Spring is here, a time when new fishing opportunities start popping up like tulips in the midday sun. On the lower Columbia River, the spring chinook fishery recently came to life when anglers caught 1,000 "springers" in just two days. On the coast, most charter boats have been returning to Westport with limits all-round, while the smallmouth bass fishery continues to heat up in the Yakima River.

With a wide range of other new fishing opportunities coming up in the weeks ahead, Washington sportfishers might want to take note of the following dates:

• April 9 - Halibut fishing starts in marine areas 6-11 and 13 in Puget Sound on a Thursday-through-Monday schedule.
• April 16 - Coastal lingcod fishing expands to Marine Area 4 (Neah Bay).
• April 28-30 - The season's first razor clam dig on morning tides is tentatively scheduled on coastal beaches. Two beaches, Twin Harbors and Mocrocks, are also tentatively scheduled to open for a fourth day, May 1. Final word will be announced once routine marine toxin tests have been completed.
• April 29 - The lowland lakes trout season, Washington's most popular fishery, opens throughout the state. Hatchery crews have planted more than 21 million fish since last year, and will continue stocking lakes right through the season.
• May 6 - Shrimp fishing begins in most areas of Puget Sound - the primary exception being Marine Area 11 (Tacoma/Vashon), which opens May 10. For details, see http://wdfw.wa.gov/do/newreal/release.php?id=apr0406a on the Internet.

Anglers should also note the most important date of all - April 1 - when a valid 2006-07 fishing license is required to participate in these and other fishing opportunities during the year ahead.

"We encourage people to renew their fish and hunting licenses early in the season, so they can take advantage of all the great outdoor recreation opportunities available in this state," said Frank Hawley, licensing manager for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). "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."

Fishing and hunting licenses are available from retail dealers throughout the state (http://wdfw.wa.gov/lic/vendors/vendors.htm), the website (https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov/) and toll-free phone line 1-866-246-9453.

Hunters deciding when to buy a license should be aware that spring wild turkey hunting season opens April 15. Hunters under 16 years of age have a jump-start on the season April 8-9. See the spring turkey hunting pamphlet, available at WDFW offices, license dealers or the Internet (http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/game/water/turkey/index.htm) for details.

In other hunting news, the deadline for deer and elk hunters to apply for new multiple-season permits has been extended through April 9. Hunters can enter a drawing for a limited number of special permits that would allow them to participate in archery, muzzleloader and modern-firearm general hunting seasons for deer and elk in 2006. Permit applications are available at https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov/, retail license dealers statewide, or by calling 1-866-246-9453.

A drawing for 1,500 multiple-season deer permits and 500 multiple-season elk permits will be held in April. Washington state residents selected for the special permits must purchase a $164.25 multiple-season tag, along with a regular hunting license, to participate in the special hunt.

For more information about outdoor recreation opportunities throughout the state, see the regional reports below:

North Puget Sound

• Fishing: The recreational halibut season starts April 9 in marine areas 6-11 and 13 in Puget Sound, giving anglers a chance to catch some big flatfish in inside waters. The season, which is starting earlier than in years past, runs on a Thursday-through-Monday schedule through June 18. "This fishery tends to start out strong," said Greg Bargmann, WDFW marine fish manager. "Fishing should be good for the opener, but a lot depends on the weather."

  Meanwhile, blackmouth fishing in the region is winding down. Marine Area 9 (Admiralty Inlet) closes for blackmouth April 15, while marine areas 8-1 (Deception Pass, Hope Island and Skagit Bay) and 8-2 (Port Susan and Port Gardner) close at the end of April. "What has been a pretty good blackmouth season is now in the home stretch," said Steve Thiesfeld, Puget Sound recreational salmon manager for WDFW. "Anglers looking to hook a blackmouth better get out on the water and take advantage of the remaining weeks of the season."

