Good fishing for spring chinook salmon has been drawing large numbers of anglers to the lower Columbia River, where a survey team counted more than 1,500 boats on the last Saturday in March.

"This fishery is definitely up and running, with catch rates running as high a chinook per boat in some areas" said Joe Hymer, a fish biologist for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). "We haven't seen fishing this good in a number of years."

But anglers - as well as hunters - will also have an array of other recreational opportunities to consider as new fishing and hunting seasons open this month. New possibilities include fishing for halibut or lake trout, digging razor clams or hunting spring turkey in areas throughout the state.

"April really marks the start of the new year for fishing and hunting," said WDFW Director Jeff Koenings. "While some winter fisheries are still going strong, the cycle begins again this month with a new year of outdoor activities. Whether you like to fish, hunt or observe animals in the wild, this is a great time to get in on the action."

Koenings recommends that anglers and hunters keep the following dates in mind:

• April 5-6 - A two-day spring turkey hunt for hunters age 15 and younger is scheduled statewide.

• April 6-9 - A razor clam dig is tentatively planned at various ocean beaches on morning tides, pending the results of marine toxin tests. See the South Sound/Olympic Peninsula regional report below for more information.

• April 10 - Sportfishing for halibut opens in most areas of Puget Sound (marine areas 6-11 and 13) five days a week, Thursdays through Mondays.

• April 15 - The general spring turkey hunt opens for hunters of all ages and runs through May 31. See WDFW's Washington Wild Turkey Spring Season pamphlet for details http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/game/water/turkey/index.htm.

• April 16 - Lingcod fishing opens off Neah Bay in Marine Area 4. The fishery has been open in ocean marine areas 1-3 since March 17.

• April 26 - Several hundred lowland lakes open to trout fishing across the state for the biggest "opening day" of the year.

For most people, a valid 2008-09 fishing or hunting license is required to participate in upcoming fishing or hunting seasons. The exception is young people under age 15, who may fish for free. All 2007-08 licenses expired March 31.

Fishing and hunting licenses may be purchased over the Internet (https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov/), by phone (1-866-246-9453), or from license vendors throughout the state (see http://wdfw.wa.gov/lic/vendors/vendors.htm for a list).

For more information on fishing, hunting and wildlife-watching activities throughout the state, see the regional reports that follow.

North Puget Sound

• Fishing: The lowland lakes trout opener is coming up later this month, but most anglers in the region are still focused on the marine areas of Puget Sound, where blackmouth salmon fisheries remain open and the halibut season gets under way April 10.

  "Only a few weeks remain in the blackmouth season, so now's the time to get out on the water," said Steve Thiesfeld, WDFW fish biologist. "Fishing has been decent in some spots, and those anglers that made it out for the Anacortes Salmon Derby seemed to do pretty well."

  Nearly 230 fish were weighed during the Anacortes Salmon Derby, which took place March 29-30. Nancy Cabe took home the $10,000 grand prize with her 24-pound, 22-ounce fish. Keith Olson's 19.64-pound salmon was good enough for a second-place finish and $5,000, while Rod King was awarded $2,500 for his third-place fish, which weighed in at 18.34 pounds.

  Selective fisheries for hatchery blackmouth - resident chinook - continue through April in marine areas 8-1 (Deception Pass, Hope Island and Skagit Bay) and 8-2 (Port Susan and Port Gardner). However, April 15 is the last day to fish for blackmouth in Marine Area 9 (Admiralty Inlet). Anglers fishing in any of those areas can keep two hatchery blackmouth as part of their two-salmon daily limit and must release wild chinook, which have an intact adipose fin.

  Thiesfeld reminds anglers that regulations are different for Marine Area 7 (San Juan Islands), where anglers have a daily limit of one chinook salmon. That area is open for salmon through April 15.

  Dust off those halibut rods. The fishing season for big flatfish starts up April 10 in marine waters throughout the region. Mutiny and Admiralty bays, as well as Eastern and Partridge banks usually are the best bets for halibut early in the season. The fishery will be open five days a week, Thursdays through Mondays, with a daily limit of one halibut. There is no minimum size limit.

