If previous years are any indication, more than 300,000 Washingtonians will kick off the 2006-07 fishing season with the lowland lakes trout-fishing opener, set for April 29.

But why wait until then to purchase a new license? State fishing and hunting licenses expire at midnight March 31, and there are plenty of reasons to have a new one in hand in the weeks ahead.

True, current fishing and shellfishing licenses will still be valid for the razor-clam dig that gets under way March 25 at five ocean beaches. But anglers will need a 2006-07 license when dozens of lakes in eastern Washington open for trout fishing April 1 or when halibut season begins April 9 in Puget Sound.

Hunters have good reason to renew their licenses early, too. A new youth spring wild turkey season is scheduled April 8-9 statewide prior to the general spring turkey hunt that gets under way April 15.

"We encourage people to renew their fish and hunting licenses early, so they can take advantage of all the great outdoor recreation opportunities available in this state," said Frank Hawley, WDFW licensing manager. "The cost for a seasonal license is the same whether you buy it in April or July, and there are a lot of terrific opportunities available between now and then."

The rates for annual fishing and hunting licenses remain unchanged from last year. Not counting dealer fees, the resident adult freshwater fishing license is $21.90; saltwater is $19.71; shellfish/seaweed is $10.95; and a combination license is $41.61. A Puget Sound crab endorsement is $3. Resident hunting licenses vary with package options, ranging from a small-game license at $32.85 to a deer/elk/cougar/bear combination license for $72.27.

Most annual licenses include a WDFW vehicle-use permit, which gives the bearer access to more than 600 WDFW recreational access sites throughout the state. Sold separately, the annual permit costs $10.95.

Due to budget reductions adopted by the state Legislature in 2003, licenses and permits are no longer sold over-the-counter at any of the WDFW offices around the state. Instead, all sales have been shifted to retail license dealers, the website and toll-free phone line listed below.

To purchase a license electronically, go to https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov/ on the Internet. Those currently listed in the WILD system will need either their WILD licensing identification number, Social Security number, or driver's license number, as well as name and date of birth in order to purchase online. New customers must also provide their address, telephone number, Social Security number, height, weight and eye color.

Licenses can also be purchased by telephone by calling 1-866-246-9453. For those interested in buying a license in person, a list of license vendors is available on the WDFW website at (http://wdfw.wa.gov/lic/vendors/vendors.htm) or from local WDFW offices.

Another option is to enter a friend or family member in WDFW's quarterly drawings for a lifetime of base hunting and fishing privileges. Tickets cost $6.50 for state residents and $12.50 for non-residents. Each ticket is valid 365 days and provides an individual at least eight opportunities to win a lifetime of base hunting and fishing privileges.

Right now, WDFW fish hatchery crews are busily stocking trout in lakes across the state for opening day. Here's a regional summary of outdoor activities available between now and then:

North Puget Sound

• Fishing: The region continues to be decent for blackmouth anglers. Marine Area 7 (San Juan Islands) has been productive with reports of nice-size fish, some pushing 25 pounds, said Steve Thiesfeld, Puget Sound recreational salmon manager for WDFW. "Given the reports we've received lately from the San Juans, anglers should try and take advantage of the few remaining fishing days in that area," Thiesfeld said. Blackmouth fishing closes March 31 in Marine Area 7.

  Anglers, however, can continue to chase blackmouth in marine areas 8-1 (Deception Pass, Hope Island and Skagit Bay) and 8-2 (Port Susan and Port Gardner) through April. Fishing in those two areas has been slow but steady. "It's not as hot as it was in January, but those two areas continue to kick out some nice blackmouth," Thiesfeld said. Anglers fishing marine areas 8-1 and 8-2 have a daily limit of two salmon, but wild chinook must be released. Unlike hatchery fish, wild chinook have an intact adipose fin.

  The Everett ramp continued to be one of the busiest locations in the region, with 59 anglers checking in 12 chinook March 18, and 116 fishers hauling in 13 blackmouth March 19. Another busy ramp was Bellingham's, where 31 anglers accounted for five chinook March 18, while 73 fishers checked in 18 blackmouth the following day.