  Catch counts in the region have been low recently. Only four chinook were checked in by 33 anglers April 1 in Everett. The following day, 46 anglers hauled in just one chinook. The best angler-to-fish ratio was in Bellingham, where nine anglers accounted for five chinook on March 31.

  Anglers fishing Marine Area 9 have a daily limit of one salmon, while fishers in marine areas 8-1 and 8-2 have a daily limit of two salmon. All wild chinook must be released. Unlike hatchery fish, wild chinook have an intact adipose fin. Blackmouth anglers should avoid Marine Area 7 (San Juan Islands), which closed at the end of March.

  Steelhead catch-and-release fisheries continue through the end of the month on the Skagit and Sauk rivers. Recent reports from both rivers indicate the Skagit has picked up a little, while the Sauk has slowed a bit. 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.

• Wildlife viewing: The Saratoga Passage area continues to be a hot spot for gray whale sightings. The grays have been traveling throughout the passage between Camano and Whidbey islands since early March. One observer reporting to the Orca Network (http://www.orcanetwork.org/sightings/map.html) saw two to three gray whales slapping the surface and going in circles, possibly chasing a school of fish. During the summer, a few gray whales reside in Washington's waters, moving throughout the state's nearshore areas and often into British Columbia.

  A tufted duck is another subject of repeated sightings. A birder reporting to Tweeters birding website (http://www.scn.org/earth/tweeters/) spotted the duck at a Federal Way-area lake, where it seems to return every evening. The tufted duck, which has white sides and is black on the head, breast, neck and back, is a rare April visitor to the lowland areas of Washington state, according to the Seattle Audubon Society (http://www.birdweb.org/birdweb/index.aspx). When sighted, the medium-sized diving duck is usually seen with flocks of scaup or ring-necked ducks.

  Another birder spotted a great egret north of Duvall. Egrets are large white birds with long necks, legs and yellow bills. They are often found feeding in flocks of egrets or other herons. While foraging, egrets stand or walk slowly in shallow water waiting for prey - usually fish - to come nearby, grabbing the prey with their bill. Great egrets are often found in the wetlands of eastern Washington.

South Sound/Olympic Peninsula

• Fishing: For thousands of anglers, the lowland lakes trout opener set for April 29 marks the beginning of this year's "fishing season." Others, though, are already on the water catching lingcod, salmon, steelhead and other fish already in season.

  Most charter boats fishing lingcod out of Westport are generally returning with two-fish limits for everyone on board, said Greg Bargmann, WDFW marine fish manager. Most lings are running 6-8 pounds. "The weather's been a bit rough for the smaller, private boats, but the charter boats are doing well," he said. Lingcod fishing opened March 18 in coastal waters south of Cape Alava (marine areas 1, 2 and 3) and will open April 16 in Marine Area 4 (Neah Bay).

  Just a few miles down the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the 2006 Sekiu Spring Salmon Derby will run April 8-9, with weigh-in at Olson's Resort. First prize for the biggest salmon is $1,000. For more information, call the Sekiu Chamber of Commerce at 877-812-4933.

  Then again, the recreational halibut season starts April 9 in marine areas 6-11 and 13 in Puget Sound, giving anglers a chance to catch some big flatfish in inside waters. The season, which is starting earlier than in years past, runs on a Thursday-through-Monday schedule through June 18. "This fishery tends to start out strong," Bargmann said. "Fishing should be good for the opener, but a lot depends on the weather."

  Meanwhile, steelhead anglers have been averaging more than a fish per rod fishing rivers on the north coast of the Olympic Peninsula. On the upper Hoh River, 49 anglers reported catching - and releasing - 60 wild steelhead during the last five days of March. On the Sol Duc River, 27 anglers reported catching 42 steelhead - all but one of them wild - and releasing all but four of them.

  "Mostly, it's a catch-and-release fishery at this point in the season," said Thom Johnson, a WDFW fish biologist. "Most anglers have their annual limit of one wild steelhead - if they plan to keep one - and are now just fishing for the joy of fishing."