  Freshwater anglers looking to cast for trout will soon have numerous lakes to choose from. The lowland lakes trout season gets under way April 26, when many of the region's lakes - stocked with thousands of legal-sized trout - will open for anglers. Information on stocking schedules for rainbow, cutthroat and triploid trout is available on WDFW's website (http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/plants/index.htm).

  Before heading out, anglers should check the rules and regulations for all freshwater and saltwater fisheries on WDFW's website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regs/fishregs.htm.

• Hunting: The spring wild turkey season runs April 15 through May 31 throughout the state. The general season follows a special hunt April 5-6 for people age 15 and younger, said Mick Cope, WDFW upland game manager.

  "Turkey populations look strong this year," Cope said. "But hunters could have a difficult time accessing some of the traditional hunting areas because of the heavy snowfall we've had during the past several months."

  For more information, a Wild Turkey Spring Season brochure is available at WDFW regional offices and on the department's website (http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/game/water/turkey/index.htm).

• Wildlife viewing: Sightings of gray whales have been reported almost daily in the Whidbey and Camano Island areas. The large marine mammals seem to be traveling up and down Saratoga Passage, according to recent reports on the Orca Network (http://www.orcanetwork.org/sightings/map.html). While cruising between the two islands, some of the whales have been spotted feeding close to shore. The whales are part of a larger population making its annual journey north from the coast of Mexico to the Arctic Ocean, where the animals spend the summer feeding before heading south again. While most continue on to Alaska, some gray whales linger in the waters of the Pacific Northwest during the summer months.

  Meanwhile, a birder making his way through the region spotted several interesting species, including a male mountain bluebird, a flock of about 30 tundra swans, 16 trumpeter swans, three turkey vultures and a few cackling geese. The birder also saw two rhinoceros auklets and at least 50 canvasbacks, according to a report on the Tweeters birding website (http://www.scn.org/earth/tweeters/).

  Birdwatchers have an opportunity to take part in the "Wings Over Water" Northwest Birding Festival April 19 in Blaine. The festival features bird watching, guided walks, arts and crafts, duck carving demos, and educational exhibits and displays. For more information visit Blaine's Chamber of Commerce website at http://www.blainechamber.com/wow/index.html.

South Sound/Olympic Peninsula

• Fishing: Saltwater anglers can look forward to halibut fishing in Puget Sound and the expansion of lingcod fishing on the north coast this month. Razor clam digs are tentatively scheduled April 6-9 and April 19-23 at various ocean beaches, and opening day of the statewide lowland lakes trout-fishing season is set to begin April 26.

  Anglers should also be aware that the Hoh River will close to all recreational fishing effective April 3.

  The recreational halibut season opens April 10 in marine areas 6-11 and 13 (Port Angeles and Puget Sound). These fisheries will be open five days a week - Thursday through Monday - with a daily limit of one halibut. There is no minimum size limit for halibut caught in any area. Additional openings will follow in May on the coast and the western Strait of Juan de Fuca.

  For additional information, call the Fishing Hotline at (360) 902-2500 or check the WDFW website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/creel/halibut/.

  Meanwhile, lingcod fishing opened March 15 in coastal waters south of Cape Alava (marine areas 1, 2 and 3) and will open April 16 in Marine Area 4 (Neah Bay).

  All four marine areas will be open seven days a week with the following restrictions:

  • In Marine Area 2 (Westport Ocean Shores), recreational fishing for bottomfish or lingcod is not allowed in waters deeper than 30 fathoms from March 15 through June 15.

  • In Marine Areas 3 and 4 (La Push and Neah Bay), recreational fishing for bottomfish or lingcod is not allowed in waters deeper than 20 fathoms from May 21 through Sept. 30, except on days the halibut fishery is open.

  • In Marine Area 1 (Ilwaco), no bottomfish, with the exception of sablefish and Pacific cod, are allowed on any vessel with halibut on board from May 1 through Sept. 30.

  Retention of canary and yelloweye rockfish is prohibited in all waters. The minimum size for lingcod in marine areas 1-3 is 22 inches. The minimum size for lingcod in Marine Area 4 is 24 inches.

  Additional information about the lingcod fishery and other bottom fish is available on the WDFW Fishing Hotline (360-902-2500) and the department's website (http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regs/fishregs.htm).

