is working with landowners to protect their land from development. In 2010, the RMEF completed a 9-year effort to acquire 2,400 acres of private land adjacent to the Black Hills National Forest and Wind Cave National Park from willing landowners and transfer it to the Forest Service, forever protecting the finest elk country in the state snd creating 2,400 acres of new public land.

Unit 2, the state’s biggest unit, is managed as a trophy area. A third of the bulls killed are 6-points or better, some of them massive. In the past, the average has been 40-50 percent, and that’s what managers want to see again. Residents’ odds of hunting a bull in the Black Hills are a solid 1:10. If you pull a tag, make the most of it, as you have to wait nine years to apply again.

Want to hunt elk in your home state this year? Put in for a cow hunt as your first choice; you’ll get the tag.

Visit www.sdgfp.info/wildlife/hunting.

UTAH
·       Elk Population: 68,000
·       Bull/Cow Ratio: 15-80/100
·       Nonresidents: $65 hunting license, plus $388 general tag, $795 limited-entry tag or $1,500 premium limited-entry tag
·       Hunter Success: 17 percent
Statewide, hunters kill bulls that average around 6½ years. At that age, you’re looking at a jaw-dropping wall-hanger or a nice-sized bull; it all depends on what the elk have been eating. Luckily, Utah has seen good moisture this past winter and spring, keeping the hills green and lush. Translation: healthy brutes with big headgear.

Before you start packing the truck, odds of drawing a limited-entry tag are going to be tough. Odds for residents to pull a limited-entry tag are 1:16. Nonresidents, 1:44. But as the state’s herd slowly grows, so grows tag availability. Consider that in 2003, there were around 60,000 elk and 86 nonresident, limited-entry tags. Now, with 68,000 elk there are three times as many tags available.

It’s going to be a tough draw for the most popular units, such as San Juan and Fillmore Pahvant, but there are over-the-counter options out there, especially for archery hunters who are willing to hike into wilderness. With an any-bull tag in their pocket, hardcore backcountry archers just might find the big boys without the big crowds.

Visit wildlife.utah.gov/dwr/hunting.html.

WASHINGTON
·       Elk Population: 55,000-60,000
·       Bull/Cow Ratio: 12-20/100 in most units
·       Nonresidents: $432
·       Hunter Success: 8 percent
With more hunters per elk than any other state, you’d think the state’s woods would be overrun. Well, if you’re hunting near a road, they probably are. Venture five miles behind a gate or into wilderness, and chances are you’ll have the place all to yourself—except for all the elk of course. Managers help control densities by making hunters choose either westside Roosevelt’s or eastside Rocky Mountain elk. Both hunters and elk are split about 50/50.

Generally, herd numbers are stable this season, as they are coming off a very mild winter. Traditionally an elk stronghold, the Yakima herd has seen a drop in recruitment, thus special permits for both branch-antlered bulls and cows have been cut 30-40 percent. Good news, though, for that herd and others in the area between Yakima and Wenatchee. Thanks in part to facilitation from the Elk Foundation, the state swapped 21,000 acres of checkboarded land for 82,000 acres of private timberland. Both properties were valued at $56.5 million. The final product: 61,000 acres open to all as a new state forest.

While it may take some time for the Yakima herd to rebound, the state has plenty of other hot spots like the classic elk country of the Blue Mountains. This area in the southeast corner has seen an increase in bull permits the last few years. The southwest is another winner for OTC permits, especially on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest around Mt. St. Helens where managers are trying to knock down herd numbers.

CALLIE GUYOTA WITH ANICE WESTERN WASHINGTON ROOSEVELT. (HI-VIZ PHOTO CONTEST)

And finally, wolves have established at least two confirmed packs on the eastside. After three years of crafting, with much citizen input, the Division of Fish and Wildlife plans to submit a final wolf management plan to the State Fish and Wildlife Commission this fall.

Visit wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/.

WYOMING
·       Elk Population 120,000
·       Bull/Cow Ratio: 23/100
·       Nonresidents: $577 for permit, $288 for cow-calf permit, $1,057 for special permit
·       Hunter Success: 43 percent
It’s true. Some places in Wyoming have seen significant impacts from wolves and other carnivores. The eastern half of the Cody herd next to Yellowstone has seen poor calf-recruitment, made worse by predation. Once a general hunting area, it is now a limited-entry draw. That area is home to the Shoshone National Forest where aspens are losing ground to encroaching conifers because of fire suppression. To give elk a boost, the RMEF helped pay for conifer removal across aspen stands in the greatest danger of disappearing. The landscape around Jackson Hole and the Gros Ventre and Teton Wilderness Areas will see tightened seasons and antler-point restrictions to try
and boost bull-cow and cow-calf ratios.

But outside the northwest corner, the state’s cup runneth over with elk, with the population up 15,000 from last year and many units far above their population objectives. The statewide objective is 80,000 elk. That’s 40,000 less than where the herd now stands. You’ll be hard pressed to find better odds of filling the freezer with a choice cow, and the state expects to have lots of leftover antlerless licenses. Aggressive seasons have been set in many places, including the Snowy Range, Laramie Peak and Sierra Madre.

Last year, the state shifted to a first-come/first-served online licensing system. Out-of-staters can now search for leftover licenses without having to wait in line (in Wyoming) for reduced and full-price tags. For those more interested in hunting bulls, the state allots 16 percent of its limited quota and general licenses to nonresidents. If you’re holding one of those tags, you have a very real chance of taking the bull of a lifetime. As always, regional wildlife managers offer great insights. After all, they’re the ones on the ground day in and day out.

Visit gf.state.wy.us/wildlife/hunting.

ELK ON THE TURNBULL NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE OUTSIDE SPOKANE WILL BE HUNTED FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS FALL; 73 SPECIAL PERMITS WERE AVAILABLE THROUGH A DRAWING. (TURNBULL NWR)

For prospects in Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentuck, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, the Yukon Territory, Minnesota, Michigan and Pennsylvania, please see RMEF’s full forecast.

The organization has conserved or enhanced habitat on over 5.8 million acres, as well as works to open, secure and improve public access for hunting, fishing and other recreation. Get involved at www.rmef.org or 800-CALL ELK.

Fall Kings To Open In Hells Canyon

(OREGON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE PRESS RELEASE)

For the first time in recent history, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will open the upper Snake River for fall chinook harvest on Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2010.

The chinook fishery will open to sport fishing seven days a week concurrent with the annual Hell’s Canyon steelhead fishery. The river will be open from the Oregon / Washington border to the deadline below Hells Canyon Dam and will remain open until Oct. 31, or until a closure is announced.

The daily bag limit is two adipose fin-clipped fall chinook salmon per day, only one of which can be an adult salmon longer than 24 inches. Only barbless hooks may be used. Anglers are reminded to consult the 2010 Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations for other applicable regulations.

Fishery managers predict over 60,000 fall chinook salmon will pass Lower Granite Dam this year. This is more fish than needed for hatchery production needs and thus will be available for sport harvest.

Hells Canyon Dam is the farthest Snake River fall chinook will travel in Oregon, having migrated over 800 miles and passing 8 mainstem dams.

“We’ve had a great spring chinook season, a huge steelhead return is on its way and now there’s a new opportunity to retain fall chinook, ”said Jeff Yanke, ODFW district fish biologist in Enterprise. “We encourage anglers to take advantage of the excellent fall fishing in Hell’s Canyon.”

USFWS On The Way Forward For Idaho And Wolves

Here’s the text of a Q&A sheet/PDF prepared by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service for a recent meeting of the Idaho Fish & Game Commission.

It was posted on The Wildlife News’ blog.

U.S. Fish Wildlife Service Pacific Regional Office
911 NE 11th Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97232-4181
http://www.jws.gov/pacific

Gray Wolves in Idaho: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Answers to Idaho Department of Fish and Game Questions

August 16,2010

• What is the history of wolf reintroduction in Idaho?

A detailed chronology of the reintroduction and events leading up to gray wolf reintroduction in Idaho is located on the Idaho Department of Fish and Game website: http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/ cms/wildlife/wolves/timeline.cfm

• Is there any possibility ofhaving a wolfhunting season unde1′ the current listing status in Idaho?

It is unlikely, now that the U.S. District Court has ruled that the gray wolf must be returned to the List of Threatened and Endangered Species. During the past six months, while the court deliberated, FWS has worked diligently with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game and Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks to explore a variety of options for permitting a hunting season for wolves in Idaho and Montana (in the event the court ruled invalidated the delisting, which it did). FWS, however does not believe we would prevail against the inevitable legal challenge. This is a difficult and frustrating message to convey, and it is a decision FWS does not take lightly. However, we cannot promote decisions we know are legally indefensible, as this would only increase our collective frustrations over the long term, rather than relieve them.

• After the FWS receives our proposal to control wolves that are impacting ungulates, how long will it take the FWS to respond?

Upon receipt of all necessary documentation associated with a control proposal, including peer review and a record of public review and comment as required in the lOG) rule, we anticipate being able to respond within 60 days.

• Can Idaho get broader approval from FWS for wolfmanagement in response to ungulate population declines under section 10(J) of the ESA as it has for livestocll depredation response?

The NRM wolf lOG) rule was revised in 2008 to give states more latitude in managing wolves that were affecting ungulate herds within the experimental population area. Accordingly, the State may request broader approval for ungulate management. FWS must then make a determination that the requested action would continue to provide for the conservation of the wolf. Changes to the 100) regulations would also require rulemaking, including pu blic notice and comment.

Note: the 2008 lOG) rule is currently being litigated, and the outcome of that litigation may define sideboards within which we can amend the 1O(j) rule. At this time the 2008 revised 1O(i) rule remains in full effect.

• Why should the State ofIdaho remain the FWS’s designated agent?

This is Idaho’s question to answer. From FWS perspective, there are advantages for a state to be fully engaged in species management, including the direct contribution of state expertise and issues in management decisions. In addition:

• Continued demonstration of successful State management of wolves is critical to the legal argument for delisting wolves in Idaho. If IDFG is stripped of its ability to manage wolves under the approved State management plan, the likelihood of delisting wolves in Idaho may be substantially diminished.

• FWS will not manage wolves to achieve ungulate population objectives. Ungulate population management is the purview of the State, and as such, the State may address that priority by maintaining status as a designated agent.

• The State is currently better positioned than the Service to address on-the-ground depredation control issues. Lack of State management would mean increased presence of contract or Federal biologists in Idaho to handle on-the-groundmanagement.

• What is the FWS’s strategy to delist wolves and what is your timeline?

Any path forward to down-listing or delisting the NRM wolf will require rulemaking, including public notice and comment. A proposed and final rule, including adequate time for public comment, at minimum would take 18 months, and more likely 24 months to complete.

• What should Idaho tell hunters about future wolfpopulation levels and their impact on Idaho elk?

FWS supports the wolf population goals in Idaho’s State wolf management plan. FWS also supports lethal removal of wolves in the experimental population area when scientific evidence indicates that wolves are having an unacceptable impact on wild ungulate populations. FWS delisted wolves in Idaho based on recognition that wolves are biologically recovered in the State and a sound State management plan is in place, and FWS has recognized Idaho’s management of a fair-chase hunt conducted last year. Without condition, FWS shares the goal of a viable delisted wolf population under State management.

• Is FWS considering revising its Distinct Population Segment (DPS) policy to allow delisting along State lines? The FWS is not pursuing that option at this time.

• Will FWS appeal judge Molloy’s decision?

The Department of the Interior and Department of Justice have not determined whether or not to appeal Judge Molloy’s decision.

Meanwhile, a Montana Congressman has announced he’d cosponsor a Texan’s legislation that would make wolves exempt from threatened or endangered status under the ESA.

4-point Only For 117, 121 Units Whitetails?

A proposal to restrict whitetail buck harvest in two Northeast Washington game units gets a cold reception in today’s Spokesman-Review.

Writes outdoor columnist Rich Landers:

Looking into the Stevens County-based campaign to set four-point-minimum antler restrictions on white-tailed deer hunts in portions of northeastern Washington, one logical conclusion emerges:

Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Gary Douvia of Kettle Falls has compromising photos of other commission members.

… In the next week the commission will squander staff time and thousands of dollars – is the state budget crisis over? – on four public meetings across the state largely at Douvia’s behest. Three stakeholder meetings also were held earlier this summer.

The meetings start tonight in Puyallup and end in Yakima next Thursday.

At each, WDFW staff will discuss the proposal, brought about by a petition from the Stevens County Fish and Wildlife Advisory Committee, to change the 2011 hunting rules from allowing the harvest of any whitetail buck in GMUs 117 and 121 — 49 Degrees North and Huckleberry — to only those with at least four points on one side.

WHITETAILS LIKE JOSHUA GOODRICH'S NOVEMBER 2009 SPOKANE 3X4 WOULD BE LEGAL UNDER PROPOSED ANTLER RESTRICTIONS IN NEIGHBORING HUCKLEBERRY AND 49 DEGREES NORTH. (HI-VIZ PHOTO CONTEST)

Leroy Ledeboer tackled the issue in our September issue. At the time of his reporting, regional wildlife director Kevin Robinette said this about WDFW’s position:

“If we’re convinced that a 4-point restriction would significantly improve our herd, then we’ll support it. If we’re opposed, it will be because we believe the bucks are doing fine under the present rules. Our mandate is to provide maximum recreational opportunities we can with our available resources, so that’s what we try to do.”

But according to Landers’ story, Robinette now typifies the agency’s thoughts this way:

“We don’t think we need antler restrictions. Northeastern Washington offers good escape cover for a good percentage of bucks to avoid hunters and grow to larger sizes.”

THE AREA PROPOSED FOR FOUR-POINT RESTRICTIONS STRETCHES FROM THE SPOKANE INDIAN RESERVATION NORTH TO KETTLE FALLS, EAST TO THE PEND OREILLE RIVER, SOUTH TO NEWPORT AND WEST TO DEER PARK. (WDFW)

Among those behind the proposal are Colville’s Danny Bell and Dale Denney, the latter gent the owner of Northwest Sportsman advertiser Bearpaw Outfitters.

Bell told Ledeboer it’s about helping out a struggling whitetail herd, hit by two bad winters in recent years and long-term declines in habitat:

“It’s about first saving, then rebuilding our whitetail herd. I used to see 30 to 40 deer right around my place. Now I see five or six. My neighbor, who has 1,200 acres, used to have hundreds on his land. Now he has a few dozen.

“Our mature breeding buck numbers are way down. The harvest overall has been low in recent years, but 70 percent of the bucks taken were 2 years or younger, so the mature bucks just aren’t out there.

“Consequently, too many does don’t get bred the first time around and have to go into a second estrus. That means their fawns are born later, making them much more susceptible to predation and winterkill.”

Denney cites changes in Pennsylvania whitetail regulations in the early 2000s — a 4-point rule and more antlerless permits.

“I’ve thoroughly researched this, and the consensus is it’s turned their hunt around. They now have a smaller but more productive whitetail herd. The doe-buck ratio is sound, the fawns are coming off on time, and hunters are now shooting bigger bucks.”

While Pennsylvania is as wooded as Northeast Washington, when restrictions began its forests were also more open due to overbrowsing by deer in the past. Landers’ article points out that in our brushy country, it may be more difficult to pick out how many antler points a buck might have, which could lead to bad decisions and headaches for enforcement officers who “are concerned about the number of fork-horn whitetails that might end up dead in the brush after a season with antler restrictions,” he writes.

Last year, 1,242 bucks were killed in the Huckleberry GMU by all hunters, including 144 spikes, 165 2-points, 289 3-points, 393 4-points and 251 5-points. Forty-nine Degrees North yielded 857 bucks, including 79 spikes, 117 forked horns, 167 3-points, 297 4-points and 189 5-points.

Both tallies are well below where they were in the early to mid-2000s.

Wanda Clifford, executive director of the Spokane-based Inland Northwest Wildlife Council, urges her members to attend the Spokane Valley and Colville meetings.

“The INWC has taken a stand not to support the 4-point restriction in these GMUs based on the Department’s scientific studies and lack of documentation that a point restriction used as a game management tool is beneficial,” a statement from her reads, according to INWC member and past president Jim Nelson.

Tonight’s meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at the Pierce County Library, PAC Room A & B, 3005 112th St. E., in Tacoma.

The others are slated for:

* Aug. 24, Colville Campus of Community College of Spokane, 985 S. Elm St., in Colville.

* Aug. 25, Center Place Regional Event Center, Great Room, 2426 N. Discovery Place, in Spokane Valley.

* Aug. 26, Yakima Convention Center, Room A, 10 N. 8th St., in Yakima. (Due to construction, visitors should access the convention center from the Yakima Avenue entrance or the North Parking Lot entrance.)

They also begin at 7 p.m.

Editor’s note (11:26 a.m., Aug. 26, 2010): The original version of this post misstated Wanda Clifford’s role with INWC. She is the group’s executive director, not its president. The latter post is held by Ken Hoff.

Ocean, Buoy 10 Salmon Update

There’s still plenty of room in the coho and Chinook quotas out of Ilwaco while the salmon catch at Buoy 10 begins to ramp up.

Joe Hymer of the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission reports that last week, anglers in Washington’s Marine Area 1 on the south coast averaged .85 salmon per rod, with 71 percent of the catch being coho.

“Through August 15, an estimated 35.8% of the coho quota and 37.7% of the Chinook guideline had been taken,” he reported last night.

Further north, the Chinook guideline at Westport is 65.8 percent toast; nearly 18,500 have been caught there, including a marked 51-pounder by Olympia angler Jerry Dolgash.

51-POUNDER FOR JERRY DOLGASH OF OLYMPIA, SENT TO NWS BY HIS FRIEND TONY FLOOR.

Northwest Sportsman writer Terry Otto fished Buoy 10 yesterday with Northwest Sportsman columnist Buzz Ramsey and reports that they and three other anglers caught a total of 10 salmon, releasing four and keeping three Chinook and three coho.

Otto retained a 25-pound king and says that one of the other anglers on the boat had one 3 or 4 pounds heavier.

“One of Buzz’s friends told him about a 61-pounder caught that day,” he adds.

“Although we started off using a mix of spinners and herring, every fish came on the 6-1/2 Toman Cascade Squid Spinner,” reports Ramsey, a staffer for Yakima Bait, which makes the lure mentioned. “Eight of the 11 fish hooked were on red-and-white, one on chartreuse green dot.”

MIKE MCGUIRE HOISTS A NICE CHINOOK OUT OF BUZZ RAMSEY'S NET AT BUOY 10 YESTERDAY. (COURTESY BUZZ RAMSEY)

Otto also had one king stolen by a sea lion.

“Li’l bastard hung out near a good hole all day. We saw him rob another fisherman. The stater said that seal did real well for himself all day long by working that hot hole, according to reports,” he notes.

