OLYMPIA - With the frenzy of year-end holiday activities in the rear-view mirror, outdoors enthusiasts can concentrate on the surprising number of fishing, hunting and wildlife-watching activities available in the dead of winter.
But hazardous weather conditions, including biting cold, snow and the possibility of flooding, might make backyard wildlife-viewing the best bet.
January is typically the peak of hatchery steelhead returns on many river systems. Steelhead anglers were reporting good catches on river systems from the Quillayute on the Olympic Peninsula, to the Skagit in northern Puget Sound.
While the blast of Arctic weather sent both temperatures and catch rates plummeting, fish biologists believe the bite could be back on once the ground begins to thaw and the fish start moving.
Cold weather has also affected late-season waterfowl hunting in western Washington. Biologists have reported big flocks of ducks and geese moving from frozen farmlands to the open water of bays and estuaries.
Sub-zero temperatures and deep snow in eastern Washington have brought on a feeding frenzy by everything from the usual finches, juncos, chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers and quail to those fewer-and-further-between species that feed on them, such as shrikes, hawks and owls.
A small sign that spring isn't too far off showed up at the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery recently: The crew there reported the return of the first spring chinook salmon of 2004.
Another razor-clam fishery could be coming to Washington's ocean beaches in mid-January. Provided that marine toxin test results are favorable, Twin Harbors, Long Beach and Kalaloch open for afternoon and evening digging Jan. 18-20, with Mocrocks beach scheduled to be open Jan. 18-19. Check WDFW's website on whether the clam digs will proceed.
Big-game hunting seasons have ended, but hunters have one more important task, and that is reporting their 2003 hunting activity for each deer, elk bear and turkey tag by Jan. 31. Even unsuccessful hunters, as well as those who bought tags and didn't hunt, must report if they purchased a tag. Call the toll-free reporting line, 1-877-945-3492, or file a report online at http://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov on the Internet. Data collected from hunters provides wildlife managers with important information for the management of Washington's game.
Here are reports for fishing, hunting and wildlife-viewing activities throughout Washington state:
North Puget Sound:
- Fishing: Steelhead fishing was surprisingly good on many streams - until early January's bone-chilling temperatures dropped stream flows and cooled catch rates. The dip in stream levels and temperatures has slowed returns of fish to area hatcheries. "Based on the historical data, we should be at the peak of hatchery steelhead returns, or pretty close to it," said WDFW regional fish program manager Chuck Phillips. Low, clear water conditions can make returning steelhead skittish, so anglers might want to try a subtler presentation, including lighter leaders and smaller, off-colored gear, such as hammered brass spoons. Once flows come up and the water gets some color, steelheaders might find success using everything from shrimp and yarn to cured eggs or chrome spoons. Dolly Varden and cutthroat trout are also being caught in several of the region's streams, including the Skagit and Nooksack rivers. Phillips suggested anglers interested in hooking a nice Dolly might consider the upper Skagit, where the fish can be caught with a number of lures, including wet flies (Marabou Streamer, Woolly Bugger or a leech pattern), spinners or spoons. Dolly Varden / bull trout retention is allowed on the Skagit, Sauk and Snohomish rivers, as well as the main stem of the Skykomish. Be sure to check the 2003/04 "Sport Fishing in Washington" rules pamphlet for detailed information. Whitefish angling has been good in many of the region's streams, particularly the Green River from Flaming Geyser State Park upstream toward the Kanaskat-Palmer area. Anglers are finding success by fishing the tailouts of large pools with maggots, single eggs or small wet fly imitations. There is no minimum size for whitefish retention, and the daily limit is 15 fish. Squid jigging continues to be effective off piers from Des Moines north to Everett.
