January 23-February 5, 2002

Contact: Doug Williams, (360) 902-2256 or Madonna Luers, (509) 456-4073

The deepest weeks of winter are not without a variety of outdoor activities throughout Washington.

There's steelhead fishing in southeast Washington's Snake River tributaries, on the Olympic Peninsula, and on many Puget Sound and southwest Washington streams. Smelt dippers are taking daily 10-pound limits of the small fish on the Cowlitz River and using their catch either as dinner or as bait to catch larger dinner, such as sturgeon.

For shellfish enthusiasts, good nighttime low tides will provide plenty of opportunity to harvest razor clams during the year's first scheduled dig, weekdays from Jan. 29 through Feb. 1, along selected Pacific Coast beaches. Final word on the dig is pending biotoxin tests. Check the Shellfish Rule Change Hotline, 1-866-880-5431, or Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's website, for a razor clam update before heading out. Also, be sure the lanterns are in good working order, and be prepared for a wet, chilly experience, as the best times to dig will be at night.

Mid-winter fishing is hot on northeast Washington's Lake Roosevelt, the Columbia River's mega-reservoir off Grand Coulee Dam. Boat fishers are averaging less than an hour per kokanee and rainbow trout, and shore fishers are doing almost as well on rainbows. Most wild kokanee (landlocked sockeye salmon) are running 19 to 22 inches, and most rainbows are running 15 to 20 inches.

Pacific coast beachcombers have something unusual to look for: a detachable whale-tracking transmitter that may have washed ashore recently. The transmitter was placed on the male orca that was rescued following an early January beach stranding in Dungeness Bay. It tracked the orca's movements for the first few days following the stranding, and has likely come off. The device has a flotation body about eight inches long with a thin 16-inch-long antennae, and can be mailed to the National Marine Mammal Laboratory, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Building 4, Seattle, WA., 98115.

Bird lovers are flocking to northern Puget Sound, where hundreds of wintering bald eagles along the Skagit River are the focal point of the 15th annual Upper Skagit Bald Eagle Festival, Feb. 2-3 in Concrete. Guided tours, food, and entertainment are all scheduled in celebration of one of the big birds.

Hunting seasons are over, but not the paperwork. Actually there's no "paper" involved for deer, elk, black bear, and turkey hunters, who are required to file reports by Jan. 31, whether they were successful or not, and even whether they hunted or not. Hunters can call toll-free, 1-877-945-3492, or enter their report via the Internet, www.fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov. Reporting hunters should have their WILD identification number from their hunting license handy.

It's not too early for young or first-time hunters to enroll in hunter education classes. Many volunteer instructors start classes next month and into the spring and summer to avoid cutting into their own fall hunting time. Hunter education classes and contacts for enrollment are listed by county at www.wdfw\.wa\.gov/outreach/hed/basic.htm.

Hunters and target shooters can learn more about a new WDFW initiative for limited federal funding to develop shooting ranges. Six evening meetings are scheduled in late January through mid-February throughout the state. Contact the WDFW Hunter Education Division, (360) 902-8111, or huntered@dfw.wa.gov.

Here are the details on outdoor wintertime activities, region-by-region:

North Puget Sound:

• Fishing: Steelhead fishing on northern Puget Sound streams has dropped off considerably in the past week, as the runs transition from hatchery stocks to wild stocks. "There are still catchable fish around, and the good steelheaders will catch their share of fish, but fishing was quite a bit better a month ago," said WDFW fisheries biologist Curt Kraemer. "It looks like we're done with the big push of hatchery fish, and we should begin to see bigger numbers of wild fish over the next few weeks." Wild steelhead retention is generally prohibited on most northern Puget Sound streams, including the Skagit, Stillaguamish, and Snohomish river systems; check the regulations before heading to your favorite stream. The promise of cooler, drier weather means fishing for whitefish should pick up again. "Look for whitefish to start concentrating in the deep pools when the rivers start to drop," Kraemer said. Light trout tackle with a single egg, maggots, or a maggot imitation will all do the trick for whitefish, which are a fantastic fish for eating. Some of the region's year-round trout waters should start to see the first significant chromid hatches of the season. "It can happen at any time, whenever there's a nice sunny afternoon without any wind," Kraemer said. His advice: Keep the fly rod nearby, and be prepared to match the hatch. Winter blackmouth fishing opens throughout much of northern Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The fishery runs from Feb. 16 to April 10 in Marine Areas 5, 6, 7, 8-1, 8-2 and 9, with a daily limit of one chinook. Fish must be 22 inches in length or larger.

