5 TIP’S FOR HIGH WATER STEELHEAD by Jason Brooks Two weeks of rain and counting with more to come. It seems like our rivers and streams will never come back “into shape” and our winter steelhead season continues to dwindle down from months to weeks. Rain and high water makes it difficult but it doesn’t […]
The possibility of having a smelt season on any tributary of the Columbia River – including the highly popular Cowlitz River dip-net fishery – is still up in the air, but chances are very slim according to the latest news coming out from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). They’re predicting the smelt […]
Razor clam diggers who rang in the New Year by hitting coastal beaches had plenty of celebration time with excellent digging success. “It was good digging on just about every beach, and people were having a wonderful time,” said Dan Ayres, the head Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) coastal shellfish manager. “I was […]
By Mark Yuasa A look back at summer salmon fisheries showed a mash-up of surprises both good, bad and downright ugly. Salmon catches along the coast this past summer in general were decent for chinook, but mainly somewhat a mixed bag of success for coho. “At Neah Bay we saw a lot of chinook and […]
The good news for salmon anglers is two-fold as the chinook fishery reopens in some local marine areas, but the bigger news is what appears to be an extremely strong chum return. “It appears we’re at the beginning of a stronger than forecasted chum run for Hood Canal and South Sound,” said Marisa Litz, a […]
by Jason Brooks With a dry summer and now a fall that is extending the dry season our rivers are extremely low. But even with the skinny water the salmon need to get to the spawning grounds and are entering with each new tide. What might seem like lock-jawed fish it can be very frustrating […]
Diggers search for razor clams as the sun drops over the weatern horizon off Moclips Beach. By Mark Yuasa Those making plans to hit the coast for razor clams Oct. 6-7 will have to hit the pause button until early next week when a final, final decision will come to light. “I did have a […]
Coastal razor clam enthusiasts are waiting for the green light on whether the first digs of the autumn season will come to fruition, and much of that hinges on marine toxin test results. “We did our first run of results on Monday, and all the domoic acid — a natural marine toxin produced by certain […]
By Mark Yuasa For those like me who missed out on the Buoy 10 chinook fishery at the Lower Columbia River mouth last month, you can still score a second chance to catch those exact same fish about 375 miles upstream. “The fish counts for chinook have really shot up at Bonneville and McNary dams this […]
Alternatives for Deer Camp’s Affected by Wildfire by Jason Brooks With several wildfires burning up the Cascade mountains from Mt. Rainier to the Canadian border those that like to hunt mule deer might have to make different plans this year. With six major fires that are all but out of control with no end in […]