Joel Shangle at Northwest Wild Country Radio also posted a shot of guide Chris Vertopolous’s 45-pounder from yesterday.

4:30 P.M. UPDATE: HERE ARE PRELIMINARY CATCH STATS FOR BUOY 10 THROUGH YESTERDAY:

Aug 1-15: 8,500 anglers, 500 Chinook, 100 coho

Aug 16-18: 4,400 anglers, 1,450 Chinook, 700 coho

Total catch estimate Aug 1-18: 12,900 anglers for 1,950 Chinook and 800 coho

Allocation: Chinook – 12,500 fish (16% taken); Coho – 11,900 fish (7% taken)

ODFW Wants Your Buck Teeth

(OREGON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE PRESS RELEASE)

ODFW biologists are asking black-tailed deer bowhunters to send the department a tooth from the animal they harvest. ODFW staff uses the teeth to determine the age of the animals, which is used in population modeling efforts.

Accurate population estimation is a key goal of the Black-Tailed Deer Management Plan which was adopted in 2008 by the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission to strategically manage black-tailed deer populations consistent with available habitat and other land uses.

“These teeth are critically important to us. Black-tailed deer are not easy to count. They often move in the dark, in dense cover,” said Don Whittaker, ODFW Ungulate Species Coordinator. “The more information we have about the age of the deer in the population, the better decisions we can make about hunting seasons and the health of the species.”

Last year, bowhunters harvested almost 2,000 black-tailed deer.

“To get an accurate population estimate, we really need to get teeth from all of this year’s animals,” said Whittaker.

The age of deer can be accurately determined by analyzing tooth roots. Removing and returning a tooth to ODFW is relatively easy and in no way harms the taxidermy mount. Postage-paid envelopes and instructions are available at license sales agents or ODFW offices.

In six or seven months, hunters will receive a postcard showing the age of their deer.

The Columbian black-tailed deer is one of two sub species of mule deer in Oregon. The species is found from the Pacific Ocean coastline east to the forested portions along the east side of the crest of the Cascades. The Black-Tailed Deer Management Plan is available on ODFW’s website.

Tackling Cacklers

Interesting article in the Portland area’s South County Spotlight on cacklers, those Canada geese that for unknown reasons now flock to the Willamette Valley starting in September and eat their way through farm fields at sometimes shocking speeds.

A task force including ODFW, lawmakers, hunters and farmers is trying to come up with ways to deal with them, including hunting, though doing so would double hunt-monitoring costs, and eliminating the geese other ways raises the hackle of Alaska natives who want even more of the migratory birds.

Outdoor Weekend For Women Coming Up

If you’ve been reading our mag since we kicked off Northwest Sportsman in October 2008, you know we often feature women on our cover and inside our pages.

Gals on the open ocean with albacore, in wind-sheltered Puget Sound with a pink salmon, in the cool fall days of the Methow or Central Willamette Valleys with bucks.

(MAIN IMAGE: DEL STEPHENS; INSET: RYLEY FEE)

There’s a program that aims to get more women like our cover gals outdoors too.

Known as Washington Outdoor Women, it helps women access the outdoors through a weekend-long early-fall skills camp.

(GARY LUNDQUIST)

The next one’s coming up September 17-19 at Camp River Ranch in Carnation, the Girl Scout Camp on Lake Langlois.

It includes 20 different classes to choose from, everything from archery, basic freshwater fishing, big game hunting, fly tying and fishing, kayaking, map and compass work, survival skills and more.

The $235 tuition covers instruction, lodging, food and equipment needs; scholarships are available.

Registration deadline is Sept. 3, or when spots are filled — there’s space for 125. The event is open to women 18 years and older.

For applications, go to washingtonoutdoorwomen.org/registration.htm

If you miss this one, there are one-day workshops held around the year as well.

An outreach program of the Washington Wildlife Federation, hundreds of women have enrolled in WOW workshops since it began in 1998. It’s sponsored by WDFW, RMEF, Greater Seattle Chapter of the Izaak Walton League, Filson, Orvis and others.

Stocking Programs Could End With Condit Dam Removal

(WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF FISH & WILDLIFE PRESS RELEASE)

With removal of Condit Dam set to begin next fall, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) will hold a public meeting Aug. 31 in Underwood to discuss the future of sport fisheries on the White Salmon River.

The informational meeting is scheduled from 6-8 p.m. at the Underwood Community Center in east Skamania County, off the Cook-Underwood Road.

John Weinheimer, a WDFW fish biologist, said anglers will see significant changes in fishing opportunities on the White Salmon River with the removal of the 97-year-old hydroelectric dam that now stands 3.3 miles from the mouth of the river.

Removing Condit Dam will eliminate a major barrier to salmon and steelhead migration, creating new opportunities to restore wild salmon and steelhead stocks listed for protection under the federal Endangered Species Act, he said.

But removing the 125-foot dam will also drain Northwestern Lake, ending the trout-stocking program in the reservoir, Weinheimer said. In addition, stocking of hatchery steelhead in the White Salmon River would be discontinued under a federal draft recovery plan that calls for restoring wild fish runs through “natural colonization.”

“Recovery actions now being proposed would eliminate stocking summer and winter hatchery steelhead and rainbow trout in the river,” Weinheimer said. “We want anglers to be aware of those proposed changes, and share their ideas about what kind of fishing opportunities they would like to see in future years.”

In past years, WDFW has stocked the White Salmon River with approximately 20,000 summer steelhead and 20,000 winter steelhead each year. In addition, the department has stocked Northwestern Lake with approximately 20,000 fingerling rainbows, 4,000 catchable-size rainbows and some larger broodstock and triploid trout each year.

Rich Turner, a senior fisheries biologist with the National Marine Fisheries Service, will attend the upcoming meeting in Underwood with Weinheimer to discuss the goals and development of the draft Lower Columbia River Recovery Plan and what it will mean for sport fishing on the White Salmon River.  A draft of that plan will be available for public review next spring, Turner said.

For more information about plans to remove Condit Dam, see the website for PacifiCorp, which owns the dam, at http://www.pacificorp.com/es/hydro/hl/condit.html .

SW WA Fishing Report

(JOE HYMER, PACIFIC STATES MARINE FISHERIES COMMISSION)

SALMON/STEELHEAD

Cowlitz River – No report on angling success.

Last week, Tacoma Power recovered 761 summer-run steelhead, 72 spring Chinook adults, 21 jacks, 60 mini-jacks, two sockeye salmon and six sea-run cutthroat trout during five days of operation at the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator.  Tacoma Power employees released 40 spring Chinook adults and three jacks into the upper Cowlitz River at the Skate Creek Bridge in Packwood, 35 spring Chinook adults and 12 jacks into the Cispus River, and 37 spring Chinook mini-jacks into Riffe Lake at Mossyrock Park during the week.

River flows at Mayfield Dam are approximately 3,420 cubic feet per second on Monday August 9. Water visibility is eleven feet.

Lewis River – Boat anglers on the mainstem Lewis are catching some steelhead.

Wind River – Boat and bank anglers near the mouth of the river are catching some steelhead.

Drano Lake – About three-quarters of the boat anglers sampled had kept/released a steelhead.  Over half the fish were kept.  We also sampled a coho there.

White Salmon River – Boat and bank anglers are catching some steelhead.  Bank anglers are also catching a few fall chinook.

Buoy 10 – Effort and catch has picked up significantly.  Just over 500 boats were counted in the Buoy 10 area during the Saturday Aug. 14 flight count.  Oregon had checked a salmon per every 4 rods yesterday; Washington about one for every 6 rods.

Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam – We sampled 1,557 salmonid bank anglers from Bonneville Dam downstream with 7 adult fall Chinook and 331 steelhead, an average of a salmonid kept/released per every 4.6 rods based on mainly incomplete trips. In addition, we sampled 637 salmonid boat anglers (298 boats) with 17 adult fall Chinook and 127 steelhead, an average of a salmonid kept/released per every 4.4 rods based on mainly completed trips.  Overall, two-thirds of the steelhead caught were kept.  We again did not sample any coho.

Nearly 400 boats and 654 bank anglers were counted during the Saturday August 14 flight from Cathlamet to Bonneville.  Over three-quarters of the bank anglers were counted on the Washington side.  In addition, over one-third of the boats were found around the mouth of the Cowlitz.

Bonneville Pool – Boat anglers averaged a fish per rod when including fish released.  Catch was mainly steelhead though a few fall chinook are being caught.

The Dalles Pool – Bank anglers are catching some steelhead.

STURGEON

Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam – Light effort and catch during the current catch-and-release fishery.  No legals were found in the few boats sampled from Camas/Washougal upstream.  Just 14 boats and no bank anglers were counted from the mouth to Marker 82 last Saturday.

WALLEYE

Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam – Boat anglers in the Camas/Washougal and gorge areas averaged a walleye or more per rod.  15 boats fishing for walleye were counted from Camas/Washougal and the gorge last Saturday.

Coos Bay Tuna Tourney Yields 6,145 Pounds For Area Food Banks

(OREGON TUNA CLASSIC PRESS RELEASE)

Fishing the Northwest you have to be hardy but to fish the Oregon Tuna Classic this year
you also have to be patient and wait for Saturday morning.

When teams rolled into Charleston/ Coos Bay for the third leg of the tournament series they quickly heard about the bar restriction limiting boats 40 foot and under to crossing the bar. Later that evening, during the captains meeting, most everyone was anxious to hear what the Coast Guard had to say about the prediction for Saturday morning.

The message… “better get out there early before the ebb gets going strong” and early it was when 44 teams crossed a flat bar in the dark, well before daylight, and waited while roll call was repeated numerous times. It was just breaking daylight when all the boats finished checking in and the Coast Guard was told to shoot the flare sending teams west
in search of warm water and hopefully a few fat tuna.

At the end of the day 37 teams weighed in 4045 pounds of tuna at the Mill Casino where a large crowd of spectators and teams watched as the weights were called out by Mike “The Bear” from KDOCK radio. An additional 2,100 pounds of extra fish was also donated taking the total well over 6,145 pounds of fresh tuna going into the community food banks along the south coast.

Team Wildcat made their second appearance on the podium for this venue by taking the top honors with a 33 pound brute that pushed them well over the other teams with a five fish total of 131.10 pounds. They also won the Big Fish pot which paid out $750 on top of the $3,000 first place prize money.

Second place honors went to another new team to the tournaments this year by Team Chillabit with 124.15 pounds. Team Gales Creek Tuna Gafers secured the third place spot with 118.45 pounds giving them another podium placement for the season. The third place through sixth place teams were only separated by .9 pounds causing a close call for a few teams including mine for missing the podium by less than a pound.

The leader in the points standings for the official invite to the IGFA Offshore World Championships is now Team Just Keep Fishing followed closely by Team Green Lightning Laundry and Team Gales Creek Tuna Gafers.

Although anyone of the next three teams, Team Chillabit, Team Wildcat and Team Daiwa “Bad To The Bone” are not far behind the leaders and could steal it away if the leaders fail to score very well going into the season finale in Garibaldi in two weeks.

Captain Tred Barta will be there to film the event for his award winning show “The Best and Worst of Tred Barta” and will have the honors of crowning the season champion and hand out the official invite to the IGFA Offshore World Championships to be held next May in Cabo San Lucas.

This event draws close to 700 people and it should be a good time as we close the season on another tournament year. This event is the final push to generate funds for the food banks and will have a silent as well as live auction with a lot of great items. You don’t have to be part of a team to join us for dinner and enjoy the evening.

See you in two weeks when we roll into Garibaldi for the fourth and final leg of the tournament series.

— Del Stephens
OTC Chairman

Grave Budget Warning From Governor

Yesterday’s economic warning from Gov. Christine Gregoire could mean that in the short term WDFW and other state agencies have to cut another 4 to 7 percent from their budgets, and 10 percent during the next two-year biennium to deal with large revenue shortfalls.

A September revenue forecast will determine how much must be cut this fall.

The 10-percent cut, due to a $3 billion shortfall, would affect programs financed by General Fund money.

“Three areas that consume most of our General Fund dollars are enforcement, hatchery production and fishing-related activities like monitoring fisheries, and habitat protection — HPAP, fish passage, that sort of thing,” says Craig Bartlett, an agency spokesman in Olympia.

Hunting activities, however, are shielded from General Fund cuts.

“Hunting is largely supported by the Wildlife Fund,” Bartlett says.

WDFW has already seen 32 percent cut from its General Fund budget between the 2007-09 biennium ($110.3 million) and the recently approved 2009-11 biennium ($75.6 million), he says.

And that is leading to strange bedfellows for sport fishermen. Two WDFW hatcheries are being kept afloat through “generous” underwriting by the Colville Tribe and the Purse Seine Vessel Owners Association along with Suquamish Tribe, a Bellingham Herald article by Doug Huddle notes.

One hatchery raises and releases 10 million juvenile chum salmon in Hood Canal, the other provides about 409,000 trout and kokanee salmon fry to support recreational fishing in about 72 lakes in Ferry, Stevens and Pend Oreille Counties.

WDFW employees, like almost all state workers, are also being forced to take 10 days off without pay through next July.

Speaking with biologists and other WDFW staffers across the state, you can sense their stress from having to do more with less, frustration with leaving jobs undone, and worries about how difficult it may be to hold future fisheries that require intense monitoring.

Another Way Forward On Wolves: Hunters, Pressure WY

Yesterday, I found an interesting article on New West by longtime Western wildlife/conservation writer Bill Schneider that boiled down to compromise on the wolf front.

Today, I found another good read on Field & Stream, this one by the Web site’s field editor Keith McCafferty, who wrote up how the first wolf was legally killed by hunter Robert Millage in Idaho last year.

McCafferty writes:

If you want to hunt wolves again, or hunt elk in country where they are abundant, bring pressure to bear on Wyoming. Write to Wyoming’s governor, state game officials and congressmen and let them know that you, as a hunter, want them to write a wolf management program that satisfies federal guidelines. Better yet, get your local hunting club to do so. Money is what talks. Tell them you won’t hunt in their state until they comply.

Will it work? McCafferty can’t say for sure, and hints higher up that there’s always going to be places in the Northern Rockies where wolves aren’t recovered.

But it’s something for the anger embroiling Western hunters.

What’s Fishin’ In Oregon

Just lucked into a few minutes of phone time with Sam Waller down at Jot’s Resort on the Rogue.

“Been out fishing … I don’t know how many days in a row,” said the guide and lodge owner before running off to get his truck’s muffler fixed.

And that’s how it is with fishing across Oregon — so much to do that all those other chores become, well, chores.

Here’s the latest fishing news, courtesy of ODFW’s weekly Recreation Report:

SOUTHWEST ZONE

• Bass fishing has been good throughout the mainstem and South Umpqua River.
• Fall chinook are being caught in the lower Umpqua.
• Largemouth bass fishing has been very good on Hyatt Lake.
• Anglers are catching limits of trout on Lost Creek Reservoir.
• Summer steelhead and half-pounder fishing has been picking up on the lower Rogue River.

WILLAMETTE ZONE

• Late summer is a good time to target bass and panfish on the Willamette River.
• Summer steelhead and spring chinook have moved into the North Santiam River around Stayton.
• Good catches of kokanee have been reported recently on Green Peter Reservoir.
• Summer steelhead are in the Willamette River town run between Springfield and Eugene.
• Trout stocking of most local valley lakes and ponds has come to an end for the summer due to warm water conditions. Lower and mid-elevation Cascade lakes are still being stocked and provide a good opportunity for trout fishing.
• August is a good time to target largemouth bass in Fern Ridge Reservoir.

SOUTHEAST ZONE

• Trout fishing on Campbell Reservoir has been excellent. Also check out nearby Deadhorse Lake to make a day of it.
• Brown and rainbow trout fishing has been fair to good on the Lower Owyhee River.
• There’s also been good trout fishing at Twin Lake (Halfway) and Fish Lake (Steens Mountain).

NORTHEAST ZONE

• Trout fishing, both rainbow and brook, has been good on La Grande Reservoir.
• Trout Farm Pond is stream-fed and trout fishing remains good during the warm summer months. It was two weeks ago.
• Smallmouth bass fishing continues to be good on the John Day River.

BROWNLEE ZONE

• Crappie spawning has slowed but good fishing is available. Fish very early morning or late evening. The fish are deep in the middle of the day (25-70 feet) and the bite is very light. Use 4 lbs. test and an ultra light rod. Use jigs with a crappie nibble (chartruese or red and whites have been good lately). Night fishing with lights is producing good catches. Bass are biting but are fairly small. Some large catfish are being caught using cutbait, worms or stink bait. Trolling for trout is fair. The reservoir is full. Call Idaho Power Company’s recording at 1-800-422-3143 to get information on access at recreational sites or visit their Web site under the “Rivers and Recreation” heading.

COLUMBIA ZONE

• Walleye fishing is good in the Troutdale area.
• Steelhead angling has been good, especially for anglers fishing in the gorge.
• Fall chinook season opened Sunday August 1 from Buoy 10 upstream to the Oregon/Washington Border above McNary Dam.
• Sturgeon retention is closed from Buoy 10 upstream to Marker 82 in the Gorge from Sunday August 1 through Thursday September 30.  Sturgeon angling is prohibited between Marker 82 and Bonneville Dam to protect spawning sturgeon.

MARINE ZONE

• Tuna have moved closer inshore and are between 20 and 30 miles off the central coast. Catches average about five fish per angler and the average size of the tuna is up over last year.

A FRIEND OF NORTHWEST SPORTSMAN READER JASON HARRIS HOLDS ONE OF 17 ALBIES THEY LANDED OUT OF DEPOE BAY AUG. 7. “CEDAR PLUGS WERE THE HOT TICKET FOR THE DAY, ALONG WITH A FEW LANDED ON SHAD-PATTERN SWIMBAITS,” REPORTS HARRIS. “THE HIGHLIGHT WAS HAVING FOUR ON AT ONCE AND LANDING ALL FOUR! SOOOOOOOOO MUCH BLOOD! ONE FISH (MINE) WENT 18 POUNDS AND THE REST WERE ALL BETWEEN 26 AND 33 POUNDS. THE GRADE AND QUALITY OF MEAT WAS THE BEST ANYONE HAS SEEN THIS YEAR.” (LAZER SHARP PHOTO CONTEST)

• Salmon fishing is improving off the Columbia River with better than two out of 10 anglers getting chinook and eight out of 10 landing a coho. Anglers fishing Cape Falcon to the Oregon/Washington border are now allowed to keep up to two chinook salmon in the bag limit. Daily bag limit is now two salmon per day, and all retained coho must have a healed adipose fin clip.
• Off the central coast coho catches were about three for every 10 anglers while chinook were more rare – less than one for every 10 anglers. Only marked coho (all coho must have a healed adipose fin clip) may be retained. That season will run through Sept. 6 or until the quota of 26,000 marked coho is met, which ever comes first. The bag limit is two salmon.
• Lots of fishers turned out for an all-depth halibut opening last weekend and were successful. While not all the numbers are in yet, fishery managers suspect the remaining quota was taken and there will not be another all-depth opening this year. A final decision will be made later this week.
• Even with the fishery moved in to the 20-fathom line, most anglers reported limits or near limits of rockfish. Only about one in five anglers caught lingcod.
• This time of year crabbers may also catch “soft” crab that have recently molted. You can determine this by pinching the second joint of the claw, if it doesn’t feel rock hard, the crab has most likely just molted. While “soft” crab are still OK to eat, the meat may be watery and of poor quality.
• Crabbing is improving, but the number of crabbers is also increasing. Most crabbers had average catches between one and three crab. Crabbing in the ocean this time of year can be very productive, but also dangerous because of wind, sea and bar conditions.