• Wildlife viewing: Don't forget the 15th annual Upper Skagit Bald Eagle Festival, Feb. 2-3 in Concrete. Food, arts, entertainment, and plenty of eagle viewing are all on tap for the festival, including afternoon interpretive walks with knowledgeable volunteers. Wear sturdy shoes and prepare for typical Pacific Northwest February weather. Visit the website, www.skagiteagle.org, for more information. Trumpeter and tundra swans can be found throughout the lower Skagit River valley, and in other areas of northern Puget Sound as well. Please don't harass the birds, and be sure to be respectful of private property when looking for swans. Birders interested in smaller specimens can head to the Skagit Bay / Padilla Bay areas where reports have come in of a few rare wintertime visitors, including white-throated sparrows, Eurasian widgeon, Wilson's warblers, and, in the Snohomish area, barn swallows. While they're common sites in the balmy summer months, finding barn swallows in western Washington during the dead of winter is a rare occurrence. Raptors have been seen hunting the flocks of ducks along Fir Island's shoreline.

Olympic Peninsula/South Sound:

• Fishing: The first razor clam dig of the year is tentatively scheduled weekdays on four ocean beaches from Jan. 29 through Feb. 1. Provided that test results show the clams are safe to eat, digging will be allowed each day from noon until 11:59 p.m. at Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis and Kalaloch. Because of the tight window allowed by the tides for conducting necessary marine toxin tests, final word on the clam dig won't be available until Monday, Jan. 28. Prospective diggers are advised to call the Shellfish Rule Change Hotline (1-866-880-5431) or check WDFW's website for a razor clam update before they head to the beach. Diggers should also be aware that Mocrocks will not open for recreational digging during the four-day period, due to a scheduled dig by members of the Quinault Indian Nation. If you want to plan ahead, another dig is scheduled Feb. 27 through March 2 each day from noon until 11:59 p.m. at Long Beach, Copalis and Mocrocks. Meanwhile, most coastal rivers are below average flows right now and very fishable. Weekend catches on the Quillayute system slowed to 20 hatchery and 11 wild steelhead among 153 anglers checked, but numbers of wild fish are expected to pick up soon. The 100 anglers checked on the Sol Duc River had nine wild steelhead and five hatchery fish in their possession, and reported releasing 13. The Wynoochee is still pretty high and somewhat colored with spotty success.

• Wildlife viewing: Now that bird hunting season is over, bird watchers rule the roost. Trumpeter swans are on display in a number of areas throughout the region, particularly in the Chehalis Valley. One contributor to Tweeters, the on-line birding chat room http://www.scn.org/earth/tweeters/, reported seeing five trumpeter swans near Vance Creek Park in Elma. Down the road at Brady Loop, the same writer spotted 200 northern pintails, two yellow-rumped warblers, a northern shrike, four red-tailed hawks and 15 black-bellied plovers. If you're in the area, watch for "Grandma," one of two wintering trumpeter swans fitted with satellite transmitters for research purposes. Another good place to spot trumpeters and other waterfowl is the viewing blind at the Chehalis Wildlife Area, about two miles outside Elma on Schouweiler Road. The blind is handicapped accessible and usually available now that the hunters have left the field.

Southwest Washington:

• Fishing: Smelt dippers, your time has come. Smelt fishing has been fantastic in the Cowlitz River, where many anglers have been getting the daily 10-pound limit. The beauty of smelt, says WDFW fisheries biologist Joe Hymer, is that they can be caught for eating or as bait to catch and eat bigger fish, such as sturgeon. Smelt fishing is currently open on the Washington Columbia River tributaries, including the Cowlitz, on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day, and no license is required. The daily 10-pound limit is equivalent to about one quarter of a five-gallon bucket, and a scale is helpful in avoiding a ticket. Also, fishers should obey the "No Parking" signs in the Kelso area. "With smelt, when you hear the fishing is good, you need to go right away," says WDFW fisheries biologist Joe Hymer. "The smelt season is scheduled to stay open through March, but the fish are early this year, and I'd say the time to go fishing is right now." Call the WDFW Region 5 office, (360) 696-6211 and press *1010 for a smelt update. Sturgeon fishers in the lower Columbia River have been relying on fresh smelt as bait to land big sturgeon. The best spots for boaters on the lower Columbia River will be anywhere from Woodland upstream to Bonneville Dam. Bank anglers going after sturgeon below Longview usually have good success during the smelt run. Steelhead fishing remains good on several streams. "One of the best reports I've seen lately was in the Blue Creek area of the Cowlitz, where the bank anglers were averaging about one steelhead per rod," Hymer said. Other southwest Washington rivers with decent steelhead numbers include the Grays, Elochoman, Kalama, both forks of the Lewis, the Washougal, the White Salmon, and Salmon Creek in Vancouver. "There's probably a mixture of bright fish and dark fish, but with a little bit of rain, additional bright fish will probably come up into the streams," Hymer said. There have been additional releases of 7- to 10-pound hatchery broodstock trout, surplus steelhead, and half-pound rainbow trout in several southwest Washington lakes. Horseshoe Lake near Woodland got 185 of the big broodstock trout and some of the 800 surplus steelhead should be still swimming in the lake. Kress Lake near Kalama also received 23 surplus steelhead last week. Lake Sacajewea in Longview got 181 broodstock trout. Northwestern Lake near Underwood got 60 broodstock trout, while Kidney Lake near North Bonneville got 47. Icehouse Lake near Bridge of the Gods; Little Ash near Stevenson and Tunnel Lake east of Drano Lake got 31 lunkers each. The fish were planted earlier in January and some should still be available for anglers. Half-pound rainbow trout have been planted into Rowland Lake near Lyle (3,300), Spearfish Lake near Dallesport (1,100), Maryhill Pond got 500, Little Ash Lake (1,000), Northwestern Lake (3,400), Lacamas Lake near Camas (5,000), Lake Sacajawea (1,700), and Battle Ground Lake (7,000).