  Meanwhile, WDFW hatchery crews are stocking 99 lakes throughout the region with 550,000 legal-size trout to prepare for the April 26 lake-fishing opener. An additional 25,300 jumbo and broodstock trout will be stocked in 61 of these lakes and ponds. Thirty-six area lakes and ponds are also stocking up on 1.5 pound triploids. For a complete trout-stocking schedule for the region, see http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/plants/regions/reg6/index.htm.

  Youngsters ages 5-14 can attend a one-day fishing event at the Kids' Klassic Family Fish-in, held at the Woodland Creek Community Park on April 19 - a week before the season opener. Children must be pre-registered to participate. For Information, call Lacey Parks and Recreation, (360) 491-0857.

  In river fishing on the north coast, anglers should note that the Hoh River and the South Fork Hoh River on the north coast of the Olympic Peninsula will close to all sport fishing April 3 to protect wild steelhead.

  Meanwhile, other rivers in the Quillayute system will remain open to steelhead fishing through April 30. Recent creel surveys showed that 42 anglers on the Bogachiel caught 21 wild steelhead and released 16. On the Calawah, anglers averaged one fish per rod and 28 anglers on the Sol Duc released eight wild fish and kept four.

  Anglers may want to put their rods aside and grab a shovel for a razor clam dig tentatively scheduled April 6-9 and April 19-23. If approved, Twin Harbors will be open on all days while Long Beach will be open April 6-8 and April 19-20. Copalis and Mocrocks will be open April 19-20. All digs will be held on morning tides.

  With April 1 marking the beginning of the current license year, all diggers must have an applicable 2008-09 fishing license to dig razor clams on any beach. Anyone age 15 or older must have a license to dig razor clams. Licenses can be purchased at http://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov, by telephone (1-866-246-9453), or in person at more than 600 license vendors throughout the state. A list of vendors is available at http://wdfw.wa.gov/lic/vendors/vendors.htm.

  Updates on the razor clam season are available at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/shelfish/razorclm/season.htm.

  No digging will be allowed after noon on any beach. Tentative early-April dates and low tides are:

  • Sunday, April 6, 7:23 a.m., -0.7 ft: Long Beach and Twin Harbors only

  • Monday, April 7, 8:09 a.m., -1.2 ft: Long Beach and Twin Harbors only

  • Tuesday, April 8, 8:55 a.m., -1.5 ft: Long Beach and Twin Harbors only

  • Wednesday, April 9, 9:43 a.m., -1.4 ft: Twin Harbors only

  Tentative mid-April dates and low tides are:

  • Saturday, April 19, 6:40 a.m., -0.1 ft: Long beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis and Mocrocks

  • Sunday, April 20, 7:18 a.m., -0.4 ft: Long beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis and Mocrocks

  • Monday, April 21, 7:55 a.m., -0.6 ft: Twin Harbors only

  • Tuesday, April 22, 8:30 a.m., -0.6 ft: Twin Harbors only

  • Wednesday, April 23, 9:06 a.m., -0.5 ft: Twin Harbors only

• Hunting: The spring wild turkey season runs April 15 through May 31 throughout the state. The general season follows a special hunt April 5-6 for people age 16 and younger. For more information, a Wild Turkey Spring Season brochure is available at WDFW regional offices and on the department's website http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/game/water/turkey/.

• Wildlife viewing: For those interested in spring bird watching, two popular birding festivals are coming up in the region. The first takes place along the bays, estuaries and beaches near the Strait of Juan de Fuca at the 2008 Olympic Peninsula Birdfest in Sequim April 4-6. The fifth annual festival, sponsored by the Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society, Dungeness River Audubon Center and Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe, offers a full slate for beginning birders, experts and those who just enjoy the outdoors. Events include guided birding trips, boat tours, silent auction, salmon banquet and raptor presentations. For more information, call 360-681-4076 or visit the website at http://www.olympicbirdfest.org.

  The second takes place in Grays Harbor County, where the 13th annual Grays Harbor Shorebird Festival will be held May 2-4 at Central Elementary School in Hoquiam. The festival offers field trips, lectures and viewings of the yearly migration spectacle that occurs in the Grays Harbor Wildlife refuge and other area sites. For more information, call (800) 303-8498 or visit http://www.shorebirdfestival.com.