‘The Client Asked To Borrow Officer Fairbanks’ Pen So He Could Write His (Unlicensed) Guide A Check’

WDFW’s spring-summer enforcement newsletter is out, and in addition to more details about the 2008 Christopher Mayeda/Blue Mountains bull elk poaching incident, its 59 pages contain a mess more stories about Washington’s fish and wildlife police at work.

Among the highlights:

Some Real Turkeys Out There

Region 1 officers conducted a turkey check-station on April 18 (opening weekend) in Lincoln County. Officers contacted 231 hunters, issued 21 arrests, and 18 warnings. Arrests consisted of: 7-Fail to tag turkey, 2-Transport turkeys without written statement, 6-No proof of sex, 2-Fail to produce wildlife for inspection, and 2-Felon in possession of firearms.

One vehicle with two subjects was contacted at the check station. They stated that they only had two turkeys. Upon further inspection, Officer Spurbeck discovered that they had a total of four turkeys with just legs, breasts, and no carcasses. The suspects had several tagging issues including not enough tags, no evidence of sex, and one subject was a convicted felon. Two firearms were seized and numerous charges filed with the prosecutor’s office.

Officer Hahn made a turkey case stemming from last season, when two subjects were shooting turkeys with arrows at night while the birds were in their roost. The suspects were trespassing this year in the same area and contacted by a landowner. Officer Hahn followed up on the suspect’s vehicle registration, and later obtained confessions.
Guided Steelhead Trip: $150; Look On Unlicensed Guide’s Face When Busted By Warden: Priceless

Officer Fairbanks was checking recreational steelhead fishermen on the Bogachiel River when he observed an obviously guided trip. Licenses are required to take passengers for hire for the purpose of fish guiding. One strategy used by some unlicensed guides to avoid being caught is to coach the client and advise inquiring officers that they are just fishing buddies as no license is required to take friends fishing.

The look on the guide’s face was priceless when the client asked to borrow Officer Fairbanks’ pen so that he could write his guide a check. Officer Fairbanks easily made the case of unlicensed guiding.

CSI: Forks

Officer Fairbanks received information that a couple of subjects had retained four wild steelhead from the Clearwater River. This exceeds the yearly limit for wild steelhead.

Upon locating the drift boat, the one subject present denied any knowledge of steelhead. Officer Fairbanks located four fresh egg skeins, which the suspect now claimed were from Chinook salmon on the Sol Duc River.

Officer Fairbanks offered to have the eggs genetically tested. The suspect then decided to admit to killing a wild steelhead hen and removing the eggs

What? You Can’t Gillnet At Night For Whitefish?

Grant County officers planned and participated in an emphasis patrol with the cooperation of the Grand Coulee Dam Security Patrol. The patrol was conducted in response to the annual whitefish fishery that occurs every winter on Banks Lake. The whitefish spawn near the rocky shorelines at night, leaving them easy targets for those wishing to snag, dipnet, or gill net.

Night vision goggles and security personnel at the Bureau of Reclamation were used to locate and identify the type of fishing activity that was taking place around the North Dam area in Grand Coulee. Officers watched several groups, and were able to intercept the fishermen as they headed back to their vehicle with bags of illegal fish.

When the officers contacted the first group of men, they claimed that they did not know that netting fish was illegal; however, they had hidden their dip nets in the brush prior to leaving and returning to their car. The emphasis patrol resulted in four different subjects receiving citations for fishing with dip nets.

‘Little Game Warden Buddies’ Point Out Poached 2-point

A homeowner was in his back yard and saw some magpies flying around. Magpies and crows are known among our officers as our “little game warden buddies” and are responsible for pointing out many poached animals or animal parts left in the field.

In this case, the attraction was a freshly boned-out deer, minus the skull cap, obviously taken during a closed season. Sgt. Brown and Officer Christensen responded and photographed the scene, taking the animal’s head (what was left of it) with them.

A bullet was recovered from the head and evidence at the scene appeared to implicate a neighboring residence. Officer McCormick found evidence dumped at a recycling dumpster including a two point deer rack and skull cap that fit the recovered head nicely.

Officers figured the suspects must have seen them the day they visited the site. The first strategy was to contact the suspects and talk to them about the incident. Not very cooperative, they refused to provide consent to allow the officers to search the property, so they obtained a search warrant.

When the officers tried to serve the warrant, the Mom refused to open the door. Tonasket Police Department and Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office arrived to assist and were about to force entry when the ex-husband showed up and failed to comply with Christensen on a security pat down for weapons.

He actively resisted and was arrested, later being booked for obstruction of a police officer. The mom opened the door and officers completed the search without further incident. Among the evidence recovered was a rifle, which the suspects had partially disassembled and hid in a closet.

‘Stache Gives Him Away

While checking the winter closure area in Robinson Canyon, LT Murray Wildlife Area, Officer Rogers observed a vehicle parked on private land near the elk fence. A check of the return gate showed a boot print.

About two hours later a subject came walking toward the gate from inside the closure. Officer Rogers took a photo of the subject walking through the gate. When the subject observed Officer Rogers, he turned and walked away inside the closure. Officer Rogers yelled the suspect’s name, advising the subject to stop and come back.

The subject turned and looked, then kept going. Officer Rogers called Sergeant Sprecher to help watch for the suspect attempting to leave the area. At about 12:30 pm, with no sign of the suspect, the surveillance was called off. The following morning Officer Rogers and Sergeant Sprecher contacted the man at his work site.

The man denied being inside the closure despite the picture of him walking through the posted re-entry gate. He went as far as shaving off his mustache hoping Officer Rogers would not be able to identify him.

He failed to realize that where his mustache had been the day before was white compared to the rest of his tan face. Several charges will be filed.

Further investigation of this suspect revealed he is a convicted felon, who purchased a duplicate deer tag in October 2009 after he reported harvesting a deer in September 2009. Officer Rogers continues to investigate the paper trail.

WA Permit Sales Boost Hunter Access To Private Land

(WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF FISH & WILDLIFE PRESS RELEASE)

OLYMPIA – Hunters are expected to gain access to more private land in Washington state this year than at any time in the past decade, thanks to record sales of special hunting permit applications last spring.

Changes in this year’s application process for special hunting permits increased sales by 85 percent, generating $520,000 in new revenues, said Dave Ware, game manager for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).

Of that amount, about $400,000 will be available to develop and implement agreements with private landowners who agree to provide hunters access to their lands, Ware said. The remainder will be used to meet administrative costs associated with changing over to the new system.

“We told hunters we’d use that money to increase access to private lands and that’s what we’re doing,” Ware said. “We have staff out across the state talking to farmers, ranchers, timberland managers and other private land owners right now.”

Ware said WDFW expects to open up at least 200,000 additional acres to hunting this year under new agreements between the department and private landowners. Some landowners will also receive compensation for planting crops that attract birds or agreeing to accommodate duck blinds on their property.

Ware said the new initiative is designed to reverse the steady decline of land open to hunting due to population growth, suburban sprawl and crowding on public lands. Just over one million acres of private land is currently open to hunting under agreement with WDFW, compared to three million in the late 1990s, he said.

“Here and in other states, hunters consistently rank access to suitable land as one of their top priorities,” Ware said. “Enlisting landowners to open their gates to hunters isn’t a new idea, but we are taking an innovative approach to address the cost of meeting that goal.”

WDFW’s new approach involved expanding the range of options available to hunters who apply for special permits to hunt deer and elk. Those permits, which are awarded by random drawing, allow successful applicants to hunt at times and places beyond those authorized by a general hunting license.

To improve their chances of receiving a special permit, thousands of hunters purchased applications in multiple categories, boosting sales to a new record.

“This entire effort is supported by hunters, for hunters,” Ware said. “The extra money they spent on special-permit applications this year will benefit hunting, whether or not they receive a special permit.”

Other beneficiaries of WDFW’s new initiative include private landowners who open their lands and rural communities that provide services to hunters who visit their area, Ware said. According to a survey conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, hunters spend approximately $313 million in Washington each year.

More than 600 Washington landowners currently open their lands to hunters, Ware said.  Areas of the state targeted for expanding access include:

* Skagit Basin – WDFW will compensate landowners who plant cover crops for snow geese and allow hunting on their lands.  WDFW will also provide incentives to those who allow duck blinds to be constructed on their property.  Separate discussions are under way with major timber companies to open their lands to deer and elk hunting under an arrangement similar to that in effect on the St. Helens Tree Farm in southwest Washington. Agreements could potentially open up to 20,000 acres east of Sedro Woolley to hunting.

* Southwestern Forest Land – For the past three years, the Weyerhaeuser Company has opened miles of private timber roads near Mount St. Helens to hunters seven days a week during elk and deer seasons. Now, WDFW is working to get other area timber companies involved. Revenues from special-hunt applications will be used for necessary signage, dumpsters and other costs involved in managing hunter access.

* Chehalis River Basin – Discussions are under way with more landowners to construct duck blinds and give hunters access to their property during next year’s waterfowl season. The long-term goal is to establish more “quality hunts,” where hunters could reserve blinds and have a high likelihood of a successful hunt.

* Columbia Basin – Wildlife managers are offering to rent cornfields from landowners who delay plowing corn stubble and give hunters access to their property during waterfowl seasons in Grant and Franklin counties. Funding is available to landowners who maintain and improve their properties for waterfowl.

* Snake River Basin – WDFW will compensate wheat and other dryland crop farmers who provide access to their fields and who plant alfalfa, sweet clover and other flowering plants that enhance pheasant habitat. This funding can supplement payments received by landowners under federal Farm Bill programs, such as the Conservation Reserve Program.

* Northeastern and Klickitat Forest Lands – WDFW is actively working with private timberland owners interested in cooperatively managing public hunting access, while maintaining their forestry operations.  Incentives help landowners address vandalism, road maintenance, trash dumping and fire hazards.

Writer Tackles Way Forward On Wolves

An interesting read over at New West on why the state of Wyoming is actually a wolf lover’s best friend, why wolf proponents should back off now unless they wish to see Congress gut ESA, how wolf numbers will continue to be kept in check by government shooters, and whispers of a settlement meeting between Northern Rockies game and fish agencies and plaintiffs that was all set to go — until U.S. District Court Judge Donald Molloy’s ruling last week.

It’s written by longtime wildlife/conservation-issues writer Bill Schneider in Helena, who also shares other ideas on the way forward on the wolf issue now that the animals are back on the endangered species list.

Meanwhile, a Democratic representative from Texas has introduced a bill in the U.S. Congress to amend ESA so wolves coudn’t be listed as endangered or threatened.

Skoke ‘Poop Patrol’ Finds Little, Writes Other Tix

The rule-breaking began before the Skokomish River even opened for Chinook, but so far this season is proceeding better than last summer’s s**t-stained fishery.

“We’re in better shape than this time last year,” says WDFW Deputy Chief Mike Cenci whose local officers have been focusing on the Mason County, Wash., river.

Just under 29,800 hatchery Chinook are expected this year, and fishing has been good so far.

Cenci says that somewhere around 1,500 anglers hit the Sunday opener — though some got a jump on the festivities.

“There was a fair amount of activity prior to August 1, i.e., closed-season fishing,” Cenci says. “There were quite a few citations issues — people tried to convince us they were fishing for ‘game fish'” which were open on the river at the time.

The Almost-too-creative-for-his-britches Award goes to one angler who announced that he’d just mark any Chinook he caught as coming from Marine Area 12-C, the bend in Hood Canal which the Skoke drains into and open for king retention.

Only problem was that he was a good 1/2 mile upstream from tidewater.

Oh, and fishing closed season for Chinook.

Since the opener, Cenci says “quite a few” tickets have been given out for snagging, failure to record fish, retention of wild Chinook, etc.

At one point last August, an emphasis patrol wrote 56 tickets.

Last summer’s other big problem — too many anglers who’d only read the cover of How To Shit In The Woods — seems to be under control this year, Cenci says.

“The officers were on poop patrol,” he says. “They saw one pile the whole opening week.”

Somehow it was determined that it likely came from a local farmworker rather than an angler.

Don’t ask us or Cenci how that was determined.

Sanicans have been placed in the area.

“The object this year is to not have the same problems as last year,” Cenci says.

There are also new fishing rules to be aware of.

Northwest Sportsman contributor Jason Brooks hit the Skoke this past weekend and sent us the following images.

MIND IF I SQUEEZE IN? (JASON BROOKS)

WAITING HIS TURN. (JASON BROOKS)

WARNINGS ARE FOR OTHER PEOPLE. (JASON BROOKS)

SW WA Fishing Report

(JOE HYMER, PACIFIC STATES MARINE FISHERIES COMMISSION)

SALMON/STEELHEAD

Cowlitz River – No report on angling success.

Last week, Tacoma Power recovered 761 summer-run steelhead, 72 spring Chinook adults, 21 jacks, 60 mini-jacks, two sockeye salmon and six sea-run cutthroat trout during five days of operation at the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator.

Tacoma Power employees released 40 spring Chinook adults and three jacks into the upper Cowlitz River at the Skate Creek Bridge in Packwood, 35 spring Chinook adults and 12 jacks into the Cispus River, and 37 spring Chinook mini-jacks into Riffe Lake at Mossyrock Park during the week.

River flows at Mayfield Dam are approximately 3,420 cubic feet per second on Monday August 9. Water visibility is eleven feet.

Wind River – Light effort and no catch was observed.

Drano Lake – Effort has increased with around 100 boats there last Saturday (Aug. 7) morning.  Including steelhead released, boat anglers averaged close to a fish per rod.  About 60% of the steelhead caught were kept.

White Salmon River – Effort has increased here too with about 50 watercraft observed last Saturday morning.  Bank anglers are catching some steelhead.  Only a few boat anglers were sampled and they had no catch.

Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam – We sampled 1,332 salmonid bank anglers from Bonneville Dam downstream with 4 adult and 2 jack fall Chinook and 391 steelhead, an average of a salmonid kept/released per every 3.4 rods based on mainly incomplete trips. In addition, we sampled 285 salmonid boat anglers (137 boats) with 3 adult fall Chinook and 100 steelhead, an average of a salmonid kept/released per every 2.8 rods based on mainly completed trips.  Overall, 68% of the steelhead caught were kept.  A few wild Chinook were released (anglers may have been confused with the recently concluded summer Chinook fishery that was hatchery fish only.  During the fall season, any Chinook adipose fin clipped or not may be retained).  We did not sample any coho.

Just over 300 boats and 535 bank anglers were counted during the Saturday August 7 flight from Cathlamet to Bonneville Dam.

In case you missed it, the highest steelhead daily count to date (9,337 fish) was tallied at Bonneville Dam yesterday.   Last year the daily counts reached 34,000 fish on August 13.

Bonneville Pool – Windy with just a handful of boats found at the mouth of Drano Lake and the White Salmon River last Saturday.  Anglers are catching some steelhead.

The Dalles Pool – Light bank effort below the dam and no fish were found in the sample.

STURGEON

Lower Columbia from the mouth to Marker 82 – A few legals were released by bank anglers in the Woodland and Longview areas.

Effort was light in the catch-and-release only fishery with 15 boats and 4 bank anglers counted from Cathlamet to Marker 82 last Saturday.

WALLEYE

Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam – Boat anglers in the Camas/Washougal areas averaged a walleye per rod.  Some walleye were also caught in the Kalama area.

18 boats fishing for walleye were counted from Camas/Washougal and the gorge last Saturday.

TROUT

In Skamania County, Takhlakh and Council lakes were planted with 5,038 and 4,503 catchable size rainbows, respectively, last week.

Hobbs Finishes 6th At Forrest Wood Cup

Orting, Wash., bass angler Ron Hobbs Jr. placed 6th in his first appearance at the Forrest Wood Cup, held on Lake Lanier in Georgia this past weekend.

He ended the championship tournament with the same weight and number of fish he had on day three — 35 pounds, 3 ounces and 15 bass — when his honey hole went dry.

“I had two main areas and I milked them for all they were worth,” he said. “In the end, my fish just ran out.”

However, he still walked away with $45,000.

RON HOBBS JR. OF ORTING, WASH. (FLW)

Kevin Hawk of Ramona, Calif., took first with a total of 50 pounds, 14 ounces of bass over the four-day tournament, including 14 pounds, 13 ounces on Sunday.

He won $600,000.

A total of 78 pro bassers began the tournament, including another angler from Washington, Sean Minderman, and two from Oregon, Jay Yelas and Rick Correa.

3 Public Meetings On Columbia Hatchery Future

Hatchery salmonid production would be cut 64 percent and harvest would drop by 50 percent under the most draconian of alternatives for the future of Federally funded Columbia River salmon and steelhead production.

It comes from a draft environmental impact statement released by the National Marine Fisheries Services late last week.

HATCHERY SALMON AND STEELHEAD PROVIDE THE BULK OF THE CATCH ON THE COLUMBIA SYSTEM. (LAZER SHARP PHOTO CONTEST)

The other four alternatives for how the agency will distribute Mitchell Act money in the future ranges from no action to different levels of facility improvements that also lead to production and harvest cuts.

The Oregonian, reporting on the DEIS over the weekend, termed it “Federal biologists … strongest signal to date that the Columbia River Basin’s immense hatchery production — and the lucrative fishing opportunities that result from it — could be reduced to better protect wild salmon and steelhead runs.”

The act, passed in 1938 to compensate for damming up the river, funded production of 92 million salmon and steelhead in the Columbia system; 52 million are produced by states and others.

It provides $11 million a year, approximately.

Public comment is open on the DEIS. Three public meetings will be held next month.

Sept. 20, 2010; 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Clark Regional Wastewater District, 8000 NE 52^nd Crt., Vancouver, WA  98665

Sept. 24, 2010; 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Kennewick Public Library, 1620 S. Union St., Kennewick, WA  99338

Sept. 30, 2010; 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Columbia River Maritime Museum, 1792 Marine Dr., Astoria, OR  97103

You can also comment by mail through Nov. 4.