- Hunting: While there are still high numbers of waterfowl throughout the region, frigid weather has moved many big flocks off frozen fields and onto bays and estuaries, making saltwater areas best bets for hunting opportunities. The general waterfowl season runs through Jan. 25 in the region, while snow goose hunting ended Jan. 4 in Island, Skagit and Snohomish counties. Whether there will be a hunting season for brant geese in Skagit County this month depends on the results of a Jan. 9 aerial survey of the small maritime geese. If the survey indicates a wintering population in excess of 6,000 birds in Padilla, Samish and Fidalgo bays, then hunting will be set for Jan. 17, 18, 21, 24 and 25. Check WDFW's website, http://wdfw.wa.gov/, on Jan. 12 for news of the hunt.
- Wildlife viewing: There are still large concentrations of migratory waterfowl throughout northern Puget Sound, including thousands of snow geese on and near the Skagit Wildlife Area (SWA), at the mouth of the Skagit River. The frigid weather has moved a lot of the ducks and geese off agricultural lands and onto bays and estuaries. A visit to intertidal areas of the SWA should result in a spotting scope-full of dabblers, and maybe even a swift peregrine falcon in search of its next winged meal. Trumpeter and tundra swans can be seen scattered throughout the agricultural lowlands stretching from Mount Vernon to Lynden. Farther up the Skagit River Valley, final preparations are being made for this year's , Feb. 3-4, in the riverside communities of Concrete, Rockport and Marblemount. Events scheduled include breakfast, lunch and dinner events, naturalist-guided bus tours to eagle-viewing sites, storytelling, live music and activities for children. A 32-page festival brochure that is packed with detailed information about this year's events is available by calling (360) 853-7077. Information is also available at http://www.skagiteagle.org/ on the Internet. At last count, there were 250 to 300 bald eagles hunkering down in roosting trees and feeding on salmon carcasses along the Skagit River. The bald eagle interpretive center in Rockport is open Fridays to Sundays (plus Monday holidays) through Feb. 16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Olympic Peninsula/South Sound:
- Fishing: Changing weather patterns could interrupt - at least temporarily - the shouts of joy coming from anglers fishing for steelhead in the Quillayute River system in recent weeks. Despite falling temperatures, creel checks show the Quillayute system gave up nearly one steelhead per angler during the first weekend in January, most of them hatchery fish. But water levels dropped quickly as the ground froze solid, and conditions could change again if weather forecasts prove accurate, said Bill Freymond, WDFW fish biologist. "If it warms up and starts raining as predicted, the rivers could go from low water to very high water overnight," said Freymond, who advises anglers to keep a sharp eye on weather reports if they plan to fish any of the north coast rivers in the near future. The best bets during the first weekend in January were the Quillayute and Bogachiel rivers, where 156 anglers caught 135 steelhead, keeping all but eight hatchery fish and one wild fish. On the Calawah River, 20 anglers caught and kept 13 hatchery steelhead, while 14 anglers checked 16 fish and released 11 of them on the Sol Duc River. The Hoh River yielded fewer fish but attracted plenty of anglers during the first week of the new year. On the lower Hoh, WDFW checked 84 anglers with 12 steelhead, six of which were released. On the upper Hoh, 20 anglers caught eight ironheads and released four of them during the same period. Farther south, steelhead fishing has been fair to good on the Humptulips, Wynoochee and Chehalis rivers, although flows could rise considerably if, as predicted, the snow turns to rain. Marine Area 11 (Tacoma) is closed for blackmouth until Feb. 14, but Marine Area 13 (Olympia) remains open with light fishing pressure. As previously announced, WDFW hopes to approve a razor-clam dig at several ocean beaches Jan. 18-20, provided that marine toxin tests conducted during the week prior to those dates show the clams are safe to eat. If the test results are favorable, three beaches - Twin Harbors, Long Beach and Kalaloch - will be open for digging after noon on each of the three days. Mocrocks beach would open for two days - Jan. 18 and Jan. 19 - while Copalis Beach would remain closed. Final decisions about whether to move forward with the razor clam fishery will be announced several days prior to the tentative dig and posted on WDFW's website.