  Saltwater anglers looking for a change of pace will soon have an opportunity to hook a halibut. The halibut season opens April 9 throughout the region - five days earlier than last season. Fishing is open five days a week, Thursday through Monday, with a daily limit of one halibut and no minimum size limit.

  This time of year, steelhead anglers in northern Puget Sound are limited to catch-and-release fisheries on the Skagit and Sauk rivers. Reports from both rivers continue to show decent fishing for wild steelhead, particularly in the Sauk. Anglers planning to fish for steelhead in northern Puget Sound should check the 2005/2006 Fishing in Washington pamphlet (http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regs/fishregs.htm) and WDFW's Emergency Rule Changes, which are posted on the same website.

  One of the last opportunities for the public to comment on this year's proposed salmon-fishing seasons will be at a meeting in Lynnwood on March 30. The meeting, which is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. at the Lynnwood Embassy Suites Hotel, 20610 44th Ave. W., is designed to continue developing preliminary proposals for 2006 salmon fisheries. The final fishing package for the ocean, as well as nearshore coastal, Puget Sound and Columbia River waters, will be finalized in early April in Sacramento, Calif. More information about the salmon season-setting process, including salmon forecasts, can be found on the North of Falcon website (http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/northfalcon/).

• Wildlife viewing: The Saratoga Passage and Possession Sound areas have been frequented by gray whales recently. Two to three grays have been sighted in the waterways and were even spotted feeding near Possession Point. An observer reporting to the Orca Network (http://www.orcanetwork.org/sightings/map.html) identified one of the gray whales as "Patch," an annual visitor with a large white spot on his right side. A few gray whales reside in Washington's waters during the summer, and are known to move throughout the state's nearshore areas and often into British Columbia.

  A birder in the region reported a rare sighting near Snohomish - a wild turkey. The bird, one of the largest birds found in North America, was spotted on State Route 9, according to the Tweeters birding website (http://www.scn.org/earth/tweeters/). Common in eastern and southwest Washington, the wild turkey is not typically seen in the Snohomish area. The wild turkey is an unusual looking bird, with a small unfeathered head and thin neck that appears disproportional to its large brown body. The turkeys are usually found in flocks and typically move around by walking, although they can fly, according to the Seattle Audubon Society (http://www.birdweb.org/birdweb/index.aspx).

  Near Alki Beach, another birder recently spotted an eared grebe, the smallest grebe in Washington. Eared grebes fluctuate in weight and muscle throughout the year, and go through a number of flightless periods, according to the Seattle Audubon Society. Eared grebes may spend as much as 10 months of the year unable to fly.

  For a unique birding experience, check out the fourth-annual "Wings Over Water" Northwest Birding Festival, March 24-26 in Blaine and Birch Bay. The festival celebrates birds that annually visit the area, and includes bird-viewing stations, seminars and exhibits, live raptor displays and field trips of Semiahmoo Spit and Blaine's Marine Park. More information is available at http://www.washingtonbrant.org/events.html.

South Sound/Olympic Peninsula

• Fishing: The arrival of spring signals the start of several new fisheries, while others wind down for the season. The result is a veritable gumbo of fishing opportunities, including razor clams, lingcod, steelhead, halibut and the possibility of catching a spring chinook salmon.

  For a start, razor-clam enthusiasts should be aware that WDFW has approved a dig on all five ocean beaches March 25-28. Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks, Copalis and Kalaloch will all open for digging on evening tides March 25-27. Two of those beaches - Twin Harbors and Mocrocks - will also open for a fourth day of digging March 28.

  As during previous digs this season, no digging will be allowed before noon at any of those beaches. Low evening tide will be 3:14 p.m. March 25 (+0.3 ft.), 4:07 p.m. March 26 (0.0 ft.), 4:55 p.m. March 27 (-0.2 ft.) and 5:39 p.m. March 28 (-0.1 ft.).

  WDFW is also tentatively planning a dig for late April - the first of the season scheduled on morning tides. Provided toxin tests are favorable, Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks and Copalis are all tentatively scheduled to open April 28-30 on morning tides, followed by a one-day dig May 1 at Twin Harbors and Mocrocks. An April opening at Kalaloch is in question, however, because the clam harvest on that beach has been unusually low during recent digs.

