July 7 - 20, 2004

Contact: Doug Williams, (360) 902-2256

OLYMPIA - Summer salmon fisheries on the Pacific coast, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Puget Sound and the Columbia River system anchor a boatload of outdoor recreation options across Washington state.

Along the coast, thick chinook and feisty coho salmon are striking gear from Ilwaco to Neah Bay. There have also been some good days of fishing for hatchery chinook in the western Strait of Juan de Fuca, while a smattering of chinook are being taken in the San Juan Islands and in the Tacoma area.

Salmon anglers in Puget Sound (marine areas 5-13) are reminded that new fish-handling rules designed to reduce fish mortality are in effect this year. It is unlawful to bring into the boat a wild salmon or a species of salmon that can't be retained.

Lower Columbia River tributaries are producing good catches of summer-run steelhead, while anglers in eastern Washington are anticipating the July 16 opener of chinook fishing on stretches of the upper Columbia. In the meantime, there's red-hot kokanee trout fishing on Rimrock Reservoir in Yakima County. Hefty kokanee and plentiful walleye are also being taken from Lake Roosevelt.

Anglers eager to fish for sockeye salmon in Lake Washington will have to wait a little longer for word of a possible season. As of July 6, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and tribal fisheries managers agreed that too few sockeye had been counted at Seattle's Ballard Locks fish ladder to set fishing seasons. Meetings set for July 9 and 13 will provide fish managers with opportunities to take a look at new data.

While sockeye counts haven't been strong enough for fisheries, the sight of thousands of fish streaming past the viewing window at the Ballard Locks fish ladder is a quintessential Pacific Northwest experience. The fish-viewing area is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

Summer's extra hours of daylight give wildlife-viewing enthusiasts plenty of time to pursue their pastime, while melting snow is opening up the high country where visitors can sometimes catch glimpses of mountain goat, bear, deer, elk and grouse.

Here's a rundown of current recreation opportunities throughout Washington:

North Puget Sound

• Fishing: July brought new salmon-fishing opportunities throughout the region. Most notably, fishing for chinook salmon began July 1 in the San Juan Islands (Marine Area 7), where experienced anglers can connect with fish topping the 30-pound mark. Early reports from the San Juans noted decent catches scattered throughout the islands. The daily limit is two salmon, no more than one of which can be a chinook, which must be 22 inches or longer to retain. San Juan fishing opportunities should provide competition for the popular Tulalip Bay "bubble" chinook fishery, where a few fish exceeding 20 pounds have been boated. The bubble is open from 12:01 a.m. Friday through 11:59 a.m. Monday. There is a two-fish daily limit, and chinook must be 22 inches or longer to retain. Most bubble fishers leave the bait at home and use spoons or an artificial squid fished off downriggers. Prepare for lots of boat traffic at the bubble, particularly when the bite picks up later this summer. Farther south, small resident coho salmon in the two- to four-pound-range are being caught along the Kitsap Peninsula side of Marine Area 10, particularly from Kingston south toward Indianola. Coho of this size will strike small "firecracker" herring trolled behind a flasher on a couple ounces of lead. Another proven set-up is a green spoon or a green or white artificial squid fished behind a flasher off a downrigger at depths of 60 to 120 feet down in the water column. The general rule is to fish gear at shallower depths early in the day and go progressively deeper as the day moves on. The daily limit in Marine Area 10 is two fish. All chinook must be released and can't be brought into the boat. Looking ahead, the inner Elliott Bay chinook bubble fishery begins July 16 and runs through Aug. 22 on a Friday, Saturday and Sunday schedule each week. The fishery will be open on waters east of a line from Pier 91 to Duwamish Head with a two-fish daily limit (chinook must be 22 inches or longer to retain). Like the Tulalip bubble, the Elliott Bay fishery will likely draw a big crowd. Anglers are advised to keep an eye out for ferries and other marine traffic coming in and out of the Seattle harbor. Halibut fishing continues throughout the region Thursday through Monday of each week through July 24, with a one-fish daily limit and no minimum size requirement. Good crab fishing has been reported throughout the region - particularly the northern end of Camano Island (Marine Area 8-1) and near the mouth of the Snohomish River and the Everett-to-Mukilteo shoreline (Marine Area 8-2). Crabbing in marine sub-area 7 East (Anacortes to Bellingham) is scheduled to open July 16. Check the shellfish emergency rule change hotline before setting pots, at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/shelfish/crabreg/ on the Internet, or by calling toll-free, 1-866-880-5431. Hatchery chinook fishing continues on the Skykomish River from the Lewis Street bridge in Monroe upstream to the confluence with the Wallace River. There is a two-fish daily limit and a minimum length of 12 inches for chinook. The Skykomish is also open to fishing for summer-run steelhead - as is just about every other river in the region. Most haven't been producing many of these hard-fighting fish, but anglers willing to put in the time could pick up a summer-run. Sockeye fishing continues through the end of July on a short stretch of the Skagit and Baker rivers. Fishing is open on the Skagit from the Dalles Bridge at Concrete to a point 200 feet above the east bank of the Baker River. The Baker is open from the mouth to the Highway 20 Bridge at Concrete. The daily limit is two sockeye with a minimum length of 12 inches. There is a night closure and non-buoyant lure restriction on the Baker. Additionally, fishing on the Baker will be closed from 12:01 a.m., July 12 to 2 p.m., July 13 to allow for a tribal fishery. The sockeye fishery that's on everybody's mind - in Lake Washington - is still on hold. More than 181,000 sockeye had passed over the fish ladder at the Ballard Locks and into the lake system as of July 6, but that's still too few fish to open recreational and treaty Indian commercial fisheries. Salmon co-managers are meeting Friday (July 9) and again on July 13 to assess new data. No recreational fisheries will be scheduled for this weekend (July 10-11). Check out sockeye counts at the locks at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/sockeye/counts.htm on the Internet.