  The flocks of approximately 5,000 western sandpipers and dunlin that will make an appearance at the shorebird festival also will be on view at the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge in southern Puget Sound as they forage on delta mudflats during their northward migration. Also at the refuge, bald eagle pairs will be incubating their eggs in early April with chicks hatching later in the month.

Southwest Washington:

• Fishing: Good fishing for spring chinook salmon has been drawing large numbers of anglers to the lower Columbia River in recent days. Nearly 1,550 boats were counted Saturday, March 29, downstream from Bonneville Dam during an aerial survey that also tallied 755 bank anglers on both sides of the river. In all, angler turnout was nearly twice as high as in the past two years on the same date.

  A big part of the attraction is that catch rates for March were higher than in any year since 2002. Through March 31, anglers caught 4,400 chinook in the lower river, compared to 1,100 last year and 1,900 in 2006.

  In a creel check conducted during the last full week of the month, 4,431 anglers reported catching 726 adult chinook and 10 steelhead below the dam. For boat anglers, that translated to one adult chinook kept or released for every 5.4 rods, compared to 12.5 rods in 2007, 5.6 rods in 2006, 17.1 rods in 2005, 6.4 rods in 2004, 7.1 rods in 2003 and 4.7 rods in 2002.

  Bank anglers fishing below Bonneville Dam have been averaging one adult chinook for every 28.7 rods, about the same as in recent years.

  "This fishery is definitely up and running, with catch rates running as high a chinook per boat in some areas," said Joe Hymer, WDFW fish biologist. "The preseason forecast called for a strong return of upriver chinook, and that's just what we're seeing on the fishing grounds." He noted that 88.5 percent of the fish sampled were identified as upriver stock.

  As in past years, anglers may retain only hatchery chinook and steelhead, identified by a clipped adipose fin. All wild chinook and steelhead with an intact adipose fin must be released.

  Hymer reminds anglers that Friday, April 4, is the last day to fish for spring chinook in waters downstream from the west power line towers on Hayden Island. From the west power lines upstream to Bonneville Dam, fishing will continue six days per week - closing from one hour after official sunset Mondays to one hour before official sunrise Wednesdays - through April 30. The limit is one hatchery chinook per day.

  Above Bonneville Dam, chinook fishing was slow through the end of March, when only 173 fish had been counted moving through the fishways. But that is expected to change by April 10, if not before, Hymer said.

  "Starting April 10, spills are planned at Bonneville Dam to help move juvenile salmon downriver," Hymer said. "Those spills should also spur more adult salmon to move upstream, and improve catch rates for bank anglers just below the dam."

  Chinook fishing is currently open seven days per week on the Columbia River from Bonneville Dam upstream to McNary Dam, as well as on the Cowlitz, Kalama, Lewis, Wind and White Salmon rivers, plus Drano Lake. The limit for those waters is two adult hatchery chinook per day. Anglers should note that Drano Lake is scheduled to be closed to fishing Wednesdays beginning April 9.

  Another possibility is the Klickitat River, which opens today (April 2) for salmon and steelhead fishing Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays only. The daily limit is one hatchery salmon or one hatchery steelhead on the Klickitat from the Fisher Hill Bridge downstream. The fishery will likely be slow until more fish cross Bonneville Dam, Hymer said.

  Hymer reminds anglers that the shoreline outside the mouth of Drano Lake will be open for bank fishing for the first time in 30 years. In all, this year's fishing regulations will open up 40 additional miles of bank fishing on the mainstem Columbia River from Bonneville Dam to the Tower Island power lines six miles below The Dalles Dam.

  "I think the best bet will be at the mouth of Drano Lake," Hymer said. "Casting a plug or lure from shore is sure to produce fish." Anglers fishing the newly open bank are asked to follow three rules: Don't cross the highway, don't trespass over the railroad tracks and don't interfere with tribal fisheries.

  Parking and access to the bank fishery at the mouth of Drano Lake will likely be best Wednesdays, when the rest of the lake is closed to recreational fishing, Hymer said.

