Salmon or hatchery steelhead? Trout or Dungeness crab? With summer fisheries now well under way, options abound for Washingtonians to reap nature's bounty.

And, starting July 25, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) will offer a new option for anglers to purchase a short-term combination fishing license valid up to five sequential days. The new one- to five-day combination fishing license replaces the current two-day combination fishing license.

"This new approach will give anglers greater flexibility and choice in getting a temporary license that will better fit their plans," said Frank Hawley, WDFW licensing manager.

Fees for residents will range from $7 for one day, to $17 for a five-day license, plus dealer fees. Non-resident licenses will range from $14 for a one-day license to $34 for a five-day license, plus dealer fees. There is an additional $1 charge for those planning to harvest Puget Sound Dungeness crab. Catch record cards are still required when fishing for salmon, steelhead, halibut, sturgeon and Dungeness crab.

For crabbers, little effort has been needed to get a limit of five Dungeness crab since the majority of Puget Sound season opened July 1, said WDFW Shellfish Biologist Rich Childers.

Under this year's rules, crab fishing is limited to Wednesdays though Saturdays in marine areas 6 (eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca), 7 South (San Juan Islands), 8-1 (Deception Pass to East Point), 8-2 (East Point to Possession Point), 9 (Admiralty Inlet) 10 (Seattle/Bremerton), 11 (Tacoma/Vashon) and 12 (Hood Canal).

Marine Area 7 East (Bellingham Bay/Samish Bay) will open on the same schedule July 16, followed by Marine Area 7 North (Point Roberts) on Aug. 17.

The only three areas in Puget Sound where crabbing is open seven days per week are marine areas 4 (Neah Bay), 5 (Sekiu) and 13 (south Puget Sound).

"Crab fishing has been very good throughout the Sound, with lots of big crab," Childers said.

Perhaps too good. During the first week of the season, WDFW's marine patrol encountered hundreds of crab pots in the water on days that were closed to fishing.

"Some crab fishers apparently didn't get the message about the new rules," said Capt. Mike Cenci, who heads WDFW's marine enforcement division. Cenci said the marine patrol issued about 200 citations - and at least twice that many warnings - July 3 in marine areas closed to crabbing that day.

"Compliance improved considerably by the second week of the season, but we're still seeing a fair number of violations out there from 'over limits' to possession of female and undersized crab."

In all areas, the daily limit is five male Dungeness crab (plus up to six red rock crab), measuring at least 6¼ inches. All female crab must be released.

Meanwhile, salmon anglers fishing off the Washington coast are doing better in complying with state fishing rules, Cenci said.

During the week ending July 10, anglers fishing off Ilwaco were averaging 1.3 fish per rod - but only one in five of those fish was a chinook. Catch rates for chinook were also slow elsewhere on the coast.

"Most anglers are working pretty hard for their fish," said Steve Thiesfeld, Puget Sound recreational salmon fishery manager.

Fishing opportunities expand in eastern Washington on July 16 when summer chinook season opens on the Columbia River from Priest Rapids to Chief Joseph dams, and on part of the Okanogan River. Kokanee fishing is picking up at many reservoirs, from Banks Lake to Rimrock Reservoir.

For more information on the coastal salmon season and other fisheries throughout the state, see the regional reports that follow:

