Come Aug. 1, salmon anglers can choose from a bevy of new fishing options, ranging from the popular Buoy 10 fishery at the mouth of the Columbia River to "Humpy Hollow" in northern Puget Sound.

Hundreds of boats are expected to converge in the lower Columbia on opening day of the Buoy 10 fishery, which runs upriver to the Rocky Point/Tongue Point line. Hundreds more are expected to ply the waters of marine areas 8-1 (Deception Pass/Skagit Bay), 8-2 (Saratoga Passage/Port Gardner - except Port Susan) and 9 (Admiralty Inlet), where anglers can keep two pink salmon in addition to the standard two-fish bag limit.

But a good case can also be made for the ongoing ocean salmon fishery, where catch rates are picking up and anglers can fish seven days a week starting July 29 in three out of four marine areas.

"The ocean fishery has definitely improved now that the warm water has moved farther offshore," said Doug Milward, ocean salmon manager for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). "In Ilwaco, anglers are now averaging nearly two fish per rod."

Because the number of anglers and the catch rates were lower than expected during the first few weeks of fishing, WDFW opened marine areas 1 (Ilwaco), 2 (Westport) and 3 (LaPush) to fishing seven days a week. In addition, anglers can include two - rather than one - chinook salmon in their two-fish daily bag limit. Fishing in Marine Area 4 (Neah Bay), where anglers have already caught nearly half of the area coho quota, will remain on a five-day, Tuesday-through-Saturday schedule.

In Eastern Washington, more than 200 boats a day have been congregating at the confluence of the Okanogan and Columbia rivers, where anglers have been reeling in chinook salmon ranging from 15 to 25 pounds. Approximately one out of three boats has been returning with fish.

Rich Pettit, a fish biologist working out of WDFW's Vancouver office, recommends a different option entirely.

"Sturgeon fishing is good in the lower Columbia River right now," said Pettit, noting that catch rates have been ranging from half a fish to three quarters of a fish from Ilwaco to Knappton.

Two options that won't be available this year are fishing for sockeye salmon in either Lake Washington or Lake Wenatchee. WDFW has ruled out sockeye fisheries on both lakes because fish returns have not met escapement needs.

Crabbing, meanwhile, remains open throughout Puget Sound. Three marine areas - 4 (Neah Bay), 5 (Sekiu) and 13 (south Puget Sound) - are open seven days per week. Eight areas are open for crabbing on a Wednesday-through-Saturday schedule, including Marine Area 6 (eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca), 7 (San Juan Islands, except the northern area around Point Roberts), 8-1 (Deception Pass to East Point), 8-2 (East Point to Possession Point), 9 (Admiralty Inlet) 10 (Seattle/Bremerton), 11 (Tacoma/Vashon) and 12 (Hood Canal).

See the regional reports that follow for more information on these and other recreational opportunities.

