Whether you're a coastal resident seeking salmon or an inlander itching for trout, there are good fishing opportunities now and through late winter from the Olympic Peninsula to the Columbia Basin.

Coastal rivers have been producing solid catches of wild steelhead in recent weeks as hatchery stock runs have tapered off. The best catches statewide have been coming from the Hoh, Bogachiel and Sol Duc rivers. The Hoko, Calawah, Queets, Quinault, Wynoochee, Willapa and Naselle rivers also have been producing some nice fish. Catch ratios averaged about one fish for every two anglers at last check.

Fishing for blackmouth (immature chinook salmon) opens Feb. 16 and strong numbers of fish are expected, especially in central and northern Puget Sound, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's Puget Sound fishery coordinator Tony Floor. Prime areas include Double Bluff and Midchannel Bank along Admiralty Inlet and areas along the Strait of Juan de Fuca including Protection Island and the Winter Hole west of Port Angeles.

"Anywhere anglers can find baitfish, they will find blackmouth," Floor predicts. Many of the blackmouth are so-called "resident salmon," hatchery products that have been held one year beyond their normal release stage to break their migratory instinct and provide a winter fishery in the Sound, Floor explained. Relatively few wild chinook are present in the water at this time. The limit is one fish per day, and the catch must be at least 22 inches long.

February is a good time to fish for trophy-sized walleye in the Columbia River in southcentral Washington. Fishing is not fast at this time of year, but the biggest fish of the year are often caught now. The tailraces of all the dams are generally productive.

In the Columbia Basin of northcentral Washington, the year-round Seep Lakes south of Potholes Reservoir and northwest of Othello are turning out some nice rainbow trout. Corral, Blythe, Canal, Windmill, and Heart lakes are the best bets and all have a five trout daily limit. Potholes Reservoir itself is still kicking out good numbers of net- pen-reared rainbow trout. Lind Coulee, a tributary at the southeast corner of Potholes Reservoir, is also a good place to fish.

Wherever you cast a line, remember that the fishing license you purchased last spring remains valid through the end of March under the new licensing cycle.

Other current fish and wildlife recreation opportunities across the state include:

Northern Puget Sound:

• Wildlife Viewing: Wintering waterfowl and raptors are in evidence throughout the Skagit Valley, but for a good spot to get safely off the road for a better look, wildlife watchers should check out the recently opened DeBays Slough Swan Reserve, north of Mount Vernon. (Take the College Way exit from Interstate 5; turn north on Laventure Road and follow it as it becomes Francis Road; the site is off Francis Road). The Nookachamps Creek Valley, including Clear Lake, is near the reserve and also offers opportunities to view raptors such as Peregrine falcons and waterfowl. For good bald eagle viewing, try the Nooksack and Snohomish river systems as well as Port Susan and Skagit Bay near Stanwood. Wintering loon numbers are increasing in Puget Sound and good places to view loons include the Keystone Ferry, Bush Point on Whidby Island, Anacortes, and the entrance to Drayton harbor at Blaine. Look for sea ducks, such as goldeneye and oldsquaw, too. Check out Internet website photos of Orca whales from Washington (L and K pod members) as they visit Monterrey Bay, California at www.montereybaywhalewatch.com/kw/killerwhales.htm

  If you're interested in urban Canada goose management, plan to attend the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service public comment meeting on February 17 at 7 p.m. at the Doubletree Inn in Bellevue. This is a scoping meeting for the management alternatives that will be presented in the USFWS EIS on Canada Goose Management. For more information see www.r1.fws.gov/news/2000-04.htm

Olympic Peninsula:

• Fishing: WDFW has scheduled a razor clam opening Feb. 19 and 20 at Long Beach and at Twin Harbors Beach (which includes the North Cove, Grayland and Westport areas). The final go-ahead for digging depends on a final test for marine toxins, so check the fishing hotline (360-902-2500) or the WDFW website before you head out.

• Wildlife Viewing: The croaking of frogs and the song of the red-winged blackbird fill the air in Washington's coastal communities, an early sign that spring is not far off. Most of the birds you'll see at this time of year have over-wintered here, but the number of new arrivals will increase every week as the annual migration begins in earnest. Watch for male waterfowl with bright plumage, usually from out of state. The Ocean Shores peninsula is a prime location for watching this annual procession of the species, with new arrivals of seabirds every week.

Southwest Washington:

• Fishing: Learn how to release salmon without harming them –- a skill anglers need with more selective fisheries targeting marked hatchery fish and requiring the release of wild ones -- at WDFW's booth at the Pacific Northwest Sportsman Show scheduled for Feb. 9- 13 in the Portland Expo Center. Anglers also can pick up a "dehooker", a stick with a small hook designed to take a salmon off a fishhook without removing it from the water. WDFW biologists also will have information about spring fishing prospects in southwestern Washington.

• Wildlife Viewing: This is a good time to see many types of waterbirds that spend the non-breeding season along the coast, from pelagic birds like shearwaters to shorebirds like turnstones. If you're without a boat, try watching from a jetty; the north jetty of the Columbia River in Fort Canby State Park near Ilwaco and other spots in Willapa Bay are good bets.

Eastern Washington:

• Fishing: Lake Roosevelt's net-pen-reared rainbow trout continue to provide catches for die-hard boat and shore anglers willing to put in the time. Steelheading continues, but slowly, on the Grand Ronde and Tucannon rivers of the Snake River drainage.

• Wildlife Viewing: Short-eared owls are readily seen in the late afternoons west of Highway 195 in southern Spokane county, especially in the extensive Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) farmland acres west of Plaza and along Bradshaw Road. If the snow cover lasts, deer viewing should remain good along the Palouse River in Whitman County, and along the breaks of the Columbia River in northern Lincoln County. Waterfowl numbers have been increasing with warmer weather; watch for lots of mallards and pintails in flooded fields in Whitman and Lincoln counties. Northern shrikes have been visible in open habitats of Spokane, Whitman and Lincoln counties. A few snow buntings have also been spotted mixed in with large flocks of horned larks in most areas of Lincoln County.

North Central Washington:

• Fishing: Moses Lake has been producing both perch and trout. WDFW's boat ramp at the southwest end of Sprague Lake has been well-used by anglers seeking bluegill, perch, walleye, and trout.

• Wildlife Viewing: Pairs of coyotes have mating rituals well underway now so it's a good time to keep an eye on the rangeland horizon. Pairs of rough-legged, red-tailed, and other hawks and raptors are also pairing, mating, and nest-building now so keep an eye to the sky, too. Sprague Lake on the Adams- Lincoln county line is a good spot to watch waterfowl of all kinds.

South Central Washington:

• Fishing: Whitefish action remains good in the Yakima and Naches rivers. Year-round lakes in the Yakima area are ice-free and still producing catches from recent plants of rainbow trout broodstock, plus last fall's planted rainbows.

• Wildlife Viewing: Elk continue to gather at the Oak Creek Wildlife Area winter feeding station west of Yakima, but as winter wanes their numbers and feeding decrease; be sure to check the status with wildlife area staff at 509-925-6746 before planning a trip.