  Johnson noted that the Sol Duc, Bogachiel, Quillayute and Calawah rivers will remain open to steelhead fishing through April 30. The Hoh River, from the mouth upstream to the Olympic National Park boundary, closed to all fishing April 1, as did the South Fork Hoh. The entire river is scheduled to close for steelhead fishing April 15.

  Steelhead aren't the only salmonids moving up the Sol Duc River right now. Twenty spring chinook salmon had arrived at the Sol Duc Hatchery as of April 4, and anglers have reportedly caught at least that many en route, said Brian Russell, hatchery manager.

  "The first springers are arriving earlier than usual this year," Russell said. "That could be a sign of a strong run, or it could mean they're just starting early." Anglers fishing the Sol Duc River are required to release any wild, unmarked chinook they intercept, and are advised to check the Fishing in Washington pamphlet (http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regs/fishregs.htm) for other rules affecting the fishery.

  Rather dig razor clams? WDFW is 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 scheduled to open April 28-30 on morning tides, followed by a one-day dig May 1 at Twin Harbors and Mocrocks. All digging on those beaches must be completed by noon.

  Whether Kalaloch Beach will also open to digging is in question, because the clam harvest on that beach has been unusually low during recent digs, said Dan Ayres, WDFW coastal shellfish manager. An announcement about digging on that beach will be issued once biologists have completed an investigation, he said.

  For best results, Ayres recommends that clam enthusiasts start digging at least one hour before low tide. Low morning tides during the planned dig are as follows:

  • Friday, April 28 - 7:36 a.m., -1.8 ft. (Kalaloch uncertain)
  • Saturday, April 29 - 8:21 a.m., -1.8 ft. (Kalaloch uncertain)
  • Sunday, April 30 - 9:06 a.m., -1.6 (Kalaloch uncertain)
  • Monday, May 1 - 9:50 a.m., -1.1 (Twin Harbors and Mocrocks only)

  In other shellfish news, WDFW has announced seasons for this year's shrimp and crab fisheries in Puget Sound. The spot shrimp fishery will start May 6 in most areas of the Sound, while the Dungeness crab fishery is set to open in three marine areas June 18. For details on the shrimp season see http://wdfw.wa.gov/do/newreal/release.php?id=apr0406a on the WDFW website; for crabbing information see http://wdfw.wa.gov/do/newreal/release.php?id=mar3106a.

  But let's not forget that lowland lakes trout opener. In preparation for April 29, WDFW hatchery crews are currently stocking thousands of legal-size, jumbo and broodstock trout in lakes throughout the region.

  Want a shot at a 1.5-pound triploid? Aberdeen Lake in Grays Harbor County is getting 200 of them - along with 20,000 smaller fish in the weeks ahead. Rather catch cutthroat? There will be 300 of them in Mason County's Cady Lake by the end of April. For a complete trout-stocking schedule for the region, see http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/plants/regions/reg6/index.htm on the WDFW website.

• Wildlife viewing: Insects drawn to new leaves and spring blossoms are tasty treats for songbirds returning to the area. Birdwatchers have reported seeing groups of yellow-rumped warblers - at the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge, at Vance Creek County Park in Elma and in Olympia. The males, in particular, delight viewers with their antics as they fly up to retrieve their prey in midair before returning to the branch.

  Visitors to Nisqually have also been treated to the sight of three types of swooping swallows - tree swallows, violet-green swallows and northern rough-winged swallows. A member of the Admiralty Audubon Society, based in Port Townsend, reported on the group's website (http://www.admiraltyaudubon.org/) seeing the season's first pair of barn swallows, spotted on March 23 near Memorial Field. Usually these birds show up in Washington the latter half of April, according to the Seattle Audubon Society (http://www.birdweb.org/birdweb/browse_birds.aspx).