• Wildlife viewing: For those willing to brave the cold wind and rain, the Julia Buttler Wildlife Refuge along the Columbia River near Cathlamet has great bird-watching this time of the year. Birds sighted there recently include big groups of greater and lesser scaup, as well as common goldeneyes. Deer and elk are also often present at the wildlife refuge, which is located along State Route 4, just a few miles north of Cathlamet.

Eastern Washington:

• Fishing: Lake Roosevelt fishing is hot, according to WDFW fish biologist Casey Baldwin who's in charge of monitoring the fishery in the big Columbia River reservoir off Grand Coulee Dam. Baldwin and crews recently sampled the catch rate by boat over several days and found that on average a boat with three anglers fishing for eight hours will catch seven rainbows and three kokanee. Most kokanee (landlocked sockeye salmon) are of wild origin and in the 19 to 22-inch range, with occasional hatchery kokanee averaging 13-16 inches. "For the wild kokanee that we think come in from Canadian streams and smaller lakes," Baldwin says, "Lake Roosevelt is their ocean." Roosevelt also becomes the "ocean" for eastside salmon anglers who don't get over to the coast. Most Roosevelt rainbow trout are from the net pen rearing projects and they average 15 to 17 inches, with occasional winter carryovers or wild fish in the 20 inch range. At the other end of the region, Snake River steelhead fishing continues to be productive in the tributaries. WDFW fish biologist Joe Bumgarner reports that it's even a little better in recent days since water levels have come up. The most recent creel checks show anglers averaging just over two hours per steelhead caught on the Tucannon River, just under four hours per fish on the Touchet, and about seven hours per fish on the Walla Walla River. Ice Harbor Dam area checks showed about nine hours per steelhead and the Little Goose Dam area showed almost 22 hours per fish. Rainbow trout are still being caught at some of the winter-only lakes in the region, like Fourth of July and Hog Canyon, but it's not necessarily ice-fishing anymore. Open water may be an option, as thaws and re-freezing may have left ice unsafe.

• Wildlife viewing: It's mating season for many eagles, owls, and hawks, and other large birds like ravens and magpies. Watch or listen for pairs in aerial or treetop mating rituals. WDFW wildlife biologist Howard Ferguson reports seeing golden eagles performing their mating flights over the hills and cliffs above Lincoln, north of Creston on the shores of Lake Roosevelt. Watch for bighorn sheep in the same area, Ferguson says. The winter feeding station for bighorns at Sullivan Lake in Pend Oreille County continues to draw sheep, 18 at last count, including seven rams. Coyotes are also very watch-able now, throughout the region's open snow-covered landscapes, as they are pairing up to start families. Heavy, persistent snow cover in many parts of the region continues to bring deer into lowlands, near roads and people; to avoid adding to current roadkill problems, slow down and be alert while driving.

• Hunting: Hunting seasons are over but not the paperwork. Actually there's no "paper" involved for deer, elk, black bear, and turkey hunters who are required to file reports by Jan. 31, whether they were successful or not and even whether they hunted or not. The reporting is by telephone (toll free 1-877-945-3492) or over the Internet at http://www.fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov. Reporting hunters should be prepared to have their WILD identification number from their hunting license handy before attempting to file. It's not too early for young or first-time hunters to enroll in Hunter Education classes to be prepared for next fall's seasons or for this spring's turkey hunting. Many volunteer instructors are starting to hold classes next month and through the spring and summer to avoid cutting into their own fall hunting time. All currently scheduled classes and contacts for enrollment can be found listed by county on the department's website.