  Meanwhile, lingcod fishing got under way March 18 in ocean areas south of Cape Alava and the initial reports are promising. Anglers aboard charter boats fishing out of Westport are averaging about one ling per rod, most running 7 to 10 pounds apiece, said Wendy Beeghley, a WDFW fish biologist. "Charter fishers are doing really well," said Beeghley, noting that about a dozen boats are working the fishery during weekends. Most private boats are fishing Grays Harbor, she said.

  Sampling efforts are currently confined to Marine Area 2 (Westport), but WDFW will start sampling the catch in marine areas 1 (Ilwaco) and 3 (LaPush) on May 1. Marine Area 4 (Neah Bay) will open for lingcod fishing April 16. In all four ocean areas, the catch limit is two fish per day, measuring at least 24 inches. Anglers fishing in Marine Area 2 should be aware of a 30-fathom depth restriction approved March 3 to protect yelloweye rockfish. (See http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regs/fishregs.htm on the WDFW website.)

  Hoping to tie into an even bigger fish? This year's halibut fishery gets under way April 9 in marine areas 6-11 and 13 of Puget Sound. The fishery will be open five days per week, Thursday through Monday, through June 18. Best bets for catching a big flatfish in April are marine areas 6, 9 and 13, said Michele Culver, a WDFW fish biologist. "The fishing should be good, and we've heard that April is the best time to go," Culver said. Later openings set for the coast and other areas are described on the WDFW website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/do/newreal/release.php?id=mar0306b.

  Catch rates for wild steelhead have been strong as the fishery nears the finish line on several area rivers. On the Hoh River, 152 anglers interviewed from March 17-19 had caught 105 steelhead, all but a few of them wild fish. All of those wild fish were released. The Hoh will close to all steelhead fishing the evening of March 31, as will the Wynoochee, Satsop and some other area rivers. Before heading out, steelhead anglers are advised to call the WDFW Fishing Hotline (360-902-2500) or check the WDFW website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regs/fishregs.htm.

  The Quillayute River system, which remains open through April 30, should continue to provide good steelhead fishing in the weeks ahead, said Mike Gross, a WDFW fish biologist. "Fishing has been pretty good recently, but a little rain would help," he said. On the Calawah, one river in the Quillayute system, anglers averaged a fish per rod in creel checks conducted March 17-19. The same was true for the 49 anglers checked on the Sol Duc River during that period, although 78 anglers checked on the Bogachiel had hooked just 32 steelhead.

  Gross said anglers have taken a few spring chinook salmon in the Quillayute system, where all wild spring chinook must be released. Anglers have also reported catching spring chinook in several marine areas, although those fish may actually be large blackmouth, said Steve Thiesfeld, WDFW Puget Sound recreational salmon manager.

  "A lot of anglers assume that if they catch a 20- or 30-pound salmon at this time of year, it must be a spring chinook," Thiesfeld said. "They may be right, but chances are good it's a big old blackmouth."

  Either way, chinook fishing has been picking up in several areas, notably the eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca (Marine Area 6). At Ediz Hook in Port Angeles, anglers have been averaging about one fish for every four rods. In the waters off Point Defiance (Marine Area 11), catch rates have been even better some days.

  Can't make this month's razor clam dig? Here are some additional clam-digging opportunities recently announced by WDFW:

  • Illahee State Park, Kitsap County: Sport clam and oyster fishing seasons will open April 1 through July 31.

  • West Bewatto (DNR 44-A), Mason County: Sport clam season is extended through May 31.

  • Dosewallips State Park, Jefferson County: Sport clam season will open May 15 through July 31.

  • Fort Flagler State Park, Jefferson County: Sport clam season will open April 1 through July 15.

  • Point Whitney Tidelands, Jefferson County: Sport clam season is extended through July 1.

  • Point Whitney Lagoon, Jefferson County: Sport clam season will open Aug. 1-31.

• Wildlife viewing: Nearly 600 brant geese were counted earlier this year between Fort Flagler, Oak Bay and the waters between Indian and Marrowstone Islands on the Olympic Peninsula. Locals can expect many more to pass through during the next few weeks as they head north to their breeding areas in coastal Alaska and Canadian Arctic. Brants are similar to Canada geese but smaller and darker with a shorter neck. They rarely stray from salt water.