  Osprey are showing up right on time, however. Late March and early April is generally when these unique birds return to the state after wintering south of the U.S. border. As reported on the Tweeters birding website (http://www.scn.org/earth/tweeters/), two osprey were spotted sitting in a long-established nest above the bridge over the Chehalis River south of Montesano. Three birds were spotted along Wenzel Slough Road in the Elma/Brady area in Grays Harbor County at a regular nest site atop a dead snag, and a fourth was seen flying overhead near Elma. Their distinctive white head crest, white face slashed with a dark stripe and yellow eyes make osprey unmistakable at close range.

  Several orca whales from the L and K pods were seen around the mouth of the Columbia River during the last few days of March. Volunteer whale watchers at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center and crew members on the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) ship McArthur reported to the Orca Network (http://www.orcanetwork.org/sightings/map.html#recent) seeing groups of four to eight, ranging from the north jetty to 12 miles offshore. Also, as gray whales make their way up the state's coastline for their annual migration north, Cascadia Research Collective staff discovered one small gray well inside Grays Harbor after they had been surveying off the coast on March 20.

  Grays Harbor County will host one of spring's most amazing rituals as hundreds of thousands of shorebirds stop over to feed and rest on their northward migration. The 11th Annual Grays Harbor Shorebird Festival will be held April 28-30 at Hoquiam High School. This wildlife spectacle happens every year at Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge and other sites in the area. People from around the world come to view this event of hemispheric importance. More information is available at the festival's website, http://www.shorebirdfestival.com/.

Southwest Washington:

• Fishing: Growing numbers of spring chinook salmon in the lower Columbia River are sending a mixed message to anglers and fishery managers monitoring this year's run. On one hand, catch figures below the Interstate 5 Bridge have jumped since the end of March, rising from 2,100 fish to 3,100 fish in just two days. Anglers fishing the lower river have been averaging one chinook for every 5.6 rods - a fairly good start, especially compared to last year's catch rate of one fish per 17 rods during the same period.

  But fish passage above Bonneville Dam is a different story. As of April 3, only 41 springers had cleared the dam, even fewer than last year at the same time. Fishery managers from Washington and Oregon will meet Thursday, April 6 to discuss these trends and their implications for this year's run.

  "Spring chinook appear to be moving over Bonneville Dam later these last few years - and that's especially pronounced this year," said Wolf Dammers, a WDFW fish biologist. "Anglers should be alert to any changes that may result from this first 'checkpoint' on the fishery."

  For information on any fishing rule changes, Dammers recommends anglers check the WDFW Fishing Hotline (360-902-2500), the department's Emergency Fishing Rule website (http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regs/fishregs.htm) or reports from the Columbia River Compact (http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/crc/crcindex.htm) before heading out.

  Dammers said the best bet for anglers trolling for spring chinook is the mainstem Columbia near Cathlamet, where creel checks show 544 anglers caught 147 spring chinook from March 27 to April 2. Bank anglers have also been catching an increasing number of spring chinook in the lower Cowlitz River, and are still picking up some hatchery winter steelhead in the upper river.

  Given the low dam counts, the spring chinook fishery above Bonneville Dam has largely been on hold. "Most folks are biding their time, waiting for the springers to arrive," Hymer said. A selective fishery for hatchery springers and steelhead opened March 16 on Wind River and Drano Lake, but few anglers have begun fishing those waters. The same is true for the White Salmon and Klickitat rivers, which opened under selective fishing rules April 1. Fishing on the Klickitat River is restricted to Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, downstream of fishway number 5, with a limit of one hatchery salmon or steelhead per day.

  Also slow is sturgeon fishing, which will switch to catch-and-release April 8 on the Columbia River and its tributaries from The Dalles Dam to John Day Dam. Fishery managers expect the annual harvest guideline of 100 legal-size fish to be taken by then.