18-year-old Arrested In Walla Walla Co. Deer Spree-killing Case

(MIKE CENCI, WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF FISH & WILDLIFE ENFORCEMENT DIVISION DEPUTY CHIEF)

The Walla Walla County coyote hunter knew the modern firearm mule deer season didn’t open until October 16, and yet he was staring at two dead bucks just north of Woodward Canyon Road. He did the right thing and called Fish and Wildlife Enforcement.

Officer McQuary could tell from a distance that the animals were well on their way toward spoilage from their bloated bellies. Obviously the shooter didn’t care about the meat……..no, this was probably about antler hunting and things only a psychologist can explain. McQuary called his partner, Mike Johnson, and they agreed to set up surveillance after dark in hope the bad guy would come back for trophies he didn’t deserve. Just before 11:00 p.m. the officers watched a car drive up a nearby road shining a spotlight out of the window.

Spot-lighting. Jack-lighting, Shining. It all means the same thing – a technique used by poachers. The hours of darkness are an active time for big game animals, especially when they need to escape the blistering Eastern Washington heat. It’s also an active time for poachers as they search fields, logged off areas and hillsides in an effort to find, blind and kill these animals. When faced with searing lights more brilliant than a million candle power shining into their eyes, they are immobilized and an easy target. Definitely not fair chase, and definitely not something any sportsman or woman would do.

Officer McQuary heard the crack of a gun- shot pierce the night. Over the course of two minutes he heard 6 more. Because the location was close to the two animals that had brought him here, he expected that this was their suspect. As he closed in on him with his blacked out patrol truck, he heard Officer Johnson’s voice over the police radio. The suspect just went by Johnson’s location at a high rate of speed, and he was still using the spotlight.

Dealing with armed poachers is always risky, and the officers took him down with that in mind. They found a 30.30 rifle with an empty shell casing in the chamber and live rounds in the magazine. It didn’t take long for the 18 year old to confess. And why not? It’s wasn’t as if there was much to hide here – he had been caught in the act. He admitted to shooting four deer total………the two the officers were investigating, plus two more. It was 2:00 a.m. at this point, and despite their best efforts, the dog tired officers were only able to find three out of the four deer. After some badly needed sleep, they located the fourth deer the next day. All were bucks, and one was a 5×5, classified as a trophy by Washington state law. This kid is in some real trouble. And I don’t mean just because he was caught poaching.

(WDFW)

(WDFW)

NW Basser Hobbs Moves Up To 7th At FW Cup

Ron Hobbs Jr. of Orting, Wash., brought in the day’s second largest haul of bass to move up five places at the Forrest Wood Cup in Georgia.

His 13 pounds, 5 ounces — only 3 ounces behind Larry Nixon’s limit today — also improves on yesterday’s 10 pounds, 14 ounces.

Cody Meyer of Grass Valley, Calif., leads with a total of 27 pounds, 6 ounces through day two of the four-day event held on Lake Lanier.

Jay Yelas, now of Corvallis, also moved up to 20th from 29th with an 8-pound, 11-ounce day.

Two other Northwest bassers, Rick Correa and Sean Minderman were eliminated, but go home with some prize money.

The Forrest Wood Cup is pro bass fishing’s most prestigious award; the winner stands to take home up to $600,000.

Goddamnit, I Just Got A Ticket For This, And Other Dishonor Roll Tales

Ripped straight from the Oregon State Police’s Fish & Wildlife Division’s June Newsletter:

Just Wanted To Shoot The S**t Out Of Something?

Tpr. Young (Prineville) received a report from a subject who witnessed the illegal take of a bear near Big Summit Prairie. After interviewing the complainant, Young located the suspect. When contacted, the suspect advised he saw a bear near the road he was driving down, stopped, and shot the bear numerous times with a .22 caliber rifle, killing it. The suspect did not harvest the bear and let it go to waste on the hillside. Young examined the bear and recovered two .22 caliber bullets. He seized the suspect’s rifle and removed and gave the bear’s head to ODFW for testing. Young issued the suspect citations for Taking Bear Closed Season and Waste of a Game Mammal.

But, Officer, The Other One We Shot Ran Off So We Had To Shoot Another

Tpr. Olsen (Salem) responded to a call of three individuals who Yamhill County SO deputies stopped in Sheridan and discovered a recently shot deer in the bed of their truck during the stop. After conducting several interviews, the three suspects explained to Olsen they shot the yearling doe only after wounding a buck they were unable to find. Olsen cited the shooter for Taking Deer Closed Season and Hunting Deer Closed Season and the other two suspects each for Aiding in a Wildlife Crime—Taking Deer Closed Season. Olsen seized the deer and two rifles as evidence. He donated the deer to the Union Gospel Mission.

Hi, I’m Skunk As A Drunk, Wanna See My Lishing Ficense?

Sr. Tpr. Hayes (Bend) contacted an angler at Mayfield Pond. During the contact, a subject got out of a car and staggered over to Hayes and belligerently asked if he wanted to see his angling license. After the contact, Hayes observed the subject operating his vehicle. He stopped the subject and subsequently arrested him for DUII, BAC .13.

“Record” Actually Somebody’s Pet Bird

On opening day of turkey season, Sr. Tpr. Cushman (Central Point) investigated a subject who reportedly trespassed to hunt on private property. While preparing a construction bid, the suspect spotted a tom and a hen turkey on the neighbor’s property. The suspect was not familiar with the neighborhood occupants, human or bird. He shot both turkeys over the fence, then he crossed the fence and retrieved them. The suspect likely felt he shot a record-sized turkey; that is, until a witness scorned him about shooting the neighbor’s pet turkeys. The suspect took both turkeys and left. The witness notified the turkeys’ owner. Upon contact, Cushman noted the suspect validated his tag and advised not only were two domestic turkeys taken, but the season was open for bearded or male turkeys only. Cushman cited the suspect for Hunting on the Enclosed Land of Another and seized and returned the turkeys to the owner. The tom weighed 47 pounds. The DA charged the offense as a violation. The trial court convicted the suspect and ordered him to pay a $345 fine and $200 restitution for the turkeys

But Officer, I Only Want The Big Ones!

On Alsea Bay, Tpr. Van Meter (Newport) noticed a clammer empty his sack and put clams back in as if he were counting them. The clammer left the area and put the visibly heavy sack in his pickup. As Van Meter walked toward him, he noticed she was a trooper and yelled he was high-grading. Upon contact, she counted 30 cockle clams over his limit and noted most were large. The subject pleaded to allow him to high-grade. Van Meter cited the subject for Exceeding Daily Limit of Shellfish—Clams, and the clams were returned to the bay.

But Officer, We’re Having A Huge Party

Nine troopers and five volunteers conducted a razor clam saturation patrol on Clatsop County beaches from Seaside to the Columbia River. Rct. Herman (Astoria) observed two diggers put two full jugs of clams in their truck then return to the beach with empty jugs and continued to dig. After the subjects returned to their truck a second time with full jugs, Herman contacted them. One subject had 22 clams in his jug, and the other had 16. After asking for a consent to search the truck, both subjects admitted to having another limit. In the truck, Herman found 52 clams. The diggers said they were going to have a party, so they wanted enough clams for everyone. Herman cited each subject criminally for Exceeding the Daily Bag Limit—Razor Clams. During the patrol, troopers seized 60 clams and donated them to the food bank. Herman cited another subject for Taking Part of Another’s Bag Limit of Razor Clams.

I’m Just Stupid

Sr. Tpr. Cushman (Central Point) checked an angler who tagged his fish in a very peculiar way. The angler put a check mark for the month and wrote the month and day for the day. The angler explained he thought “month” said “mouth” and the check meant that “yes, the fish was hooked in the mouth.” However, the subject had a hard time explaining how in some of the “mouth” boxes, he did not have a check mark but a number, suggesting the fish were hooked other than in the mouth. Cushman warned the subject for Fail to Properly Validate Tag.

I Am The Voice Of Your Conscience – That’s A Tail-snagged Salmon, Release It

Sgt. Meyer (Central Point) worked anglers at Casey State Park near the end of legal angling time, and most of the 20 anglers noted left. After about a half hour, in complete darkness, Meyer watched a subject hook and play a salmon for a long time, while another waited to net it. Meyer worked his way right up behind them. The netter had a headlamp on, and Meyer could easily see the hook in the fish’s tail in the light cast on the fish. The angler appeared to be ready to keep the fish. Meyer told him the fish was hooked in the tail, and the man argued the fish was a “biter” and a “keeper.” Meyer took a step closer. The netter turned and looked at Meyer; and, in doing so, shined his headlamp on a uniformed trooper. The men realized a trooper had been standing near them. Meyer pointed out the hook was still in the tail, and the fish was also a wild salmon. The angler released the fish.

A Stranglehold On Numerous Tickets

Tpr. Imholt (Springfield) checked several anglers at the Alton Baker Pond right after ODFW stocked it with trout. He observed two anglers catch and retain their limit and continue to fish. Imholt contacted the anglers, informing them once they had their limit of five fish, they must stop fishing. Imholt contacted 25 anglers and issued several citations for No 2010 Angling License, No Written Record of Transfer for Trout, and Continuing to Angle after Retaining Limit. Imholt found one angler cited also had a warrant for Strangulation. He lodged this subject into the Lane County Jail.

Goddamnit, I Just Got Ticketed For This, Episode 1

At the Chief Hole, Sgt. Meyer (Central Point) contacted a salmon angler observed using a very long leader preparing to leave. The leader measured almost 10 feet long. When Meyer began to issue the citation for Angling Prohibited Method—Leader over 6 Feet in Length, the man became very upset and belligerent, saying he just received a citation for the same offense. After checking, Meyer found Sr. Tpr. Cushman (Central Point) cited him less than three weeks prior for the same violation.

Goddamnit, I Just Got Ticketed For This, Episode 2

Sgt. Meyer (Central Point) and Sr. Tpr. Cushman (Central Point) worked the Hatchery Hole. Cushman saw a subject cast under the rope, trying to snag salmon 10 feet or so above the deadline where the fish swim into the hatchery. Cushman sneaked closer and watched the subject continue his illegal activities. When Cushman stepped out, the subject walked off. Knowing which vehicle was the subject’s, Cushman had Meyer meet him there. While Meyer waited, Cushman checked the area, but he could not find the subject. Cushman checked a nearby bathroom, but nobody appeared to be in the bathroom. He peered below the stall doors and did not see any feet on the floor. When Cushman pushed the unlocked stall door open, he found the subject standing on the toilet. Cushman and Meyer contacted the subject when he exited the bathroom. When Cushman began writing a citation for Angling Prohibited Area—Above the Deadline, the subject became very cantankerous, cursing and throwing his wallet down, for Sr. Tpr. Collom (Central Point) cited him for the same offense at the same location a few weeks prior.

That Road-Killed Cougar Sure Would Look So Good On My Wall!

Sr. Tpr. Klepp (Astoria) received a report of a subject unlawfully possessing a cougar. Klepp’s investigation revealed a suspect took a cougar from the side of the road on Hwy 26, then he obtained a cougar tag at a nearby grocery store. The suspect later, with the aid of two men, dressed and transported the cougar’s carcass, hide, and skull. Klepp retrieved the hide from the taxidermist and the skull and carcass from another person. All the suspects involved stated they thought they could legally take the road-killed animal provided the season was open and they had a tag. Klepp cited the suspect for Illegal Possession of Road-Struck Cougar.

‘Frustrated, Angry, Disappointed’ At Judge’s Wolf Ruling

Montana and Idaho wildlife officials decried the decision of a judge in Missoula to reinstate Federal protections for wolves in the Northern Rockies yesterday that also nixes their plans to hold a second season of fall hunts.

“We believe we made arguments to the judge that he could have relied on to uphold the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision to delist the wolf,” said Joe Maurier, director of Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, in a press release. “We will carefully examine the ruling to determine what options remain open to Montana’s wildlife managers.”

“This is a major setback for responsible wildlife management in Idaho. We have demonstrated our ability to conduct a hunting season in an orderly fashion,” added Idaho Fish and Game Commission Chairman Dr. Wayne Wright in another press statement. “It’s a shame when legal twists can trump wildlife management. This is not how the Endangered Species Act should work.”

The ruling even drew comment from the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Tom Strickland:

“For more than 15 years, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, state wildlife agencies, tribes, conservation organizations, ranchers and other landowners have worked hard to recover gray wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains. Our collective efforts have brought this population to the point where it no longer requires Endangered Species Act protection,” said Strickland in a release.

Wolves were delisted in Montana and Idaho but not Wyoming in April 2009 by the Obama Administration.

However, U.S. District Court Judge Donald W. Molloy ruled in favor of wolf-proponents that the species had to be managed as a whole, not by the two states and Federal government in Wyoming.

“The Endangered Species Act does not allow the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to list only part of a ‘species’ as endangered, or to protect a listed distinct population segment only in part as the Final Rule here does,” Molloy writes in a 50-page PDF containing his ruling, which can be found at National Parks Traveler.

“The northern Rocky Mountain DPS must be listed, or delisted, as a distinct population and protected accordingly,” he writes near the end of the document.

The ruling also puts wolves in the eastern portions of Washington and Oregon back under ESA protections.

“We’re frustrated; we’re angry; we’re disappointed,” Idaho Fish and Game Deputy Director Jim Unsworth said. “We’ve played by the rules, but his decision allows procedural technicalities to overcome sound science and common sense.”

Idaho’s sitting Republican governor and his Democratic challenger both said Idaho should manage its wolves; the state’s entire U.S. Congressional delegation said: “We look for a more reasonable decision from a higher court,” according to the Associated Press.  FWP has asked the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to immediately appeal to the 9th Circuit Court in San Francisco.

“If we understand the ruling correctly, Judge Molloy is telling the federal government that because Wyoming still doesn’t have adequate regulatory mechanisms to manage wolves, you can’t delist the wolf in Montana and Idaho,” FWP’s Maurier said. “We simply can’t manage wildlife successfully in that environment. We must have the ability to manage wildlife, to do our job, to seek a balance among predator and prey. As a practical matter, as wildlife managers, we need the authority to respond to the challenges wolves present every day.”

His agency calls wolf recovery “one of the fastest endangered species comebacks on record,” and notes that minimum Federal recovery goals of 30 breeding packs and 300 individuals for three consecutive years in the  Northern Rockies were met in 2002.

U.S. FISH & WILDLIFE SERVICE, 2009

The US Fish & Wildlife Service’s 1987 recovery plan called for 10 pairs and 100 wolves in Northwest Montana, central Idaho and the Yellowstone region, but 30 pairs and 300 wolves were considered more likely to foster recovery in the agency’s 1994 EIS for reintroduction.

But according to AP, the National Resources Defense Council, a plaintiff in the case, says “a true recovery number would be at least 2,000 wolves in the region.”

“We’re real close to recovery. We’ve got 1,700 wolves in the Rockies. But we’re not there,” AP quotes NRDC’s Matt Skoglund as saying. “We want to see a plan in place that ensures genetic connectivity among the subpopulations and ultimately guarantees a sustainable wolf population.”

“This decision is a significant victory for wolves, for the integrity of the Endangered Species Act, and for all Americans who care deeply about conservation,” said Rodger Schlickeisen, president of Defenders of Wildlife, according to the Idaho Statesman, adding, “The court’s ruling makes it clear that decisions under the Endangered Species Act should be based on science, not politics.”

Other plaintiffs in the case included Sierra Club, Humane Society of the United States, Center for Biological Diversity, Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance, Friends of the Clearwater, Alliance for the Wild Rockies, Oregon Wild, Cascadia Wildlands, Western Watersheds Project, Wildlands Network and Hells Canyon Preservation Council.

At Hunting-Washington, the news was met with outrage; one poster wrote, “For those who were completely against (shoot, shovel and shut up) regarding wolves, do you still feel the same way?”

Another poster stood up for the Cowboy State’s intransigence in crafting a Federally approvable wolf plan: “We constantly talk about standing up for what is right in this country. Take a stand. THAT is exactly what Wyoming did and I for one applaud them and stand by them.  They were given a chit sandwich and refused to eat it, that makes them wrong??”

Since releases into Central Idaho and Yellowstone National Park in the mid-1990s, wolves have turned up in Colorado and Oregon; others have filtered in from Canada, where, according to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, some 75,000 exist.

Several Montana and Idaho elk herds have been hit very hard by wolf predation, but the predator’s numbers also appear to be leveling off.

IDFG has now stopped selling wolf tags for this fall’s hunt; last season, 188 were shot by hunters in Idaho, 72 in Montana. Both states had planned on increasing wolf harvest this season.

Meanwhile, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation called on the U.S. Congress to immediately review how ESA acts.

The Missoula-based organization said the ruling “opened a door for perhaps the greatest wildlife management disaster in America since the wanton destruction of bison herds over a century ago.”

“When federal statutes and judges actually endorse the annihilation of big game herds, livestock, rural and sporting lifestyles–and possibly even compromise human safety–then clearly the Endangered Species Act as currently written has major flaws,” said David Allen, RMEF president and CEO in a press release. “We have already begun contacting the Congressional delegations of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming to ask for an immediate review of this travesty–and reform of the legislation that enabled it.”

RMEF also pressed their argument that “animal rights groups who continue to litigate over wolves are ‘gaming the system for their own financial benefit,’ (Allen) added, saying, ‘There are no elk in Iowa, but we are not suing folks to reintroduce them. This is simply a financial scam for the animal rights groups, and it’s all being paid for by the American taxpayer.'”

NW Basser In 12th Place After Day 1 At Forrest Wood Cup

Ron Hobbs Jr. of Orting, Wash., is tied for 12th place after day one of the Forrest Wood Cup on Lake Lanier in Georgia, landing 10 pounds, 14 ounces of bass to the weigh scale.

That’s 4 pounds, 2 ounces fewer than leader Kevin Hawk of Ramona, Calif.

Hobbs is fishing in his first FLW championship, one with a $500,000 payday.

Other Northwest bassers at the event include Jay Yelas, formerly of Texas but now residing in Corvallis and making his seventh appearance at the event. He weighed in 8 pounds, 11 ounces and is tied for 29th place.

Rick Correa of Sherwood, Ore., brought in three bass worth 5 pounds, 13 ounces, putting him in a tie for 43rd.

Sean Minderman of Spokane is tied for 65th with 3 pounds, 11 ounces.

Wenatchee Reopening

Lake Wenatchee will open again this Saturday, Aug. 7, for sockeye, with fishing continuing until further notice, WDFW announced this afternoon.