  The peak time for waterfowl migration has arrived and birds of all descriptions should be on display in time for the Olympic Peninsula Birdfest March 31 through April 2 in Sequim. The festival is offering a full slate for bird-watching fans, including guided birding trips, boat tours, kayaking, salmon banquet and many presentations. Birdfest is sponsored by the Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society, Dungeness River Audubon Center and Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe. For more information, call 360-681-4076, or email: rivercenter@olympus.net

  Another sure sign of spring is the familiar "ribbitt" of the Pacific tree frog, the smallest but loudest amphibian of the Pacific Northwest. From March to May when eggs are laid, males repeat the two-toned mating call to protect their part of the pond from other males and to attract females. The call can be heard as far as a mile or more away.

  Spring courting may have been in the works near Tenino where a hiker on the Chehalis Western Trail spotted five western bluebirds near some nesting boxes. Two peregrin falcons were seen around a nest box near the Warren Ave. bridge in Bremerton.

Southwest Washington:

• Fishing: After a promising start, the spring chinook fishery on the lower Columbia River slowed during the third week of March even as the number of anglers multiplied. Creel checks of 961 salmonid anglers fishing below the Interstate 5 bridge turned up 33 chinook and nine steelhead - or about one chinook for every 30 rods. By comparison, surveys in the same area a week earlier revealed a catch rate for every 16.8 rods.

  "The action has been fairly decent in an area one day and then slow the next," said Joe Hymer, a WDFW fish biologist. "It's too early to draw any meaningful conclusions about the run from two weeks of sampling, but catch rates should get more consistent as the fishery progresses."

  On the Cowlitz River, 69 bank anglers interviewed from barrier dam to the mouth caught one spring chinook and seven winter steelhead during the week of March 13. Most of the fish were caught from Olequa downstream. Thirty-seven boat anglers interviewed on the Cowlitz that week had caught 13 winter steelhead, most taken around Blue Creek. Meanwhile, 34 bank anglers checked on the Lewis River accounted for just one steelhead and no chinook salmon. Nineteen boat anglers caught just one chinook.

  As of March 17, only two spring chinook had been counted at Bonneville Dam, so the upriver fishery has not yet gotten under way, Hymer said. Bank anglers fishing in The Dalles Pool did, however, hook up with 13 steelhead that week, 10 of them hatchery fish. Boat anglers focused on walleye, averaging about a fish per rod in the Bonneville Pool and a fish for every two rods in The Dalles Pool. Bass are also beginning become active above Bonneville Dam.

  Undersized fish continued to provide most of the action in the sturgeon fishery above and below Bonneville Dam, although anglers are pulling some "keepers" from Bonneville, The Dalles, and John Day pools.

  For upriver salmon anglers waiting for the spring chinook run to arrive, Hymer recommends keeping an eye on fish counts at Bonneville Dam posted on the Army Corps of Engineers website at http://www.nwp.usace.army.mil/op/fishdata/home.asp. The fishery in the mainstem Columbia River will be open through April 30 from the Tower Island power lines, approximately six miles below The Dalles Dam, to McNary Dam. The limit for chinook salmon is six marked (fin-clipped) fish, only two of which can be adults. All chum and sockeye must be released.

  Under new rules approved this year, anglers will also be required to release any wild, unclipped chinook salmon they catch on Drano Lake, lower Wind River, White Salmon River and Klickitat River. Wind River and Drano Lake opened for hatchery chinook retention March 16, while the Klickitat will open April 1. Once it opens, the spring chinook fishery in the Klickitat River will be open Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays from the mouth to the Fisher Hill Bridge. The other areas will be open seven days per week except Drano Lake, which will be closed Wednesday beginning in mid April.

  Anglers looking for some action in the Vancouver area might want to try Klineline Pond, which was planted with 1,000 catchable-size brown trout. In the week that followed, 39 bank anglers pulled 62 browns and 52 rainbows out of the pond in Salmon Creek Park.

• Hunting: The spring wild turkey season runs April 15 through May 15 in southwest Washington and throughout the state. The general season follows a special hunt April 8-9 for young people age 16 and younger. For more information, see the Wild Turkey Spring Season brochure on the WDFW website (http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/game/water/turkey/index.htm).