North Puget Sound

• Fishing: Salmon fishing in marine waters should pick up in August when the every-other-year surge of pink salmon begins pushing toward the terminal areas. The smallest of the six Pacific salmon species, pink salmon are expected to return this summer in big numbers to the Skagit, Snohomish and Green rivers. A smattering of pinks is already being caught in Puget Sound, according to WDFW sport fishing samplers, but the best marine areas to fish for pinks all open to salmon fishing on Aug. 1, including marine areas 8-1, 8-2 and 9. WDFW Fisheries Biologist Chad Jackson said pink salmon fishing in marine waters should be good from early August through September. Good bets for pink action include the extreme southern portion of Marine Area 8-2, including the "Shipwreck" and "Humpy Hollow" areas, and farther north in Marine Area 8-2 near the Mukilteo ferry terminal. The northern portion of Marine Area 10 and Elliott Bay can also produce pinks. The best terminal gear to use is anything in hot pink, including small spoons or an artificial squid. Fish the gear 12 to 24 inches behind a small flasher and troll slowly. Concentrate on fishing the top 60 feet of the water column, starting out with the gear around 25 to 30 feet deep, then go deeper as the day progresses. Treat pink salmon with a little TLC, and they'll provide high-quality table fare. Bleed and clean the fish as soon as possible, give it a good rinsing, then throw it in the fish box and keep it cold. Pinks are great grilled, baked or lightly smoked. Anglers are reminded that the Port Susan portion of Marine Area 8-2 is closed to salmon fishing in August, and closed to pink salmon retention through September. The closed area includes all waters north of a line from Camano Head to the boundary marker approximately 1.4 miles northwest of Hermosa Point, which is also the northern boundary of the Tulalip Bay "bubble" fishery. Beginning Aug. 1, marine areas 8-1, 8-2 and 9 all have a daily limit of two salmon, plus two additional pink salmon. The handling rule is in effect, and anglers must release chinook in all areas, plus chum in Marine Area 9. Anglers looking for chinook salmon in the Tulalip Bay and Elliott Bay bubbles are having a hard time finding many kings, said Patrick "Slim" Simpson, who heads WDFW's sport fish sampling program in central Puget Sound. "The big tide series we had last weekend (July 23-24) can really hurt fishing success. Elliott Bay was producing about one quarter a fish per boat, which isn't exactly great, but at least it's showing signs of life," Simpson said. WDFW Fisheries Biologist Steve Foley said counts of chinook at the Ballard Locks are beginning to increase, which could be good news for anglers in Elliott Bay. "Generally, when we see the chinook counts go up at the locks, we see a corresponding increase in the number of chinook heading up the Duwamish," Foley said. The Elliott Bay bubble is open Friday through Monday each week. The fishery closes at noon on Aug. 22. Check pages 116-117 of the "Fishing in Washington" rules pamphlet for bubble boundary details. Elsewhere in Marine Area 10, anglers have been boating plenty of 2- to 4- pound resident coho salmon. "The coho are starting to get bigger in central Puget Sound," Foley said. Silvers have been found off Point Monroe, Jefferson Head and in Elliott Bay. Try trolling green spoons, a green or white artificial squid or a small cut-plug herring fished behind a flasher. Give the bait a liberal basting of shrimp scent and start fishing the gear in the top 40 feet of water early in the morning. Drop the gear deeper as the day progresses. Outside the Elliott Bay bubble, anglers in Marine Area 10 have a two-salmon daily limit, plus two additional pink salmon. All chinook must be released, and all chum salmon must be released beginning Aug. 1. A note to boat-less anglers in the Edmonds area: Seawall construction at the Port of Edmonds this summer will occasionally limit access to the popular fishing pier. The pier will be closed to public access Mondays through Thursdays of each week from 6:45 a.m. to 6 p.m. The pier is scheduled to be open Fridays through Sundays. Contact the Port of Edmonds for more information at (425) 774-0549. Fishing for hatchery chinook on a portion of the Skykomish River ends July 31, which is also the last day of sockeye fishing at the confluence of the Skagit and Baker rivers. Both fisheries have been slow. Low numbers of returning summer-run steelhead and low flows on the Skykomish River have combined to create very slow fishing on the Sky. Due to another poor return of summer-run steelhead, the scheduled Aug. 1 opening of fishing in the Reiter Ponds portion of the Skykomish River will not happen. Jackson said that through the third week of July just 150 steelhead had made it back to the hatchery at Reiter Ponds, which is 200 fish short of the minimum number needed for spawning. "We're hoping to get some rain in that watershed so the fish will move up the river and into the hatchery," Jackson said. "But right now, the water is low and warm, so the fish just aren't moving." Many alpine lakes hold hungry trout that can readily be caught on small flies, while lowland lakes trout fishing should be confined to the early morning and late evening hours when temperatures have cooled. Bass, crappie, catfish and perch fishing in area lakes can all be productive in August.

