May 26-June 8, 2004

Contact: Margaret Ainscough, (360) 902-2408 or Madonna Luers, (509) 456-4073

OLYMPIA - Shad season is in full swing on the Columbia River, trout fishing opens June 1 in seasonal state streams, a one-day halibut opportunity looms May 29 in La Push and Neah Bay marine areas and Dungeness crab opportunities are popping up in parts of Puget Sound.

With that kind of variety, fishers are likely to have a tough time deciding which direction to head out of the driveway.

Whatever the destination, outdoor enthusiasts of all persuasions are reminded to be cautious over the Memorial Day weekend and throughout the summer season. As always, human visitors to the backcountry are advised to give wildlife plenty of room, and avoid the temptation to approach or "rescue" juvenile animals that appear to be alone. See the Living With Wildlife information in the Wildlife Viewing section of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) website for more information on safely visiting cougar and bear country.

And anyone parking at WDFW lands and water access sites is reminded to display the required vehicle access permit, distributed with fishing and hunting licenses or available separately for $10 at recreational license dealers or on the Internet at http://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov/. Also available through the same outlets, are $6 tickets for a chance at lifetime fishing and hunting privileges; the first of four yearly drawings is coming up June 1.

June 1 is the big day for crab fishers in many areas of Puget Sound, although a planned June 4 opening in Marine Areas 8-1 and 8-2 is uncertain, due to continuing soft-shell conditions. All crabbers are reminded of a new $3 Puget Sound Dungeness crab endorsement fee being levied to support recreational fishery sampling and enhancement.

Here are details on recreational opportunities across the state:

North Puget Sound:

• Fishing: Trout season begins June 1 on western Washington rivers, and this year King County's Cedar River is included in that general opener. The Cedar, which empties into the southern end of Lake Washington, will be opening under catch-and-release and selective gear rules. That means only unscented artificial flies or lures with one single barbless hook are allowed. Fishing will be allowed from non-motorized boats. See Page 22 of WDFW's 2204-05 "Fishing in Washington" sport fishing pamphlet for additional selective gear rules. The river has been closed to fishing since the mid-1990s out of concern for weak steelhead runs. "This fishery has a fairly low impact on steelhead and salmon populations, and it's a unique opportunity that's close to the Seattle metropolitan area," said Curt Kraemer, WDFW regional freshwater fish program manager. Anglers should expect to find the bulk of the trout they encounter to be in the 6- to 8-inch range, but some fish approaching 20 inches in length are also in the river. "Nice populations of both rainbow and cutthroat trout have developed in the Cedar over the past decade," Kraemer said. In rivers where retention is allowed, the general rule for trout is a daily limit of two fish and a minimum size of eight inches. Rules vary from stream to stream, so be sure to check regulations for specific rivers in the "Fishing in Washington" rules pamphlet, also available online on the Internet. Trout fishing remains good in area lakes, but with warmer temperatures, anglers will probably find the most success fishing early in the morning or in the final hour or two before dark. Look for trout in deeper, cooler water. Trout season opens May 29 on the Sammamish Plateau's Pine Lake. A major construction project blocked the only public access to the lake, so WDFW delayed the opening of fishing season until the work was completed. The lake has recently been stocked with catchable-sized trout, and fishing should be good there for weeks to come. Internal combustion engines are no longer allowed on Pine Lake. The action for warmwater species is heating up in lakes across the region. Perch, bass and crappie are all more active now that water temperatures have climbed a bit. Saltwater anglers have a handful of bottomfishing opportunities to choose from throughout the region's marine waters. Seasons are under way for lingcod, halibut, rockfish and cabezon. Halibut and ling catches have been a little slow lately, with the best success coming from various spots in the San Juan Islands. Crab fishing opens seven days a week beginning June 1 in Admiralty Inlet (Marine Area 9) and central Puget Sound (areas 10 and 11). Waters inside Whidbey Island (marine areas 8-1 and 8-2) are scheduled to open June 4 on a Friday-through-Monday schedule, but a slower-than-anticipated crab shell molt is putting that June 4 opener in jeopardy. WDFW will issue an emergency fishing rule change that postpones the opening of marine areas 8-1 and 8-2 if additional shell-hardness testing shows the molt is still behind schedule. Test results won't be known until June 1. Call the shellfish rule change hotline, 1-866-880-5431, or check emergency fishing rule changes online (see above for address). All Puget Sound crab fishers 15 years of age or older must have an annual shellfish/seaweed license. A catch record card for recording Dungeness crab is required for all crab fishers, regardless of age. A $3 Puget Sound Dungeness crab endorsement fee is being implemented this year. Funds will be used to support recreational fishery sampling and enhancement. Some of the biggest low tides of the year are scheduled for the first week of June and clam diggers could have a great time gathering a bucket of steamers for dinner.

