Northwest Outdoor Report

November 10, 2012

Clam Dig Next Weekend WDFW just announced another razor clam dig next week. Twin Harbors beach will be open Tuesday thru Saturday, and on Thursday Long Beach will open up and over the weekend Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis, and Mocrocks beaches will all be open for razor clamming. Clamming generally starts two hours before […]

Floatfishing Tip: Fly Line Floatant for Better Mending

November 7, 2012

This is an old school floatfishing tip that I’m surprised more people don’t know about. If you do any amount of floatfishing for salmon or steelhead then you know how much of a pain in the arse it can be to mend the last thirty to fourty feet of line. And the further away your […]

Do you have “The NAK” for fishing

October 15, 2012

I’m often asked which scents I use. And, while there are many options available, most of the time, I use three: Pautzke Nectar, anise and krill. These scents, when combined and mixed properly, make a difference. Nectar, Anise, Krill or “NAK”, as I call it, is the additive I rely on for Northwest salmon and steelhead […]

My Top 4 Breakfast Joints

September 13, 2012

Maybe I was thinking about this because I just polished off my boring breakfast of oatmeal and fruit. At the ripe old age of 41 I’m trying to watch my diet a little closer these days, but don’t think for one furry second that I’ve forgotten about the memorable morning meals I’ve had at these […]

“Went Springer Fishing”, just couldn’t keep the Trout off.

April 27, 2012

“Went Springer Fishing”, just couldn’t keep the Trout off… Sometimes you just have to say the heck with the boat dealio and revert back to a much less involved, relaxing kind of day. I love these kinds of spring days.  The ones where you call up a fishing buddy and say, “hey, let’s go bank […]

Sunshine and Springers

April 13, 2012

Sunshine and Springers About a half hour ago, my wife Sheri proclaims as she walked through her kitchen, "this house smells like fish". Yes honey, yes it does. It's that damn Chinook, I can't help it, if it's a Fall fish or Spring Chinook, there is that distinctive smell. I guess all things considered, that's […]

The 2012 Salmon Forecasts!!!

February 29, 2012

I know, I've got issues..I await the salmon forecast numbers like a kid waiting for Christmas morning. Hello, my name is Tom and I am a "salmon sicko". After watching the numbers for a number of years (never mind how many…) I've found that you can "call some shots" by digging into the forecast numbers. The […]

One Day in February

February 16, 2012

It's no secret that I get the steelhead bug bad, real bad in February. This is the time of year when those big bruiser wild steelhead enter the rivers in Washington and for some reason I absolutely geek out when that happens. It could be that they have a reputation as being the hardest fighting […]

Four Techniques for Schwacking Chum Salmon

November 2, 2011

I was talking to guide Phil Stephens of Mystical Legends Guide Service last week about how the fishing had been recently on the Humptulips River and he exclaimed, "There's plenty of kings and silvers in there but you can't get past the infestation of chums to get to them!" Eeek…tough duty Phil! I'm still chuckling […]

A Story About the Fishiest Dude I Know

July 29, 2011

BY JOHN WHITLATCH. It all started with an unexpected phone call about 18 yrs ago. I had just graduated from high school and was struggling to become a professional fishing guide. The summer days were growing long and warm when my neighbor and long time family friend Randy Bovy called. He wanted to take his […]