North Puget Sound

• Fishing: The region's two "bubble" fisheries for chinook salmon are under way in Tulalip and Elliott bays. The fishery on Tulalip Bay has been open on weekends since early June, and the downtown Seattle waterfront fishery just got started July 8, but neither has been red-hot. "We've been at the boat ramps that provide access to both bubbles from dawn to dusk, and there just aren't many fishing coming in," said Patrick "Slim" Simpson, a WDFW fish sampler in the region. "Most of the catches in the Elliott Bay bubble were resident blackmouth, and the fishing was pretty good during the first two days of the opening weekend. But by the third day of the opener, only a handful of fish were caught," Simpson said. "The Tulalip bubble has never really taken off, although a few of the chinook we've checked have weighed in the mid 20s." Simpson said the largest fish out of Elliott Bay checked in at about 22 pounds. Fishing has been best early in the morning for anglers slowly trolling large spoons or whole herring off a downrigger. As the day progresses, it's best to move to deeper water and get the gear closer to the bottom. Anglers in the Elliott Bay bubble can take two salmon, plus two additional pink salmon. Chinook must be 22 inches to retain in the Elliott Bay terminal fishery, which is open Friday through Monday each week through Aug. 22. The Tulalip bubble is open each weekend from Friday through noon Monday with a two-fish daily limit, and chinook must be 22 inches in length to be retained. The remaining portion of Marine Area 10 outside the Elliott Bay bubble has been hit-and-miss for salmon, said WDFW Fish Biologist Steve Foley. Anglers have scratched up resident coho salmon at Jefferson Head and farther south near Vashon Island. "There's lots of bait in Puget Sound right now," Foley said, adding that some anglers were jigging their own fresh bait, rather than using the store-bought stuff. He suggests that anglers use light gear to troll a whole "firecracker" herring or a small imitation squid. Resident coho weigh just a pound or two, but they provide great fishing action in advance of the larger ocean-run fish, and they can't be beat for a summer barbecue. Chinook must be safely released in Marine Area 10, and the handling rule is in effect for chinook, which means the fish can't be brought aboard a vessel if it is unlawful to retain them. The bite has been slow for salmon anglers plying the San Juan Islands (Marine Area 7), where only a few landing nets have gotten wet. In the San Juans, there's a two-fish daily limit (no more than one chinook) plus two additional pink salmon in the San Juans. Chinook must be at least 22 inches in length to retain. Crabbing has been spotty in Puget Sound. Waters that are open to crabbing on a Wednesday-through-Saturday basis are marine areas 6 (eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca), 7 South (San Juan Islands), 8-1 (Deception Pass to East Point), 8-2 (East Point to Possession Point), 9 (Admiralty Inlet) 10 (Seattle/Bremerton), 11 (Tacoma/Vashon) and 12 (Hood Canal). Marine Area 7 East (Bellingham Bay/Samish Bay) will open on the same schedule July 16, followed by Marine Area 7 North (Point Roberts) on Aug. 17. The daily limit is five male Dungeness (6 ¼-inch minimum) and six red rock crab (either sex, 5-inch minimum). Crabbers are prohibited from setting or pulling their gear from a vessel from one hour after official sunset until one hour before official sunrise. In addition, all fishing gear must be removed from the water by one hour after sunset on the last day of any fishing period. Recreational shrimp fishing closes July 17 in the southern portion of Marine Area 7, which includes the Iceberg Point shrimp fishing area. A word to would-be Lake Washington sockeye anglers: Put away the bare red hooks for the summer. Salmon co-managers recently downsized the estimate of the Lake Washington sockeye run to a total return of about 71,000 fish, far below the threshold needed for fisheries to be scheduled. But the lack of a sockeye fishery doesn't mean the big lake won't produce good fishing for other species. Perch, crappie and smallmouth bass are all available in good numbers on Lake Washington. Working the shallows, around docks and in concentrations of lilly pads, can usually produce good bass action. Want to fish the lake for something that kind of looks like a sockeye? Try cutthroat trout. Lake Washington continues to produce a steady trickle of lunker cutts that can tip the scales at five pounds or more. Biologist Chad Jackson, a coordinator of WDFW's recent resident fish-sampling effort on the lake, said his sampling crew netted a handful of cutthroat averaging 18 to 20 inches in length that were caught 30 to 50 feet down. River fishing has been slow, due in large part to low water flows. Jackson said that since fishing opened June 1, WDFW fish samplers on the Skykomish River had checked 778 anglers who had kept 22 hatchery chinook and 13 hatchery steelhead. Fishing for hatchery chinook is allowed through July 31 on the stretch of river from the Lewis Street Bridge in Monroe to the Wallace River. "That watershed got a pretty good slug of rain, but it's now back in fishing shape," Jackson said. Sockeye fishing remains slow on the Skagit and Baker rivers. The fishery is scheduled to run through July 31, but could close early due to lagging returns. Check the WDFW fishing rule change hotline before heading out, at (360) 902-2500. Anglers interested in an early summer river-fishing experience might want to try hooking a few Dolly Varden. Brett Barkdull, WDFW district fish biologist out of LaConner, said the hefty sea-run fish are being caught on the upper mainstem of the Skagit in the Newhalem area, on the Sauk River near the confluence of the north and south forks, and near the confluence of the Sauk and the Whitechuck rivers. "The Dollies are moving up toward the spawning areas now, so we're in a bit of a transition period," Barkdull said. "There are lots of nice fish available on those systems. In fact, catching the 18- to 24-inchers isn't the hard part - it's catching the 30- to 40-inch fish that takes some skill," he said. Fly anglers using large patterns are doing well, as are the anglers who like to fish spoons. Dolly Varden / bull trout can only be retained in a handful of streams in the region, including the Sauk, Skagit, Skykomish, Suiattle, Sultan, Snohomish, Wallace and Whitechuck rivers. Check the current "Fishing in Washington" rules pamphlet for the details.