• Wildlife viewing: Late spring wildlife-viewing opportunities abound throughout the region. Birders can find both seasonal and year-round species from the tideflats south of Seattle to the foothills of the Cascades. One correspondent reporting to the Tweeters birding website identified a western kingbird on the Duwamish River in Seattle's industrial south end. A member of the flycatcher family, western kingbirds seek a lofty perch - such as a branch or phone line - and wait for an insect to fly by. The bird will launch off its perch to grab the insect and fly back to the perch. This same birder reported seeing a hunting peregrine falcon getting hassled by a trio of crows. Another inter-tidal sighting passed on by a Tweeters correspondent was a pair of purple martins setting up house in a nest box near the Edmonds public fishing pier. North America's largest swallow, purple martins can be found feeding on insects over large water bodies, including Puget Sound. Farther inland, a handful of common nighthawks were seen swooping through the sky between Arlington and Granite Falls in Snohomish County. While fairly common in the region, nighthawks are fascinating birds; their bodies are just 10 inches long, but they have a wingspan of two feet. By way of comparison, the common American robin is also about 10 inches long, but its wingspan is typically 12-14 inches. A flashy, acrobatic flyer, nighthawks use their long, thin wings to dive and swoop after flying insects, which they devour in quantities that can make anyone who has been pestered by mosquitoes, wasps or gnats weep with joy. As a breeding display, male nighthawks can flare their wings on a swift dive and create an unusual roaring sound that can be heard over long distances. Late spring's improving weather can give twilight birders an opportunity to see owls as they begin their nightly foraging activities. Our region is home to at least seven different species - the northern screech, great horned, barn, northern pygmy, barred, long-eared and northern saw-whet owls. What's on an owl's menu? Plenty. Owls have a wide range of options for a meal. Great horned owls, which can reach sizes of up to 25 inches, weigh five pounds, with a wingspan of five feet or more, have been known to eat more than 250 different animals, ranging from frogs and salamanders to rabbits, skunks and even cats and dogs. No pooches on the menu for the aptly named northern pygmy owl, which checks in at about seven inches tall and weighs all of 2 ½ ounces. Pygmy owls still have a wide range of nutritional sources, including insects, rodents, birds and snakes. Look for owls hunting over agricultural fields, along wetlands and in forested areas.

Olympic Peninsula/South Sound:

• Fishing: Decisions about where to go fishing are about to get tougher June 1, when dozens of rivers open for trout fishing and several marine areas open for crab. But for shrimp fishers aboard nearly 1,000 boats on Hood Canal today (May 26), the choice was clear. "We have a lot of boats bringing in a lot of shrimp here today," said Dave Sterritt, a WDFW biologist responsible for monitoring the catch. "A lot of people are limiting out on spot shrimp after just one or two pulls." As the last of four scheduled fishing days drew to a close, Sterritt said he was certain that the recreational catch on Hood Canal would reach the 75,000-pound annual quota by the time the last boat reached the ramp. But that doesn't mean shrimp fishing is over in the region. Starting June 5, the Discovery Bay Shrimp District will be open for spot shrimp Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the Port Angeles Shrimp District will be open Saturdays and Sundays during those same hours until area quotas are reached. "These fisheries generally last about two weeks," said Sterritt, noting that this year's quota for Discovery Bay had been increased by 600 pounds. Prefer crab in your Louie? Crab fishing opens June 1 in the western Strait of Juan de Fuca (Marine Areas 4 and 5), Admiralty Inlet (Marine Area 9), Hood Canal (Marine Area 12) and southern Puget Sound (Marine Areas 10, 11 and 13). "Catch rates in test fisheries were down a bit in Puget Sound from last year, but they should still be very good," said Rich Childers, WDFW shellfish biologist. All crab fishers must fill out a catch card, and those age 15 and older must have a current license. Other regulations are listed on page 130 of the Fishing in Washington rulebook. Prospective crabbers heading to Sekiu might consider arriving a few days early to take advantage of the halibut opening May 27 in Marine Area 5. That fishery, notable for its 100-pound-plus flatfish, runs on a Thursday-through-Monday schedule through Aug. 14. Just around the corner, Marine Areas 3 and 4 (La Push and Neah Bay) will open May 29 for a one-day halibut fishery to pick up the remainder of the early-season quota for those areas. Both areas will then reopen June 15, when the second portion of the quota becomes available. Meanwhile, halibut fishing in Marine Areas 1 and 2 (Ilwaco and Westport) has been "excellent," with calm seas in recent days, said Greg Bargmann, WDFW marine fish manager. Many anglers go 20 to 50 miles out to get a halibut, then spend the next day fishing for lingcod and black rockfish closer to shore, Bargmann said. "You can take home a lot of fish that way," he said. Trout fishers, on the other hand, usually aren't thinking about how to stock the freezer when they head out to their favorite river or stream. On June 1, dozens of rivers throughout the area will open to trout fishing from Big Beef Creek in Kitsap County to the Wynoochee River near Grays Harbor. Many lakes are also still yielding good catches, giving anglers plenty of options. Larry Phillips, WDFW fish biologist, recommends two in particular: Summit Lake in Thurston County (for kokanee) and Clear Lake in Pierce County (for rainbow trout). "In the time we were stocking Clear Lake with juvenile kokanee, we saw anglers take home a bunch of limits - mostly rainbows averaging around 15 inches," Phillips said. Still need more options? Spring chinook are returning in increasing numbers to the Sol Duc, Quillayute and other north coast rivers, and catch rates are picking up along with them. Regulations vary river-by-river, so make sure you check the Fishing in Washington rulebook before you go.

• Wildlife viewing: Late spring is a time when many birds' nests become crowded with chicks, black bears begin foraging in earnest for berries and the last adult gray whales pass along the Washington coast en route to the Arctic. But wildlife isn't always quite so predictable. Take, for example, the group of transient orcas that showed up in Dyes Inlet the third week of May. It was 1997 when killer whales last paid a visit to the inlet, although that troupe was made up of fish-eating orcas that spent a month feasting on chum salmon. The recent visitors, like those that spent a month last year in Hood Canal, were more partial to seals and sea lions, traveling from as far away as southeast Alaska. Ken Balcomb, director of the Center for Whale Research in Friday Harbor, theorized that the make-shift "pod" might have followed a group of Dall's porpoises into state waters. Hundreds of porpoises were spotted near Vashon Island in central Puget Sound about the same time, Balcomb told the Sun newspaper of Bremerton. In any case, the transients disappeared from Dyes Inlet May 20, two days after their arrival, and haven't been seen since. Just as unpredictable are velella jellyfish, which washed up by the thousands along the beach at Ocean City in late May. Fittingly called "sailors by the wind," the purple-blue velella velella are equipped with rigid triangular sails that carry them throughout the open ocean. Angled at 45 degrees, these cellophane-like sails keep the three-to-four-inch hydroids away from shore when the wind blows in a normal southwesterly direction. But when the wind shifts northwesterly, as it did in late May, velella velella - and all kinds of other stuff - often wash up on Washington beaches. "When velella velella start appearing in our beaches, we'll often start seeing glass floats, bottles bearing messages and other treasurers," said Alan Rammer, WDFW marine conservation and education specialist. As it turned out, the wind again shifted direction, carrying those treasures back out to sea leaving the husks of thousands of velella jellyfish on Ocean City beaches.