“My guess is it will last 10 days,” says Art Viola, the local fisheries biologist. “That’s my guess. It’s only a guess. It could get windy and nobody catches anything.”

Brandon Rogers of the Yakima area ran into the wind when he made a run to the lake on Monday, temporarily scratching his plans to get out after the salmon, but he made it out that evening and on Tuesday.

“Limits after the sun went behind the hills — two fish in less than 5 minutes,” Rogers reported Tuesday night. “This morning was more of a grind. We caught our limit of four by 8 a.m. 000 chrome dodger with 1/0 red Gami and a pink/glow hoochie tail (just two fronds)  did the trick. Sixty-five feet was the best depth.  Not much pressure last night and maybe 75 boats this morning.”

Viola estimates that the first three-day season yielded 1,085 fish, and says that right now there are around 4,000 to 5,000 more sockeye to catch.

A total of 28,000 or so have gone over Tumwater Dam, he adds, and the final count could end up around 29,000.

SCOTT FLETCHER OF WENATCHEE'S BEEN HITTING THE LAKE HARD, NAILING THIS LIMIT OF 3.12- AND 3.7-POUND SOCKEYE AUG. 3. (LAZER SHARP PHOTO CONTEST)

The reopener will come after almost all state employees are required to take a furlough day this Friday. And afterwards, Viola says he won’t be able to monitor the catch as thoroughly as he’d like due to budget issues, but still feels creel samplers will still get pretty good estimates of the harvest.

The limit remains two sockeye, 12 inches or longer, per angler per day.

Selective-gear rules and a night closure remain in effect, and WDFW reminds anglers they need a Columbia River Salmon/Steelhead Endorsement as part of their valid fishing license.  Legal angling hours are one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset.  Bull trout, steelhead, chinook, and tagged sockeye must be released unharmed without removing the fish from the water.

Tagged sockeye will have one or more holes (round, approximately Ľ inch diameter) punched in the tail (caudal fin) of the fish.  These fish are part of a study and have been anesthetized; the FDA requires a 21 day ban on consumption of these fish.

WDFW will closely monitor the fishery, which will continue until the majority of the surplus fish are harvested.  Anglers should check for any rule changes on the department’s website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations/ .

Sequim Retirees Shocked At Town Name’s Hunting Link

Retirees who flocked to what they thought were the “quiet waters” of Sequim were horrified to learn that the northern Olympic Peninsula town’s Indian name actually means place to go shootin’ critters.

The Peninsula Daily News today reports that an expert in dying languages recently determined the word’s true origin based on interviews with Klallam tribal elders.

As to the “quiet waters” translation, (Timothy) Montler (a linguistics professor at the University of Texas) said: “That’s something that somebody made up.”

It set off a great wailing across the broad, lavender plain of the Dungeness River, where Klallam warriors used to hunt ducks and elk.

“I simply will not live in a place linked in any way to the despicable activity known as hunting,” said an elderly man in a Seattle T-shirt who would only give his nickname, “Nordy.”

“To think of all those poor old innocent mallards and Roosevelt elks killed makes my heart cry,” added a female friend, who wore a badge of the Vegan/Vegetarian Club of Sequim.

They were out walking matching well-coiffed toy poodles along Quiet Place above this town of 8,000 but then had to beat a hasty retreat after a giant bull elk approached too closely.

A cougar then chased the elk, but was divebombed by some Canada geese. A state Fish & Wildlife enforcement officer rushed to the scene to keep the peace.

But informed of Sequim’s new translation, he drew his .40-caliber Glock and dropped all the animals.

It also set off much hand-wringing at the chamber of commerce where “Quiet waters’ is written on every piece of literature” ever written about the town, one staffer told a Seattle blogger.

Undoubtedly, captains of commerce in other cities with Indian names across the Northwest worry that Professor Montler will soon be working in their neighborhoods.

What’s Fishin’ In Oregon

Halibut rejoin the saltwater bag limit starting this Friday off Oregon, but onshore, bass, summer steelhead, trout and walleye await Beaver State anglers.

Here are more highlight from ODFW’s weekly Recreation Report:

SOUTHWEST ZONE

• Bass fishing has been good throughout the mainstem and South Umpqua River.
• Surfperch fishing has been good in Winchester Bay.

WILLAMETTE ZONE

• Summer steelhead and spring chinook have moved into the North Santiam River around Stayton.
• Good catches of kokanee have been reported recently on Green Peter Reservoir.
• Summer steelhead are in the Willamette River town run between Springfield and Eugene.
• Trout stocking of most local valley lakes and ponds has come to an end for the summer due to warm water conditions. Lower and mid-elevation Cascade lakes are still being stocked and provide a good opportunity for trout fishing.
• July and August are peak months to target largemouth bass in Fern Ridge Reservoir.
• The cool waters of Breitenbush River, combined with a generous stocking schedule, should mean good trout fishing throughout the summer.

CENTRAL ZONE

• Fly fishers looking for something different might try carp fishing on Taylor Lake.
• The summer steelhead fishing season on the Deschutes River is off to a strong start and fishing has been good.

SOUTHEAST ZONE

• Trout fishing on Campbell Reservoir has been excellent. Also check out nearby Deadhorse Lake to make a day of it.
• Brown and rainbow trout fishing has been fair to good on the Lower Owyhee River.
• Fourmile Lake has been fishing well for rainbow, brook and lake trout.
• Fishing in the high Cascade lakes for brook trout remains excellent.

NORTHEAST ZONE

• While the kokanee in Wallowa Lake have retreated to 40-60 feet deep, fishing remains for kokanee remains fair. The trout fishing, though, has been good.
• Trout Farm Pond is stream-fed and trout fishing remains good during the warm summer months. It was stocked last week.
• Warmwater enthusiasts might consider the John Day River where smallmouth bass and channel catfish fishing have been good.

COLUMBIA ZONE

• Walleye fishing is good in the Troutdale area.
• Steelhead angling has been good, especially for anglers fishing in the gorge.
• Fall chinook season opened Sunday August 1 from Buoy 10 upstream to the Oregon/Washington Border above McNary Dam.
• Sturgeon retention is closed from Buoy 10 upstream to Marker 82 in the Gorge from Sunday August 1 through Thursday September 30. Sturgeon angling is prohibited between Marker 82 and Bonneville Dam to protect the Oregon/Washington border above McNary Dam.

MARINE ZONE

• The colder nearshore water generated by the upwellings kept tuna well off shore. They are still between 30 and 40 miles offshore. Tuna catches landed in ports on the central coast averaged between two and three fish. The good news is the average size of the tuna is up over last year.
• Fishing for salmon off the Columbia River was good last week with one in four anglers getting a chinook and nine out of 10 getting a coho. Anglers fishing Cape Falcon to the Oregon/Washington border are now allowed to keep up to two chinook salmon in the bag limit. Daily bag limit is now two salmon per day, and all retained coho must have a healed adipose fin clip.
• The summer halibut season from Cape Falcon to Leadbetter Point, Wash., will open three days a week, Friday-Sunday, Aug. 6 through Sept. 26 or the total sub-area harvest reaches 13,436 pounds. On the Oregon coast south of Humbug Mountain, halibut fishing will be open seven days a week, through Oct. 31.
• The summer sport all-depth halibut season south of Cape Falcon will be open every other Friday and Saturday from Aug. 6 to Oct. 30 or until the entire sub-area all-depth catch limit of 141,265 pounds of halibut is harvested.
• The statewide daily bag limit on halibut is one fish, with an annual limit of six fish.
• Even with the fishery moved in to the 20-fathom line, most anglers reported limits or near limits of rockfish. Only about one in five anglers caught lingcod. The fishery beyond the 20-fathom line (as defined in regulation) is closed to minimize catch-and-release mortality of yelloweye rockfish. Anglers may occasionally catch, but cannot keep, yelloweye rockfish while fishing for other species. Yelloweye, along with canary rockfish, are considered overfished by NOAA Fisheries and a certain percentage of those caught and released must be reported as mortality Yelloweye rockfish generally live in deeper waters so bringing the fishery inside 20 fathoms will protect that population while allowing anglers to continue to fish for other bottomfish such as black rockfish and lingcod.
• The cabezon fishery closed to retention on July 23 because the harvest cap of 15.8 metric tons was met. Sport boat anglers may continue to harvest other legal species such as black rockfish, lingcod and greenling, while shore anglers may still keep cabezon.
• Waypoints for the 20-fathom line may be found at www.dfw.state.or.us/MRP/regulations/sport_fishing.

Algae Advisories Lifted At Fishing Lakes

Algae advisories have been lifted at Diamond and Lemolo Lakes in Oregon’s Cascades this week.

Both waters are known for their trout fishing.

“The lake is clear and beautiful; and the fishing remains very good,” says Rick Rockholt in an email sent to reporters this morning.

Diamond had fallen under an advisory July 15, but it was lifted yesterday, Aug. 3.

Lemolo’s, which took effect July 1, was lifted the day before.

Advisories remain in place at Willow Lake, Willow Creek Reservoir, Fish Lake and Fairview Lake, according to Oregon Public Health.

And a mosquito advisory remains at Diamond — Rockholt reports they’re “still out and hungry.”

As for the fishing, he says boat anglers are coming back to shore with limits of 13- to 19-inch rainbows that are biting a variety of baits.

“Trollers are using pulling flashers followed by a red or green wedding rings tipped with chunks  of colored  flatfish.  Late  evening  trollers  pulling dark  colored  flies  75  feet  behind  their  boats  are drawing heavy, rod slapping strikes,” he adds.

Coos Bay Launderers Lead Tuna Classic Series

(OREGON TUNA CLASSIC PRESS RELEASE)

The Port of Ilwaco was buzzing with excitement as the community rolled out the red carpet in anticipation of the arrival of a record 80 teams of fishermen for the second leg of the Oregon Tuna Classic Tournament Series. Welcome signs were everywhere greeting participants, volunteers and spectators. Community leaders figured 1,600 to 1,800 people were in town for this event which gives a huge boost to the local economy.

The offshore conditions leading up to this event was an issue again and people had their fingers crossed waiting for the announcement on Thursday whether they would be fishing. As the weekend got closer mother nature blessed them with calm seas and plenty of fish. Saturday morning 68 teams motored out of the Ilwaco channel and at the end of a very long day 49 teams handed over 5,505 pounds of fresh albacore to the local food banks of Clatsop County and Ilwaco.

Saturday evening the tent was packed with over 500 people as we crowned a new champion for the Ilwaco leg of the tournament series.

Top honors went to a very deserving team, one that has fished all of the OTC events from the very beginning and one that has been a big supporter of what this is all about. A team we are very proud to crown this year’s top dogs of Ilwaco…Team Just Keep Fishing with 126.25 lbs.

TEAM JUST KEEP FISHING (ABOVE) TOOK FIRST PLACE AT THE ILWACO O.T.C. EVENT, THOUGH COOS BAY'S TEAM GREEN LIGHTNING LAUNDRY NOW LEADS THE OVERALL STANDINGS HALFWAY THROUGH THE FOUR-EVENT TOURNAMENT. (OREGON TUNA CLASSIC)

Our second place is on a roll as this is the second time in two events they have made the podium..Team Green Lightning Laundry came in with 122.65lbs. Third place was our port captain and his crew for this event. What a great way for being rewarded for doing an excellent job organizing the logistics for this ports event…Team Key West with 120.30lbs.

The leader in the points standings for the official invite to the IGFA Offshore World Championships is now Team Green Lightning Laundry followed closely by Team Just Keep Fishing and Team Engage.

–Del Stephens

For Want Of 8 Measly Steelhead

Last year’s outlandishly high steelhead catch on the Lower Columbia River was nearly beaten last month.

A preliminary estimate of July 2010’s creel from Bonneville Dam to Astoria shows that anglers kept 8,213 of the hatchery sea-run rainbow trout, eight fewer than the 8,221 bonked in July 2009 — the most since the early 1970s, it’s believed.

But remember, notes Joe Hymer, a fisheries biologist in Vancouver who watches all these numbers like a fish hawk, that the 8,213 figure is not final.

Washington-side bank anglers actually had the best luck this season, keeping 4,110 of the 8,213 while their counterparts standing on the southern shore harvested 1,063. Boat anglers from both states put 3,040 in the fish box.

Both summer’s summer runs have been fueled by very large runs, over 600,000 in 2009 and 197,512 since April 1 as of yesterday, Aug. 2. The 10-year average is 126,081.

Interestingly, over 46 percent of this year’s run so far has been wild steelhead, and Oregon bankies and sledders both released more unclipped fish than they kept.

Since June 16, a total of 10,115 steelhead have been kept, 7,961 released.

Anglers released five times as many sockeye as they kept during that period; retention didn’t begin until June 26, however.

Group Calls For National Lead Sinker, Ammo Ban

As WDFW again mulls banning lead tackle at 13 lakes supporting loons, a petition was filed with the EPA today to get lead out of fishing sinkers and hunting ammunition across the United States.

“Over the past several decades we’ve wisely taken steps to get lead out of our gasoline, paint, water pipes and other sources that are dangerous to people. Now it’s time to get the lead out of hunting and fishing sports to save wildlife from needless poisoning,” said Jeff Miller of the Center for Biological Diversity in a press release, one of five signers of the petition that pins its hopes on the Toxic Substances Control Act.

Lead shot has been banned for waterfowl hunting since the early 1990s (though is still found in the bellies of dead swans and other geese and ducks in Washington’s Skagit Valley), but the New York Times reports that Larry Keane, vice president of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, terms the petition “fundamentally flawed as a matter of science.”

The Associated Press reports that NSSF also calls it “anti-hunting attack on traditional ammunition.”

An online article by Northwest Sportsman gun columnist Dave Workman finds further-reaching effects of lead bans, including “not only much higher ammunition prices, but a dramatic loss of revenue for the Department of Fish & Wildlife, because declining ammunition and tackle sales translates to a decline in federal excise tax revenues, which in turn will result in a decline in federal monies apportioned to this and other states through the Pittman-Robertson and Dingell-Johnson federal wildlife and fisheries restoration programs.”

The ban is supported by California hunter Anthony Prieto of Project Gutpile, who calls compliance with his state’s nonlead ammo regulations to protect condors “simple.”

“I still get to hunt, there is no toxic impact on wildlife or my health, and copper bullets shoot better,” he said in the press release.

However, it may be difficult for some hunters to get behind the new petition considering the fact that in late July, the Center called on the Federal government to come up with gray wolf recovery plans throughout the country.

Other petitioners include American Bird Conservancy, Association of Avian Veterinarians and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility.

Sport use of lead has been an issue in Washington in recent months, vigorously debated online this past winter. That’s when WDFW’s Fish & Wildlife Commission passed on approving rules prohibiting the use of lead weights weighing less than half an ounce or lead jigs measuring less than 1.5 inches to protect loons on 10 lakes in North-central and Northeast Washington and three in Western Washington.

They called for more study to be done, so the agency formed an 11-member advisory committee and held two public meetings this summer.

The AP reports that EPA has 90 days to deny or grant the nationwide petition.

A Hunter Helps With Island’s Deer Problem

Earlier this year my wife and I were thinking about buying an old farmhouse on Vashon Island, in central Puget Sound, to raise our two boys.

The house was a fixer upper on all three floors, but sat on about 3 acres of woods (and nettles) and small lawn with another 10 acres of nothing but trees (and more nettles) to its south.

I poked around online to figure out who the owners of the woodlot were. My interest, of course, was in getting permission from them to hunt it.

I’d have to learn to shoot a bow, but heck, with WDFW’s second blacktail permit for Vashon, two deer a year in the freezer seemed like a pretty good deal to me.

And talk about low food miles from field to plate — it would be carbon-free meat if I could snake my wheelbarrow through the trees.

Ah, daydreams, daydreams.

We eventually bought elsewhere (the only game I’ve seen there is the PGA Seniors Open at Sahalee on TV and possibly a bandtail pigeon), but Vashon and its deer are the subject of an article in today’s Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber.

Islanders contend there are more deer than ever this year, and though WDFW doesn’t have any way to back that claim up, car-collision stats seem to be up this year.

There are worries too that deer are changing the island’s ecosystem with their browsing.

Tom Dean, director of the Vashon-Maury Island Land Trust, has seen increased deer browsing harm young native plant species. “That’s worrisome,” he said. “That’s a problem for other species that may depend on those.”

An explosion in deer population can ultimately change the Island’s ecology, Dean said. For instance, he said, deer are likely to blame for the decline in native cottonwood trees along Shinglemill Creek, which ultimately affects the salmon that spawn there.

David Warren, head of Vashon Forest Stewards, echoed Dean when he expressed frustration at the deer’s grazing of young native species such as cottonwood, dogwood, alder and cedar, grazing that thwarts already difficult reforestation efforts on Vashon.

“People buy young seedlings that are a year or two old and they plant them in the woods, and the deer destroy a lot of those,” he said. “When they eat the top, it stunts the trees and kills them.”

Warren added that bucks will even destroy 5- to 7-year-old trees by rubbing their antlers on them. “That’s a problem, if there are no new trees coming up, you’re not generating new forest,” he said.

Reestablishing forests that were clear cut in the early 1900s or are reaching the end of their lifetime is especially critical to maintaining the Island’s aquifer, Warren said. “They create a sponge and soak up the water instead of allowing it to run into the Sound,” he said.

What to do about it?

Well, the article mentions that sterilization is right out as too costly, and trapping deer wouldn’t be easy.

So in the meanwhile, protect your plants and consider calling Brad Shride, the local salmon guide whom I’ve fished with in the past, and who, full disclosure, advertises in Northwest Sportsman from time to time.

“For the most part I would say people are positive about hunters who come and use their property and keep the deer population down,” he said.

Though Shride can’t help everyone who calls him, he said it’s never difficult to find places to hunt when the season begins in the fall.

“It’s a win-win situation; I get to harvest their deer and they get them off their property,” he said.

The thing to do, in these polarized times, would be to profess shock at such open talk of hunting as help for modern-day wildlife problems,

But it is a newspaper article, after all, not the editorial board’s opinion (though the editor could have stricken that bit).

And like a newspaper article, it notes that coyotes and bobcats have again been seen on the island, and might also help with deer control (more likely, Fifi and Fufu control).

We’ll see how the online comments progress, but in the meanwhile, a good read that shows once you get free of the fringes’ hyperbole, there’s room in the middle for hunters and nonhunters.

Sockeye Summer Rolls On

The likelihood of additional days for Lake Wenatchee sockeye “looks promising,” but fishery managers won’t know for sure until after a teleconference tomorrow, Aug. 4, according to a local biologist.

Meanwhile, fisheries for the state’s rarest salmon continue in the upper Columbia River and in Northwest Washington.