  Warmwater anglers, meanwhile, have been averaging one walleye per rod in The Dalles Pool and two-thirds of a fish in the Bonneville Pool, where they're also catching 2.5 bass apiece. Trout fishing has also been good at Klineline Pond, which was recently planted with 3,348 rainbows weighing half a pound each. Ninety-three bank anglers reported catching 131 fish and releasing 72 others there in recent days. WDFW also planted Silver Lake near Castle Rock and Swofford Pond near Mossyrock with more than 3,300 fish - each - March 27.

  So what's the likely hotspot when the lowland lakes season opens April 29?

  "So many lakes in the southwest region are open year-around that the April opener doesn't have quite the same significance here as in other areas of the state," Hymer said. "Still, I know a lot of people are looking forward to fishing Mineral Lake. It kicks out some very nice fish."

• 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: Spring is stirring the birds and critters around the Mount St. Helens Visitor's Center). Interpreter Tina Linch said bald eagles have been seen in the campgrounds and they believe a pair is nesting. An osprey has returned and is nesting above the visitor center. In fact, a big increase in bird species can be seen in the area now, she said. As for crawling and hopping types, watch your step on the trails. Garter snakes have been seen rolled up in balls - 6 or 7 to a bunch. "I'm not sure if they're trying to stay warm or just like being together," Linch said. And the frogs have been slipping into the center to get warm. "We escort them out," Linch said. "That's what happens when you build in the wetlands."

  An Audubon group looking for sandhill cranes on a field trip to the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge were not disappointed. When they ultimately tried the Dike Access Road in Woodland, an estimated flock of 1,400 of the huge birds flew by them in waves. About 200 then settled in the field in front them. The group also spotted two Say's phoebes, a rare sight in Western Washington. These little flycatchers are only traveling through during March on their way to summer breeding grounds in the Columbia Basin.

  Turkey vultures are a bit easier to spot. A number of sightings across the state have been posted on the Tweeters birding website (http://www.scn.org/earth/tweeters/) since February, including reports from Longview, Vancouver, Ridgefield and Kelso. These blackish-brown birds with 5- to 6-foot wingspans can be found soaring above open country, usually in rocky or wooded areas.

Eastern Washington:

• Fishing: Columbia County's Tucannon River impoundments that opened to fishing last month continue to be stocked with WDFW hatchery rainbow trout, and as spring weather moderates, angler effort and success rates are increasing. The Wooten Wildlife Area campgrounds that are open near the fishing lakes have piles of small logs available for campers to use on site - but not to haul out for personal or commercial use. WDFW area assistant manager Shana Winegeart said that until the post-wildfire salvage logging operation is completed this summer, all downed logs throughout the Wooten belong to the company that purchased the timber sale. "Some logs are being left on the ground as erosion control and to rebuild the mulch layer that was burned in the fire," Winegeart said. "It's critical to leave them there."

  Other early-opening in the central district of the region are also producing good catches of rainbow trout and water levels are up considerably with recent snowmelt and rain. Anglers at Lincoln County's Coffeepot Lake need to remember to comply with selective gear rules and a two-trout daily catch limit. Spokane County's Amber Lake, which also offers cutthroat trout, is catch-and-release until April 29, and then it's still under selective gear rules.

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

  Meanwhile, WDFW fish hatchery crews are busy stocking waters that open on April 29 with more catchable-size trout, including sterile triploid rainbows. The triploids average one-and-a-half pounds when they go into the lakes, and since they don't reproduce, they quickly eat their way to trophy size if not harvested in the first year. Fishtrap Lake in Lincoln County, Diamond Lake in Pend Oreille County, and Deer and Loon lakes in Stevens County are among the waters receiving triploids in the next weeks. Stay tuned to the next edition of the Weekender Report for more information on the eastern region's fishing hot spots for the biggest season opener of the year.