Southwest Washington:

• Fishing: It's time to go fishing for shad, says WDFW regional Fish Biologist Joe Hymer. With cumulative shad counts of 294,000 at The Dalles Dam and 119,000 at Bonneville Dam as of May 24, anglers should get out soon or they might miss out on the action, Hymer adds. "Shad's the biggest game in town right now, but fishers who typically wait until June might be disappointed," he says. The Camas-Washougal area on the mainstem Columbia River was one shad-i-licious spot in the third week of May, with boat fishers averaging seven fish per rod. Ample bank angling opportunity can also be found on the public dock at Steamboat Landing in Washougal and just below Bonneville Dam. For the competitively-inclined, Hymer notes the state's shad record of a 3.44-pound fish taken in 1999 could easily be topped. Jim Byrd, WDFW angler education expert, agrees: "Almost anyone who's fished for shad has caught bigger ones; they just haven't had them recorded." To set an official record, an angler must have the fish weighed on a certified scale (such as those found in grocery stores) in the presence of a witness, then stop by a WDFW office to have a biologist verify the information. To keep track of the shad prospects anglers can check the Fishing section of the WDFW website for fish counts and weekly fishing reports. With seasonal rivers opening June 1, lots of catchable-size trout will be planted in June, says Fish Biologist John Weinheimer. By county, some favored spots are Canyon Creek (Clark County), which will receive several thousand rainbow trout; Little White Salmon River (Skamania County), which will get scattered rainbow trout plants near county and Forest Service campgrounds; Spring Creek in the Goldendale area (Klickitat County), where fishing should be good behind the hatchery, and Skate Creek and the Tilton River (Lewis County), where Tacoma Public Utilities has contracted with a private grower to plant catchable-size rainbows throughout the summer. Throughout the region, water levels are already low and likely to keep dropping, Weinheimer warns. On the lakes, plenty more trout are to be had on Mayfield Lake, which has been planted with 40,000 catchable-size rainbows since early May. Lake Sacajawea in Longview got 2,000 catchable-size rainbows recently, and Ice House Lake near Bridge of the Gods received 1,500 brown trout. Bank anglers are catching some landlocked coho and chinook in Riffe Lake, as well. The popular Mineral Lake fishing access area in Lewis County will be closed for two days, June 2 and 3, while paving work is under way, notes Ray Berg, WDFW project engineer. Back on the bigger rivers, hatchery summer-run steelhead are showing in increasing numbers below Longview on the mainstem Columbia and from the Interstate 5 bridge up to Blue Creek on the Cowlitz River. Other opportunities for hatchery steelhead can be found on the Kalama, Lewis and Washougal rivers, although fish counts there are tracking behind last year's numbers. Spring chinook can still be found in several Columbia tributaries, including the Kalama, Grays, Elochoman and Cowlitz rivers, as well as Lake Scanewa. The North Fork Lewis River has also been good until recently, although the action has slowed down some, Hymer said. Above Bonneville Dam, bank fishers were catching an average of half a fish per rod on the Klickitat River and finding occasional success on the Wind River. Walleye fishers were doing well in The Dalles and John Day pools, with average catches of 1.5 to two fish per rod during the third week of May. Bass were showing up at the rate of seven to nine fish per rod in those waters, and eight fish per rod in Bonneville Pool. Sturgeon fishing has been good in the estuary with anglers averaging one legal fish (between 45 and 60 inches) per boat recently.

• Wildlife viewing: The same shad run that's keeping anglers hopping offers wildlife watchers an impressive sight from the underwater fish windows at Bonneville Dam. Summer-run steelhead and chinook salmon are also part of the procession headed upriver. Recent warm weather brought a variety of reptiles out by mid-May to bask in the sun. Sightings include a western fence lizard, alligator lizard, rattlesnake, garter snake, racers, western pond turtle, western painted turtle and a ring-necked snake. The ring-necked snake is relatively uncommon in Washington.