So far anglers have caught just over 700 sockeye on Lake Wenatchee through the first two days of the three-day season at the Chelan County water. Fishing is open through one hour after sunset tonight.

AREA ANGLER RYAN WALKER WITH HIS LIMIT OF SOCKEYE FROM LAKE WENATCHEE. (RYAN WALKER)

“I’ve got 33 in three days, so it’s pretty good,” Ryan Walker of Plain emailed early this afternoon. “We killed it this morning with 13 in two hours, three tail punched we threw back. Yesterday a.m. it was a bit slow, but we picked up two new anglers with empty cards and an afternoon bite came on where we hooked seven and landed four in an hour.  Lots of good places to catch them.  We usually head to the west end for photos hoping to see Glacier, but it’s in the smoke today.”

State fisheries biologist Chad Jackson said that as of last Sunday, Aug. 1, a total of 27,240 sockeye had gone over Tumwater Dam 24 miles below the lake, 4,000 more than are needed to meet the spawning escapement goal.

Despite Walker’s creel, he termed the catch so far “a little bit lower than normal,” pointing to the Sunday opening, thunderstorms in the area that also helped to snuff out wildfires, and good fishing and larger limit at the mouth of the Okanogan River, Brewster Pool and below Wells Dam.

That’s where Bill Herzog and son River spent three days whacking and stacking, using a variety of gear, including the “Rasticle.”

Anton Jones of Darrell & Dad’s Guide Service (866-360-1523) suggests “tandem 3/0 red hooks baited with shrimp chunks that have been cured in Pautzke’s Fire Cure. Fish this behind a Worden’s Lures 00 chrome or Chrome scale dodger.”

“The trick here to get into that 10 percent of anglers that catch 90 percent of the fish is to add a Mack’s Lures smile blade and stack bead in front of the lead hook.  Additionally, pay attention to your depth finder.  Look where the fish are concentrated and hammer those areas.  Run your gear just above them,” Jones tips.

MIKE BYRD AND FRIENDS FROM SELAH HEFT A MIGHTY STRINGER OF UPPER COLUMBIA SOCKEYE. (DARRELL & DAD'S GUIDE SERVICE)

There’s sockeye to be had on the Westside too. Baker Lake’s been producing for anglers such as Chuck and Robert Spani of Lynnwood.

“I hope they run this every year,” Chuck emailed this morning.

SCOTT KELLY, AN UNIDENTIFIED ANGLER, TOD KERTZ AND ROBERT SPANI IN FRONT OF MT. BAKER WITH THEIR SOCKEYE. (LAZER SHARP PHOTO CONTEST)

Spani says he’s fished the area between Noisy and Silver Creeks, on upper Baker’s dogleg right, in water 125 to 180 feet deep.

“Trolling a dodger and pink mini squid on one side and a dodger and pink wee Dick Nite on the other,” he says. “Stacking the riggers at 55 and 75 feet got it done.”

More pics of Spani’s day can be found on Gamefishin.

Baker is open until further notice.

“We’re still putting fish in the lake,” says district fisheries biologist Brett Barkdull. “We’re approaching 10,000.”

A very rough estimate puts the catch around 2,000 since fishing opened July 22.

However, Barkdull’s sense is there has been more phone calls than actual turnout. On days he’s personally fished Baker, there’s never been more than 100 boats, he says.

Early on, he was doing well with dodgers and a variety of pink hoochies, but things have become tougher, at least for him.

“The real biters have been put on barbecues at this point,” he alleges.

Fortunately for fishermen, few of the biters have been bull trout, which are off limits for retention.

Barkdull says the season was a “test,” and as long as there’s enough sockeye beyond the 2,500 needed for escapement, he says fisheries could be held in future summers.

SW WA Fishing Report

(COURTESY OF JOE HYMER, PACIFIC STATES MARINE FISHERIES COMMISSION)

SALMON/STEELHEAD

Washington Columbia River tributary fall salmon regulations approved during the 2010 North of Falcon Process:

Camas Slough, Drano Lake, Cowlitz, Green (Cowlitz Co.), Toutle (mainstem and North Fork), Washougal, Wind, White Salmon rivers  – New for 2010 – All wild fall chinook (adults and jacks) must be released. Most if not all age classes of returning fall chinook are now mass marked.

Elochoman and Kalama rivers – Like last year, all wild chinook (adults and jacks) must be released.  All ages of returning  fall chinook are mass marked.

Lewis River (including North Fork) – Like last year, hatchery fall chinook may be retained in August and September. Some stray hatchery fall chinook are found in the Lewis River. This  allows opportunity to keep adipose clipped chinook during the hatchery early stock coho fishery.

Beginning October 1, all chinook must be released on the Lewis (including North Fork) and fishing from any floating device will be prohibited on the North Fork Lewis River from Johnson Creek upstream to Colvin Creek.  The wild fall Chinook return to the Lewis in 2010 may just barely meet the 5,700 natural spawn escapement goal.  Recent flooding and poor juvenile production causes some concern for future returns and increases the importance of meeting the goal this year.

Cispus, Cowlitz, Deep, Elochoman, Grays, (including West Fork), Green (Cowlitz Co.), Kalama, Lewis (including North Fork), Tilton, Toutle (including North Fork) and Washougal rivers – Up to six adult hatchery coho may be retained. Based on pre-season ocean-abundance forecasts, hatchery escapement goals are expected to be met.  Tributary sport harvest rates are typically low (<10%).  This regulation will hopefully encourage anglers to fish for and harvest the surplus hatchery coho.

Klickitat River – Up to 6 adult coho may be retained on the Klickitat River.  Not all hatchery coho returning to the Klickitat this fall will be adipose fin clipped hence the any fish.

Harvest of hatchery late stock coho and stray hatchery fall Chinook will be allowed during the winter steelhead season on the Grays River (including West Fork). Adult late stock hatchery coho will begin returning in 2010.  The additional salmon season matches the  existing hatchery winter run steelhead season.  In addition, it allows additional opportunity to harvest stray hatchery fall Chinook.  Fall chinook must be adipose and/or ventral fin clipped to be retained.

Grays (including West Fork) and Elochoman rivers – New for 2010 – The anti-snag rule and night closure begins August 1. Beginning last year, the fall salmon fishery opens one month earlier.  This regulation makes it consistent with the opening date.

Cedar Creek (North Fork Lewis tributary) closed to all fishing in September and October to protect naturally spawning fall Chinook and coho.

Lower Lacamas Creek (Washougal River tributary) from footbridge downstream closed to all fishing beginning in September. Stream flows are increased in the fall when the water behind Round/Lacamas lakes is lowered for annual maintenance on the dam.  This increase in flows sometimes attracts fall Chinook to spawn naturally in the creek.

Fishing report:

Cowlitz River – Fishing is slow.  Last week, Tacoma Power recovered 985 summer-run steelhead, 352 spring Chinook adults, 55 jacks, 122 mini-jacks, four sockeye salmon and three sea-run cutthroat trout during five days of operation at the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator.

Tacoma Power employees released 78 spring Chinook adults and 19 jacks into the upper Cowlitz River at the Skate Creek Bridge in Packwood, Washington, 209 spring Chinook adults and 28 jacks into the Cispus River, and 113 spring Chinook mini-jacks into Riffe Lake at Mossyrock Park during the week.

River flows at Mayfield Dam are approximately 3,530 cubic feet per second on Monday August 2. Water visibility is over eleven feet.

Wind River from 400’ below Shipherd Falls downstream – No report on angling success.  Salmon daily limit is 6 fish.  Up to 2 adults may be retained.  Release wild chinook and wild coho.  Anti-snag rule is in effect through October.

Drano Lake – Effort and catch have increased.  There were about 50 boats here last Saturday July 31.  80% of the boat anglers sampled had caught a steelhead though over half the fish were wild and had to be released.

Salmon daily limit is 6 fish.  Up to 2 adults may be retained.  Release wild chinook and wild coho.  Anti-snag rule is in effect through the end of the year.

White Salmon River – Boat anglers are catching some steelhead.

From the powerhouse downstream, the salmon daily limit is 6 fish.  Up to 2 adults may be retained.  Release wild chinook and wild coho.  Anti-snag rule is in effect though the end of the year.

Buoy 10 – Slow on the Aug. 1 opener.  At the ports of Chinook and Ilwaco,  37 boats/105 anglers had 1 chinook.  Daily reports should be available on the department’s web site @ http://www.wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regions/reg5/buoy10.htm.

Effective August 1 through August 31 (chinook and coho catch expectation 12,500 and 11,900 fish, respectively), the Columbia River mainstem from Buoy 10 line upstream to the Tongue Point/Rocky Point Line is open for adult chinook (greater than 24 inches), hatchery coho (greater than 16 inches), and hatchery steelhead.  The daily bag limit is two salmon or hatchery steelhead or one of each.  Only one may be a chinook.  Any chinook, adipose fin clipped or not, may be retained.  Wild coho and all other salmon must be released.

During September 1 – December 31, this area will be open to the retention of hatchery coho and hatchery steelhead.  All chinook must be released.

Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam – During the last six days of July we sampled 1,661 salmonid bank anglers from Bonneville Dam downstream with 1 adult and 1 jack summer Chinook, 463 steelhead, and no sockeye, an average of a salmonid kept/released per every 3.6 rods based on mainly incomplete trips. In addition, we sampled 505 salmonid boat anglers (234 boats) with 3 adult summer Chinook, 203 steelhead, and no sockeye, an average of a salmonid kept/released per every 2.4 rods based on mainly completed trips.  Overall, 25% of the adult Chinook and 63% of the steelhead caught were kept.

On the first day of the fall salmon season (August 1) we sampled 318 salmonid bank anglers from Bonneville Dam downstream with 49 steelhead and no fall chinook or coho,  an average of a salmonid kept/released per every 6.5 rods based on mainly incomplete trips. In addition, we sampled 92 salmonid boat anglers (37 boats) with 24 steelhead and no fall chinook or coho, an average of a salmonid kept/released per every 3.8 rods based on mainly completed trips.  Overall, 75% of the steelhead caught were kept.

Effective August 1 through December 31 (chinook catch expectation 17,200) the Columbia River mainstem from the Tongue Point/Rocky Point Line upstream to Bonneville Dam is open for fall chinook, hatchery coho, and hatchery steelhead.  The daily limit is 6 fish.  Up to two may be adult salmon or hatchery steelhead or one of each.  Only one may be a chinook.  Any chinook, adipose fin clipped or not, may be retained.  Wild coho and all other salmon must be released.

Beginning September 12, chinook retention will be prohibited from the Tongue Point/Rocky Point Line upstream to a line projected from Warrior Rock Lighthouse on the Oregon shore to Red Buoy #4 to the orange marker atop the dolphin on the lower end of Bachelor Island on the Washington shore.

Bonneville Pool – Very windy last weekend with just 4 boats off the White Salmon River and 8 off Drano Lake.

The Dalles Pool – Including fish released, bank anglers averaged 2/3 fish per rod.  Most of the catch were wild steelhead that had to be released.

John Day Pool – Very light effort and no catch was observed.

Effective August 1 through December 31 (chinook catch expectation 2,500), the mainstem Columbia from Bonneville Dam to McNary Dam is open for fall chinook, coho, and hatchery steelhead.  Daily limit is 6 fish.  Up to two may be adult salmon or hatchery steelhead or one of each.  Any chinook, adipose fin clipped or not, may be retained.  Wild coho must be released between Bonneville Dam and the Hood River Bridge.  All other salmon must be released.

Night closure and anti-snag rule is in effect for salmon and steelhead through mid October.

STURGEON

Lower Columbia from the Wauna powerlines downstream – At the Deep River and Knappton ramps, boat anglers averaged 0.74 legals kept per boat.  Bank anglers sampled in the estuary did not catch any fish. The ports of Chinook and Ilwaco data should be picked up later today.

All sturgeon must be released through the end of the year.

Lower Columbia from the Wauna powerlines to Marker 82 – A few legals were caught by boat anglers in the Kalama to Cathlamet area.   Above Wauna powerlines is closed to white sturgeon retention until October 1.

John Day Pool – Catch and release only.  Boat anglers averaged a sturgeon for every 6.1 hours fished.

WALLEYE AND BASS

The Dalles Pool – The few boat anglers sampled did not catch any walleye.

John Day Pool – Boat anglers averaged over a walleye kept/released per rod.  In addition, walleye anglers handled nearly 2 bass per rod.

TROUT

Mayfield Lake and Swofford Pond – Light effort and catch.

Riffe Lake – The fishery for landlocked coho has slowed.

Elliott Bay’s Last Weekend Scrubbed

(WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF FISH & WILDLIFE PRESS RELEASE)

Recreational salmon fishing in Elliott Bay will close Friday (Aug. 6) because of a low return of chinook to the Green River, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced today.

The closure takes effect at 12:01 a.m. Aug. 6. The fishery, which opened July 2 on a Friday-through-Sunday schedule, was slated to close at the end of the day Aug. 8.

To date, anglers have caught 144 chinook, the lowest sport catch in that fishery in nearly a decade, said Steve Thiesfeld, Puget Sound salmon manager for WDFW. A recent test fishery conducted by treaty tribes and WDFW also resulted in very low catches of chinook.

“Indications are the chinook return to the Green River watershed is going to be much lower than expected this year,” Thiesfeld said. “To allow more salmon to reach the spawning grounds, we are closing the final weekend of the sport fishery and the tribes have cancelled their chinook fishery.”

Marine Area 10 outside of Elliott Bay remains open for recreational fishing. Anglers fishing that area have a daily limit of two salmon, but must release wild chinook. Beginning Aug. 1, anglers in Marine Area 10 also must release chum.

Lake Wenatchee Opener Report

Here’s Scott Fletcher’s report from Lake Wenatchee’s opener for sockeye:

My son Tyler and I caught our limit today at Lake Wenatchee.  They all weighed between 3.8 lbs and 4 lbs.  We caught them at 50″ down with #1 pink hooks and OO chrome dodger.

SCOTT AND TYLER FLETCHER SHOW OFF THEIR LIMITS OF LAKE WENATCHEE SOCKEYE. THE FISHERY IS OPEN THROUGH TUESDAY, AUG. 3. (LAZER SHARP PHOTO CONTEST)

Lake Wenatchee Sockeye Opening Aug. 1

A three-day sockeye fishery on Lake Wenatchee will open Sunday, Aug. 1, WDFW announced late this afternoon.

The agency says this year’s return will be sufficient to meet escapement goals and provide enough salmon for a season.

The daily limit is two sockeye 12 inches or longer.

Selective gear rules and a night closure will be in effect.

According to angler Ryan Walker of nearby Plain, basic sockeye tackle will work at the Chelan County lake.

“Chrome 0 size dodger with red hooks, 1/0 and then a 1 below,” he says, “but I caught them on everything I threw out there the past two years.  Purple Hot Spot flasher, all different colors of hooks, orange, black, pink, green, sometimes tied in a rainbow with the different colored hooks on one rig.  I often put hoochies over the top hook, pink or firetiger in color … I probably won’t have the same thing on any of the five rods we’ll be trolling.  I’ll be experimenting with some other setups for fun and trying to figure out if there is a consistent way to catch them in the evening.”

Fishing opens one hour before official sunrise on the first.

Bull trout, steelhead, and chinook salmon must be released unharmed without removing the fish from the water. Legal angling hours extend to one hour after sunset.

WDFW will also require anglers to release sockeye with one or more holes (round, approximately Ľ” in diameter) punched in the tail (caudal fin) of the fish. These fish are part of a study and have been anesthetized; the FDA requires a 21-day ban on consumption of these fish.

After the fishery closes, WDFW fishery managers will assess the catch and determine if additional fishing opportunities for sockeye remain. Any announcement will be posted under Emergency Fishing Rules on the department’s website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations.

There are boat ramps at Lake Wenatchee State Park and Glacier View Campground.

If those prove too busy, the Brewster Pool is open with a six-sockeye limit.

Sweet Home Man Arrested, Charged With Illegally Possessing Bighorn

(OREGON STATE POLICE FISH & WILDLIFE DIVISION PRESS RELEASE)

Oregon State Police (OSP) Fish & Wildlife Division troopers are continuing an investigation following the arrest Wednesday of a Sweet Home-area man on charges related to the death of a Bighorn Sheep in eastern Oregon.  The follow up investigation includes determining how the Bighorn Sheep died and who is responsible for its death.

ACCORDING TO OSP, ENOCH RAY ROBERTSON HAS BEEN CHARGED WITH UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF A BIGHORN SHEEP AS WELL AS A BOBCAT HIDE. (OSP)

The investigation started three weeks ago after OSP Fish & Wildlife Division troopers in eastern Oregon received a report that a Bighorn Sheep was killed in late May 2010 in the Snake River area near Richland.  The investigation led OSP troopers to serve a search warrant July 28th at a Sweet Home-area address and the subsequent arrest of ENOCH RAY ROBERTSON, age 30, after troopers seized evidence including Bighorn Sheep horns and a Bobcat hide.

ROBERTSON was transported to the Linn County Jail where Senior Trooper James Halsey cited and released him on the following offenses:

* Unlawful Possession of a Game Mammal – Bighorn Sheep
* Unlawful Possession of a Game Mammal – Bobcat hide
* Taking Blacktail Doe Deer in Closed Season
* Possession of less than an Ounce of Marijuana

WDFW Opening Clarks Creek Near Puyallup

Back when WDFW switched up their Puget Sound stream regulations from open-unless-closed to closed-unless-open, Clarks Creek just west of Puyallup was meant to be open but somehow ended up on the other side of the ledger.

The local fisheries biologist, Mike Scharpf, says he fielded a few calls from anglers about that and today “got off his hiney” and changed the rules, opening the creek starting Aug. 1.

He says the Puyallup River tributary offers escaped hatchery rainbows and there are anedotal reports of stray German browns as well.

“I’ve been told by the guys at the Clarks Creek hatchery that when they release Chinook smolts, big gigantic cutts come up and snag them,” Scharpf adds.

The spring creek moseys through Clarks Creek and DeCoursey Parks before skirting farmlands and draining into the Puyallup.

It is open through Oct. 31 from its mouth up to 12th Ave SW, which is at Clarks Creek Park.

Selective gear rules are in effect. Trout limit is two fish, minimum size of 14 inches, release wild steelhead. Other game fish, statewide minimum size and daily limits.

Lake WA Sockeye Fishery?!?! ‘NFW’

A friend, referencing a report on Gamefishin.com of sockeye biting on Lake Washington and Seattle cops purportedly saying there would be a fishery in a few weeks, sent the Rumor Monger into overdrive yesterday.

The RM’s fingers immediately dialed up Fishery Control in Oly … and got nowhere because no managers were available.

So the RM’s fingers dialed up Local Fishery Control in Mill Creek … and got nowhere because managers were either in a meeting or in the field.