North Central Washington:

• Fishing: WDFW fish biologist Jeff Korth reports that ice fishing on the region's many popular winter fisheries is not recommended because of "uneasy" ice conditions. "It comes and it goes," he says. But rainbow trout fishing in Lind Coulee, which flows into the southeast corner of Potholes Reservoir, should be good; local reports indicate catches up to 18 inches. Some anglers have also been catching walleye up to six pounds and yellow perch up to nine inches in the Lind Coulee. Rocky Ford Creek should also be good for trout fly fishers, Korth reports.

• Wildlife viewing: WDFW wildlife biologist Scott Fitkin recommends "The Nature of Winter" ski and snowshoe winter ecology and tracking tours in the Methow Valley. These free guided trips that explore winter ecology and identify wildlife tracks are offered every Saturday through March 2, and all three days of the Presidents' holiday weekend (Feb 16-18). Ski tours meet at the Chicadee parking lot near Sun Mountain Lodge, and snowshoe tours meet at the Mazama Snowshoe Yurt at the Mazama trailhead. Tours start at 11 a.m. and are for anyone 8 years or older with a group size limit of 10. A Methow Valley Ski Trail Association trail pass is required and can be obtained at several locations in the valley. For more information call 509-996-4036. Avid birdwatchers can still catch a glimpse of the rare, lone yellow-throated warbler that is wintering at a backyard feeder in Twisp; for more information about that mixed-up migrant, see the e-mail digest at www.scn.org/earth/tweeters/.

• Hunting: Hunting seasons are over but not the paperwork. Actually there's no "paper" involved for deer, elk, black bear, and turkey hunters who are required to file reports by Jan. 31, whether they were successful or not and even whether they hunted or not. The reporting is by telephone (toll free 1-877-945-3492) or over the Internet at www/fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov. Reporting hunters should be prepared to have their WILD identification number from their hunting license handy before attempting to file. It's not too early for young or first-time hunters to enroll in Hunter Education classes to be prepared for next fall's seasons or for this spring's turkey hunting. Many volunteer instructors are starting to hold classes next month and through the spring and summer to avoid cutting into their own fall hunting time. All currently scheduled classes and contacts for enrollment can be found listed by county on the department's website.

South Central Washington:

• Fishing: Whitefish angling should be good in the Yakima and Naches rivers, although there are no specific creel checks. Whitefish anglers are reminded that there is a barbless hook requirement above Roza Dam. Fly fishing for trout on the Yakima River is reportedly good, too. Rainbow trout fishing continues in Yakima County's Myron and Rotary lakes, I-82 Pond No. 4 and Pond No. 6, and North Elton Pond. Anglers are reminded that the catch limit at North Elton is just two trout, with only one over 20 inches.

• Wildlife viewing: WDFW habitat biologist Ken Bevis reports that two mountain bluebirds were recently observed on cattails near Toppenish. "It's early but in this region this year you can already be on the watch for early spring migratory birds," Bevis says. "Sometimes unexpected visitors appear before expected, perhaps cued by our mild winter." Bevis also says to look for open, south-facing slopes in shrub-steppe habitats, devoid of snow, to find early season plant life showing. The late winter shrub-steppe will bloom with mosses and lichens in deep, vibrant greens. These non-vascular plants will wither into brown and be invisible in the hot months of summer, and dry months of fall. As the snow melts, the dry channels will flow as living streams in these dry landscapes.

• Hunting: Hunting seasons are over but not the paperwork. Actually there's no "paper" involved for deer, elk, black bear, and turkey hunters who are required to file reports by Jan. 31, whether they were successful or not and even whether they hunted or not. The reporting is by telephone (toll free 1-877-945-3492) or over the Internet at www.fishhunt.dif.wa.gov. Reporting hunters should be prepared to have their WILD identification number from their hunting license handy before attempting to file. It's not too early for young or first-time hunters to enroll in Hunter Education classes to be prepared for next fall's seasons or for this spring's turkey hunting. Many volunteer instructors are starting to hold classes next month and through the spring and summer to avoid cutting into their own fall hunting time. All currently scheduled classes and contacts for enrollment can be found listed by county on the department's website. Yakima County has a shortage of volunteer instructors this year, so there are only a couple of courses in May and a few in September, all of which will fill up fast; Yakima County hunters interested in becoming instructors should contact WDFW's eastern Washington Hunter Education coordinator Chuck Ray at 509-754-4624 Ext. 23.