- Hunting: Cold weather has sent most of the region's duck population flapping back to saltwater areas, says Jack Smith, WDFW regional wildlife manager. "The best hunting reports right now are coming from Willapa Bay," Smith said. "It's pretty quiet everywhere else." Whether hunting from a boat or from shore, successful hunters often use old pilings or spruce roots as blinds and set up their decoys on an incoming tide. For Canada geese, Smith recommends trying one of the 16 farms in the Chehalis Valley with a "Feel Free to Hunt" sign. Many of those farms still have corn in the field, which makes them a magnet for geese. Goose hunting ended Jan. 4 in Goose Management Area 2B (Grays Harbor and Pacific counties), but hunters have until Jan. 25 to take geese in Goose Management Area 3 and ducks statewide. Although general elk-hunting seasons ended several weeks ago, several special hunts remain. A prime example is Elk Area 6069, which includes portions of Lewis and Thurston counties. A late-season "damage hunt" for elk is open there to hunters age 65 and older through Jan. 10, followed by a season for disabled hunters Jan. 15-20. Boundaries for Elk Area 6069 were recently expanded as discussed on the WDFW website.
- Wildlife viewing: With snow on the ground throughout the region, signs of the animals in our midst are all around us. On the Capitol grounds in Olympia, boot prints suddenly cross with deer tracks heading into a patch of rhododendrons. Squirrel tracks zigzag across a sidewalk in front of the Temple of Justice, then disappear at the foot of a large Douglas fir. Crow tracks - marching in one direction, then disappearing, then picking up with two feet planted side-by-side - always remind WDFW regional wildlife manager Jack Smith of baseball. "Sports announcers are always saying some infielder or other does the `crow hop'," Smith said. "Look at crow tracks in the snow and you can see why." Less amusing were the raccoon tracks leading to the crawl space beneath another WDFW staffer's rental house. "Now I know why the cats have been on edge," he said. While many species have taken cover from the wind and snow, a wide variety of birds are still visible as they brace against the winter chill. One contributor to the Tweeters birding website recently reported the possible sighting of a golden eagle off the Brady Loop Road near Elma. Another spotted eight hermit thrushes on a hillside just south of the marina at Dash Point. And on the coast, the birder who first reported seeing a pair of pink-footed geese wrote to say that 350 people have contacted her since then to report seeing them, too. Sure, these exotic visitors are popular, but can they do the crow hop?
Southwest Washington:
- Fishing: Regional angling activity focuses on the three "S's"-sturgeon, smelt and steelhead, but the fourth "S"-snow-may put a crimp in fishers' success, says Joe Hymer, regional fish biologist. Current cold weather may chill the bite if river temperatures drop, and thawing floods could leave water too murky except for sturgeon. But once rivers have dropped into shape, hatchery steelhead should be present on the Grays, Elochoman, Cowlitz, Kalama, both forks of the Lewis, Washougal and White Salmon rivers plus Salmon Creek, Hymer adds. Some smelt were reported caught from the lower Cowlitz on Sunday Jan. 4. Whether the smelt stay will depend if the water stays at 42 degrees or above and if the river doesn't become too high and turbid. Sturgeon anglers may fare the best of all-they can keep their catch from the mouth of the Columbia River upstream to McNary Dam, and the big fish are not deterred by muddy water. Since the sturgeon bite does slow if the water gets too cool, Hymer suggests anglers try fishing from Vancouver downstream to take advantage of slightly warmer waters in the plume of the Willamette River. Trout fishers can enjoy some recent releases in Klineline Pond in Hazel Dell-100 broodstock rainbows weighing 10 pounds apiece, 100 broodstock fish weighing 5.3 pounds each, and 1,000 catchable-size rainbows were released there in late December. For more information on releases in area waters, anglers can keep their eyes on the WDFW website as actual plant dates may be delayed by winter weather conditions. And for fishers discouraged by the current cold there's a small sign that spring isn't too far off-the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery reported its first spring chinook of the season in recent days.
- Hunting: Big-game hunters must by Jan. 31 report their hunting activity for each deer, elk bear and turkey tag purchased in 2003. Call the toll-free reporting line, 1-877-945-3492, or file a report online at http://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov on the Internet. Data collected from hunters provides wildlife managers with important information for management of Washington's game.