• Wildlife viewing: One birder reporting to the Tweeters birding network noted the sighting of a possible brown booby as the bird was feeding in Bellingham Bay. The bird was seen "plunge diving" from a high altitude into the bay, all the while being mobbed by gulls. Its dark hood, clean breast line and somewhat larger body compared to the gulls all helped the birder identify this particular bird as belonging to the Sulidae family. According to the Seattle Audubon Society website, the last confirmed sighting of a brown booby in Washington occurred in 1997 at Protection Island in the eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca. The prairie land of Whidbey Island is home to a multitude of birds, including a female western bluebird and her fledgling, which were spotted near Coupeville, while northern rough-winged, barn, violet-green and cliff swallows were tallied as they swooped low over the island. Another birder caught a glimpse of a Herrmann's gull in breeding plumage at the Mukilteo lighthouse, while three marbled murrelets - which are protected by the Endangered Species Act - were bobbing in the waves just offshore. A small group of rhinoceros auklets were also seen on the saltwater. Campers at Baker Lake in Whatcom County watched an osprey wheel over the water, no doubt in search of its next meal, while barred owls provided a serenade of "maniacal, all-night calling." Backyard birders, remember to keep the nectar fresh in hummingbird feeders with frequent cleanings and refilling. Mix one part sugar with four parts boiling water, let the solution cool and hang the freshly filled feeder in the shade to prevent rapid spoilage.