• Wildlife viewing: An estimated three dozen rhinoceros auklets were spotted feeding in the nearshore area off West Point in Puget Sound, according to a correspondent for the Tweeters birding network. Washington state boasts roughly 90 percent of the U.S. population of rhino auklets outside of Alaska. This stout bird can be identified in the summertime by a bright orange bill and white feather tufts on each side of its head. Rhino auklets in Washington breed primarily on Protection, Destruction and Smith islands. The birds dig nesting burrows up to 20 feet deep into a hillside. At the end of each burrow is a nesting chamber where a moss and twig nest cup is built. Females lay one egg, and both the male and female incubate the egg and feed the chick. Purple martins are busy raising their young in nesting boxes that have been placed on pilings throughout the region's nearshore marine areas, including West Point, Edmonds and along Orcas and Lopez islands in the San Juans. A brightly colored Bullock's oriole was spotted recently in the Kent Valley. This bird will feed heavily on caterpillars, fruit and nectar during the summer nesting season. Both male and female Bullock's orioles have flashy colorations that make them hard to confuse with other local birds. The male has a reddish orange body, white wing bars and a black throat and eye line, while the female's upper body and tail have a brownish-yellow tint and a pale gray belly. Other birds of note that have been sighted recently in the Kent Valley include a pair of American bitterns, a pair of Cooper's hawks with two fledged chicks, and three types of sandpiper - the solitary, least and spotted varieties.

South Sound/Olympic Peninsula

• Fishing: Ocean anglers thinking about weighing anchor for other salmon fisheries might want to think again. True, the Buoy 10 fishery on the lower Columbia River opens Aug. 1 (see Southwest Washington report), as does Marine Area 9 (Admiralty Inlet) and the Puyallup and Skokomish rivers. But starting July 29, marine areas 1-3 (Ilwaco to Cape Alava) will be open seven days per week. In addition, anglers will be allowed to keep two, rather than one, chinook salmon in their two-salmon daily limit. Only Marine Area 4 (Neah Bay), where anglers have already caught nearly half of the area coho quota, will stay on a five-day, Tuesday-through-Saturday schedule. "Like last year, we are liberalizing the regulations to reflect the pace of the fishery," said Doug Milward, WDFW ocean salmon manager. "Catch rates over the past few weeks indicate we can open the fishery south of Cape Alava seven days a week without serious risk of an early closure." That could present a golden opportunity for anglers in the weeks ahead, Milward said. Although strong winds and high water temperatures hampered fishing during the first few weeks of fishing, coastwide catch rates are now approaching one salmon per rod. "Fishing has improved a lot in the past week or two, and we expect to see catch rates continue to rise in the days ahead," Milward said. Of the four ocean areas, Marine Area 1 (Ilwaco) had the highest catch rate for the week ending July 24, when anglers aboard charter boats averaged 1.8 salmon per rod and those fishing from their own craft averaged 1.3 fish apiece. Coho made up the bulk of the catch. Marine Area 4 (Neah Bay) had the second-highest overall catch rate, giving up more than one fish per rod - again, mostly coho. Catch rates in Marine Area 2 (Westport) fell short of one fish per rod, but chinook averaging 10 to 12 pounds outnumbered coho in the catch by more than two to one. The same was true in Marine Area 3 (LaPush). An increasing number of salmon are also beginning to push down the Strait of Juan de Fuca, boosting catch rates from Sekiu to Port Townsend and beyond. "More and more chinook are being brought in, a few silvers are starting to show up and the pinks are seemingly everywhere," states the website of one Sekiu resort. In a creel check conducted there July 23, WDFW counted 32 chinook, 38 coho and 97 pink salmon among 274 anglers. That same day, 35 anglers brought in 11 chinook salmon at Ediz Hook. Anglers will get a crack at the ones that got away in Marine Area 9 (Admiralty Inlet) when salmon fishing opens there Aug. 1. Popular fishing spots there include Point No Point, Possession Point, Bush Point and Double Bluff. The daily limit is two salmon, plus two additional pink salmon. The handling rule is in effect, and anglers are required to release any chinook or chum salmon they catch. In Hood Canal, where the salmon fishery has been under way south of Ayock Point since July 1, nearly 10,000 pink salmon have already returned to the Hoodsport hatchery, said Mark Cylwick, WDFW hatchery specialist. "We're about midway through the run," he said. "We've seen a lot of people fishing in front of the hatchery in the past few weeks, but it's a little slow right now. We can see the fish out there, but they're kind of spooky in this dry weather. Some rain would really help." That, of course, applies to any number of waters around the region - including the Puyallup River, which opens for salmon fishing Aug. 1 from the 11th Street Bridge to the Carbon River. The Skokomish River also opens that day from the mouth to the U.S. 101 bridge. Stream flows there have been well below normal, just as they are on other rivers from the Wynoochee to the Hoh. Anglers have been catching some hatchery steelhead in the Wynoochee River, but fishing in the Hoh and Quillayute rivers has been slow for weeks, said Bill Freymond, WDFW regional salmon manager. "It could be due to low flows or something else, but some rain sure wouldn't hurt." Meanwhile, recreational crab fishing remains open on two basic schedules throughout Puget Sound. Three marine areas - 4 (Neah Bay), 5 (Sekiu) and 13 (south Puget Sound) - are open seven days per week. Eight areas are open for crabbing on a Wednesday-through-Saturday schedule, including Marine Area 6 (eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca), 7 (San Juan Islands, except the northern area around Point Roberts), 8-1 (Deception Pass to East Point), 8-2 (East Point to Possession Point), 9 (Admiralty Inlet) 10 (Seattle/Bremerton), 11 (Tacoma/Vashon) and 12 (Hood Canal).