• Hunting: The eastern region is wild turkey hunting central, with 85 percent of the state's spring harvest. Of nearly 4,000 turkeys harvested throughout the ten-county region, 88 percent come from the northeast game management units (101-136) of Ferry, Stevens, Pend Oreille, Lincoln, and Spokane counties. Of those, 47 percent are from the Huckleberry (121) and 49 Degrees North (117) units in Stevens County. WDFW wildlife biologist Dana Base of Colville reports late winter turkey surveys conducted the last two years show the greatest density of birds in the Chewelah area in the center of unit 117, the Arden area on the west side of unit 117, and the Cedonia area on the west side of unit 121. Whether harvest or survey, the numbers pretty much support the Colville Chamber of Commerce's claim to being the "Wild Turkey Capital of Washington."

  Throughout the general spring turkey hunting season, April 15-May 15, the Colville community conducts "Wild Turkey Daze," a celebration that includes a turkey calling clinic, turkey weigh-in for the largest bird harvested, turkey shoot at the Colville Gun Club, turkey scavenger hunt, turkey bingo, even a 5K "turkey trout" fun run. For more details see http://www.colville.com or call the chamber at 509-684-5973.

  Hunters under 16 years of age have a jump-start on the season on April 8-9, when all units in the state are open to turkey hunting for youth only. All regulations of the general season apply. The spring turkey hunting rules pamphlet is available at WDFW offices or license dealers or at http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/game/water/turkey/index.htm.

  Those planning to hunt wild turkey in Stevens County should also be securing permission to hunt the many private lands in that area now, if they haven't already. "My casual observation of turkeys over the last few weeks indicates that they've broken up into smaller and more widespread groups," Base said. "Tom turkeys are gobbling pretty much on schedule which should lead to exciting hunting conditions. I recommend that hunters focus on field and forest mosaic habitats at lower elevations for the early part of this spring season."

  Spring black bear hunting by permit only runs April 15-May 31 with a total of 105 permits in the southeast game management units 154-186. The uplands of WDFW's Wooten Wildlife Area, which have been closed to access to protect public safety while post-wildfire salvage logging by helicopter is under way, will re-open April 7, in time for bear permit holders to scout and set up camps.

• Wildlife viewing: North Spokane County's Peone Prairie elk herd is entertaining morning commuters on and around Bruce, Argonne and Bigelow Gulch roads. The winter-hungry elk are foraging on newly greening agricultural fields in the area, dwarfing the more common whitetail deer browsing alongside them.

  WDFW regional administrative assistant Lois Blanchette reports noisy new construction in her neighborhood. "The nuthatches are remodeling all of my bird houses now," she said, "and the woodpeckers have returned to their old spots in the dead trees in the greenbelt next to my house."

  At the office, Blanchette and WDFW customer service specialists are ready for the annual onslaught of calls from homeowners with "nuisance wildlife anxiety." Skunks and raccoons are the most common culprits as they find crawl spaces, outbuildings, and other nooks and crannies to set up housekeeping for their babies to come. Squirrels, moles, rabbits, marmots, snakes and bats are among the other species preparing to raise families that are potential nuisances around human homes. WDFW staff advises removing as many attractants as possible to avoid problems - close up spaces, from basement window wells to attic rafters, and keep pet food and garbage inside. Backyard bird feeding enthusiasts should clean up feed spilled on the ground, or discontinue feeding altogether now. For more information on dealing with wildlife, see WDFW's "Living With Wildlife" series at http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/living/index.htm.

North Central Washington:

• Fishing: Anglers who stuck it out through the rain and cold of the April Fools' Day fishing season opener in the Columbia Basin caught lots of big, fat rainbow trout, reports WDFW district fish biologist Jeff Korth of Moses Lake. "But that weather literally put a damper on the length of the average fishing trip and overall catch per angler averages that we measured April 1," he said. "That was especially true at the waters on the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge, like the Hamptons and the Pillar-Widgeon chain. There were a lot of anglers out at those lakes, but they didn't stay long."