• Wildlife viewing: A birder visiting Seahurst County Park on the Burien waterfront got a good look at an adult barred owl and one of its fully fledged juvenile offspring. While they have been known to winter in suburban areas, barred owls are more commonly seen in rural, heavily forested areas. They are a close relative to the northern spotted owl, a bird protected by the Endangered Species Act. Another suburban wildlife-viewing opportunity is hitting its peak in Ballard, where thousands of sockeye salmon continue pouring into the fish ladder at the Hiram M. Chittenden locks. The fish-viewing area at the locks is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily; the visitor's center is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, and guided tours are available daily at 2 p.m. Through July 6, the high-water mark for sockeye numbers at the locks this year has been the 18,359 fish that were counted July 1. On average, the peak of the run entering the locks typically comes during the second week in July, but run timing can vary significantly from year to year, says Jim Ames, WDFW fisheries biologist. One group that knows a lot about sockeye run timing is Puget Sound's J-pod of killer whales. Puget Sound's resident killer whale pods, including the J, K and L pods, are fish eaters, feeding on salmon, herring and squid. The "J's" have been spending a lot of time along the west side of San Juan Island, particularly near Lime Kiln State Park, which places them in perfect position to intercept sockeye returning to Lake Washington and British Columbia's Fraser River. Check out the Orca Network website, at http://www.orcanetwork.org/sightings/map.html on the Internet for the latest information on where the pods have been spotted.

