July 10-23, 2002

Contact: Doug Williams, (360) 902-2256

For chinook salmon anglers, 2002 will be remembered for decades as the year their favorite fish could be caught from Westport on the Pacific coast to Bridgeport on the Columbia River in north-central Washington.

Chinook, the largest of the Pacific salmon species, have returned to the Columbia this year in one of the strongest runs in decades, fueling long ocean salmon fishing seasons and providing great fishing opportunities along much of the Columbia River.

Chinook catches in the Sekiu area have been so good that fish managers are closing Marine Area 5 to chinook fishing on Friday (July 12). Biologists believe Sekiu's quota of 2,000 chinook will be taken by Thursday evening. The area remains open to fishing for hatchery (fin-clipped) coho salmon.

In Puget Sound, terminal-area chinook salmon fisheries are open at Tulalip Bay near Marysville, and will open Friday (July 12) inside Elliott Bay.

The good salmon news doesn't extend to sockeye, however. Fish counts at the Ballard Locks indicate a Lake Washington sockeye salmon fishery is unlikely this year. The Muckleshoot Indian Tribe and WDFW through July 8 have recorded slightly more than 137,500 sockeye moving through the locks into the Lake Washington system– a good run, but not large enough to support recreational and treaty fisheries. Fish managers will continue to monitor run strength periodically to determine if enough sockeye have returned to the system to support fisheries.

Hundreds of sockeye streaming past the windows at the locks every day make a great attraction for wildlife viewers. The locks are just west of downtown Ballard on Northwest 54th Street. For more information, see the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' website on the Internet.

Crab fishing has also been good throughout the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound. As of today (July 10), all areas except Marine Area 7 (San Juan Islands) are open. Crabbers are advised to call WDFW's toll-free shellfish hotline, 1-866-880-5431, for an update on rules for each area.

Summer beachcombers may be rewarded now with marine mammal sightings but it's important to resist the impulse to "rescue" seal pups and other young marine mammals that appear to be alone on the beach. Such young usually are not orphans; generally their mothers are foraging and will return. Don't approach or attempt to handle a young marine mammal, and remember to keep pets in check. Anyone witnessing harassment should call the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration enforcement hotline at 1-800-853-1964.

Long days and warmer temperatures are luring more people to the woods for fishing, hiking and camping, heightening chances that some may encounter bear, cougar and other potentially dangerous wildlife. To report a serious encounter with dangerous wildlife, call the WDFW emergency incident hotline at 1-800-477-6224.

Here is a roundup of current recreational opportunities across the state:

North Puget Sound:

• Fishing: Anglers in search of summer-run steelhead have found some success lately, particularly on the Skykomish and Stillaguamish rivers, reports WDFW Fish Biologist Curt Kraemer. "There have been good numbers of two-salt fish showing up," Kraemer said, adding that water levels on many of the region's rivers that were just dropping into fishable shape by the end of June were temporarily punched out again by the freak thunderstorms on July 7. "Fish tend to move upstream by traveling on the sides of the river when there's high water," Kraemer noted. So next time the river is running heavy and dirty, try fishing near the banks in just a few feet of water. Chinook fishing in the Tulalip Bay bubble has been slow. "One fish check report noted that there was a one fish per 20 boat ratio," Kraemer said. "The fishery is still probably three weeks away from the peak, which is typically the end of July or early August." While lots of fishboxes have been empty, Kraemer noted that there have been some good-sized fish taken at Tulalip, including some chinook in the mid- ‘teens-to-low-20s range. The Bubble, which encompasses Tulalip Bay and a portion of the adjacent open water, is open 12:01 a.m. Friday through 11:59 a.m. Monday each week through Sept. 30 with a daily two-fish limit, and all chinook must be at least 22 inches in length. Check page 32 of the "Sportfishing in Washington" rules pamphlet for a more detailed description of the fishery's boundaries. Another terminal fishery, in inner Elliott Bay, opens July 12 for chinook fishing. The fishery runs Fridays through Sundays each week through Aug. 18. There is a two-fish daily limit, and all chinook must be 22 inches or longer to retain. All chum salmon must be released unharmed. Check page 36 of the "Sportfishing in Washington" rules pamphlet for a more detailed description of the fishery's boundaries. Cutthroat trout can be found now in the bays and estuaries throughout the North Sound, but anglers need to be attuned to the tides in order to have much success. The fish are expected to move into the rivers by August. Trout fishing in the region's lowland lakes has hit its normal summer pattern of still fishing in the early morning, going deeper with the bait in midday, then trolling small spoons or a fly close to the surface later in the day. Bass fishing is also settling in to a consistent pattern. Just about any lake with a boat launch in the region will contain bass and other warmwater species. Check out the WDFW warmwater fishing information on the Internet. Crab fishing continues throughout most of northern Puget Sound, except the San Juan Islands. Shell conditions look good, and catches remain strong.