South Sound/Olympic Peninsula

• Fishing: Although fishing for chinook salmon generally improved during the second weekend of fishing on the coast and in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the season's slow start left most anglers glad to bring the occasional hatchery coho or pink salmon into their boat, said Steve Thiesfeld, WDFW Puget Sound recreational salmon fishery manager. "Most anglers are working pretty hard for their fish," Thiesfeld said. The selective chinook fishery from Sekiu to Port Angeles is a prime example, he said. This year, anglers caught 125 chinook during the first four days of fishing, compared to 775 last year. The story was much the same on the coast, where coho and pink salmon have been showing up in increasing numbers, but chinook are few and far between. Marine Area 1 (Ilwaco) had the highest catch rates through July 10, averaging 1.3 fish per rod - but only one in five of those fish were chinook. In Marine Area 2, anglers were averaging 0.6 salmon per rod with chinook making up about two-thirds of the catch. Catch rates in marine areas 3 (LaPush) and 4 (Neah Bay) were running about half a salmon per rod, split 50-50 between hatchery coho and chinook. (As in years past, anglers must release any unmarked coho they catch.) Noting that the chinook fishery normally peaks around Aug. 1, Thiesfeld said those catch rates should pick up in the weeks ahead. "We're just hoping the wind shifts to the northwest," said Mark Cedergreen, director of the Westport Charterboat Association. "We need a good northwesterly to move the warm water that's been sitting off the coast out of here. We got a good blow last Thursday (July 7), and we immediately started seeing more chinook in the catch." Cedergreen calls the warm, blue water near Westport "tuna water" - and for good reason. Since the ocean salmon season began, anglers have been catching an unusually large number of albacore - often while fishing for salmon just a few miles offshore. The biggest haul was on July 11, when charter boats brought in 25 albacore in a single day. "Normally those fish are 30 miles offshore, so that tells you something about the current water conditions," Cedergreen said. "Some guys are switching back and forth between trolling gear and a tuna jig, depending on how the fishing is going." Meanwhile, more salmon are beginning to move into Puget Sound, improving fishing in marine areas 11 and 12, Thiesfeld said. Seven chinook were checked July 10 at Point Defiance, and pink salmon are beginning to return to the Hoodsport hatchery in Hood Canal. Recent rains also have been drawing more salmon and steelhead up rivers on the north coast, although they are also pushing some of those rivers out of shape, said Bill Freymond, WDFW regional fish manager. Anglers on the Wynoochee and Chehalis rivers have been catching hatchery steelhead in the 5- to 7- pound range, and the Sol Duc has been producing coho salmon as well as a few hatchery steelhead. Hatchery coho should start showing up on the Quillayute river system soon, Freymond said. The good news in the recreational crab fishery that got under way July 1 in Puget Sound is that crabbers have generally had no trouble getting their limit of five male Dungeness crab in a couple of soaks. The bad news is that hundreds of crabbers have had their pots out during days closed to fishing. "Some crab fishers apparently didn't get the message about the new rules," said Capt. Mike Cenci, who heads WDFW's marine enforcement division. Under the new rules, crab fishing is restricted to Wednesdays though Saturdays in eight areas of Puget Sound. Those include marine areas 6 (eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca), 7 South (San Juan Islands), 8-1 (Deception Pass to East Point), 8-2 (East Point to Possession Point), 9 (Admiralty Inlet) 10 (Seattle/Bremerton), 11 (Tacoma/Vashon) and 12 (Hood Canal). Marine Area 7 East (Bellingham Bay/Samish Bay) will open on the same schedule July 16, followed by Marine Area 7 North (Point Roberts) on Aug. 17. The only three areas in Puget Sound where crabbing is open seven days per week are marine areas 4 (Neah Bay), 5 (Sekiu) and 13 (south Puget Sound). Under state law, anyone fishing in closed waters is subject to a $100 fine, plus a penalty of $25 for each fish or shellfish in their possession and potential forfeiture of their fishing gear. More information about this year's crab season is available on WDFW's website (http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/shelfish/beachreg/) and its toll-free Shellfish Hotline (866-880-5431).

• Wildlife viewing: Earlier this month, Hood Canal residents thought they had seen the last of the "Slippery Six," the transient killer whales that had been feeding on seals in the 60-mile-long fjord since Jan. 25. One observer reported seeing the transients moving north under the Hood Canal Bridge "in transit mode," seeming to confirm one killer whale expert's prediction that the group would soon head back to their home waters in southeast Alaska for social interaction with others of their kind. But within a few days, the travelers were back, sighted first at Seabeck, then off the mouth of the Hamma Hamma River. "We're still trying to verify whether or not they ever left Hood Canal," said Steve Jeffries, WDFW marine mammal specialist. Either way, Jeffries urges boaters to "be whale wise" and avoid approaching within 100 yards of any marine mammal. Boaters are also advised to reduce speed to less than 7 knots when within 400 yards of the nearest whale and limit their viewing time to a maximum of 30 minutes. "There's some concern among biologists about the transients' prolonged stay in Hood Canal, and part of that concern stems from their exposure to boat traffic," Jeffries said. "We're asking everyone to do their part and give them some space." The same is true for endangered species such as western pond turtles, 17 of which were released July 13 into a pond in northern Mason County. The turtles - many equipped with tiny radio transmitters so biologists can track them - are the latest graduates of a recovery program involving WDFW, the Woodland Park Zoo, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and others, who have been working since 1990 to restore the native species. Fifteen of the turtles released this week were bred from captive parents at the zoo. Most, however, were collected from wild sites and nurtured at the zoo until they were large enough to prevent predators such as bullfrogs and largemouth bass from swallowing them whole. "The key is to raise them until they are bigger than a bullfrog's mouth," said Harriet Allen, who oversees WDFW's Threatened and Endangered Wildlife Program. Once common in the Puget Sound region and the Columbia Gorge, the western pond turtle declined to just 150 animals in Washington by the time the state listed it as an endangered species in 1993, Allen said. The latest releases will bring the total number of turtles in the wild to about 1,000 at three sites in the Columbia Gorge, a wildlife site near Steilacoom and the new site in Mason County. Allen noted that WDFW does not reveal the specific location of those sites because of concern the turtles might be disturbed. "We're not quite to the 'watchable wildlife' stage with western pond turtles yet," Allen said. "First, we have to make sure they survive."