Olympic Peninsula/South Sound

• Fishing: Ilwaco was the place to be for hatchery coho salmon during the week ending July 4, although the north coast was gaining fast by the time Independence Day fireworks lit up coastal skies. With 1,150 fishing trips recorded in Marine Area 1 that week, anglers averaged 1.5 hatchery coho apiece, most ranging from 4 to 6 pounds. Chinook salmon were few and far between on the south coast, but equaled or exceeded coho in the catch farther north, said Scott Barbour, a WDFW fish biologist who monitors the coastal harvest. By week's end, anglers in Marine Area 3 (LaPush) averaged 0.55 chinook and 0.22 hatchery coho per rod, adding up to about three-quarters of a salmon per rod. In Marine Area 4 (Neah Bay), the catch was almost evenly split between 0.51 chinook and 0.47 hatchery coho per rod - amounting to nearly one salmon per customer. "The coho really started coming on strong in Neah Bay on Sunday (July 4)," Barbour said. "I was out there, and you just couldn't keep them off your line. Most of them were running around six pounds, a little bigger than usual for this time of year." That was not the case in Marine Area 2 (Westport), however, where catch rates averaged just 0.26 chinook and 0.27 hatchery coho for the week. "I don't know whether the coho are just swinging out wide around Westport or whether they just haven't arrived in large numbers yet," Barbour said. "In any case, we expect the fishing for hatchery coho to pick up over the next couple of weeks throughout the coast." The same is true in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, although creel checks at some resorts in Sekiu have already shown catch rates for hatchery coho running as high as one fish per rod some days. Unclipped chinook appeared to greatly outnumber hatchery kings, however, keeping retention rates fairly low. (Two contributors to the "Gamefishin.com" website reported catching 12 to 15 salmon over 20 pounds, before catching three marked fish they could keep.) Catch rates and fishing effort have both been considerably lower in Marine Area 6, although 13 anglers brought five hatchery chinook to the Port Angeles boat ramp July 3. Farther south, fishing at Port Defiance in Marine Area 11 has been hot at times, too, although no days in July have yet matched June 28 when 52 anglers were checked with 37 chinook. While salmon is the main attraction in most saltwater areas, anglers are still picking up halibut off Ilwaco and in some "inside" waters, said Greg Bargmann, WDFW marine fish manager. But time is running short for those hoping to hook a big flatfish this year: All ocean areas north of Marine Area 1 are now closed, and several fisheries in Puget Sound - including those in marine areas 6, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 - will close for halibut July 24. Meanwhile, crab fishing is still going strong in most areas of Puget Sound, where fisheries are expected to remain open at least through the end of August, said Rich Childers, WDFW shellfish biologist. "Our first in-season assessment isn't scheduled until Aug. 1, and we don't expect results for several weeks after that," Childers said. "So for the next couple of months, anyway, crabbers are good to go." While salmon and steelhead are beginning to show up in some rivers around the region, freshwater fishing for those species is generally spotty at best. Anglers have pulled a few summer-run hatchery steelhead from the Wynoochee River in recent weeks, but high, muddy water in the Puyallup River continues to make that river virtually unfishable. On the Olympic Peninsula, low water conditions have made fishing the Quillayute and Queets rivers problematic, said Mike Gross, WDFW fish biologist. Gross suggested anglers keep an eye on the weather, though, because the Lake Pleasant sockeye run is now entering the Quillayute system, offering the prospect of good fishing in the Sol Duc River if the river rises a bit.

• Wildlife viewing: Baby kestrels "squawk," young herons "clatter" and immature swallows "tweet," but the message is the same, said Kelly McAllister, WDFW wildlife biologist. "Feed me" is a common cry, heard in forests, fields and backyards throughout the region at this time of year, McAllister said. "Young birds are everywhere right now, and they're hungry," said McAllister, who works mostly in Thurston and Mason counties. "When I'm out in the field, I often flush these little birds, many barely able to fly." Others, though, are already testing their wings in earnest. The young eaglet hatched near the state Capitol in spring has been seen soaring over Budd Inlet as has the young peregrine falcon that emerged from a nestbox atop a crane at the Port of Olympia. More surprising are reports of a young osprey flying around Yauger Park on Olympia's west side. "All of my past experience suggests that osprey in western Washington fledge in late July or August," McAllister wrote in a posting on the Tweeters birdwatching website. "Fledging in mid-June is really hard for me to believe." Then again, McAllister notes that he's seen at least two species of butterflies - Taylor's checkerspots and Mardon skippers - two to three weeks earlier this year than the earliest recorded first-flight dates. "It's been a strange year," said McAllister, adding that it's too soon to draw any conclusions from these isolated observations. Now, however, with summer in full bloom, plenty of checkerspots, Mardon skippers and other butterflies are on display throughout the region. Meadows in the high country are where you'll find the greatest concentrations of butterflies at this time of year, said Ann Potter, WDFW wildlife biologist. Blues, whites, sulphurs and other varieties can all be found in grassy fields free of snow. "The higher elevations have the greatest diversity of herbaceous plants, and therefore the greatest diversity of butterflies," she said. "Butterflies are selective feeders and appreciate the wide variety of plants at the higher elevations."