• Wildlife viewing: Want to watch an orca while standing on dry land? Head to Lime Kiln Point State Park on San Juan Island. The park is famous for its land-based vistas of resident orcas that frequent the area to feed and do a little back-scratching on the rocks that jut from the beach. Remember to bring the camera and binoculars. Bird enthusiasts reporting to the Tweeters website, note that backyards throughout the region are full of woodpeckers, including downy and hairy woodpeckers, a red-breasted sapsucker, and a male pileated woodpecker, which decided to do a little territorial drumming on a bat box. Check out the sockeye salmon running through the Ballard Locks into the Lake Washington system. As of early July, more than 137,000 sockeye have moved through the locks - not enough to open the lake for fishing, but plenty to give out-of-town guests a great close-up look.

Olympic Peninsula/South Sound:

• Fishing: Hot Sekiu salmon fishing is nearly over but anglers should be able to continue to enjoy the action from several other ports. Opening day salmon fishers were limiting with 1.8 fish per rod averages in Marine Area 1 (Ilwaco area); while Westport and La Push fishers enjoyed average catches of 1.5 and 1.6 fish per person, respectively. For salmon anglers who also like to catch flatfish, WDFW has modified halibut openings on the coast so fishers don't have to choose between one type of fish or another. Effective July 12, halibut fishing in prime areas will be rescheduled to a Friday-through-Saturday schedule, accommodating the Sunday-through-Thursday chinook fishing schedule in the same areas. Those areas include Marine Area 2 (including the Westport-Ocean Shores area) and Grays Harbor south to Leadbetter Point and west out to the 40 fathom line (240 feet deep). The western boundary corresponds to a GPS reading of 124.27 degrees west longitude. Additional halibut-fishing opportunity will open seven days a week from Grays Harbor north to the Queets River and out to the 40 fathom line. For those who prefer freshwater fishing to salt, the Hoh River should provide excellent chinook fishing over the next few weeks, when the spring/summer run is expected to peak. A strong showing of five-year-old fish has produced a good number of chinook up to 40 pounds, with most weighing in over 20 pounds. Water visibility can be a problem, but the glacier-fed river was in good condition throughout the first week of July. The fishery is open Wednesday through Sunday, with a limit of one adult per day. Summer steelhead are also showing up on both the Hoh and the Quillayute river systems, although anglers are required to release any wild (unclipped) fish they catch. Crab fishing has also been good throughout the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound. As of July 10, all areas except Marine Area 7 (San Juan Islands) were open, although crabbers are advised to call the toll-free Shellfish Rule Change Hotline for an update on applicable rules for each area.

• Wildlife viewing: From seal pups on ocean beaches to eaglets taking their first flight, the region is alive with the next generation of Northwest wildlife right now. If you're walking through forested lands, there's a good chance you'll see deer fawns trying to stay out of sight, said Kelly McAllister, WDFW wildlife biologist. "There are very few places in this area where you can't see fawn right now if you look hard enough," he said. That goes for other species as well. McAllister reports that eaglets hatched in a nest above Pioneer Avenue between Tacoma and Puyallup have been testing their wings during short flights in recent days. Not so in Olympia, where eaglets "have been doing lots of wing flapping" but haven't yet taken to the air, McAllister said. Meanwhile, the appearance of Lorquin's Admiral butterflies – with black and white bodies and red-tipped wings – is another sign that summer is truly in full swing. This is also the time that surf smelt head for the beach by the thousands to spawn along the coast, setting off a feeding frenzy for seals and birds waiting to intercept them. Jack Smith, regional WDFW wildlife manager in Montesano, witnessed this all-you-can-eat spectacle during a recent stop in Kalaloch. "The seals were tumbling through the breakers, working over the smelt with hundreds of gulls overhead," Smith said. "It was quite a sight." Among the sightings posted by birders on the Tweeters website in the last week: five pair of snowy plovers on the beach near Tokeland, 42 brown pelicans at North Cove in Pacific County and nearly 200 western sandpipers at Bottle Beach State Park in Ocosta. Diann MacRae, with the Olympic Vulture Study, reports that turkey vultures have been spotted with increasing frequency throughout the region, including eight at the George Adams Salmon Hatchery on Hood Canal, five at Washington Harbor east of Sequim, and four near the Julia Butler Hansen Wildlife Region eating road kill.