  Korth says boat anglers, including those in float tubes, trolling hardware or flies tended to do much better than the boat or shore anglers using bait. Anglers at Upper Hampton Lake averaged almost three over-15-inch yearling rainbow trout each. Those at Lower Hampton averaged two 15-inchers each. Widgeon Lake anglers averaged a little less than three 10-inch-plus yearling rainbows each, with some 15-inchers checked. Those at Pillar averaged 1-1/2 near-14-inch rainbows each. Few fish were checked at the other eight lakes in the Pillar-Widgeon chain, but those that were averaged about 13 inches.

  Opening day weather was better up at Dry Falls Lake, Korth says, but fewer anglers were checked there; those that were averaged a little over two fish each, mostly 14-inch rainbows with a few 18-inch rainbow and brown trout. "I expect catch rates to be much better in these lakes with more favorable weather conditions," Korth said.

  Meanwhile, WDFW fish hatchery crews are busy this month stocking waters that open April 29 with more catchable-size trout, including sterile triploid rainbows. The triploids average one-and-a-half pounds when they go into the lakes, and since they don't reproduce, they quickly eat their way to trophy size if not harvested in the first year. Wapato Lake in Chelan County and Conconully Lake and Reservoir in Okanogan County are among the waters receiving triploids in the next weeks. Stay tuned to the next edition of the Weekender Report for more information on the northcentral region's fishing hot spots for the biggest season opener of the year.

• Hunting: The spring wild turkey hunting season is open in all game management units throughout the northcentral region, April 15-May 15. The youth season, for hunters under 16 years of age only, is April 8-9. During the 2004 spring season (the last for which harvest information is compiled), a total of 260 turkeys were harvested in the region, with the most productive units being Okanogan East (204), Mission (251), and Chiliwist (239). The spring turkey hunting rules pamphlet is available at WDFW offices or license dealers or at http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/game/water/turkey/index.htm.

• Wildlife viewing: If you missed the ninth annual Othello Sandhill Crane Festival last month, there are two more organized tours available on Saturday, April 8. A three-hour morning tour starts at 7:30 a.m., and the last tour starts at 4 p.m. and continues until dark. Both start at the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge headquarters at 735 E. Main St. in Othello. The tours cost $15 for adults, $10 for seniors and children. Local guides will show you sandhill cranes feeding in agricultural fields and lots of other wildlife in the area. The morning tour will end with a search for burrowing owls north or east of Othello, and the evening tour will start with a search for the owls. Register for the tours at 866-726-3445.

  Sandhill cranes are just one of hundreds of bird species now gracing the refuge and surrounding area as spring unfolds. It's great place to drive around to see green-winged and cinnamon teal, northern pintails, gadwall, American wigeon, redhead, lesser scaup, common goldeneye, bufflehead, ruddy duck, black-crowned night heron, American avocet, least sandpiper, common snipe, Caspian and Forster's terns, bank, cliff and barn swallows, rock and marsh wrens, savannah, grasshopper and white-crowned sparrows, red-winged, yellow-headed and Brewer's blackbirds, and many other species. To learn more and plan a trip, visit the refuge's website at http://pacific.fws.gov/refuges/field/wa_columbia.htm.

South Central Washington:

• Fishing: The annual smallmouth bass spawning run into the Yakima River has begun, reports WDFW fish biologist Jim Cummins, and that means the start of some great fishing. "Tagging studies several years ago confirmed that adult smallmouth bass enter the Yakima River in early spring and stay in the Yakima until late June, early July, when they migrate back into the Columbia Rive," he said, noting that the fish run about one-and-a-half to four pounds each. "Fishing for them is generally excellent in April and May." He recommends quarter-ounce tube jigs or 'gitzits' in a smoke with red flake color, bounced on the bottom of the river in rocky areas with deep slow water that is close to fast water like an eddy. "Or, when the bass are most active and in highest concentrations, surface lures like a jointed Rapala will also catch them," Cummins said.