Eastern Washington:

• Fishing: As the weather warms and school days end, more families head for fishing waters with campgrounds in the north end of the region. WDFW north district Fish Biologist Curt Vail notes that one of the most popular - Starvation Lake in Stevens County - is good this year for fry-planted rainbow trout, but it shifts to a catch-and-release season June 1. Pierre Lake, northeast of Orient, also has a campground and offers bass, crappie, catfish, and kokanee, in addition to trout. Lots of Ferry County lakes also offer the fishing and camping combination, including Curlew, Davis, Ellen, and Ferry lakes. WDFW central district fish biologist Chris Donley reminds Spokane River anglers that the upper stretch (from Upriver Dam to the Idaho boundary) opens June 1 but is catch-and-release only with selective gear rules. The Spokane arm (from its mouth at the Columbia River near Fort Spokane to Seven Mile Bridge) opens to walleye fishing on June 1. Donley reports that trout fishing remains strong at all the usual and accustomed lakes, including West Medical, Fishtrap, Williams and Badger. Sprague Lake has been producing trout, walleye, and bass. WDFW access manager Scott Young notes that carp are spawning along the shoreline of Rock Lake and should be easy targets for bow-and-arrow fishing. Since the temporary ban of the harvest of tiger musky on Newman Lake has lifted, WDFW warmwater fish biologist Randy Osborne asks anglers there to release any tiger musky caught that has a fluorescent orange mark between the rays of the anal fin. Those marked fish have transmitters inside as part of Osborne's study of the species, and due to the cost of the equipment, he would like to continue collecting movement and habitat use information from them as long as possible. "Any angler who catches, and hopefully is able to release, one of these study fish can call me with the details including the location in the lake where it was caught, the fish's condition, and so forth," Osborne said. (Osborne can be reached at 509-921-2300). In turn, Osborne will share information about the study to date. WDFW south district Fish Biologist Glen Mendel reports that fishing for spring chinook salmon is still very slow in the Snake River boundary waters with Idaho. Mendel said the most recent estimate is that a total of only 100 chinook have been harvested since the season opened April 24. Gilchrist Pond, southwest of Colfax in Whitman County, will be closed to fishing June 8 until June 12 to protect catchable-size trout stocked specifically for the "Fishing Kids" event on June 12. For information about that event, contact Whitman County 4-H at (509) 397-6290.

• Wildlife Viewing: Wild babies are everywhere, or soon to be, from chickadee and nuthatch chicks peeping in nest boxes to lone-roaming whitetail and mule deer does heavy with fawns to come any day. Most times baby birds found on the ground should be left alone for parent birds to help, says WDFW wildlife biologist Howard Ferguson, since featherless chicks must be fed every 15 to 20 minutes from sunrise to sunset. Fully or partially feathered young birds usually don't need human help either since they're naturally moving from nest to independence. The best thing to do, Ferguson says, is to keep cats, dogs, and curious children away from fledglings so parent birds can continue to feed them. If a bird is obviously hurt or has been attacked by a cat or dog, it might be helped by a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, contacted through the Spokane regional office at (509) 892-1001. Deer fawns should also be left alone, Ferguson reminds. Does leave them alone from time to time throughout the day to avoid drawing predators with their own body scent. "Nine times out of 10, they're not abandoned or orphaned," he said. Wildlife enthusiasts who want to learn how to provide year-round habitat for birds and other animals on their property can pick up a lot of free information at the fifth annual Backyard Bird and Plant Fair, June 5 and 6, from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., rain or shine, at Firwood Wholesale Nursery, 8403 W. Burroughs Rd. near Deer Park in northern Spokane County. The event features WDFW's Backyard Wildlife Sanctuary Program, WSU/Spokane County Master Gardeners, tours of a naturalized, low maintenance landscape, and information from the Audubon Society, Native Plant Society, Master Composters and other organizations. It also includes a host of vendors selling trees, shrubs, perennials, native plants, grass and wildflower seed, bird houses, bird baths, benches, bird seed, garden collectibles, etc. Directions: From Spokane, 14 miles north of the "Y" on Highway 395, just south of Deer Park turn west (left) on Burroughs Road, go 1-1/2 miles to Monroe Road, turn left and then immediately turn right back onto Burroughs Road, go 1-1/2 miles to Firwood Nursery on left-hand side.