Southwest Washington:

• Fishing: Summer continues to sizzle for hatchery steelhead fishers. Cowlitz River boat anglers last week were averaging a fish per rod from Mission Bar upstream to the barrier dam. Daily limits have been increased to three hatchery steelhead on the Cowlitz and Lewis rivers. Prospects are good on the North Fork Lewis where several thousand hatchery steelhead have been recycled downstream for additional fishing opportunity. On the mainstem Columbia below Bonneville Dam, bank and boat anglers recently were averaging one steelhead kept or released for every six rods, with most of the catch occurring from Kalama downstream. Summer chinook are scattered among the catches in the lower Columbia, and now anglers can enjoy the action all the way to the Pasco area. Hatchery chinook fishing opens tomorrow (July 11) between Bonneville Dam and the Highway 395 bridge at Pasco, with a six-fish-a-day limit (no more than two adults). Sturgeon fishing continues strong on the Columbia estuary, with private boat anglers averaging one legal fish for every two to three rods. A record number of fishers' private boats (659 in all) were counted July 6 in the river estuary. Sturgeon fishers who want to keep their catch need to keep an eye on the calendar; after July 25 sturgeon fishing is scheduled to go to catch and release only in the lower Columbia and its tributaries. The Dalles Pool closes to sturgeon retention Saturday (July 13), but fishers can continue to keep sturgeon caught in Bonneville and John Day pools. Anglers after trout should find success at Mayfield Lake, where boat catches were averaging four fish per rod last week. Riffe Lake is continuing to produce a mix of landlocked coho, chinook, steelhead and cutthroat. Bank anglers there averaged a fish per rod last week. And on Lake Scanewa (Cowlitz Falls Reservoir) 4,000 catchable rainbows are due to be planted next week. Stream anglers should find hatchery trout on the Tilton River or Skate Creek. Meanwhile, walleye and bass are being caught in Bonneville, The Dalles and John Day pools.

• Wildlife viewing: Great blue herons recently have been seen perched along the Tilton arm of Mayfield Lake. Other recently spotted species include American dippers, common mergansers and violet-green swallows. Black-tailed deer sightings are numerous on Peterman Hill on the Cowlitz Wildlide Area. Turkey broods are showing on the Klickitat Wildlife Area and in other parts of Klickitat County. With Riffe Lake full the number of Canada geese at the Cowlitz Wildlife Area is also increasing. Visitors are advised to use caution on roads in the Cowlitz Wildlife Area, due to logging truck traffic on Peterman Ridge, the Champion Haul Road (Kosmos Unit), and 400 and 300 haul lines on the south side of Riffe Lake and toward Cowlitz Falls. Yield to log trucks, use extreme caution on corners and stay right on the road. Drivers parking along haul roads to access fishing spots along the Cowlitz River near Taidnapam Park and the fishing bridge should be careful not to block logging truck traffic or impair other drivers' line of sight. Parking at Taidnapam Park is highly recommended for increased safety.