Southwest Washington:

• Fishing: The fishing focus is on hatchery summer-run steelhead with limits rising to three fish per day on the Cowlitz and North Fork Lewis rivers because of the strong returns to those systems. On the lower mainstem Columbia from Longview downstream, boat anglers averaged one fish for every three rods during the first few days of July. Regional Biologist Joe Hymer summarizes the moment as "prime time" for summer-run steelies. "There are quite a few fish around, and both effort and catch should keep increasing for the rest of the month," Hymer said. As water temperatures warm, the steelhead are also likely to start heading into cooler tributaries such as the Cowlitz, Lewis, and White Salmon rivers and Drano Lake, Hymer predicts. Anglers headed for Drano Lake are reminded the lake's boat launch is scheduled to remain closed through the end of July while Skamania County completes improvements. Anglers' patience will be rewarded with a brand-new launch facility sited farther out of the wind; in the meantime, bank fishing remains an option, Hymer notes. Apart from the steelhead scene, some of the hottest fishing has been in John Day Pool, where boat anglers averaged three walleye and over four bass per rod in early July. On the lakes, fishers are reportedly finding good action on nice-sized land-locked coho as well as smallmouth bass in Riffe Lake. Rainbow trout are still available in Mayfield Lake and are being planted regularly in Lake Scanewa (Cowlitz Falls Reservoir) through the summer. Streams such as the Tilton River and Skate Creek, which are getting planted every other week with catchable-size rainbows through Labor Day, are also good bets. Sturgeon anglers who want to keep their catch are limited to fishing Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays between the Wauna power lines and Beacon Rock; other areas of the lower Columbia are now limited to catch-and-release fishing only.

• Wildlife viewing: A Tweeters website correspondent reports spotting a red-shouldered hawk while riding up Interstate 5 about two miles south of the Coweeman River (just before exit number 39 on northbound I-5). The hawk, which flew over the southbound lanes and landed in a tree to the right of the northbound lanes, was noticeable for its unusual flight pattern and its black-and-white tail and orange coloring. The observer characterized it as "chunkier" than the common red-tailed hawk. Wildlife viewers will have a chance to watch young, endangered western pond turtles get a "head start" in life, through a cooperative effort between WDFW regional staff and the Oregon Zoo in Portland. WDFW Regional Wildlife Manager Fred Dobler reports that biologist David Anderson has been working with the zoo to develop a public display/conservation lab for the western pond turtle project. This conservation lab is located in the zoo's Cascade Section, which features wildlife from the Pacific Northwest. The new facility gives the zoo needed room and technical facilities to care for the "head start" turtles, while giving the public an opportunity to see the animals first hand. In the past, the zoo's turtle husbandry was done behind the scenes away from public viewing. For more information on WDFW's efforts to recover the western pond turtle, see WDFW's online Fish and Wildlife Science magazine.

Eastern Washington:

• Fishing: Lake Roosevelt walleye fishing action is fast and furious these days, with many anglers catching their limit of five fish almost too quickly. The action is reported from the Spokane arm of the reservoir to the upper end, with fish moving north. Many of the walleye are on the small side - just 14 inches and skinny - but WDFW District Fish Biologist Chris Donley says that's only because the spawn three years ago was excellent so there's lots of fish in that age and normal size class. "I've heard concerns from many walleye anglers but I'd only worry if all fish in all age classes were that size, and that's not the case. It's just that we have a lot of them in that age class this year," Donley said. Kokanee fishing is also good in Lake Roosevelt with fish running four pounds or more. The kokanee action isn't as fast as it has been with walleye, but then the daily catch limit for kokanee is just two fish. Nighttime kokanee fishing is popular now at Loon Lake in southern Stevens County. Those who prefer to sunbathe while trolling Loon Lake with worms are apt to catch whopper rainbow trout. WDFW District Fish Biologist Curt Vail reports rainbow fishing at Curlew Lake in Ferry County is going great, with many fish topping 16 inches or better in length. Curlew's tiger muskellunge are visible near weed beds and partially submerged logs where they're preying on the smaller fish that use underwater structure. Many are still below the legal minimum size of 36 inches, but some larger muskies have been taken on big lures that might typically be used for northern pike fishing. A new state record westslope cutthroat trout was caught last month in Muskegon Lake in Pend Oreille County, tipping the scales at just shy of two pounds. Vail says Stevens County's Little Twin Lake may hold another state record westslope cutthroat, "if you can get one to bite." Vail says the cutthroat population at Little Twin is down for an as-yet-unknown reason, "but the lunkers are there." In the south end of the region, night fishing has been popular for channel catfish, smallmouth bass, and pikeminnow in the Snake River and lower Walla Walla River. Angler success was recently hindered by above-average temperatures and thunderstorms that dropped more than one inch of rain in the area.