  Meanwhile, anglers have been catching some legal-size sturgeon in the Bonneville Pool, and the fishery is improving from Portland to Longview as the river warms. In the John Day Pool, sturgeon fishing is catch-and-release-only through the end of the year, although anglers have been taking home some walleye.

  Trout anglers should be aware the bank anglers at Klineline Pond have been averaging nearly three browns per rod. The pond was planted with 1,500 half-pound brown trout March 24. Klineline Pond will be closed to public fishing from April 10 through 6 p.m. April 12 for the annual Kids Fishing Event on April 12.

  Lacamas Lake in Camas also got 5,000 half-pound brown trout March 24, while Silver Lake near Castle Rock was planted with 6,760 catchable-size rainbows the following day.

• Hunting: The spring wild turkey season runs April 15 through May 31 around the state. The general season follows a special hunt April 5-6 for people age 15 and younger. Most turkey hunting in the southwest region focuses on Merriam's turkeys in Klickitat County, but some eastern turkeys can be found in Cowlitz and Lewis counties.

  "Turkey populations look strong this year," said Mick Cope, WDFW upland game manager. "But hunters could have a difficult time accessing some of the traditional hunting areas because of the heavy snowfall we've had during the past several months."

  For more information, a Wild Turkey Spring Season brochure is available at WDFW regional offices and on the department's website (http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/game/water/turkey/index.htm).

• Wildlife viewing: Hills and fields throughout the region are atwitter with the sound of birds moving in for the nesting season. One contributor to the Tweeters birding website (http://www.scn.org/earth/tweeters/) reported sighting 70 different species in a single day of birding at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. Noted species include great blue herons, great egrets, osprey, red-breasted sapsuckers and a mountain bluebird.

  The bluebird, a male with a luminous blue breast, also has attracted the attention of several other birders, who reported its position in the grassy area where the loop road leaves the east side of Rest Lake. Mountain bluebirds are among the first to arrive for nesting, and often produce two broods before flying south. A varied thrush, with its orange eye stripe and black breast band, has been sighted nearby.

  In addition, 30 white-fronted geese were spotted March 28, together with cacklers and Canada geese, along the east side of Post Office Lake at the terminus of Lower River Road.

  Several osprey have also been sighted in the refuge near the bridge and Lake River. These birds, the model for the Seattle Seahawks football team, are uncommon visitors to the area, but have increased in numbers - and visibility - since DDT was banned. "Beautiful," wrote one birder after spotting one in a cottonwood tree. "Nice to see them back."

Eastern Washington:

• Fishing: The Tucannon River impoundments in Columbia County continue to provide good fishing for hatchery-stocked rainbow trout. The seven small, man-made lakes along the river on the Wooten Wildlife Area opened last month and will be stocked repeatedly by Tucannon and Lyons Ferry fish hatchery crews throughout April, May and June. The season's total hatchery allotments of catchable-size rainbows by lake is as follows: Beaver, 1,000; Big Four, 3,300; Blue, 21,800; Deer, 3,300; Rainbow, 15,300; Spring, 11,300; Watson, 19,300. Among those total numbers, Blue, Rainbow, Spring and Watson each recently received 100 "jumbo-size" (14-inch-plus) rainbows.

  Walla Walla County's Quarry Pond, which is open year-round, is receiving plants of catchable-size and "jumbo" rainbow trout from the hatcheries this week.

  Anglers at Liberty Lake in eastern Spokane County continue to catch good-sized rainbow and brown trout. The 711-acre mixed-species lake opened March 1, a few weeks earlier than in previous years. Medical and Downs lakes in southwest Spokane County also opened earlier this year, although persistent winter-like conditions have slowed action.

  Other lakes that opened March 1, such as Amber in southwest Spokane County, Coffeepot in Lincoln County, and Deer Lake in southern Stevens County, should be warming and also providing some decent fishing. Amber and Coffeepot are both under selective gear rule restrictions. Amber is catch-and-release only for its cutthroat and rainbow trout, and Coffeepot has a minimum size of 18 inches and a daily catch limit of one trout.

  Walleye fishing is starting to pick up on year-round Lake Roosevelt above Kettle Falls. Jim Ebel, WDFW Colville Fish Hatchery manager, said some anglers are catching 14- to17-inch walleye in 50 to 100 feet of water.