Eastern Washington:

• Fishing: Trout, trout, and more trout. That's the word from WDFW fish biologist Chris Donley of Spokane. Rainbow trout remain in tremendous numbers for the catching at Fishtrap Lake in Lincoln County, he says, and Spokane County's Badger and Williams lakes continue to produce well, too. "Fish early and late in the day and look for deeper water or spring areas where water temperatures are lower," Donley advises. Kokanee fishing at Chapman Lake is also still good. Fish will be deeper than they were last month, Donley notes, and night fishing will be the best tactic for catching them. Walleye fishing remains steady at Sprague Lake. Yellow perch fans should try Bonnie or Downs lakes. Silver Lake still has a ton of bluegill from 6 to 8 inches, Donley reports, mostly on the south end of the lake. Rainbow and kokanee fishing at Lake Roosevelt is fair. Donley says that although rainbows have been easier to find than the kokanee, all of the fish are spread throughout the water column and can be difficult to catch. The sloughs and backwaters of the Snake River in the south end of the region should be producing some decent channel catfish and smallmouth bass catches now.

• Wildlife viewing: Young wild animals are becoming more visible now throughout the region in various habitats as they venture out further from their parents and nests. Watch for the unsteady flying and scurrying of baby bird groups, including chickadees and nuthatches, sparrows and finches, quail and pheasants. Watch meadows and woodland openings for frisky fawn deer or calf elk. Listen for coyote pups trying out their voices; you might catch a glimpse of them, but their yips and howls carry a lot further than you may think. Keep your flowering baskets full of nectar-producing blooms, or refill those sugar-water feeders for hummingbird parents now busy feeding hatchlings. Remember to keep bird baths and backyard ponds filled during hot, dry weather to help all wildlife and improve your watching opportunities. Budding scientists and Lewis and Clark buffs will want to catch the next program at Lewis and Clark Trail State Park, which is just west of Dayton in Columbia County. On Saturday, July 13, 8 p.m., park ranger Gary Lentz will present "The Scientific Instruments and Methods of Lewis and Clark." Lentz is coordinating a series of summer interpretive programs at the park to celebrate the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark expedition, which provided some of the first descriptions of fish and wildlife in the west. Call (509) 337-6457 for additional information.

North Central Washington:

• Fishing: Mid-and-upper Columbia River summer chinook salmon fishing opens July 16 in the stretch from Priest Rapids Dam on the Grant-Yakima County line to Wells Dam on the Chelan-Douglas County line, plus a portion of the Wells pool, between Highway 173 Bridge at Brewster and Highway 17 Bridge at Bridgeport to Highway 97 Bridge at the mouth of Okanogan River. This is the third year of this special season and the run of chinook is expected to be double last year's numbers, according to WDFW fish biologists Heather Bartlett of Okanogan and Art Viola of Wenatchee. Viola attributes good out-migration and ocean conditions to this year's run size. "This fishery is getting more popular each year," Bartlett said, "especially for those eastsiders who don't have the opportunity to go to the coast or the lower Columbia to fish for salmon." Summer chinook stock is considered stable and not listed under the Endangered Species Act, Bartlett explained, and the timing of the season (through Oct. 15) doesn't hurt listed spring chinook and steelhead trout. The daily catch limit is six salmon, but no more than two adults (at least 24 inches in length). Wild coho must be released and the non-buoyant lure restriction will be in effect. Another northcentral Washington salmon season winding down now is the Icicle River spring chinook season. Viola reports that fishing is currently very slow because only about 7,000 of the expected 11,000 fish have come into the Icicle from the Wenatchee River at this point. "Some of them are really late in moving up this year," Viola said "When the rest of the fish do move up from the Wenatchee, they could be in poor shape after negotiating all the dams that had greater spills this year because of record snowpack." The daily bag limit on the Icicle is two salmon, minimum size 12 inches, and fishing is allowed from 500 feet downstream of the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery rack to the mouth. The Icicle salmon season closes July 31. Viola also reports that Banks Lake walleye and high lakes trout fishing are very good now.