Southwest Washington:

• Fishing: Warm water in the mainstem Columbia River, combined with the normal transition between summer and fall-timed fish, has created a lull in the action for salmon and steelhead anglers. "We're getting to the end of the early run of fish, and the water is getting warmer, so the fish are probably moving through the lower river quickly or hanging out in the tributary mouths where the water is cooler," said Pat Frazier, WDFW regional fish program manager. Bank anglers going after steelhead in the lower Columbia below Longview have been averaging one steelhead for every 10 rods, while the action has been much slower for boat-based anglers in the same area. "This is a good time to hunt around for summer-run steelhead in the lower Columbia tributaries, such as the Cowlitz or Lewis rivers," Frazier said, adding that a dozen boat anglers checked on the Cowlitz during the first week of July took home five summer-run steelies. Bank anglers on the Lewis were averaging one steelhead for every four rods. "The guys on the Lewis are catching some really nice fish in the 6- to 12- pound range," Frazier said. Above Bonneville, the place to try for steelhead is Skamania County's Drano Lake, where eight bank anglers kept one steelhead and 18 boat anglers hooked 16 and kept 10 summer-run fish. Angler effort and success for steelhead are both on the rise on the White Salmon River, Frazier added. Catch-and-release sturgeon fishing has been good in the lower Columbia, particularly below the Wauna powerlines, where anglers on charter boats were outpacing anglers on private boats. A catch-and-keep sturgeon fishery in the lower river is currently scheduled July 15-17, but Washington and Oregon fishery managers are meeting this afternoon (July 13) to discuss possible modifications. Check WDFW's emergency sport fishing regulations hotline before hitting the water, (360) 902-2500 or http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regs/fishregs.htm. Catch-and-release sturgeon fishing has been fair from Bonneville Dam upstream to McNary Dam, Frazier said. Possibly the hottest fishing action on the Columbia has been for walleye and smallmouth bass in the John Day Pool, where 59 boat anglers kept 31 walleye and released 14 more. Two boat anglers were dialed in on the smallies, catching 73 of the hard-fighting fish and keeping nine. The annual onslaught of shad has slowed to a trickle of "just" a few thousand fish a day over the fish ladders at Bonneville and The Dalles dams, and catch rates have also dropped. Lake anglers have a nice list of good fishing spots, including Mayfield Lake for rainbow trout, Riffe Lake for trout and warmwater species, plus landlocked coho salmon. Swofford Pond in Lewis County is producing good catches of smallmouth and largemouth bass, bluegill and rainbow trout. Recent fish releases in the region include 337 adult spring chinook going into the upper Cowlitz River at the Lake Scanewa Day Use Area in late June; 83 adult steelhead were recycled downstream from the Cowlitz salmon hatchery to the Massey Bar Boat Launch. In Klickitat County, 750 catchable rainbow trout have been released into the Little Klickitat River, while 500 'bows were released in Spring Creek. Lewis County's Knuppenburg Lake received a plant of 400 brown trout, while Lewis and Clark Park had a release of 200 catchable rainbow trout.

• Wildlife viewing: The chance to see a pair of nesting black-backed woodpeckers has drawn a number of birders to a burn in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest at the foot of Mt. Adams. There, off Forest Road 2329, up Meadow Lake Trail 136, through Takh Takh Meadows and past the remnants of a lava tube, the woodpeckers are nesting in a burned-out fir tree. One chick has been reported peeking out of the nest hole, and others have been heard wailing inside. "The adult birds were also quite vocal, but gave their usual and distinctive 'pik' as well as a small series of drumming that could be heard from some distance," wrote a correspondent to the Tweeters birding website. Located deep in northeast Skamania County at 4,500 feet, the nesting site is a ways off the beaten path. But the black-backed woodpecker, common to the northern Rockies, is a fairly unusual sight here. Approximately 10 inches in length with a 15-inch wingspan, both sexes have glossy black plumage, although the male is easily identifiable by its bright yellow cap. Facial markings include a fine white line behind the eye that is more conspicuous on the female than on the male. Although the black-backed woodpecker has only three toes - two in front and one behind - the bird is adept at stripping away the bark of dead trees in search of grubs and insects. Other birds spotted in the area include seven Grays jays (at nearby Horseshoe Lake), a female Barrow's goldeneye, an olive-sided flycatcher, a Clark's nutcracker and two oranged-crowned warblers.