- Wildlife viewing: A savannah sparrow and a black phoebe were two of the highlights of the Wahkiakum Christmas Bird Count, conducted Dec. 30 to support the century-long effort to inventory bird species in North America. Drawing 26 volunteers in near-freezing conditions, the Wahkiakum count was one of nearly 50 held throughout the state between Dec. 25 and Jan. 3 to support the annual tally by the National Audubon Society. Andrew Emlen, who compiled the results of the Wahkiakum count, expressed his thanks to the volunteers -twice the number of recent years - in a recent posting on the Tweeters website. "We were able to put 12 people out on the Columbia [River], 10 in kayaks and two in the jet boat, allowing us to cover islands and waters that often had to be left uncounted in past years," he wrote. The savannah sparrow found in Brownsmead, Ore., was new to the area inventory, but the black Phoebe spotted at the Julia Butler Hansen Refuge was a veteran of three past counts. In addition, the group counted two wrentits in the snow on Big Noise Creek, a red-breasted merganser near Rockland, a long-billed dowitcher, 13 gray jays and two horned larks. Volunteers also counted 8,872 greater scaup - as in past years, the most abundant bird in the area. Wahkiakum counting circle, now in its sixth year, was one of a half-dozen groups in southwest Washington to participate in the 2003 Christmas. Other area groups counted birds over a 24-hour period from the Columbia River estuary to the Klickitat Valley.
Eastern Washington:
- Fishing: With local nighttime (and some daytime) temperatures sub-zero, WDFW fish biologist Marc Divens says there should be some ice fishing opportunities now - "at least for hearty fools." Although no creel checks have been made, year-round Eloika Lake in northern Spokane County should have bass, perch, crappie and some brown trout coming through the ice. Year-round Newman Lake, east of Spokane, could be good for perch, but anglers should be cautious about ice depth near the lake's aerator. Winter-season Fourth of July Lake, on the Lincoln-Adams county line, should be producing more 14- to 22-inch rainbow trout. Year-round Sprague Lake has all of those species plus walleye, which some local anglers have been targeting at night. Up north in the region, WDFW fish biologist Curt Vail reports that ice on both Stevens County winter-season lakes - Hatch and Williams - is in good shape. "Hatch is producing a few nice rainbows ranging up to 14 inches," Vail said. "It wasn't planted at its normal level due to the presence of yellow perch, but the fish being caught are in surprisingly good shape. Williams is still putting out fish in the 12-inch range." Waitts Lake, in south Stevens County, is iced up and could be producing some rainbows, browns, bass and perch; Waitts is open through February. WDFW fish biologist Chris Donley cautions fishers that heavy snow cover on iced-over lakes can retard ice depth development, or hide thin spots over springs, so ice fishers should always be very careful. Snake River system steelheading has slowed almost to a standstill with iced-up shorelines and conditions simply too harsh to handle for most.
- Hunting: Upland game bird hunters who can brave the elements should find excellent opportunities for quail and partridge, holding tight in thick cover throughout this snowy region. That season closes on Jan. 19. For the most part, waterfowlers have through Jan. 25 to bag final ducks and geese, although frozen waterways may have pushed more birds than not out of the area.
- Wildlife viewing: The best thing wildlife lovers can provide during this deep freeze is open water, using birdbath heaters or heated pet dishes. Backyard bird feeding in general can help some populations of some species in harsh conditions, he notes, "but most birds still forage naturally and are adapted to survive our climate." The greatest benefit is human viewing enjoyment and increased knowledge and appreciation of birds, he says. For more on winter bird feeding, see http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/urban/winter_feed.htm. Spokane County residents who regularly see groups of at least five elk in the same area are asked to report the sightings to WDFW's Spokane office (509-892-1001) to help with a local study of their population and movement.