  Year-round Sprague Lake, straddling the Lincoln-Adams county line along Interstate 90, is being re-stocked after it was treated with rotenone in October to rehabilitate the declining fishery.

  "The first fish we're putting back in Sprague are catchable-size rainbow trout from our hatcheries," said Chris Donley, WDFW district fish biologist in Spokane. "Later we'll stock crappie, bluegill, largemouth bass and channel catfish that will take a few years to grow and reproduce. The rainbows will provide good fishing now and over the next few years until the warmwater species are up and running in good numbers and size."

  About 160,000 catchable-size rainbows are being stocked in Sprague this month and next, including about 91,000 one-third-pound trout from the Columbia Basin and Lyons Ferry hatcheries, about 65,000 one-fifth-pound trout from the Spokane Hatchery, and over 3,200 triploid rainbows up to one-and-a-half pounds each from the private hatchery Trout Lodge. Cow Lake, which was also treated last fall as part of the Sprague Lake watershed, is receiving about 6,000 one-third-pound rainbows from the Naches Hatchery. Later this spring, broodstock largemouth bass, bluegill and crappie captured from other Washington waters will be stocked. WDFW will also return about 4,000 black crappie and at least 60 channel catfish that were collected from Sprague Lake before last fall's treatment. Juvenile warmwater fish species from the Meseberg Hatchery - about 100,000 bluegill, 14,000 largemouth bass and 2,000 crappie - will also be stocked. WDFW will purchase and stock juvenile channel catfish when available.

  WDFW fish hatchery crews are also busy adding catchable-size trout to many lakes that open April 26. The fisheries in most of those lakes in the region develop from last year's fry and fingerling plants, but some receive boosts of 8- to 12-inchers, 1- to 1.5-pound triploids, and surplus broodstock.

• Hunting: A youth spring turkey hunting season is April 5 and 6 for hunters under 16 years of age only. All of the same rules for the general season, April 15-May 31, apply. That includes the methods of shotgun or bow-and-arrow only, and gobblers or turkeys with visible beards only. See http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/game/water/turkey/index.htm for complete information.

  In the heart of abundant turkey country, WDFW Wildlife Biologist Dana Base in Colville reports that despite more snowfall in March than February, turkeys are starting to disperse from large winter flocks into small groups and move into more wooded areas at just slightly higher elevations.

  "My advice to the youth hunters would be to stay below 3,000 feet and focus on south slopes and other sites where the snow has melted," Base said. "I would focus on Ferry and Stevens counties, which have less snow cover now than Pend Oreille County. I have yet to hear a gobble in the woods this spring, not surprising given the prolonged winter weather we've had."

  Base said low elevation state Department of Natural Resource (DNR) lands around Colville, Kettle Falls, and Chewelah, as well as the lower portions of the Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge should all be reasonable places to pursue turkeys. "The refuge will be open for youth turkey hunting, but most of the road gates will remain closed to motor vehicle access until April 14, so be prepared to walk in," Base said.

  Despite record late snowfall, tom turkeys have been gobbling and displaying for weeks throughout lower lying areas in Spokane County. Access to private lands will be key to young hunters' success with those birds, however.

  Meanwhile, spring black bear hunting gets under way April 15 for 225 special permit holders in 13 game management units in the northeast and southeast districts of the region. The season runs through May 31.

• Wildlife viewing: In the north end of the region WDFW biologists say it's not too late to clean out bird nest boxes for returning migrants.

  "Bluebirds have actually been back for over a month now," said WDFW Wildlife Biologist Dana Base in Colville. "And tree and violet-green swallows have been seen for at least a few weeks. But if you haven't already cleaned out or posted new nest boxes, there's still a chance these or other birds yet to come will use them."

  Base said that when the weather warms and food sources for birds are more available, there should be almost a daily influx of neo-tropical migrant birds into the area for spring and summer breeding. For detailed information about building and placing bird nest boxes, see http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/backyard/nestboxes.htm.

  "Waters in the Colville Valley are pretty much ice free now and the ducks and geese are paired up and using them extensively as they migrate through," Base said. "Over in Pend Oreille County, the Calispel Lake area just west of the Pend Oreille River is hosting about 4,000 migrating tundra swans now."