Eastern Washington:

• Fishing: WDFW District Fish Biologist Chris Donley of Spokane reports good walleye fishing continues throughout Lake Roosevelt, "at least for the persistent angler." Donley also said that local rainbow and cutthroat trout lakes, including Badger, Clear, Williams, West Medical and Fishtrap, are still very good in early morning and late evening hours. "The trick to catching the big ones by this time of year is to downsize your gear," Donley said. "The bigger trout have seen the bigger baits or lures at least once, touched them twice and won't come near them again at this point. Try something different, like crawfish tails, something they haven't seen, and you're more likely to hook a good-sized trout." Donley also noted that anglers are doing well on channel catfish at Sprague Lake, most using chunk baits of some kind. Catfish and bass fishing continues to be productive throughout the Snake River system in the southeast district of the region. WDFW district fish biologist Glen Mendel of Dayton says that although no measurable checks have been made recently, he suspects that trout fishing is slow, due to warmer temperatures.

• Wildlife viewing: WDFW Wildlife Biologist Paul Wik of Clarkston recently observed two juvenile peregrine falcon chicks flying near their nest site near the Snake River in Clarkston. Wik also recently checked the great blue heron communal nesting site west of Clarkston and saw nine juvenile birds about to fledge. While conducting elk surveys in the Blue Creek game management unit in southeast Walla Walla County, WDFW District Wildlife Biologist Pat Fowler of Walla Walla spotted an adult great gray owl. The owl was only the second confirmed sighting in 31 years, the last one coming just last year on Abels Ridge in the Blue Mountains. WDFW Wildlife Biologist Todd Baarstad of Davenport reports whitetail and mule deer, pheasant, quail, and many songbird families can be seen throughout Lincoln County now. "Fawns and chicks are becoming more mobile and visible," he said. Baarstad reminds visitors to WDFW wildlife areas, such as Swanson Lakes south of Creston, to park only in areas free of weeds and brush to avoid starting wildfires with warm motor vehicles. WDFW Habitat Biologist Allen Palmanteer of Boyds reports that huckleberries are already ripe all over Ferry and Stevens counties in areas at about 2,300 feet elevation. "If you have the gathering spirit, this is starting off as one of the best huckleberry years in the last five and maybe even 10 years," Palmanteer said. The great picking should continue through mid-August at higher elevations, topping out at about 4,500, he said. Palmanteer added that berry pickers should be prepared with bug repellent for pesky mosquitoes and flies, and to be alert for hungry black bears that might be sharing the same berry patches.

North Central Washington:

• Fishing: Opportunities to catch chinook salmon expand in eastern Washington on July 16 when summer chinook season opens on the Columbia River from Priest Rapids to Chief Joseph dams, and on part of the Okanogan River from the mouth to Highway 97 bridge. The daily catch limit is six, including no more than two adults (at least 24 inches long). All coho and sockeye salmon must be released. Chinook anglers should watch for signs at water access points on these river stretches about cash rewards for returns of newly tagged fish, which are part of a Colville Confederated Tribes' study, in cooperation with WDFW fish researchers. The Methow River resident rainbow and cutthroat trout fishery that opened last month is going well, reports WDFW District Fish Biologist Bob Jateff of Omak. "Our below-average snowpack and runoff has put the Methow in fishing shape early this year, so fishing should be good through July for both rainbows and cutthroat," Jateff said. The season, which continues through Sept. 30, is catch-and-release with selective gear only. Jateff reminds anglers to check the regulation pamphlet for closed areas, designed to help protect endangered steelhead, spring chinook, and juvenile bull trout. "Watch for signs posted at our access areas to see which areas are open and which are closed," he said. Jateff also noted that Leader Lake, four miles west of Okanogan, continues to produce some big trout, plus large bluegill and smaller crappie. "This is a good lake to take the kids, because the crappie and bluegill are easily caught on a bobber and worm," he said. WDFW enforcement officers Cal Treser and Fred Wiltse, who recently patrolled north Okanongan County lakes and streams, noted that anglers contacted at the Eagle lakes were catching cutthroat trout up to 16 inches. WDFW District Fish Biologist Art Viola of Cashmere says a decision on a Lake Wenatchee sockeye salmon season will probably not be made until the week of July 17. "It's hard to say if we'll have enough sockeye in the run to allow the fishery this year," Viola said. "So far, the count of sockeye over Bonneville Dam is following the 10-year average, which might be enough for a season. Everyone will just have to stay tuned for an announcement." WDFW district fish biologist Jeff Korth of Moses Lake reports good walleye fishing continues on Moses Lake, Potholes Reservoir and Sprague Lake. He also noted that kokanee fishing is starting to heat up at Banks Lake.