North Central Washington:
- Fishing: Recent deep freezes have come with lots of snow that insulates thin ice, and that can make for unsafe ice for fishers. WDFW fish biologist Art Viola recently reported a few anglers fishing Chelan County's Fish Lake for trout through the ice while sitting on the dock at the Cove Marina. "But a few were putting their lives at risk by walking out onto thin ice," he said. "I drilled a hole through the ice while standing on the dock and it was snowy white and only two inches thick." Viola assumes Roses Lake, the other year-round season water in the county that's popular for winter trout fishing, has similar conditions. "If the weather stays cold," Viola said, "the ice should be safe at these lakes in a week or two but it's definitely dangerous right now." Viola also noted that the Wenatchee and Entiat rivers are "flowing icebergs," and the potential for catching whitefish is poor.
- Hunting: Frozen waterways may have pushed waterfowl on to rivers, wasteways, or completely out of the area. WDFW wildlife biologist Ron Friesz reports that the mid-winter waterfowl survey usually conducted the first full week of January has been delayed; if or when the survey is completed, updates on duck and goose numbers will be made available. Duck hunters have through Jan. 25 to bag final birds of the season. Goose hunters have a few more Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays through Jan.18, then can finish the season with daily hunting Jan. 19 -25. Upland game bird hunters who can brave the elements should still find good opportunities for quail and partridge through the end of that season, Jan. 19.
- Wildlife viewing: When winter storms pass and roads are easier to travel, it will be a great time to look for less common birds brought in by those storms, says WDFW wildlife biologist Ron Friesz. "Watch for redpolls, rosy finches, snow buntings, snowy owls, maybe even a hawk owl," he said. Meanwhile, backyard bird watching can be excellent during severe winter conditions if feeding stations and open water are provided. In fact, WDFW biologists say that the best thing wildlife lovers can provide during this deep freeze is open water, using birdbath heaters or heated pet dishes. Backyard bird feeding in general can help some populations of some species in harsh conditions, but most birds still forage naturally and are adapted to survive northcentral Washington's climate. The greatest benefit of backyard feeding is human viewing enjoyment and increased knowledge and appreciation of birds. For more on winter bird feeding, see http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/urban/winter_feed.htm.
South Central Washington:
- Fishing: WDFW habitat biologist Perry Harvester reports that the Yakima River is frozen over in places and there is a lot of floating ice in the faster moving reaches. It may not be a good time to attempt river fishing, he says, at least not from a boat, since shelf ice and ice jams can be dangerous. "A few brave souls are ice fishing for trout on local waters such as North Elton Pond," he said, "but the ice may be marginal and fishers should proceed with caution."
- Hunting: Waterfowl are heading for the rivers now that most small lakes and ponds have frozen over, reports WDFW habitat biologist Perry Harvester. Duck and goose hunters wanting to use the final days of their seasons this month should be aware that conditions are dangerous, especially for those who use retrieving dogs. "Many of the pools in the Yakima River are frozen over and there is shelf ice extending six to 15 feet out from shore in the faster moving areas," Harvester said. "If a dog ventures out on the ice and falls in, it might not get out and could get swept under the ice. Hunters attempting to rescue their dogs from the ice could also get into trouble. I would avoid using retriever dogs to hunt waterfowl along streams with shelf ice right now." Quail and partridge seasons continue through Jan.19, and Harvester says the birds are holding very tight in the thick cover now. "After winter storms pass, look for chukar partridge on the wind swept ridges where there is little snow," he said.
- Wildlife viewing: Winter feeding of elk and bighorn sheep is in full swing with lots of opportunity to view them at WDFW's Oak Creek Wildlife Area, southwest of Yakima, and at nearby Cleman Mountain. Elk are fed daily at 1:30 p.m. near the Oak Creek headquarters off Highway 12, and sheep are fed at Cleman Mountain about mid-morning each day. Volunteers provide truck rides through the feeding herd of elk for donations; call 509-453-7503 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. for more information. WDFW regional wildlife program manager Lee Stream also reports that deer can be seen along the Highway 410 corridor west of Naches, and bald eagles can be seen along the Naches and Yakima River systems. Hawks and falcons are also visible hunting in many of the agricultural fields in outlying areas. WDFW habitat biologist Ken Bevis reports on the Yakima River, perhaps arriving with the recent onset of winter storms, and pelicans on the islands in the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River near the Tri-Cities.