• Wildlife viewing: After a long day of fishing, two anglers heading back to Gig Harbor didn't have much to show for their efforts - until three gray whales breached right in front of them as they neared the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. "What a show!" one of the men wrote in a recent report to the Gamefishin.com website. "They actually crossed in front of our boat and then came completely out of the water." According to the report, they weren't the only anglers to catch the action. "A big fiberglass boat was motoring under the (bridge) when … the first (whale) jumped out of the water right in front of it. The second and third one were so close their boat actually got splashed!" While federal guidelines direct boaters to stay at least 100 yards from any marine mammal, that isn't always possible, said Steve Jeffries, WDFW marine mammal biologist. "Sometimes they'll take you by surprise," Jeffries said. Less surprising, Jeffries said, is the fact that the six transient killer whales that had feasted on seals in Hood Canal for nearly seven months are finally gone. The so-called "Slippery Six" were last reported to the Orca Network on July 14 heading north toward the Hood Canal floating bridge. "So far as we know, they have left the area," said Jeffries, speculating that they have returned to southeast Alaska to congregate with others of their kind. "That's normal behavior for transient killer whales, so it's just as well that they've ended their extended stay in Hood Canal." Meanwhile, contributors to the Tweeters bird-watching website have recently reported some rare - and some not-so-rare - finds. One birder spotted more than a thousand Caspian terns, along with two black oystercatchers, on the south side of Dungeness Spit. Another reported seeing a Sabine's gull and a long-billed curlew on the Nisqually Reach mudflats, while still another sighted a purple martin at the Tokeland marina.

Southwest Washington:

• Fishing: New salmon fisheries open Aug. 1 at Buoy 10 and several tributaries to the Columbia River, but sturgeon fishing in the lower mainstem could be the best bet for anglers during the next two weeks, said Rich Pettit, WDFW fish biologist. "Most of the new fishing areas won't really take off for a few weeks, but sturgeon fishing is good in the lower river right now," Pettit said. Charter boat anglers checked at the ports of Chinook and Ilwaco have been averaging 0.75 white sturgeon apiece; 0.25 for private boaters. Catch rates for boat anglers checked at the Deep River and Knappton ramps are running around half a legal-sized sturgeon per rod, counting fish released. "We're seeing quite a few sub-legals, but anglers are still catching some nice fish below the Megler-Astoria Bridge and from Interstate 205 to Bonneville Dam." Pettit reminds anglers that the catch-and-keep fishery for sturgeon has been extended through Aug. 15 in the Columbia River estuary downstream of the Wauna power line crossing near Cathlamet, but will switch to catch-and release Aug. 1 from the power line to Bonneville Dam. In June, anglers made 28,400 trips to fish for sturgeon in the Columbia River estuary, the greatest number recorded by WDFW since 1977. They caught and kept 8,341 legal white sturgeon that month, compared to 10,400 fishing in June of 2004. Good fishing for hatchery steelhead is also drawing an increasing number of anglers to several areas of the lower Columbia and its tributaries. At Drano Lake, anglers aboard 48 boats averaged one hatchery steelhead apiece July 23 while those fishing the Cowlitz River between Blue Creek and Mission Bar caught one fish for every two rods. Rather be first in line at Buoy 10? The popular fishery, which opens Aug. 1 up to the Rocky Point/Tongue Point line, always draws a crowd for chinook and hatchery coho. The daily limit through Sept. 30 will be two salmon, with a maximum of one chinook. The minimum size for chinook is 24 inches and 16 inches for coho. All sockeye, chum and wild coho must be released. "Chinook salmon tend to show up first, followed by coho, but the Buoy 10 fishery usually doesn't hit its stride until mid-August," Pettit said. The same is true for the Washougal and Wind rivers, which also open Aug. 1, said Pettit, noting that fishing regulations also change that day for several areas of the Columbia River and its tributaries. "Most of those changes are keyed to the upcoming fall chinook fishery," Pettit said. "Anglers planning to fish for salmon during the next few weeks should check the Fishing in Washington rule book to make sure they're up to date on the regulations." While fishing for spring chinook is winding down, anglers on the Cowlitz River are getting another chance at several hundred of them. During the last week of July, employees from WDFW and Tacoma Power released more than 300 spring chinook adults recovered from the Cowlitz salmon hatchery into the river - 150 of them at Lake Scanewa above Cowlitz Falls Dam. They also recycled 160 steelhead adults at the Massey Bar boat launch. Lakes planted with legal-size rainbow trout during the past month include Council Lake (4,000), Takhiakh Lake (4,000) and Ollalie Lake. The shad fishery is essentially through, but not before setting records for both angler trips and fish caught. According to WDFW records, anglers made 21,200 trips and retained 164,300 shad on the mainstem Columbia River below Bonneville Dam this year. The previous records were 21,000 angler trips in 1992 and 148,100 fish caught and kept in 2002.

• Wildlife viewing: Hikers hoping to spot mountain goats in the Goat Rocks Wilderness in mid-July might also have caught a glimpse of WDFW biologists climbing the mountainous terrain. A team of biologists, led by WDFW research scientist Cliff Rice, has been working at Goat Rocks and other areas of the state to improve estimates of mountain goat populations in Washington. "As part of the study, we're determining the conditions under which mountain goats might be missed from the air by having observers on the ground at the same time," Rice said. "That should help us improve the accuracy of our aerial surveys." WDFW biologists also see favorable signs about the mountain goat population in the Goat Rocks Wilderness itself. Surveys conducted this year recorded 36 kids per 100 goats in the area - a much higher ratio than in recent years. "The mild winter and wet spring undoubtedly helped," Rice said. "We even identified some twins, which is pretty rare in an established population." Rice noted that goat populations statewide have declined sharply in recent years, due in large part to the continual loss of alpine meadows through forest practices and other human activities. But the goat population in the Goat Rocks Wilderness - estimated at 327 animals - appears to be on the rebound, Rice said. "It's one of our premier goat populations," he said. Popular places to see the goats include the Goat Lake area, Tieton Peak, Gilbert Peak and Cispus Pass.

Eastern Washington:

• Fishing: Summertime heat is driving anglers higher and fish deeper. The north end of the region includes many small, deep lakes at higher elevation with somewhat cooler air temperatures that make for more comfortable fishing. "But you still need to fish very early in the day or late in the evening," said WDFW district fish biologist Curt Vail of Colville. "The water is still warm and fish hide in deep, shaded water during the heat of the day. They're more actively feeding at night and into the early hours of morning." Vail noted that at this time of year some of the best fishing is at night when the skies are clear and there's a full moon, which will next be around Aug. 5. "Trout often feed all night in those conditions because they can see better," Vail said. Meadow Lake in Stevens County, at about 4,300 feet above sea level, is a good bet. Anglers were recently reeling in 12- to 16-inch rainbow trout there. Davis Lake in Ferry County and Yocum Lake in Pend Oreille County are both producing nice cutthroat trout. Summit Lake in Stevens County has nice rainbows and Elbow Lake just to the west has eastern brook trout. For catch-and-release fishing, Vail says it's hard to beat Starvation Lake near the Little Pend Oreille Wildlife Refuge, southeast of Colville. A recent fishing derby at Starvation reported rainbows up to a pound and a half and 17 ½ inches long. Vail noted that in addition to being catch-and-release only, Starvation has selective gear regulations which includes no motorized boats. Also on refuge, Bayley Lake is another option for catch-and-release fishing. The lake is open to flyfishing only. Vail said the water level is dropping at Bayley, but the lake had been putting out nice rainbows earlier. Although not at high elevation, Waitts Lake in southern Stevens County is a good spot to catch rainbows and brown trout in the evening. Fishing holes in the north district to probably avoid at this point include McDowell Lake on the refuge and Curlew Lake near Republic in Ferry County. McDowell is overrun with milfoil and an algae bloom, Vail explained. And Curlew Lake's fish-rearing net pen had location problems last summer and young trout had to be released too early. That means there's not a good crop of catchable size trout in the lake this summer, Vail explained. The Curlew Lake Association is now coordinating new net pens in better locations so hopefully fishing will improve in the future.