• Wildlife viewing: The rufous hummingbird, a harbinger of spring, has begun returning to the region. A birder in Camas reported seeing one in a feeder in February and others were spotted in Skamania County and Centralia in March. Males appear earlier than females, typically arriving in time for the native red-flowering current, salmonberry and Indian plum bushes to bloom. Nectar feeders filled with a homemade sugar mixture (four parts boiling water to one part refined sugar; let cool before filling) will draw these hummers to backyards.

  Large flocks of geese are heading north in another springtime ritual. One group of about 2,000 Canada geese were seen near the Chehalis Airport recently. Among another large flock at the Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge near Washougal in Clark County, birders found a pair of greater white-fronted geese. Hikers on the same Columbia Gorge field trip spotted canvasback and several wood ducks on Franz Lake, two pairs of Barrow's goldeneye and several horned grebes on Drano Lake at the mouth of the Little White Salmon River. In the Columbia River at Wind Mountain near Home Valley, the group found a large flock of greater and lesser scaup which contained more than twenty common goldeneye and two western grebe.

Eastern Washington:

• Fishing: Anglers at early-opening and year-round rainbow trout lakes throughout the region are seeing good catches of 8- to 12-inch fish, with occasional larger catches either from "jumbo" hatchery plants or winter carryovers. Among the Tucannon River impoundments in Columbia County, Blue, Rainbow and Spring lakes just received 100 more "jumbo" rainbows from the Tucannon Fish Hatchery. Spring and Watson lakes also received a couple thousand more catchables (8- to 12-inchers) each. Walla Walla County's Bennington Lake, a reservoir that is open to fishing year-round, but is drained and filled annually, is now full of water and trout. WDFW Lyons Ferry and Tucannon hatchery crews stocked Bennington with 7,000 rainbows this week. More will be added next month and through June. Walla Walla County's Quarry Pond just received another 2,500 catchable-size rainbows. Asotin County's year-round waters - Golf Course and West Evans ponds - were each stocked with 150 jumbo rainbows. Lincoln County's Coffeepot Lake is producing nice catches of rainbows, but anglers there need to comply with selective gear rules and a two-trout daily catch limit. Spokane County's Amber Lake is also productive for both rainbow and cutthroat trout, but it's catch-and-release only until April 29. After April 29, the lake will still be under selective gear rules.

  John Whalen, WDFW regional fish program manager, said that all selective-gear waters will change on May 1. "Those changes require anglers to use knotless nets to reduce abrasion and scale loss and therefore increase survival of released fish," he said. "Most fly fishers already use knotless nets, but others will need to gear up."

  Snake River drainage steelhead fishing continues to be productive in the last weeks of the season. Best catch rates were reported near the mouth of the Grand Ronde River where steelheaders averaged just a little over an hour of fishing per steelhead caught. The Touchet River was almost that good, and the Tucannon River measured just under two hours per fish caught. Anglers on the Walla Walla River averaged a little under three hours per steelhead. Check out the full details of the latest creel survey at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/creel/snake/index.htm. Steelhead fishing closes on the Snake River mainstem March 31, while portions of tributaries like the Grande Ronde, Touchet, and Tucannon rivers remain open through April 15. Check the fishing regulations pamphlet for all details.

• Wildlife viewing: Bird species recently spotted throughout the eastern region are a sure sign that spring has arrived. Western and mountain bluebirds have been checking out nesting possibilities as far north as Colville. Pintail ducks and other early migrating waterfowl have been observed resting and feeding in the Palouse country of Whitman County. Wild turkeys are gobbling and strutting in the woods of Spokane and Stevens counties. Red-winged blackbirds are raiding backyard feeders and setting up nesting territories in wetlands throughout the region.

  Juli Anderson, WDFW Swanson Lakes Wildlife Area Manager, said there's "a good amount of water" in the potholes country of Lincoln County. "The roads and trails here are muddy," she said. "Ducks abound, and you can hear toads and frogs very early in the morning. We've seen a pair of red-tailed hawks claim a nest, about a mile southwest of the headquarters, along Seven Springs Road. Among other returning species, we're seeing killdeer, which are always a pleasure to watch."