So the RM went home last night cursing the friend, sockeye, managers, bios and everyone else with fish slime on their hands.

Then, upon arrival at work this a.m., the RM discovered two things: a voice message from the Lake Washington bio and an email from a reader the hell and gone over in Eastern Washington wanting to know more about a season.

The RM’s fingers immediately dialed up Fishery Control in Oly … and got nowhere because no managers were available.

So the RM’s fingers dialed up Local Fishery Control in Mill Creek … and got nowhere because managers were in the field.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This much the RM knows, however: With only 148,393 sockeye through the locks as of Sunday, the 25th of July in the year of our lord 201o, there is “NFW” there will be a sport fishery on the big lake.

NFW would be an unofficial summary by someone at Fishery Control of some manager’s somewheres words, though of course the manager could not be reached because they’re NFW — not freaking (at) work.

At least 350,000 have been needed to open a season in past summers.

Meanwhile, Yuasa and his Rolodex probably had this story all buttoned up — probably had it yesterday at midday, the RM bets.

But that, dear two readers who glance at this blog from time to time out of sheer boredom (thanks, Mom & Dad!), is the best and all that the RM can come up with for you at the moment.

Sincerely,

RM/Rumor Control

POSTSCRIPT, 9:24 A.M.: FINALLY, THE RM REACHED AN OFFICIAL SALMON MANAGER!!!!

OR AT LEAST GOT A VOICE MESSAGE FROM ONE (I WAS ON THE PHONE WITH A WRITER FAR TO OUR SOUTH FIRMING UP SEPTEMBER ISSUE STORIES).

HERE IS WHAT STEVE THIESFELD, WDFW’S PUGET SOUND SALMON MANAGER HAD TO SAY:

“It ain’t happening. We’re barely going to make 200,000. And there’s no consideration of fishing to a different escapement level this year. It’s still 350,000. There’s been no state-tribal discussions about changing it … No way, no how, pending some Biblical-proportion that happens in August of fish coming in and getting over 350. All indications is that the run is normal timed and we’re not going to get anywhere near the numbers we need to fish. Please squelch any and all rumors you can.”

Rumor squelched.

What’s Fishin’ In Washington

Upper Columbia sockeye might be getting all the play on Northwest Sportsman’s Web sites these days, but it’s their landlocked brethren that are among the fishing highlights around Washington right now.

Fishing for kokanee at Rimrock Lake west of Yakima is said to be “about as good as it gets these days,” according to two WDFW employees.

“You can catch your daily limit of 16 fish in just a few hours of fishing,” says Southcentral Washington regional habitat program manager Perry Harvester.

But that’s not all that’s to be had these days in the Cascades.

Mountain troutin’ is firing up throughout the range while steelheading’s been pretty good on the Columbia system, Chinook and coho are biting on the Coast and Northern Puget Sound.

MAX HARRIS-RILEY WITH HIS FIRST-EVER STEELHEAD, CAUGHT ON THE KLICKITAT RIVER IN MID-JULY WITH GUIDE LEVI ZOLLER (RIGHT). (LAZER SHARP PHOTO CONTEST)

And up next on the angling calendar: Buoy 10. It opens Aug. 1, and we hit it and hit it hard in our August issue, heading to newsstands around the Northwest right now.

In the meanwhile, here’s more from the Weekender.

NORTH SOUND

Anglers are reeling in chinook and coho in Puget Sound, where crabbing is still an option and two additional marine areas open for salmon Aug. 1. Meanwhile, anglers are having some success at Baker Lake, which recently opened for sockeye salmon.

For the first time, anglers are fishing for sockeye salmon in Baker Lake, where the fish are returning in significantly higher numbers this year. Anglers fishing Baker Lake can retain up to two adult sockeye salmon that exceed 18 inches in length from Baker Dam upstream to the mouth of the Baker River. All other salmon must be released, and no fishing is allowed between the dam and the log boom at the lower end of the lake.

“The fish are biting, it’s just a matter of finding them,” said Brett Barkdull, fish biologist for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). “Most anglers have done well once they get over them, and hopefully that will continue into August.”

The sockeye salmon fishery at Baker Lake is open until further notice, said Barkdull, who reminds anglers to check for any rule changes at WDFW’s website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations . Separate sockeye salmon fisheries on portions of the Skagit and Baker rivers run through July 31.

Elsewhere, anglers can still find some steelhead along the Reiter Ponds section of the Skykomish River. But most freshwater anglers are gearing up for Sept. 1, when the Stllaguamish, Snohomish, Skykomish and portions of the Skagit, Snoqualmie and Green (Duwamish) rivers open for salmon fishing.

Beginning Aug. 16, Lake Sammamish will also be an option for freshwater salmon anglers, who will have a daily limit of four salmon, and can retain up to two chinook . All sockeye must be released, and fishing is closed within 100 yards of the mouth of Issaquah Creek.

On Puget Sound, anglers can fish for salmon in marine areas 7 (San Juan Islands), 9 (Admiralty Inlet) and 10 (Seattle/Bremerton). Those fishing Marine Area 7 can keep one chinook as part of their two-salmon daily limit, but must release wild coho and chum starting Aug. 1.

Anglers fishing marine areas 9 and 10 can keep hatchery chinook – marked with a clipped adipose fin – as part of a two-salmon daily limit, but must release wild chinook. Those fishing Marine Area 9 also must release chum salmon, while anglers in Marine Area 10 are required to release chum beginning Aug. 1.

The chinook selective fisheries in marine areas 9 and 10 run through Aug. 31. Beginning Sept. 1, anglers in those two marine areas will be required to release all chinook and chum. Anglers are reminded that regulations vary for inner Elliott Bay, Sinclair Inlet and public fishing piers in those marine areas.

August brings other opportunities in the region to catch and keep salmon. Beginning Aug. 1, marine areas 8-1 (Deception Pass, Hope Island and Skagit Bay) and 8-2 (Port Susan and Port Gardner) open for salmon. Anglers fishing those two areas will have a daily limit of two salmon but must release chinook.

Meanwhile, the crab fishery is under way in Puget Sound. Dungeness and red rock crab seasons are:

* Marine areas 4 (east of the Bonilla-Tatoosh line), 5 (Sekiu) and 13 (South Puget Sound) are open through Jan. 2, seven days a week.
* Marine areas 6 (eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca), 8-1, 8-2, 9, 10, 11 (Tacoma/Vashon) and 12 (Hood Canal) are open Wednesday through Saturday through Sept. 6, and open the entire Labor Day weekend.
* Marine areas 7 South and East are open through Sept. 30, Wednesday through Saturday, and the entire Labor Day weekend.
* Marine Area 7 North will open Aug. 11 on a Wednesday-through-Saturday schedule through Sept. 30, and open the entire Labor Day weekend.

The daily catch limit in Puget Sound is five Dungeness crab, males only, in hard-shell condition with a minimum carapace width of 6¼ inches. Fishers may catch six red rock crab of either sex per day, provided those crab measure at least 5 inches across. See WDFW’s sport-crabbing website ( http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/shelfish/crab/ ) for more information.

SOUTH SOUND/OLYMPIC PENINSULA

Summer salmon fishing is in full swing along the coast, where anglers are hooking some bright chinook and nice-size coho.

“Some days are better than others, but for the most part fishing has been good for both chinook and coho ,” said Doug Milward, ocean salmon manager for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). “In the coming weeks, I expect fishing to get even better as more salmon show up and the weather settles down.”

Anglers fishing marine areas 1 (Ilwaco), 2 (Westport-Ocean Shores), 3 (LaPush) and 4 (Neah Bay) can keep up to two chinook as part of their two-salmon daily limit, but must release any chinook measuring less than 24 inches and hatchery coho less than 16 inches. Wild coho must be released unharmed. All four ocean marine areas are open to salmon fishing seven days a week.

Salmon fishing is scheduled to continue through Sept. 18 in marine areas 3 and 4, through Sept. 19 in Marine Area 2 and through Sept. 30 in Marine Area 1. However, salmon fisheries in those areas could close early if catch quotas are reached. Milward reminds anglers to check for any rule changes at WDFW’s website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations .

So far this year, angler effort has been lower than expected likely because of rough weather, Milward said.

“Conditions should improve as we move into August, making it easier for anglers to get out on the water,” he said.

In the Strait of Juan de Fuca, anglers are still having some success hooking chinook and the occasional coho in marine areas 5 (Sekiu) and 6 (eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca), while salmon fisheries in marine areas 11 (Tacoma/Vashon), 12 (Hood Canal) and 13 (South Puget Sound) continue to be slow.

JESSICA BOYLE CAUGHT HER FIRST BIG KING TROLLING AT POINT DEFIANCE JULY 21. "BIGGEST FISH SHE HAS EVER CAUGHT AND NOW SHE'S HOOKED," REPORTS HUSBAND, JESSE, OF OLYMPIA. (LAZER SHARP PHOTO CONTEST)

Because salmon fishing rules vary depending on the marine area, anglers should check the Sportfishing Rules Pamphlet ( http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations/ ) before heading out on the water.

Prefer shellfish? The Dungeness crab fishery is going strong in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and most areas of Puget Sound. Dungeness and red rock crab seasons are:

* Marine areas 4 (east of the Bonilla-Tatoosh line), 5 (Sekiu) and 13 are open through Jan. 2, seven days a week.
* Marine areas 6, 8-1, 8-2, 9, 10, 11 and 12 are open Wednesday through Saturday through Sept. 6, and open the entire Labor Day weekend.
* Marine areas 7 South and East are open through Sept. 30, Wednesday through Saturday, and the entire Labor Day weekend.
* Marine Area 7 North will open Aug. 11 on a Wednesday-through-Saturday schedule through Sept. 30, and open the entire Labor Day weekend.

The daily catch limit in Puget Sound is five Dungeness crab, males only, in hard-shell condition with a minimum carapace width of 6¼ inches. Fishers may catch six red rock crab of either sex per day, provided those crab measure at least 5 inches across. See WDFW’s sport-crabbing website ( http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/shelfish/crab/ ) for more information.

Meanwhile, WDFW enforcement officers will be increasing resource-protection patrols on the Skokomish River , where recreational salmon fishing opens Aug. 1 under several new regulations.

The daily bag limit has been increased this year from one to two salmon for anglers fishing from the mouth of the river to the Highway 101 Bridge through Sept. 30. However, a new rule in effect this year requires anglers to carefully release any wild chinook salmon they catch. As in previous years, anglers must release chum salmon through Oct. 15.

Another change this year is that recreational fishing will be closed from the Highway 106 Bridge upstream to the Highway 101 Bridge on six Mondays to avoid potential gear conflicts with treaty tribal fishers. Those closures are scheduled for Aug. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 and Sept. 13. Recreational fishing downstream of the Highway 106 Bridge will remain open seven days a week through the fishing season.

Anglers fishing the Skokomish River also will be required to release any salmon not hooked inside the mouth and retain the first two legal salmon they catch. In addition, single-point barbless hooks are required and a night closure and anti-snagging rule will be in effect.

SOUTHWEST

For Columbia River anglers, this month provides a great opportunity for a triple play. Fishing seasons for fall chinook salmon and hatchery coho open Aug. 1, while summer steelhead are expected to continue providing good fishing well into September.

While the fall chinook season opens upriver to Priest Rapids Dam, most of this month’s action takes place in the popular Buoy 10 fishery on the lower 16 miles of the river. A big run of 664,900 fall chinook is expected this year, setting the stage for some good fishing, said Joe Hymer, a fish biologist for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).

“The fall chinook fishery is looking very promising this year,” Hymer said. “Fishing tends to start slow, then accelerates quickly and builds through the rest of August.”

So will the catch. Fishery managers estimate that anglers will catch 12,500 chinook salmon by Aug. 31, when the retention fishery for chinook closes in the Buoy 10 area. They also anticipate a catch of 12,000 coho in that area and another 17,000 chinook between Rocky Point and Bonneville Dam by the time those seasons come to a close.

Bank anglers planning to fish at Buoy 10 should be aware that access to much of the North Jetty will be closed, due to a major project being conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to reinforce beaches eroded by winter storms.

“The North jetty provides the only real bank access to that fishery, so things could get a little crowded,” Hymer said.

For the Buoy 10 fishery, the daily limit is two salmon, two hatchery steelhead , or one of each. However, anglers may retain only one chinook salmon (minimum size, 24 inches) per day as part of their daily limit. Only those steelhead and coho marked with a missing adipose fin and a healed scar may be retained. This requirement does not, however, apply to fall chinook, which may be retained whether marked or unmarked.

For more rules on the Buoy 10 area and other waters upriver, see WDFW’s Fishing in Washington pamphlet, which is posted online at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations/ .

By mid-to-late August, the bulk of the chinook run historically begins to move upstream while increasing numbers of coho move into the Columbia River behind them. For anglers following the chinook upriver, Hymer recommends fishing deep, between 40 and 50 feet down. For a lure, he suggests a wobbler anchored with a heavy weight.

“Chinook go deep when water temperatures are high – as they are now – so that’s a good place to find them,” Hymer said. “At the same time, anglers should take care not to drop anchor in the shipping channel. That can lead to real trouble.”

While 2010 is not expected to be a banner year for hatchery coho, those fish will help to round out anglers’ daily limits at Buoy 10, Hymer said. WDFW currently expects about 290,000 coho to return this year, down significantly from last year’s exceptionally large run of three-quarters of a million fish.

“While we will likely see fewer coho this year, those fish will still make a real contribution to the fishery,” Hymer said. “They usually bite best at Buoy 10 on herring and spinners, and then later in the tributaries.”

Meanwhile, plenty of hatchery steelhead are still available for harvest, Hymer said. In June, anglers caught more early-run summer steelhead than at any time since the 1970s, and those fish should keep biting hooks through mid-August. By then, the larger “B-run” steelhead – many weighing in the teens – should start arriving to pick up the slack. This year’s return of “B-run” steelhead, most headed for hatcheries on the Clearwater and Salmon rivers, is expected to total about 100,000 fish, about double the size of last year’s run.

“The combination of three species – fall chinook, coho and steelhead – makes August a great time to fish the Columbia River,” Hymer said.

They’ll also liven up fishing in the tributaries, where anglers have been reeling in respectable numbers of hatchery steelhead for the past few months. As on the mainstem Columbia, the fall salmon season starts Aug. 1 on a number of area tributaries, although salmon fishing doesn’t really take off until September. Meanwhile, Drano Lake and the White Salmon River are good places to try for steelhead looking for cooler waters.

Like last year, anglers will again be able to retain up to six hatchery adult coho on all tributaries to the lower Columbia River with hatchery programs. Those rivers include the Cowlitz, Deep, Elochoman, Grays (including West Fork), Kalama, Klickitat, Lewis (including North Fork), Toutle (including Green and North Fork) and Washougal. Also like last year, hatchery fall chinook are the only kind of salmon anglers can retain on the Grays, Elochoman and Kalama rivers.

Some new rules will also be in effect, including a requirement that anglers release all unmarked chinook (adults and jacks) on the Cowlitz, Toutle, Green, Washougal, Wind and White Salmon rivers, plus Drano Lake. Last year, that requirement applied only to jack salmon on those rivers.

As always, WDFW strongly advises anglers to check the Fishing in Washington rules pamphlet for new rules applicable to specific waters before leaving home.

Of course, salmon and steelhead aren’t the only fish available for harvest in August. Walleye fishing has been good in the Columbia River near Camas, as well as in The Dalles and John Day Pools. Bass fishing has also been heating up from Bonneville Dam to McNary Dam.

For trout , the high wilderness lakes around Mount Adams and Mount St. Helens offer unparalleled fishing experiences for those willing to brave the mosquitoes. Riffe Lake in Lewis County is still giving up some nice landlocked coho, while Mayfield Lake, Skate Creek and the Tilton River are still receiving regular plants of rainbows. Hatchery sea-run cutthroats should also provide some opportunity on the lower Cowlitz beginning in late August.

EASTERN

With water temperatures rising, the month of August is usually best for warmwater-species fishing throughout the region.

Chris Donley, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) district fish biologist, said mixed-species waters are a good bet. Yellow perch, largemouth and smallmouth bass , and crappie can usually be caught at Coffeepot Lake in Lincoln County, Downs and Chapman lakes in southwest Spokane County, Newman and Liberty lakes in eastern Spokane County, Eloika Lake in north Spokane County, and the Spokane River reservoir of Long Lake and Deer and Waitts lakes in Stevens County.

Fishing at rainbow and cutthroat trout lakes near Spokane – like Amber, Badger, Clear, Fish, Williams, and West Medical lakes – is best early in the morning or at night, Donley says. The lower Spokane River has nice rainbows and browns, but river anglers need to be aware of catch limits, gear restrictions, and other rules listed in the fishing pamphlet.

Catfish and sturgeon fishing is usually productive in the Snake River system in the southeast part of the region in August. Catfish are often landed in the backwaters and sloughs throughout the mainstem Snake, as well as in or near the mouths of tributaries like the Tucannon River.

Sturgeon fishers are reminded of the minimum 43-inch and maximum 54-inch tail fork length and the daily catch limit of one sturgeon. The Snake and its tributaries upstream of Lower Granite Dam are catch-and-release only for sturgeon. The section of the Snake just east of the Tri-Cities, from the mouth to Ice Harbor Dam, is also catch-and-release for sturgeon starting Aug. 1.

Fishing has slowed considerably for rainbow trout in the small man-made lakes off the Tucannon River on WDFW’s Wooten Wildlife Area in Columbia County, said area manager Kari Dingman. With or without good fishing, lots of folks like to escape city heat with a weekend camping trip to the area. Dingman said hot and dry conditions, along with a recent wildfire, have resulted in a ban on campfires.

Dingman also reminds fishers and other recreationists that a U.S. Forest Service road, bridge and culvert over the Little Tucannon River are under re-construction for the first half of August, so state campgrounds Panjab North and South, along with the Sheep Creek and Meadow Creek trailheads, will be inaccessible during the project.

In the north end of the region, kokanee and walleye fishing continues to be good at Lake Roosevelt, the Columbia River reservoir off Grand Coulee Dam. Kokanee fishing is also productive at Stevens County’s Loon Lake during night time hours.

Some of the high elevation lakes on U.S. Forest Service property in the northeast district that are stocked with rainbow and cutthroat trout may be good destinations for camping and fishing weekends. In Ferry County, try Davis, Ellen, Empire, Swan and Trout lakes. In Stevens County, try Gillette, Heritage, Sherry, Summit, and Thomas lakes. In Pend Oreille County, try Carl’s, Cook’s, Frater, Halfmoon, Leo, Mystic, Nile, No-Name, Petit, South and North Skookums, and Yokum lakes. More information on these mostly small fishing lakes can be found in WDFW’s 2010 Fishing Prospects at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/prospects/ .