North Central Washington:

• Fishing: WDFW fish biologist Jeff Korth reports that rainbow trout fishing is still very good on Blue and Park lakes in Grant County. Walleye fishing is excellent on Moses Lake for 3- to 4-pound fish. Walleye fishing should be good on Potholes Reservoir and Sprague Lake, too. Banks Lake has produced some nice rainbow and even some kokanee. "This is also the time of year for some of the best bass fishing," Korth said, "especially the larger waters like Banks and Potholes. Bass are either staging or already on the spawn, however, and a quick release of any mature fish in the same spot as the bass was caught will help ensure this year's reproductive success." WDFW Enforcement Sgt. Jim Brown of the Okanogan County detachment reports seeing a simple way to improve success when fishing for trout with bait. "A common thing we see is the commercially available pre-tied leaders for bait that are only about 8-10" long," Brown said. "People seem to catch fish with such a set-up but it has been noted that those who use longer leaders of up to two feet seem to have better success. Many of the current baits used actually float. Therefore, a longer leader below a slip-sinker seems to "float" the bait above the weeds and rocks lining the bottom of a lake, making a better presentation for the passing trout, thus enticing them to strike." Brown notes that anglers using this longer leader set-up catch 50 to 75 percent more fish than their short-leader counterparts using the same bait and fishing right next to them. Brown reminds anglers that any trout caught on bait counts toward the daily limit, even if caught and released.

• Wildlife viewing: WDFW biologist Debbie Milks reports that juvenile burrowing owls should be coming out of their dens in the Othello area of Adams County now. "You can find some of these dens under concrete irrigation pipes alongside some of the smaller side roads east of Othello, " she said. Birders on the Sinlahekin Wildlife Area in Okanogan County recently reported lots of "eye-candy-" Bullock's orioles, Western tanagers, black-headed grosbeaks, yellow-breasted chats, yellow warblers, and yellow-rumped warblers were "flashing about everywhere." The wildlife area's Fish Lake had a common loon, wood ducks, a couple of redheads, and dozens of Barrow's goldeneyes, at least one with a brood of little ducklings in tow. Mule deer does throughout the region are "going solo" these days, notes WDFW deer researcher Woody Myers, as they're preparing to give birth, usually by the first week of June.

South Central Washington:

• Fishing: WDFW fish biologist Eric Anderson reports continued good trout fishing in southcentral Washington lakes with thousands of rainbows being stocked. Complete fish stocking lists are available at the Regional Office in Yakima or at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/plants/regions/reg3/index.htm. Anderson says the "hotspots" include Clear Lake in upper Yakima County (near Rimrock Lake), which has been stocked heavily with catchable-sized trout, and Dog and Leech lakes in upper Yakima County (White Pass area), and Lost Lake in upper Kittitas County (Snoqualmie Pass area near Keechelus Lake), all three which have been stocked with larger triploid rainbows. Anderson reminds anglers that Dog and Lost Lakes have five-trout daily catch limits, with no more than one trout over 14 inches to be retained. Leech Lake has the same catch limits but it is a fly-fishing-only water. WDFW fish biologist Jim Cummins notes that higher elevation fishing waters are now accessible and have been stocked with catchable-size trout recently. Yakima River salmon fishing is slow. "Water conditions have been poor at times," Cummins explained, "but barring heavy rain, it should be better the last two weeks of the season. Yakima River salmon fishing closes June 15. Cummins says smallmouth bass fishing is picking up on the Columbia River and is good in the lower Yakima. "Trout fishing has been good in the catch-and-release reach of the Yakima when water conditions are good, "he said. "Heavy rains have increased flows at times, but conditions have generally been good."

• Wildlife viewing: WDFW regional wildlife program manager Lee Stream notes that deer fawns and elk calves are making their debut now throughout the region. "Just remember that a lone baby of this kind doesn't need your help since chances are it is not orphaned or abandoned," Stream said. "Doe deer and cow elk often leave their young for periods of time to forage on their own and to keep from drawing predators to the babies through their own body scent. Fawns and calves are born without much body scent of their own - a built-in defense mechanism to help hide them from predators. Enjoy these wildlife newcomers from a respectable distance." A Yakima County birdwatcher recently reported that the riparian area and ponderosa pine forest near the middle fork of Ahtanum Creek is a "hot-bed for cavity-nesting species". Observed were nestlings or active nesting activity by red-naped sapsuckers, hairy woodpeckers, white-headed woodpeckers, northern flickers, brown creepers, red-breasted nuthatches, and pygmy nuthatches.