• Wildlife viewing: Summer is butterfly watching time in sunny eastern Washington and the northcentral region has many public lands with wildflower meadows, wet areas, and riparian habitat to attract hundreds of species. WDFW's Columbia Basin wildlife areas, including Desert, Goose Lakes, Potholes, Seep Lakes and Winchester are easy access places to look for everything from the familiar Monarchs to the exotic-sounding (but really quite common) Painted Ladies, plus swallowtails, wood nymphs, skippers, and blues. Each species has its preferences for food plants, especially in the caterpillar stage, but most butterflies seek brightly-colored composite flowers for nectar. You'll also see groups of them on moist sand or mud around puddles of water; although the function of these "mud-puddle clubs" is not fully understood, it's thought that the water contains dissolved minerals needed by the butterflies. Pick up a butterfly identification guide to make your outing more interesting and educational, and check out http://wdfw.wa.gov/lands/wildarea.htm for more ideas about WDFW-owned or managed lands in this region to find butterflies and other wildlife. Or you can create your own butterfly watching spot in the backyard by planting buddleia or butterfly bush, monarda ( bee balm) and other flowering plants that attract these winged wonders. See http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/byw_prog.htm for more on creating butterfly habitat and WDFW's Backyard Wildlife Sanctuary program.

South Central Washington:

• Fishing: Thanks to terrific runs, mid-Columbia River summer chinook salmon fishing opens Tuesday, July 16, in the stretch northwest of the Tri-Cities from the Old Hanford townsite's wooden power line crossing upstream to Priest Rapids Dam. The daily catch limit is six salmon, but no more than two adults (at least 24 inches in length). Wild coho must be released and the non-buoyant lure restriction will be in effect.Hatchery chinook fishing opens tomorrow (July 11) between Bonneville Dam and the Highway 395 bridge at Pasco, with a six-fish-a-day limit (no more than two adults). Wild coho must be released and the non-buoyant lure restriction will be in effect. Trout fishing is still very good and should remain so throughout the summer particularly in mountainous areas, reports WDFW fish biologist Eric Anderson. Clear, Bear, Dog and Leech lakes in Yakima County are good bets, plus many smaller mountain lakes scattered throughout the forested zone of the east slope of the Cascades of Yakima and Kittitas counties. Anglers interested in trying new spots can pick up a copy of "Primer for High Lakes" in WDFW's Southcentral Regional office in Yakima (call 509-575-2740 to have one mailed.) Anderson explains that the primer lists some "drive to" and "hike to" lakes, with the "hike to" lakes further divided according to level of difficulty (easy/moderate to difficult), generally based on distance from nearest trailhead. It also lists the fish species present, including rainbow, cutthroat, eastern brook, brown, and bull trout. Yakima River tributary stream flows are dropping and trout angling is improving. Anderson reminds anglers to check the fishing regulations since many of the streams have bait prohibitions and the use of artificial lures or flies with single barbless hooks is required. Catch-and- release and/or reduced trout catch limits and size restrictions are also in place on many streams in the Yakima basin. The Yakima River itself is a good bet now, and hopper imitations might be the ticket for fly anglers as grasshoppers begin to show up in larger numbers. Caddis imitations should also produce catches. WDFW fish biologist Jim Cummins reports that a creel census is underway on the Naches River. "Fishing is good for some nice rainbow and cutthroat up to 16 inches," Cummins said. "We interviewed 82 anglers who caught and kept two trout and released 97 trout over the July 4th weekend. River flows have dropped to fishable levels, and with the exception of one recent night of thunder showers which brought the river up, we expect fishing conditions to continue to be good and improve." Cummins reminds anglers that the Naches has special regulations, including a 12-inch minimum and 20-inch maximum size limit and a two-trout daily catch limit. Kokanee fishing continues at Keechelus, Rimrock, and Bumping reservoirs.

• Wildlife viewing: Time to head for the high country with its cooler temperatures and better opportunities to catch glimpses of wildlife. The high lakes on the east side of the Cascade Mountains, many in the Goat Rocks, William O. Douglas, and Norse Peak Wilderness Areas of the Wenatchee National Forest, are good destinations for wildlife watching. Marmots and pikas are almost sure bets. Elk and mountain goats are possible. Woodpeckers, forest grouse, gray jays, crossbills, rosy finches, and hundreds of other birds are at least heard, if not seen. And if you hike up to an alpine lake and spend time camping or picnicking there, watch for frogs, toads, and other amphibians along the shoreline. Pick up a copy of "Primer for High Lakes" in WDFW's Southcentral regional office in Yakima (call 509-575-2740 to have one mailed); the primer lists some "drive to" and "hike to" lakes, with the "hike to" lakes further divided according to level of difficulty (easy/moderate to difficult), generally based on distance from nearest trailhead. Or check out http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/wenatchee for more information.