• Wildlife viewing: It's huckleberry-picking time in northeast Washington, and such outings almost always include wildlife-viewing opportunities. On the way up to the mountains, watch for osprey fledglings around nests along the shorelines of rivers and lakes. Young of the year of many species are highly visible now, from deer fawns to quail chicks. With abundant spring rain, many say this may be one of the best huckleberry years in the past decade. And that means you could be sharing a berry patch with black bears. Be alert about that possibility and give bears a wide berth, especially protective mothers with cubs. Most bears will steer clear of you, if they know you are around, so make plenty of noise to give them warning. If you do surprise a bear, let it know immediately what you are by clapping your hands or yelling. Most will scamper up a tree to escape you. For more information about what to do when encountering black bears, see http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/game/blkbear/blkbear.htm. Huckleberries aren't the only fruit ripening now. Lots of trees and shrubs are producing berries now that may not be edible or palatable to humans, but are heavily used by birds and other wildlife. Forest grouse, chipmunks, and other squirrels are feasting on this summertime bounty. Notably, small flocks of berry-eating cedar waxwings have been seen from backyards to streamside areas, some perhaps already starting migrations southward.

North Central Washington:

• Fishing: Anglers won't be fishing for sockeye salmon in Lake Wenatchee this summer. With just 11,000 Lake Wenatchee-bound sockeye counted at Tumwater Dam on the Wenatchee River as of July 24, the run is not strong enough to allow a fishery on the lake. Last summer's nearly five-week season was only the second fishery since 1993. Portions of the upper Columbia River that opened to summer chinook salmon fishing on July 16 continue to produce fish, however. WDFW District Fish Biologist Art Viola reports that the highest fishing effort is concentrated at the confluence of the Okanogan and Columbia rivers. Viola said WDFW creel survey technicians counted 225 boats fishing in that area on opening morning, with approximately one in three boats returning with fish ranging from 15 to 25 pounds. Viola said many anglers are also fishing below Wells and Rocky Reach dams and near the confluence of the Columbia and Wenatchee rivers. Chinook catch rates vary by location and day as anglers continue pursuing schools of fish as they migrate upriver. Most recently, 20 to 100 boats per day have been fishing near the mouth of the Wenatchee River and below Wells Dam. Catch rates have been higher in the mornings for those fishing near the mouth of the Wenatchee, and higher in the evening for those fishing below Wells Dam. The daily catch limit is six chinook, with no more than two adults of at least 24 inches in length. Release coho and sockeye salmon. Look for information signs at water access points on some river stretches about cash rewards for returns of tagged fish. The fish are part of a cooperative research study between the Colville Confederated Tribes and WDFW. The Methow River catch-and-release fishery for resident rainbow and cutthroat trout continues through September. WDFW enforcement officers remind anglers that the Methow season is strictly catch-and-release with selective gear only. Check the regulation pamphlet and watch for waters closed to fishing, which are in place to help protect endangered steelhead, spring chinook, and bull trout juveniles. WDFW's Sinlahekin Wildlife Area in northern Okanogan County has seven trout fishing waters that may be good spots to beat the heat in coming weeks, including Conner, Forde, Blue, Fish, and Doheny lakes. July and August are great months for bass fishing in the Columbia Basin, especially at Potholes Reservoir. And there are still plenty of walleye to go around, especially at Moses Lake.