• Wildlife Viewing: WDFW enforcement officers are handling lots of cougar, black bear, and moose problems these days throughout the region. They remind outdoor recreationists and those living in areas with these potentially dangerous species to take precautions to avoid conflicts. Hike in groups and keep small children close, leave dogs and other pets safely confined at home, keep a clean camp and residence to avoid attracting bears to food and cougars to smaller animals seeking food, don't approach dead or live animals, and never attempt to feed wildlife. For more information on avoiding problems, see WDFW's "Living with Wildlife" series on the Internet. Some birdwatchers have recently reported seeing state endangered upland sandpipers along the Deno Road west of Spokane. Other more common recent sightings in the region include a red-necked grebe with piggy-backing chicks on Pend Oreille County's Sacheen Lake, osprey feeding chicks in nests on pilings near bridges across the Pend Oreille River, northern waterthrush, red-naped sapsucker, and red crossbill along Amazon Creek near the Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge, greater yellowlegs, American dipper, and red-eyed vireo on or near ponds on the refuge, three-toed woodpeckers in the old wildfire burn area near the summit of Sherman Pass in Ferry County, and common loons with chicks on Ferry Lake south of Republic. Lincoln County's Swanson Lakes Wildlife Area lakes are drying up, so few waterfowl or other water birds are around to see now.

North Central Washington:

• Fishing: Columbia River summer chinook salmon season opens July 16 and WDFW District Fish Biologist Art Viola says the run looks pretty good. Upper Columbia chinook runs have been consistent enough the past couple of years to allow printing the season in the fishing rules pamphlet for the first time this year, he noted. In the past, anglers had to wait for emergency rule changes after run counts justified the season. The fish were passing Wenatchee the week of July 5, Viola reported, and next year's season proposal will include earlier, staggered-by-river-stretch openings to allow anglers to follow the salmon up the river. Throughout this year's season, which runs through Oct. 15, WDFW creel surveyors will be working all parts of the river to assess catch rates. The daily retention limit is six fish with a minimum size of 12 inches, and only two adult chinook (at least 24 inches) can be retained. In the northcentral region's portions of the Columbia, all coho and sockeye salmon must be released. Viola also noted that Icicle River spring chinook fishing, which is open through the end of the month, is "terrible," since the run was so small this year. Fish Lake rainbow trout fishing is excellent, he said.

• Wildlife viewing: In the heat of the summer, the Okanogan Highlands in northeast Okanogan County is a great place to enjoy wildflowers and a variety of wildlife. Although many animals are active and viewable only at dawn or dusk at this time, daytime bird watching remains good. Birders recently reported spotting sora rails and blue-winged teal on small ponds along Mary Ann Creek Road near Molson just south of the Canadian border, a black tern with chick and common loons without young at Lost Lake east of Havillah, and pileated and hairy woodpeckers and Williamson's sapsucker in the forested campground near Lost Lake. WDFW officials remind campers and all outdoor recreationists to be extremely careful with anything that might start another wildfire in the northcentral region's dry conditions. As of July 7, firefighters were still battling the 7,200-acre Pot Peak fire near 25 Mile Creek, west of Chelan, the 3,000-acre Beebe Bridge fire, east of Chelan, and the 150-acre Freezeout fire, near the Canadian border in the Pasayten Wilderness Area.