  Starting May 1, smallmouth bass regulations on the Yakima will become more liberal. The current rule is that from the mouth of the Yakima at Highway 240 Bridge to Granger Highway 223 Bridge, there is no daily limit, no minimum size, and only bass less that 12 inches or greater than 17 inches may be retained, with no more than one over 17 inches. On May 1 the rule changes to no daily limit, no minimum size, and only three bass over 15 inches may be retained. This change standardizes the rule for bass over 15 inches with the Columbia River rules. But more importantly, the new rule should increase harvest on the extremely dense smallmouth bass population by allowing more smaller fish to be kept. "We want more bass harvested, because predation by bass on rearing and out-migrating juvenile fall chinook salmon is a major contributor to the decline of fall chinook," Cummins said.

  Fishing for Yakima River catfish usually starts a little later in mid-April, Cummins noted. "Chicken liver or fresh-cut bait sucker fished on the bottom in the deeper areas on the outside bends of the river should catch catfish" in the lower 20 miles of the Yakima, he said. "Fishing for catfish is usually best when the river is rising and getting muddy. It can remain pretty good through July. Catfish from six to ten pounds are relatively common, while some fish over 20 pounds are also caught."

  Cummins noted that eating lots of catfish may be a health risk since Yakima River bottomfish have been found to contain DDT levels that exceed federal standards. The Washington Department of Health advises no more than one meal per week of Yakima River bottomfish. For more information see the advisory on page 32 of the 2005-06 fishing rules pamphlet at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regs/fishregs.htm.

  WDFW District Fish Biologist Eric Anderson reports completion of another round of rainbow trout plants in many of the region's year-round open lakes and ponds. In Kittitas County, Easton, McCabe, and Naneum ponds received catchable-size rainbows. In Yakima County, waters receiving trout include the I-82 Ponds 4 and 6, Mud and Rotary lakes, and Sarge Hubbard Park, Tims, and Yakima Sportsmen's ponds. Later this month sterile triploid one-and-a-half-pound rainbows will be stocked in several waters across the region. Stay tuned to the next edition of the Weekender Report for more information on the southcentral region's trout fishing hot spots as the season heats up.

• Hunting: The spring wild turkey hunting season is open in all game management units throughout the southcentral region, April 15-May 15. The youth season, for hunters under 16 years of age only, is April 8-9. During the 2004 spring season (the last for which harvest information is compiled), a total of 160 turkeys were harvested in the region, with the most productive units being Quilomene (329), Teanaway (335), East Klickitat (382), and Naneum (328). The spring turkey hunting rules pamphlet is available at WDFW offices or license dealers or at http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/game/water/turkey/index.htm.

• Wildlife viewing: Lower Columbia Basin Aububon Society members report ferruginous hawks have returned to the southcentral Washington area and remind viewers to be careful not to disturb the birds as they establish their grassland/shrub-steppe nests. The ferruginous hawk is a state threatened species that winters in Mexico and the southwestern U.S. In Washington it nests on rock outcrops, steep low cliffs, ledges on hills or canyons, and sometimes in isolated juniper trees or powerline towers, roughly within a 75-mile radius of the Tri-Cities. This rusty-colored hawk with a pale head and underside is about the size of the more common red-tailed hawk, but it is highly sensitive to disturbance, especially early in the nesting season.

  The Yakima River Delta Wildlife Park in Richland is currently hosting more spring migrants, including dunlin, greater yellowlegs, Caspian terns, and violet-green swallows. This 1,000-plus acre urban wetland park commonly has Canada geese, great blue herons, many species of dabbling ducks and songbirds, cottontail rabbits, and mule deer year-round. From Wye Neighborhood Park, walk across a short dike to Bateman island or walk upstream as far as the Yakima River bridge.

  WDFW Oak Creek Wildlife Area manager John McGowan reminds outdoor recreationists that the Oak Creek, Bethel Ridge, Sandford Pasture, and Mud Lake road systems on the wildlife area are closed to use through April 30 to protect elk during their critical early spring foraging period.