We are living life in a moment where change seems to happen by the minute and this newly implemented ruling will turn the statewide sport fishing world upside down for the time being. It was just a few weeks ago when many anglers were making spring fishing plans for a last chance winter chinook or […]
After Governor Inslee’s announcement this afternoon about a “Stay at Home” order that will take effect in 48 hours the phone has been ringing off the hook and emails are flooding in with questions on what this all means to our Washington sport fisheries. “We are working with the Governor’s office on at least 20 […]
One way to break away from the March Madness that has many on edge is wetting a line for spring trout fishing opportunities. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) will begin planting millions of trout now through late spring although there will be some changes for those looking to get a jump start. […]
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife unveiled their 2020 salmon forecasts at a public meeting in Olympia this past Friday, and there could be some potential roadblocks in carving out fishing seasons. “For Puget Sound chinook forecasts we are a little lower but general numbers of hatchery returns are about where they have been,” […]
While the Columbia River coho struggle it appears the preliminary chinook returns will be much improved over the 2019 forecast and actual return. In all, 431,000 fall chinook are expected to return to the Big-C compared to a forecast in 2019 of 340,400 and an actual return of 375,700. The lower river hatchery is about […]
Proper Fish Care by Jason Brooks After years of fishing all over the Northwest, from local ponds to remote fly-in camps, I have learned that you must take care of your fish the proper way to be able to enjoy it for months afterwards. Bleeding the fish by cutting the gills is just the first step […]
Predicting salmon returns is a lot like betting your life savings in the lottery, and while the Columbia River coho forecast doesn’t look very rosy on paper it is probable that we’ll still come out in April when fisheries are finalized with some type of summer ocean fisheries package. The Oregon Production Index, which provides […]
For the first time since 2017, smelt dip-netters will get a chance to try their luck in the Cowlitz River on Friday (Feb. 14) from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. from the Highway 432 Bridge to the Al Helenberg Memorial boat launch located approximately 1,300 feet upstream from the Highway 411/A Street Bridge in Castle […]
If you can’t smell the flowers or in this case the eulachon – better known to many as smelt – then it’s likely that sniffing them out in the Columbia River mainstem or two lower-river tributaries will depend on in-season factors, according to a recently released joint Washington and Oregon fishery managers stock assessment report. […]
Break out of the winter doldrums by digging into a fun night-time affair happening right now on many local saltwater beaches. The first thought in the lightbulb glowing above your head are coastal razor clams, but did you know there’s a bounty of other shellfish within a short drive from the greater Seattle area. Finding […]