North Central Washington:

• Fishing: WDFW regional fish program manager Joe Miller reports fishing was "fair" on the April 1 season opener on many Grant County waters. Persistent winter-like weather likely kept more some anglers home, but many of those who were out caught rainbow trout that averaged over 15 inches.

  "Upper Hampton Lake provided the best fishing with anglers averaging 3.4 rainbow trout per rod," Miller said. "Lower Hampton saw an average of only 1.4 trout per rod. The Pillar Widgeon lakes had a low catch rate of half a fish per rod, but the fish caught averaged 17.4 inches. Dry Falls Lake, which is a selective fishery, produced about two fish per rod and averaged 15.6 inches. Several brown and tiger trout were reported in the catch at Dry Falls, too."

  With rising temperatures in the forecast, Miller said catch rates should improve at these and many other Columbia Basin fisheries now open. Two selective-gear fisheries that opened March 1 - Lenice and Nunnally lakes on the Crab Creek Wildlife Area just east of Beverly - will be boosted with 1,100 one-and-a-half-pound rainbows each this month.

  WDFW fish biologist Matt Polacek reports that catch rates for walleye are high on Banks Lake. "Anglers are commonly catching limits walleye at Barker Flats, the westside of Steamboat Rock, and on the north end of the lake near the inlet canal," he said. "Cold air temperatures have caused water temperatures to remain cool, resulting in longer pre-spawn feeding."

  Trout fishing on Roses Lake, just north of Manson in Chelan County, is also picking up, according to WDFW district fish biologist Art Viola of Wenatchee. "Many 10-to-12-inch rainbows and a few 14-to-16 inchers are being caught at Roses," he said. "The Rock Island Ponds are also producing trout catches. Pitt Lake, a kids-only pond among the Rock Island ponds, was recently stocked with 700 catchable-size rainbows and 50 larger ones. Once Fish Lake up north of Leavenworth is unfrozen it should also provide good fishing for trout."

  WDFW district fish biologist Bob Jateff of Omak reports catch rates were slowed by cooler water temperatures at Spectacle Lake, northwest of Tonasket in Okanogan County, when it opened for fishing April 1. "But the fish were a good size, with rainbows averaging 11 to 12 inches," he said. "A few winter-carryover fish up to 15 inches were also caught. Spectacle should be very good fishing as the water continues to warm up."

  Jateff said lakes in the Methow Valley area are still covered with ice, but anglers wanting to fish selective gear rules can try Rat Lake near Brewster for browns and rainbows that run 11 to13 inches. Catch-and-release rules are in effect for Rat Lake, he noted, adding that access with concrete boat ramp is available.

  Jateff also reminds anglers that steelhead and whitefish seasons on the Similkameen and Okanogan rivers are now closed.

  WDFW fish hatchery crews are busy adding catchable-size trout to many lakes that open April 26. The fisheries in most of those lakes in this region are supported by fry and fingerlings planted last year, but some also benefit from plants of 8-12-inchers, one-to-one-and-a-half-pound triploids and surplus broodstock.

• Hunting: A special spring turkey hunting season is scheduled Saturday, April 5, and Sunday, April 6, for hunters under 16 years of age. All of the same rules for the general season scheduled April 15 - May 31 apply. Specifically, hunters must use shotguns or bow-and-arrow only, and take gobblers or turkeys with visible beards only. Portions of Chelan and Okanogan counties have good numbers of Merriam's turkeys, although distribution can be sporadic, especially with lingering winter conditions. See http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/game/water/turkey/index.htm for complete information.

• Wildlife viewing: WDFW wildlife biologist Rich Finger of Moses Lake says if you missed the opportunity to see sandhill cranes during the 11th annual Othello Sandhill Crane Festival, they are still around by the thousands.

  "Check corn stubble fields between Othello and Royal City," Finger said. "You'll also see lots of other interesting species. White pelicans may be seen where Crab Creek crosses Highway 26. Long-billed curlews have shown up and, although they're in low densities, they are occasionally spotted in alfalfa fields or throughout the Seep Lakes Wildlife Area where short grass cover dominates."