  Marmots have emerged from winter dens throughout the region and are especially amusing to users of the Spokane River Centennial Trail and Riverfront Park. "No handouts please," advised Howard Ferguson, WDFW district wildlife biologist. "Marmots are healthier finding their own natural foods."

  Other small mammals like skunks and raccoons are preparing to multiply soon, and Ferguson reminds homeowners and others to close crawl spaces, outbuildings, and other possibilities for nuisance nesting.

North Central Washington:

• Fishing: April 1 marks the opening of more Columbia Basin rainbow trout fisheries and WDFW District Fish Biologist Jeff Korth predicts a good season at many of them. Among the best and largest of these waters are Upper and Lower Hampton lakes on the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge, eight miles north of Othello. Both were rehabilitated in the fall of 2004, re-stocked with fingerling rainbow trout last spring (21,000 in Upper, 8,000 in Lower), and have had no fishing since. Korth says this year's opener should be very good. Lower Hampton has a primitive boat launch. Upper Hampton is a walk-in lake, however Korth says it's not too far to carry a float tube. Just below the Hampton lakes is Hen Lake, stocked with 750 rainbow fingerlings last year, which should produce similar results.

  The Pillar-Widgeon chain of lakes on the refuge should also be productive. Those lakes were also rehabilitated in 2004, re-stocked last year, and have remained un-fished until this season. "These 10 small, walk-in lakes are spread over about a square mile of beautiful canyon land," Korth said. "They will provide some good fishing for the persistent angler, with bank fishing on most, but float-tube fishing is a definite advantage. The best of the lot will probably be Widgeon, Sago, and Pillar, but never count any of the other waters out." Fingerling rainbow stocking rates were: Pillar - 2,500, Gadwall - 750, Shoveler - 750, Lemna - 450, Poacher - 150, Snipe - 600, Cattail - 1,500, Sago - 300, Hourglass - 300, Widgeon - 1,600.

  Korth reported that Para-Juvenile, McManaman, Halfmoon, and Morgan lakes, all in the lower portion of the drainage below the Hampton lakes, were well stocked last year with both rainbow and cutthroat trout. However, they won't provide as much fishing action. "Sunfish, perch, and bass currently impact trout survival," he said. "So, expect a few large fish, especially the cutthroat." Korth also noted that Morgan and much of Halfmoon are on private land, so access is from the west end of Halfmoon Lake. Para-Juvenile is only for anglers up to 14 years of age. Fingerling stocking rates (rainbow, cutthroat) were: Para-Juvenile - 2,400, 1,500; McManaman - 1,400, 1,000; Halfmoon - 3,000, 1,000; Morgan - 4,000. North and South Teal, Herman, and Lyle lakes have all been "infiltrated with spiny-rayed fish," Korth said, so rainbow trout survival has been poor. "Fishing pressure has been relatively light at these lakes so there's a good chance some bigger carry-overs will be caught," he said. Fingerling rainbow stocking rates were: North Teal - 6,300, South Teal - 9,000, Herman - 10,600, Lyle - 3,000.

  Dry Falls Lake in Sun Lakes State Park, about three miles west of Coulee City in northern Grant County opens April 1. This lake is under selective gear rules and a one trout catch limit. Well stocked with rainbows, Dry Falls catch rates have recently been "on a slide for as yet unknown reasons," Korth said. Sterile, triploid rainbow fingerlings were stocked in the lake from 1999 through 2004. "So the possibility for some true four- to seven-year old monsters is very real," he said. From 2000-2004, half the rainbow fingerlings stocked have been triploids, with an annual total of 10,000 rainbows. Except for the 2003 yearlings, the normal, diploid rainbow are adipose-clipped, and the triploids are not clipped. There are also 2,000 brown and tiger trout (a cross between a brown and brook trout) stocked annually.

  In Okanogan County, several rainbow trout-stocked lakes open to catch-and-release fishing on April 1 - Davis, Little Twin, and Campbell lakes in the Winthrop area, Little Green Lake in the Omak area, and Rat Lake in the Brewster area. WDFW District Fish Biologist Bob Jateff reminds anglers that all of these lakes are under selective gear rules and anglers should check with locals before traveling to them since some will likely still be partially frozen on April 1. Big Green, near Omak, is another lake that opens April 1 for catch-and-release, but due to a fall 2005 rehabilitation treatment, it will not be re-stocked with trout until May of this year. Spectacle Lake northwest of Tonasket, which opened March 1, will be receiving 35,000 catchable-size rainbows by the first week of April. Spectacle will also receive 1,000 one-to-two-pound triploid rainbows in April. Jateff said Spectacle, which normally closes July 31, will have a new closing date of Sept. 30 starting this year.