• Wildlife viewing: Wildlife enthusiasts looking to escape the heat wave and see some critters might try a trip to WDFW's 14,000-acre Sinlahekin Wildlife Area, located about two hours from Wenatchee in northern Okanogan County. With elevations reaching nearly 5,000 feet, there's lots of wildlife active from morning to night. The Sinlahekin's bird list alone includes 244 species, from common loons on the lakes to red crossbills in the woods. There are also 61 species of mammals, 20 species of reptiles and amphibians and approximately 100 species of butterflies. "Most visitors at this time of year are going to see white-tailed and mule deer and bighorn sheep," said WDFW area manager Dale Swedberg, "but during early morning and late evening, you might also catch a glimpse of moose, black bear, cougar, bobcat and coyote." Also of note for botanists and wildflower enthusiasts, the Sinlahekin hosts more than 510 species of vascular plants. Swedberg says there's plenty of camping space in several designated campgrounds and more than seven miles of unimproved trails for hikers and horseback riders. A limited number of maps of the Sinlahekin Wildlife Area are available from the Wildlife Program in Olympia; call (360) 902-2515 to get a copy.

South Central Washington:

• Fishing: WDFW District Fish Biologist Eric Anderson says the best fishing bet right now, especially in the heat, are the small streams or high mountain lakes for rainbow and cutthroat trout. "Fishing is especially good at this time of year because the water levels in the streams have dropped and water clarity is good," he said. Some of the most popular streams in Yakima County are Rattlesnake Creek and Little Naches River, including some of the forks and tributaries. In Kittitas County try Naneum, Taneum, Swauk, Manastash and the Teanaway. A good hike-in fishing experience for eastern brook trout can be found on upper Indian Creek, a tributary of Rimrock Lake. There is no daily catch limit for eastern brookies on the creek because the fish can move downriver and can hybridize with ESA-listed bull trout. Approximately four miles of lower Indian Creek is closed to all fishing. Another opportunity for eastern brook trout is in the upper reaches of the Yakima River, where there is also no catch limit for the non-native fish. One of the best techniques is fishing a dry fly, such as a size 12 elk hair caddis. Anderson noted that anglers should familiarize themselves with catch-and-release regulations and other catch limit and gear restrictions. "Anglers must release any bull trout, steelhead or salmon that they may catch while fishing for the other trout species," he said. Many high mountain lakes in Kittitas and Yakima counties are now accessible. Most named lakes have populations of cutthroat, rainbow or eastern brook trout. Lakes that are most difficult to reach typically have the best fishing, but there are plenty of lakes with good fishing for those who want to go for day trips of 10 miles round trip or less. An ultra-light spinning rod and reel combination and a few spinners is often all that's needed. Anderson said small spinners can be effective for lures, while various midge, mayfly, damselfly and stonefly patterns can be effective for flyfishing. Anderson encourages people to catch and release, but if fish are harvested and carried out of the high country when the weather is warm, anglers will need to carry ice to keep them edible. Bug repellent is a necessity in most areas now, and hike-in anglers should also be prepared for weather changes in the high country. "Trout Fishing in Washington's High Lakes" is a publication useful to both beginners and veterans, and is available at http://wdfw.wa.gov/outreach/fishing/highlake.htm.

• Wildlife viewing: Backyard bird watchers continue to report lots of rufous and calliope hummingbirds feeding at both sugar-water feeders and natural nectar-producing flowers. WDFW Habitat Biologist Ken Bevis notes it's an especially good time to keep bird baths replenished to both provide birds needed water and to enjoy close-up views. Birders escaping lowland heat in the mountains report a variety of birds in various habitat types, but identifying all species is sometimes difficult because many are juvenile birds that lack full plumage. Alder tree patches at high elevation have been full of birds, including orange-crowned and yellow-rumped warblers. Local birders making field trips throughout the mountains in the region also report families of Williamson's sapsuckers, northern flickers, Hammond's flycatchers, warbling vireos, mountain chickadees, brown creepers, hermit thrushes, western tanagers, and Lazuli buntings.