  White-fronted geese are currently using Frenchman Reserve, as are sandhill cranes, Finger said. "Frenchman Wasteway is holding large numbers and a high diversity of ducks, he said. "Tundra swans and many species of ducks can be seen at 'Birders Corner' at the junction of Dodson Road and Frenchman Hills Road, about 10 miles west of Potholes Reservoir. Burrowing owls can be found around the agricultural lands primarily east of Othello."

  Finger reminds wildlife viewers to avoid disturbing birds by viewing them from a distance with binoculars or a spotting scope and using telephoto lenses on cameras.

  Some returning migrant songbirds are still looking for nest sites. Secondary cavity nesters - including bluebirds, chickadees, nuthatches and swallows - will use, but not create for themselves, nests in tree cavities, will readily use man-made nest boxes. For detailed information about building and placing bird nest boxes, see http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/backyard/nestboxes.htm.

South Central Washington:

• Fishing: Mud Lake, Myron Lake, Rotary Lake, Tims Pond and the I-82 Ponds 1, 2 and 3 were recently stocked with rainbow trout ranging in size from a third of a pound to one pound each. Myron Lake and Tims Pond also received some three to seven-pound rainbow broodstock, which were surplus to hatchery needs.

  "It should be good fishing in all of these areas, especially as the weather starts to warm up a bit," said Eric Anderson, WDFW district fish biologist from Yakima. "There will be many more lakes and ponds stocked in the next few weeks."

  Dalton Pond, which is open year-round and located northeast of the Snake River's Ice Harbor Dam near the Tri-Cities in Franklin County, is receiving catchable-size rainbow trout plants the first week in April from Lyons Ferry Fish Hatchery.

  Anglers can view the complete fish-stocking plan for south central Washington lakes along with weekly updates on the WDFW website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/plants/regions/reg3/index.htm, or pick up a list at 1701 S. 24th Ave. in Yakima.

  "If we don't get some warm weather soon," said Jim Cummins, WDFW fish biologist from Yakima, "lakes like Dog and Clear near White Pass may be planted later than expected, especially with the new snow in the mountains this week."

  Cummins reminds anglers that rivers and streams are closed to fishing until June 1, unless listed as open in the fishing regulations pamphlet. Based on calls, some people don't understand the need to check the general regulations before looking for a specific river or stream under "special rules," Cummins said. "Not all waters are listed, because many fall under the general rules," he said.

  Anglers with catch record cards for steelhead, salmon and sturgeon are required to submit them by the end of this month, either by mail to WDFW Olympia headquarters or via drop-off at the regional office.

• Hunting: A spring turkey hunting season for youth is scheduled Saturday and Sunday, April 5 and 6 for hunters under 16 years of age only. All of the same rules for the general season, April 15 - May 31, apply. That includes the methods of shotgun or bow-and-arrow only, and gobblers or turkeys with visible beards only. Portions of Kittitas and Yakima counties have good numbers of Merriam's turkeys, although distribution can be sporadic, especially with lingering winter conditions. See http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/game/water/turkey/index.htm for complete information.

• Wildlife viewing: Good news from WDFW's Oak Creek Wildlife Area: The Tieton River Nature Trail is open again. The popular non-motorized-use trail along the Tieton River near the wildlife area headquarters has been closed since Feb. 1 to allow a golden eagle pair to choose their new nest site for the season.

  "The eagles have chosen a nest and are committed to incubating eggs, so now they won't be disturbed by use in the area," said Bruce Berry, WDFW area assistant manager. "That's allowed us to open up the trail with no restrictions."

  Berry says the Tieton Trail is a favorite among bird and other wildlife watchers, who regularly see a great diversity of both riparian and cliff-habitat species, from herons to hawks. The trail is also popular with hikers, mountain bikers, and rock climbers since it accesses several popular rock climbing areas. Two of the trailhead parking areas (at the headquarters and the swinging suspension bridge) require the WDFW parking access permit, which comes with a fishing or hunting license or can be purchased for $10. See https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov/ for details.

  Some recently returning migrant song birds are still looking for nest sites. These secondary cavity nesters - those that will use, but not create for themselves, nests in tree cavities - will readily use man-made nest boxes, including bluebirds, chickadees, nuthatches and swallows. For detailed information about building and placing bird nest boxes, see http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/backyard/nestboxes.htm.