South Central Washington:

• Fishing: WDFW Fish Biologist Jim Cummins says kokanee fishing at Yakima County's Rimrock Reservoir is "red hot" for boat anglers and should be good throughout the summer. "Considering the excellent fishing and high table quality of kokanee," Cummins said, "there's actually been very little fishing effort. There's certainly room for more anglers to get in on the action." Those who are trolling, drifting when the wind is blowing, or fishing from anchored boats are taking 16-fish limits of 8- to 11-inch kokanee. "Trolling with two to three ounces of lead, and a spinner trailed by a size 12 hook baited with several maggots, might be the most popular and successful method," he said. "Most anglers use flashers above their terminal gear, but flashers are not necessary. If anglers aren't catching fish they are probably trolling too fast and shallow or are fishing when the bite is off. Trolling with terminal gear in the top 10 feet or even 20 feet of water is generally fruitless. Most trollers don't realize how close to the surface they are fishing." Cummins also noted that fishing from an anchored boat requires locating fish with a fish finder, anchoring in water over 100 feet deep using two anchors, chumming with mixtures of bran and commercially available feed eggs, fishing with very light tipped fishing rods rigged with four or six pound test line (the kokanee bite is almost undetectable), and using maggots for bait. "Many anglers use a very small spinner above the maggot-baited hook," he said. "A hook wrapped with colored yarn and baited with maggots also increases success. Kokanee don't always bite, so patience is required. Fishing success can be fast when the bite is on but non-existent when the bite is off." Cummins says kokanee fishing is also good at Bumping, Kachess, Keechelus and Cle Elum reservoirs. The extreme upper end of Bumping is often the best part of the lake, and many anglers fish from anchored boats using the same techniques used at Rimrock. Trolling with hooks baited with white corn is popular at Kachess, Keechelus and Cle Elum. The region's rivers and streams have dropped into shape and are good bets for fly and lure anglers chasing rainbow trout. Many rivers and streams have special regulations, often requiring single barbless hooks, flies or lures (no bait), and there are some rivers limited to catch and release only, so anglers should check fishing regulations before venturing out to fish. The Yakima River, in the catch and release section from Roza Dam to Lake Easton, is now at high summer flows as water is being released from reservoirs to provide irrigation water for the valley's crops. That makes fishing from shore and wading difficult. Drifting the river in drift boats or other watercraft will be most successful until water levels recede in September. Fish move to the edges of the river this time of year, so casting flies close to the grass and other cover is most successful. Caddisfly imitations should bring success, and grasshopper and other large terrestrial imitations will start bringing strikes as more terrestrials become available to feeding Yakima River rainbows. Summer chinook and sockeye salmon seasons are now open on the Columbia River up to Priest Rapids Dam, but fishing success is generally poor. "Although good numbers of salmon are moving upriver, anglers have generally not figured out how to catch these salmon," Cummins said. WDFW enforcement officers report lots of fishing for channel catfish, smallmouth bass and yellow perch on the lower Yakima and lower Snake rivers. One 50-inch sturgeon was also checked below McNary Dam.

• Wildlife viewing: Local birdwatchers recently explored the conifer forests regenerating from burns and cuts on the north side of Divide Ridge, above the Tieton River west of WDFW's Oak Creek Wildlife Area and Yakima and southeast of Rimrock Reservoir. They were surprised to see species usually associated with deciduous woods - warbling vireos, Nashville warblers and black-headed grosbeaks, all singing, some with chicks. The Dome Peak burn area provided glimpses of the more expected species, some with recently fledged young - red-naped sapsuckers, northern flickers, hairy woodpeckers and Williamson's sapsuckers. The area also yielded views of a long-tailed weasel on talus piles at the edge of the burn, plus snowshoe hare, mule deer, elk and coyote. Bird singing throughout the region's habitats seems to be at a peak, perhaps, as one theory goes, so that fledgings can learn their species' musical patterns. With many birds obscured from view by fully-leafed trees and shrubs, birders who can identify species by song are especially having fun now. Other birdwatchers who pride themselves on deciphering species by slight differences in plumage are in for a challenge these days with molting and various age class waterfowl. One recent report from the Grandview Sewage Treatment Plant, south of Sunnyside, indicated nearly 20 different species among well over 500 ducks and other water-related birds. The highlight was over 50 ruddy duck males in bright breeding plumage and ruddy chicks out for their first swim.