  Jateff also reminds anglers that the steelhead season on the Upper Columbia, Methow, Okanogan, and Similkameen rivers is scheduled to close March 31. "Steelheading should start to pick up before then in all areas as the water temperature warms up and fish become active," he said. "The jig and bobber fishermen seem to be doing the best, but fly anglers using flies with a strike indicator are also effective. Anglers who can cover a lot of ground are generally more successful, because they access areas where fish have not been disturbed as much."

  Bass, bluegill and crappie are the attraction at Adams County's Hutchinson and Shiner lakes and Coyote, Bobcat, and Hayes creeks and ponds - all opening April 1. These small warm-water fisheries usually warm up early to provide excellent fishing. Only non-motorized boats are allowed on Hutchinson and Shiner, and Coyote and Bobcat creeks and ponds are walk-in access only. Access for both areas is off McMannaman Road. Mike Schmuck, WDFW warm-water fish biologist, said other year-round warm-water species fisheries also are producing now. "With warmer weather, the bite should be picking up," Schmuck said. "Anglers have been using black Rooster Tails to catch bass at Stan Coffin Lake on our Quincy Wildlife Area in Grant County." Schmuck reminds anglers that Stan Coffin is a catch-and-release bass lake. All warm-water fishing in the northcentral region is now described on WDFW's website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regions/reg2/reg2_prospects.htm.

• Wildlife viewing: Sandhill crane viewing is in full swing now in the Columbia Basin and there are still a few tour openings at the ninth annual Othello Sandhill Crane Festival, March 24-26. The thousands of cranes that stopover during migration in the farm fields and wetlands between the Tri-Cities and Grand Coulee are the main attraction of the festival tours. There are also tours of the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge/Potholes Reservoir area wildlife, Missoula Floods and Channeled Scablands, sage grouse leks, Lower Grand Coulee birds, and Wahluke Slope/Shrub Steppe birds. Additional tours after the festival will be conducted April 1 and April 8. Festival registration includes talks by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service crane biologist Steve Bouffard on "Crane-ology," Joan Garland of the International Crane Foundation on whooping cranes, and WDFW watchable wildlife expert Chuck Gibilisco on crane viewing worldwide. Other festival lectures, field trips, children's activities and booths also cover other wildlife, and the geology and history of the Columbia Basin. For more information call 509-488-2802 ext. 100 or see http://www.othellosandhillcranefestival.org/.

  Birdwatchers in the Columbia Basin recently reported seeing a long-billed curlew on Lower Crab Creek Road east of Corfu, a western kingbird west of Potholes State Park on Highway 262, a snowy owl near the Tokio Road I-90 exit in Adams County, and lots of western meadowlarks and yellow-headed, red-winged and tri-colored blackbirds throughout the area. Thousands of diving ducks, mostly common goldeneyes, lesser scaups, buffleheads, and common mergansers, are on the Columbia River reservoirs now.

  Further north in the region, WDFW District Wildlife Biologist Scott Fitkin of Winthrop reports that there is new snow on the ground and winter refuses to give way to spring. "But things are starting to green up in the Okanogan watershed and bird migration is picking up," he said. "In addition to early songbird migrants, there should be lots of waterfowl and wading birds moving north in the Okanogan Valley and making rest stops on any open water." Fitkin suggested a trip to WDFW's Sinlahekin Wildlife Area and other public land parcels along the Okanogan River just below Oroville for wildlife viewing. "There's also a good chance this time of year to see bighorn sheep at the base of Mt Hull just east of Highway 97," he said. "The sheep are often seen from the highway in orchards and pastures."