• Wildlife viewing WDFW enforcement Sgt. Jim Brown reports six bighorn sheep rams are attracting tourists and local residents alike as they regularly graze in an alfalfa field adjacent the Loomis-Spectacle Lake Road. The big rams have been frequenting an area west of Highway 97 between Tonasket and Oroville. Guided butterfly viewing is available as part of the sixth-annual Washington Butterfly Association Conference, July 22-24 in Mazama. The varied habitats of the Methow Valley, including riparian zones, shrub steppe and alpine meadows support more than 100 butterfly species. Participants in the conference's field trips and lectures can gain a better appreciation of the species living throughout the region. Depending on weather, field trips may go to the Boulder Creek area to try to see the Pink-edged Sulpur (Colias interior). Even though fires burned many acres near Slate Peak, some alpine meadows are still intact and could provide glimpses of Vidler's Alpine (Erebia vidleri), Hoffmann's Checkerspot (Chlosyne hoffmanni), and possibly Melissa Arctic (Oeneis melissa) and Lustrous Copper (Lycaena cupea). See www.naba.org/chapters/nabaws/conference.htm for more information.

South Central Washington:

• Fishing: Summer salmon fishing begins July 16 when the Columbia River opens from Priest Rapids Dam upstream to Chief Joseph Dam. The daily limit is six salmon, no more than two of which can be adults, and the minimum length is 12 inches. Coho and sockeye salmon must be released. WDFW Fish Biologist Jim Cummins of Yakima says kokanee fishing at Bumping Reservoir is good now. "The fish are typically small and run from just seven to eight inches," he said, adding that Rimrock Reservoir continues to be good for kokanee in the eight- to 10-inch range. Cummins also reports that river and stream fishing for trout is generally productive throughout the region. "Good bets for trout are the Naches River, Rattlesnake Creek, Naneum Creek, Taneum Creek, and the upper Yakima River catch-and-release fishery," he said. Cummins reminded anglers that these and other rivers and streams generally have special fishing regulations, and reading the regulations pamphlet is a good idea. With warmer weather, there are no new catchable trout plants in local lowland lakes. However, anglers heading for the higher, cooler country can check out what alpine lakes received trout fry plants last year at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/plants/regions/reg3/index.htm.

• Wildlife viewing: This is an excellent time to make a trip to higher ground to watch butterflies and hummingbirds using alpine meadow wildflowers. WDFW Habitat Biologist Ken Bevis of Yakima says the high elevation mountain areas throughout the region are in full bloom now. "It's just now spring time up there," he said. Red and pink monkey-flowers, penstemons, coral bells and columbines are attracting hummingbirds. Yellow and white asters, daisies and yarrow are drawing butterflies. "Watch for hummers not just feeding on the nectar of these blooms now, but also defending territories in aggressive displays, diving at rivals, or perhaps showing off for a mate," Bevis said. There are so many species of butterflies afield now that Bevis suggests taking a good identification book along to discover which ones are working the alpine blooms. Bevis also reminds hikers and campers to leave deer fawns and other young wildlife alone, and to be careful with anything that could start a wildfire.