NORTHCENTRAL

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) district fish biologist Bob Jateff of Twisp reports that salmon fishing in the mainstem Columbia River is picking up with the approach of August.

“An increasing number of sockeye salmon are being caught right off the mouth of the Okanogan River,” Jateff said. “Chinook salmon fishing has been slow, but should pick up as more fish pass Wells Dam.”

Jateff reminds anglers the daily catch limit is six salmon, of which no more than three can be chinook, and only one chinook can be a wild, unmarked fish.

The action should also pick up on the Methow River and its tributaries, now that stream flows are finally dropping to fishable levels, he said, noting that those waters are catch-and-release only and that selective gear is required. He advises anglers to check the sportfishing rules pamphlet to be sure which areas are open to fishing.

“Smaller tributaries within the Methow system are good during the summer for anglers who want to catch and keep brook trout ,” Jateff said. “Eightmile, Falls, and Boulder creeks are all tributaries to the Chewuch River that hold brook trout. The daily limit on Falls and Eightmile Creeks is five fish, and on Boulder Creek it’s 10 fish. There is no minimum size for brook trout in these waters.”

Jateff says lake fishing throughout the Okanogan district generally slows down during the hotter months, except for waters at high elevation.

“Alpine lake fishing action picks up as the trails become more accessible,” he said. “Most high country lakes either have reproducing populations of trout or are sustained by periodic fish plants. Cutthroat trout is the main species in a lot of these waters.”

Jateff noted that anglers who fish deep during the cooler parts of the day – very early or late – can catch some nice rainbow trout in the lower elevation waters, too.

“Wannacut Lake near Oroville, for example, is a deep lake that seems to hold up well over the summer,” he said.

Anglers can find specific information about fishing waters throughout the region, county by county, in WDFW’s Fishing Prospects report at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/prospects/ .

Wherever of where they go, anglers are reminded to be careful with anything that could start wildfires in the region’s hot and dry conditions. Outing plans should include a check on campfire restrictions on public lands. See Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) fire information by county at http://fortress.wa.gov/dnr/firedanger/BurnRisk.aspx . See current wildfire conditions in Washington from the National Interagency Fire Center at http://www.inciweb.org/state/49/ .

SOUTHCENTRAL

Fishing for kokanee at Rimrock Reservoir – the 2500-plus-acre impoundment on the Tieton River along Hwy. 12 about 10 miles east of White Pass in western Yakima County – is about as good as it gets these days. That’s the word from both Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) district fish biologist Eric Anderson and WDFW regional habitat program manager Perry Harvester, both of Yakima.

“You can catch your daily limit of 16 fish in just a few hours of fishing,” said Harvester. “Use small, white, shoepeg corn or maggots soaked in tuna or shrimp oil at about 20 feet deep on a wedding ring spinner behind a smaller gang troll, like small cowbells. Two ounces of weight are all that is needed. Troll very slowly, between one and two miles per hour. Vary your speed and make turns once you find a school. There’s good action for kids to keep their attention. There’s less wind to contend with at the west end of the lake but the fish are everywhere.”

Anderson reports the kokanee, or “silver trout,” which are actually land-locked sockeye salmon, run about nine to 10½ inches long. Rimrock anglers are hitting them hard these days.

“With the hot weather continuing,” Anderson said, “you may have to go deeper than the 20 feet where Perry caught them, maybe down to 30 feet.”

Anderson also recommends kokanee fishing at other Yakima Basin reservoirs including Bumping, and Keechelus and Kachess in Kittitas County.

“All these waters are closed to the taking of any bull trout ,” Anderson said, “so anglers need to release all inadvertently caught bull trout.”

Water levels in streams in the upper Yakima and Naches river systems are in pretty good condition for wild rainbow and cutthroat trout fishing, Anderson said. Anglers should check the stream regulations for details and release all salmon , bull trout , and steelhead .

“The mountain country has really opened up now and there are some great high lake trout fishing opportunities in the South Cascades,” Anderson said. “There are lots of small lakes to hike up to that we stock with fish.”

Specific information on stocking Yakima and Kittitas county alpine lakes can be found at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/plants/regions/reg3/r3_highlakes.htm .

Rather catch walleye ? Creel reports show that interest in walleye fishing is picking up on Lake Umatilla, the Columbia River reservoir behind McNary Dam on the Washington-Oregon border. Creel checkers were actually looking for salmon and steelhead anglers, but 102 anglers out of 129 interviewed were fishing for walleye.

“Those anglers averaged about one walleye for a little over four hours of fishing each,” said WDFW fish biologist Paul Hoffarth of Pasco. “We tallied 128 walleye total, 89 kept, 29 released.”

There is no minimum size on Columbia River walleye, but only five fish of the 10-fish daily limit can be over 18 inches and only one over 24 inches can be retained. Anglers targeting walleye also caught smallmouth bass , Hoffarth reported. Four bass anglers interviewed averaged about one fish per hour of fishing. There is no minimum size on bass, but only three fish of the five-fish daily limit can exceed 15 inches.

Sturgeon fishing is catch-and-release only Aug. 1 throughout the Columbia River. The section that has been closed to all sturgeon fishing, from the Interstate 82 bridge upstream to McNary Dam, opens for catch-and-release only Aug. 1.

Hoffarth’s most recent sturgeon fishing checks showed anglers averaging one sturgeon for over six hours of fishing. Most were less than the 43-inch minimum, with a few in the slot limit of 43 to 54 inches, and a few over the 54 inch maximum.

What’s Fishin’ In Oregon

High summer has arrived in the Northwest. As warm temps are giving pause to anglers and managers on the Deschutes, there are plenty of other fisheries to take advantage of around Oregon.

Here’s a roundup of ideas from ODFW’s weekly Recreation Report:

SOUTHWEST ZONE

• Bass fishing has been good throughout the mainstem and South Umpqua River.
• Trout fishing has slowed in many rivers and streams with the onset of warm weather, but the fishing can still be good in smaller streams where there’s lots of shade to help keep waters cool.
• Surfperch fishing has been good in Winchester Bay.

NORTHWEST ZONE

• Steelhead angling is slowing down on the Siletz as the river is getting low, clear and warm. Good numbers of summer steelhead can be found throughout most of the upper river and many hatchery fish have been recycled back down stream to the Moonshine Park area. Anglers should focus efforts early or late in the day and try more subtle techniques. Cutthroat trout fishing is fair to good in most of the river with sea-runs showing up in the bay and lower river. Using small spinners or fly fishing can be very productive.

WILLAMETTE ZONE

• Now is a good time to target bass and walleye fishing on the Multnomah Channel.
• Summer steelhead and spring chinook have moved into the North Santiam River around Stayton.
• Good catches of kokanee have been reported recently on Green Peter Reservoir.
• Summer steelhead are showing up in the Willamette River town run between Springfield and Eugene.
• Trout stocking of most local valley lakes and ponds has come to an end for the summer due to warm water conditions. Lower and mid-elevation Cascade lakes are still being stocked and provide a good opportunity for trout fishing.
• July and August are peak months to target largemouth bass in Fern Ridge Reservoir.
• The cool waters of Breitenbush River, combined with a generous stocking schedule, should mean good trout fishing throughout the summer.

CENTRAL ZONE

• Fly fishers looking for something different might try carp fishing on Taylor Lake.
• The summer steelhead fishing season on the Deschutes River is off to a strong start and fishing has been good.

SOUTHEAST ZONE

• Trout fishing on Campbell Reservoir has been excellent. Also check out nearby Deadhorse Lake to make a day of it.
• Brown and rainbow trout fishing has been fair to good on the Lower Owyhee River.
• Fourmile Lake has been fishing well for rainbow, brook and lake trout.
• Fishing in the high Cascade lakes for brook trout remains excellent.

NORTHEAST ZONE

• While the kokanee in Wallowa Lake have retreated to 40-60 feet deep, fishing remains for kokanee remains fair. The trout fishing, though, has been good.
• Trout Farm Pond is stream-fed and trout fishing remains good during the warm summer months. It was stocked last week.
• Warmwater enthusiasts might consider the John Day River where smallmouth bass and channel catfish fishing have been good.

COLUMBIA RIVER ZONE

• Walleye fishing is good in the Troutdale area.
• Steelhead angling has been good, especially for boats fishing in the gorge and estuary.
• Fall chinook season opens Sunday Aug. 1 from Buoy 10 upstream to the Oregon/Washington Border above McNary Dam.
• Sturgeon angling is good in the estuary; however, the last day for sturgeon retention is Sunday, Aug. 1.

MARINE ZONE

• Windy weather kept many fishers off the ocean last week. The wind is also causing upwellings; bringing colder water from the ocean depths to the nearshore waters. In general, colder water means lower catch rates for salmon and bottom fish. This is also the time of year that the ocean is filled with young-of-the-year crab and fish providing massive quantities of food in the ocean for adult fish. The net result is that the fish are usually “off the bite” under these conditions.
• The colder nearshore water generated by the upwellings kept tuna well off shore. They are still between 30 and 40 miles offshore. Tuna catches landed in ports on the central coast averaged between four and five fish. The good news is the average size of the tuna is up over last year.
• Crabbing is improving, but the number of crabbers is also increasing. Most crabbers had average catches between one and three crab. Crabbing in the ocean this time of year can be very productive, but also dangerous because of wind, sea and bar conditions.

Wenatchee Sockeye Count Tops 20K

Nooooooooooooo pressure on Art Viola and Jeff Korth, but we couldn’t help but notice that the Tumwater Dam sockeye count was up to 20,715 this past Sunday.

That’s about 2,300 fish below what’s needed to meet spawning escapement goals and 4,300 or so away from enough to open a fishery on Lake Wenatchee.

“If the fish keep coming, it will be in a week or two,” says Viola, who is the local fisheries biologist; Korth is his boss.

Viola points out that the peak of the run at the dam 24 miles below the Central Cascades lake has already past, however.

This year’s biggest day was 3,319, this past Thursday, July 22.

It’s since tailed off to 1,531 on July 25. (One close observer of the fishery suggests that escapement numbers could have been met in the two and a half days since the 25th.)

Last year, fishing was open Aug. 5-11 and anglers caught 2,040 sockeye.

SARAH WALKER WITH A LAKE WENATCHEE SOCKEYE. (RYAN WALKER)

There are two ways that managers could open a fishery: the minute there’s enough for anglers to catch some, or hold off awhile and give everyone a chance to get into the launch line at Lake Wenatchee State Park or Glacier View Campground.

The latter option, however, could bump up against an upcoming furlough day for state workers, Aug. 6, who must monitor the fishery. (That may or may not indicate that managers are thinking about something like a Friday-Sunday season).

While the lake is very popular when it does open, North-central Washington anglers are actually slaying sockeye elsewhere — on the Brewster Pool.

“Oh, man, it’s loaded with them,” says Viola. “My wife and I have caught 10.”

Anton Jones’ guides have been pounding the upper Columbia reservoir too, bailing limits.

ROB PHILLIPS OF YAKIMA AND THE ZIMMERMANS OF TUMWATER, WASH., SHOW OFF THEIR LIMITS OF SOCKEYE. (DARRELL & DAD'S GUIDE SERVICE)

In his most recent fishing report, Jones, who operates Darrell & Dad’s Guide Service (866-360-1523) reports:

What’s hot is trolling for sockeye salmon off the mouth of the Columbia River.  Chinook numbers are still building with some fish being caught both below Wells Dam and off the mouth of the Okanogan.

Fish for sockeye with Mack’s Lures mini squid rigs behind big chrome dodgers or simply bait a tandem red hook set up with Pautzke cured shrimp chunks off the mouth of the Okanogan River.  Strap on your patience for the Brewster launch ramp.

Your fishing tip of the week is to remember the keys to success in fishing are location and presentation.  There were a lot of people trolling in blank water out of Brewster this week.  The location difference between catching fish and a slow boat ride is very subtle.  A good sonar unit and some experience is helpful here.

And in other sockeye news, there are successful reports from the first-ever Baker Lake fishery, and the Lake Washington salmon count is up to 148,393 through July 25, the second largest run since 2005, though nowhere near enough to hold a sport season.

Columbia Steelie Catch Over 6K So Far In July

Anglers are within roughly 2,000 steelhead of topping last year’s phenomenal catch on the lower Columbia River in July.

Nearly 6,150 had been bonked on the big river through the 25th.

Last year’s catch of 8,221 is the highest tally since the early 1970s, according to Joe Hymer, a fisheries biologist in Vancouver.

Tallies from the fishery show the highest boat catches this month coming below Bonneville for boaters as well as Oregon-side bank anglers and the Longview area for boaters and Washington-side plunkers.

Managers expect an overall return of 462,000 summer steelhead past Bonneville this year.

They’ve been surprised by the number of wild steelhead mixed into the run. Nearly 5,800 have been let go on the lower river this month, and of the 158,197 summer-runs that have passed Bonneville since April 1, 76,879 have had an intact adipose fin. Hatchery steelhead have that fin cut off for identification purposes.

Managers say the bigger B-run fish will come in in August; they expect a pretty good return.

ODFW Reassures Anglers About Deschutes Temps

(OREGON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE PRESS RELEASE)

Warmer than usual water temperatures on the lower Deschutes River have raised concerns among guides, anglers and fishery managers, but they have not affected the fishing or the health of the fish.

“According to our creel surveys, steelhead fishing on the lower Deschutes in July has been very good,” said Rod French, ODFW district fish biologist. “There appears to be fish entering the river and we haven’t seen any additional signs of stress or disease because of warm water temperatures.”

The slightly warmer temperatures experienced this July may be, in-part, the result of warmer water being released from the Pelton Round Butte hydroelectric project, about 100 miles upstream of the mouth.

The warmer water releases are part of a program being implemented by Portland General Electric and the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon to meet water quality standards by restoring seasonal temperature patterns that would be expected to occur if the dams were not there. These measures are required under the terms of the project’s federal operating license.

“Every year we experience warm water temperatures on the Deschutes, this year we’re seeing them a little earlier as a result of the Round Butte project,” French said.

Water temperatures could start to go down in August when day length becomes shorter, and a colder mix of water is released from the dam.

In coordination with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and ODFW, PGE operators continue to monitor river temperatures below the hydro project and began this weekend to adjust the mix of water being released from the dam to restore more natural water temperatures.

While the warm water temperatures have not yet affected fish health, extended periods of water temperatures above 70F can be harmful, French said.

“While we haven’t seen much impact yet, we will be monitoring the situation closely,” he said.

In the meantime, anglers fishing when water temperatures area above 70F should take the following precautions:

• Fish during the cooler times of the day, usually mornings and evenings
• Use barbless hooks, play and land the fish quickly
• When releasing wild fish, keep them in the water as much as possible

French also suggests moving higher up the river where water temperatures are cooler and fish may be holding.

Row, Row, Row, Row, Catch Fish, Row, Row, Row Some More

Rarely have I seen someone so excited about drift boats and steelheading as Jason Brooks.

The Northwest Sportsman writer, Chelan-area native, and longtime hunter and angler not only has developed a case of steelheaditis but drift boatitis.

And how.

He picked up the fishing bug this past winter from a midteens wild winter-run on a Peninsula river.

He picked up his drift boat, a used Willies, in May.

It has now made trips down the Skykomish and Cowlitz.

And while the Sky float was a bit of a bust, Brooks’ two wonderful illnesses came together on the Cow this week.

Here’s his report:

I got the kids off to daycare and met back up with Chris Clearman and Brian Chlipala at the house, and we were off, heading to the Cowlitz for a bit of summer steel. We used a shuttle service after I got the boat in the water at Blue Creek for our float down to Mission Bar.

Once on the water I got my rods rigged and baited, ready to go. Not an early morning start with us finally hitting the water around 11, but hey, we were on the water no less!

I pulled out some eggs I had cured using Borax-O-Fire cure with a little added drying time and some plain borax to keep em fresh.

RODS COCKED AND READY TO ROCK COWLITZ STEELIES. (JASON BROOKS)

We later tried some bait divers and fire cured coon shrimp, but by then my arms were getting tired.

One thing I have realized now that I own a drift boat is that the owner seems to do most of the rowing.

HEY, FREELOADERS, I WANNA FISH TOO. YOU IN THE HAT, GET ON THE STICKS! (JASON BROOKS)

Brian finally gave in to offer up some stick time and I took him up on it.

We had already floated about 2/3rds of the way and after we switched seats I cast my eggs and double 4’s with a red rocket #14 corky into the shadows along the cut bank. Not a minute later, on that first cast, Fish On!…it only took about 5 minutes to get it in the net.

BROOKS' STEELHEAD. (JASON BROOKS)

And it was back to the oars…after all, I did get a fish in the box.

Another great day on the river, and I am so glad I got that drift boat!

Jason

THE AUTHOR'S SUMMER RUN DOWN THE COWLITZ WAS MOSTLY ROWING EXERCISE, BUT HE ALSO LANDED THE TRIP'S ONLY STEELHEAD DURING THE FIVE MINUTES HE WAS OFF THE OARS. (JASON BROOKS)

SnoCo Angler Lands 76-pd. Kenai King

The fishing hole wasn’t paying off and the guide was getting antsy.

“‘Let’s reel in and go to a different spot, this spot sucks,'” John Nordin of Lake Stevens, Wash., recalls him saying while fishing on the Kenai River in mid-July.

So Nordin, who runs an investment company, began bringing in his K-16 with a sardine wrap.

But he didn’t get far.

Ten cranks in and something big grabbed the plug.

Something way, way, way bigger than any of the salmon Nordin had previously fought on the Snohomish, or the 33-pound king he once landed at Sekiu.

It took him 30 minutes and a half mile of water to wrestle the huge fish to the boat.

“That fish kicked my butt,” he told the Lake Stevens Journal. “My heart was pumping so hard, I didn’t want to loose it. I was drained at the end, I couldn’t believe it. I did everything my guide said to do.”

JOHN NORDIN'S MONSTER KENAI KING. (JOHN NORDIN)

He was fishing with Fenton Brothers Guided Sportfishing.

Once the king was in the boat, he had it weighed on a riverside scale. It pegged the monster at 76 pounds, he says.

It also was 53 1/2 inches long and 34 inches around.

“They say it was the biggest this year,” says Nordin.

He attributes the hookup to “a little extra wiggle” in the plug as he reeled it in.

A taxidermist took the skin for a mount.

It was Nordin’s first trip up north, a weeklong fishfest that also saw he and former classmates of his from Lake Stevens High School catch sockeye until their arms ached, lots of rainbows and several other large Kenai kings.

But none the size of Nordin’s.

“It sets the bar for the guys to beat next year,” he says.

Yeah, we’d say so!