South Central Washington:

• Fishing: WDFW enforcement officers recently reported "excellent" walleye catches on the Columbia River below John Day Dam southeast of Goldendale. Some fishing boats checked had landed five to seven walleye. The daily limit is 10 walleye with no more than five over 18 inches and no more than one over 24 inches. One 47.5-inch sturgeon was checked below McNary Dam, and fortunately officers were able to release the fish unharmed. The angler was verbally warned for the undersized sturgeon. Minimum size for sturgeon in that stretch of the Columbia River is 48 inches, maximum size is 60 inches and the catch limit is one. Recent Yakima River drift-boat patrols showed only light fishing activity. Some bass have recently been harvested on the Snake and Columbia rivers. Warm-water fish species were also the target of anglers recently checked at Worth Lake, northwest of Mesa in Franklin County. A total of 35 rainbow trout fishers recently checked at Mattoon Lake averaged four trout apiece. Trout fishermen at Myron Lake in Yakima County were recently cited by WDFW officers for exceeding the bag limit, violating gear rules, and fishing without licenses. Myron has a one trout catch limit and selective gear rules (no bait, single barbless hook) are in effect.

  "All of these selective-gear waters will see a change on May 1 that anglers should be thinking about now as they gear up for spring and summer fishing," said Jim Cummins, WDFW fish biologist. "Those changes will require anglers to use knotless nets to reduce abrasion and scale loss and therefore increase survival of released fish." Cummins said most fly fishers already use knotless nets, but others will need to gear up.

  Two Franklin County fisheries recently received more hatchery stock. Dalton Lake was stocked with 2,500 catchable-size (8-12 inch) rainbows and Marmes Pond was stocked with 100 catchable rainbows. Anglers can check the weekly stocking report for the latest information at Catchable Trout Plant Weekly Reports (http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/plants/weekly/).

• Wildlife viewing: Winter elk feeding is over at WDFW's Oak Creek Wildlife Area southwest of Yakima, where elk are transitioning to other areas to forage. John McGowan, WDFW area manager, says it's a very critical time for winter-weary elk, even when they've had supplemental feed for the past several months, and the use of closed roads by antler hunters is making things worse. "This has been the longest and definitely the wettest winter I've seen in my 17 years here," McGowan said. "That's hard on elk. So in their poor condition they don't need disturbance on their early spring foraging areas. That's why we have the Oak Creek, Bethel Ridge, Sandford Pasture, and Mud Lake road systems closed to use through April 30." Shed hunters may not think that their chasing elk around at this time of year hurts them, he said. "But harassment like that can be all it takes to finally kill an animal that's on the edge right now," McGowan said. He also noted that several elk have been found dead and WDW enforcement officers are increasing patrols of closed roads.

  Wildlife enthusiasts can enjoy another spectacular species on Oak Creek, McGowan said. Golden eagles are nesting on the cliffs on the south side of the Tieton River and other parts of the wildlife area. McGowan says the most easily observed pair is near the river bend rock climbing area about two miles west of the Oak Creek headquarters. The nest can be seen with binoculars from a parking area off Highway 12. The parking area requires the WDFW access decal. A foot trail from the parking area is open upstream, but closed until April 1 downstream. The rock climbing area is closed through July to keep the birds undisturbed.

  WDFW Fish Biologist Jim Cummins recommends getting out to see spring wildflowers blooming in shrub steppe habitat right next door to the Cowiche unit of the Oak Creek Wildlife Area. Cummins recently hiked the Snow Mountain Ranch portion of the Cowiche Canyon Conservancy and enjoyed sagebrush buttercup, grass widow, yellow bell, fern-leaf parsley, salt and pepper, and several other early blooming wildflowers. He reported the same flowers blooming adjacent to the Cowiche Canyon Trail just west of Yakima, accessed via Scenic Drive (near the end of the road) and Weikle Road. Access to Snow Mountain Ranch is from Cowiche Mill Road just east of Oak Creek Wildlife Area's Cowiche unit, which is closed until May 1. For additional information, see http://www.cowichecanyon.org/.

  Bird species recently spotted in the southcentral region are a sure sign that spring has arrived. Birdwatchers in the lower Yakima Valley in and around the Toppenish National Wildlife Refuge reported two singing sage sparrows along Pumphouse Road, several tree swallows near Marion Drain Road, a redhead duck at the refuge headquarters pond, and well over 100 tundra swans throughout the area.