June 12-25, 2002

Contact: Margaret Ainscough, (360) 902-2408

The advent of summer sees spring chinook fishing heading for a strong finish on the coast, salmon anglers gearing up for openings in Puget Sound, big catches of shad on the Columbia River and crab fishing opening in a number of inside waters.

Crabbing opportunities will get even better starting June 21, when the Strait of Juan de Fuca opens to recreational crab fishing. For two weeks, sport fishers will have the Strait to themselves before tribal commercial fishers start setting their pots.

For hunters, the application deadline for special-permit deer and elk hunts approaches June 23. Application forms and information are available in WDFW's 2002 "Big Game Hunting Seasons and Rules" pamphlet or on-line at http://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov/ on the Internet.

Current recreation opportunities around the state include:

North Puget Sound:

• Fishing: It's time for anglers to start gearing up for salmon fishing. The Tulalip Bay terminal area, also known as the "Tulalip Bubble," opens June 30 with a two-fish daily limit and a 22-inch minimum size on chinook. The bubble fishery is open 12:01 a.m. Friday through 11:59 a.m. Monday of each week. Other portions of northern Puget Sound that open July 1 include Marine Area 7, open through July 31 with a two-fish daily limit (no more than one of which can be a chinook) and a 22-inch minimum on chinook, and Marine Area 9, which has a daily two-fish limit, and a requirement to release all chinook and chum. Marine Area 10 also opens July 1, with a two-fish daily limit. All chinook must be released, and all chum must be released from Aug. 1-Sept. 15. Check the "Fishing in Washington" rules pamphlet for additional regulation information. Lingcod fishing ends June 15. The Pacific halibut fishery remains open through July 12, Thursday through Monday of each week. There is a daily limit of one halibut, with no size restrictions. Trout fishing continues in the region's lowland lakes and rivers. "While they can still be caught in many lakes, it's getting a little tougher to find the trout," said WDFW Fisheries Biologist Curt Kraemer. "Flyfishers will likely have the most success from here on out." Anglers should match their fly to what's hatching, then slowly troll the fly near the surface. If that doesn't work, head to one of the many rivers with summer-run steelhead. "Even though many of the rivers are still high from snowmelt, there are lots of nice summer-runs being caught, particularly on the Skykomish River," Kraemer said. "Fishing guides have been doing better than one fish per boat lately." Significant low tides in mid-June and later in July should provide good shellfish harvesting action. Large portions of northern Puget Sound and the San Juans are slated to be open to crab, clam and oyster harvesting, including Marine Areas 8-1 and 8-2, which opened June 7 for crab fishing. Crabbing is allowed four days per week, Friday through Monday. Marine Area 10, which also opened for crabbing June 7, is open to fishing seven days per week. Check WDFW's website for other shellfish harvesting opportunities, plus emergency rule changes and links to marine biotoxin updates from the state Department of Health. Remember to backfill holes left from clamming, and to shuck oysters on the beach so that their shells can be used by the next generation of tasty bivalves.

• Wildlife viewing: Upcoming low tides, including minus tides during the mornings of June 22-25, and again on the mornings of July 7-10, are great opportunities not only to do some clamming and oyster picking, but also to check out the staggering array of intertidal and sub-tidal life clinging along the edge of the saltwater. Look in tidepools for crab, starfish, moonsnail and countless other marine critters. Birders contributing to the daily e-mail digests on the Tweeters website report an immature golden eagle staking out the La Conner area of Skagit County. While golden eagles can be found throughout much of the northern hemisphere, they are classified as a "species of concern" by WDFW, and are protected under federal laws. Warmer weather also means more species of butterflies can be found roaming backyards and fields in search of their favorite food sources. According to the U.S. Geological Survey's Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center web page Washington state is home to six different families and roughly 150 individual species of butterflies – everything from the Arctic fritillary to the Yuma skipper. Butterflies are best found in areas with lots of flowers on warm days with little or no wind.

Olympic Peninsula/South Sound:

• Fishing: The early chinook salmon season off the Washington coast is turning into a race to the finish, with strong catch rates in several areas. With less than a week to go before the season closes June 16, the port of Ilwaco caught up with Westport in catch-per-unit-effort, both averaging 1.6 salmon for each day of fishing. "Most charter boats are limiting, and individual anglers aren't far behind," said Wendy Beeghley, a WDFW biologist involved in monitoring the catch. "Fishing in those areas has been consistently strong all week, with a number of fish over 30 pounds." Further north off of Neah Bay and La Push, both catch rates and fishing effort have been considerably lower, averaging around one-half fish per angler. However, several hotspots have been reported, including the waters around Umatilla Reef and Wadda Island. "The word is that you can catch your limit if you know where to go," Beeghley said. Some of those spring chinook are beginning to show up in north coast rivers – notably the Hoh and Sol Duc – but the big attraction on those rivers is still hatchery steelhead. Both rivers are now open seven days per week for both salmon and trout, but be sure to check the WDFW Fishing in Washington pamphlet for specific information on gear restrictions, bag limits and other regulations. Meanwhile, the recreational Dungeness crab fishery is going strong in a number of areas around Puget Sound. Hood Canal (Marine Area 12) has emerged as a standout, even though the size limit was increased this year to 6 1/4 inches. "A friend of mine reported pulling one pot aboard with 21 legal-size crab in it," said Rich Childers, a WDFW shellfish biologist. (Fifteen of those crab were returned to the water, since the daily limit is six male crab.) On the Strait of Juan de Fuca (Marine Areas 4, 5 and 6), recreational crab fishers will have the fishery to themselves when the season opens June 21. Tribal commercial fishers have agreed to wait two weeks before dropping their pots, giving sport fishers an open field in such popular areas in such as Dungeness, Discovery and Sequim bays in the northeast corner of the Olympic Peninsula. Other than the Strait, the only areas in Puget Sound not currently open to crab fishing are Marine Areas 7 (San Juan Islands), 11 (near Tacoma) and 13 (near Olympia).

• Wildlife viewing: The eagles have landed along the Seabeck Highway, staging their annual show for observers at the Big Beef Creek estuary in Kitsap County. In past years, as many as 39 bald eagles have been reported at the site, arriving around Memorial Day and remaining until the salmon disperse in mid-summer. More than a dozen young eagles have been spotted this year, testing their wings as their parents look on from the treetops. The competition is fierce right now for eels and bullheads, requiring the feeding eagles to repel constant dive-bombing raids by ever-present crows. Long-legged great blue herons also line up in the shallows of the estuary for their share of the action. The Big Beef estuary is located off the Seabeck Highway, between Seabeck Marina and Lone Rock Store. Look for a wide-open area with an earthern causeway and a bridge across the tideflats. Chuck Gibilisco, with WDFW, recommends staying in your vehicle to watch, or at least avoid slamming your car door which startles the eagles when they're trying to feed. If you're in the area, you might also consider a stop at Foulweather Bluff. One birder recently reported seeing a flock of 75 to 1000 surf scoters performing aerial maneuvers over the Nature Conservancy property in the area. Other species common there at this time of year are the common loon and the pigeon guillemot.

Southwest Washington:

• Fishing: With over a million shad already counted at Bonneville Dam and more to come, there's plenty to catch along the Columbia River, reports Joe Hymer, regional fish biologist. Earlier this week, bank anglers below Bonneville Dam were bringing in an average of six fish per person based on reports from incomplete fishing trips. Anglers fishing off the public dock at Steamboat Landing in Washougal were averaging a fish per rod. Boat anglers were doing even better, reporting catches of 20 fish per rod near Ives Island area and 10 fish per rod in the Camas-Washougal area based on complete trips. Meanwhile, hatchery summer-run steelhead are coming back in large numbers to facilities on the North Fork Lewis River so anglers there should keep an eye out for probable upcoming regulation changes heralding additional opportunity there. Some 1,300 steelhead have already been re-released downstream of the hatchery to provide fishers with an extra shot at catching a fish. On the Cowlitz River, the best boat angling is in the Blue Creek area where fishers were reporting catches averaging half a fish per rod. Hatchery spring chinook returns are also fairly strong on the Cowlitz and Klickitat rivers and springers are still being caught on the Wind River, particularly around Coffer Dam or Milepost 7 near Stabler. On the Kalama River, both hatchery steelhead and hatchery spring chinook are available on the lower river. Good numbers of hatchery steelhead are being caught from sand bars in the lower mainstem Columbia, particularly between Longview and Cathlamet. Sturgeon fishing is going strong in the Columbia River estuary, with both bank and boat anglers faring well. At the Deep River ramp last weekend, boat anglers were averaging one legal-size fish per boat and bank anglers were also seeing catches of good sized legals between Knappton and Chinook. A few legal-size sturgeon were also being caught off the bank below Bonneville Dam. Warmwater fishers are finding walleye catches averaging one fish per rod (including released fish) in the John Day pool, and bass are being caught in Bonneville, The Dalles and John Day pools. Meanwhile, plenty of trout remain in area lakes, left from stocking operations for the recent Free Fishing Weekend. Good spots to try include Battleground Lake, Klineline Pond, Horsethief Lake, Rowland Lake, and Spearfish Lake. Both boat and bank anglers at Riffe Lake are catching landlocked coho. For trout anglers who prefer to fish in streams, the Tilton River and Skate Creek are scheduled to be planted throughout the summer.

• Wildlife viewing: Some of the most spectacular sights of the moment may be under water– fish-viewing windows at Bonneville or The Dalles dams offer wildlife watchers an opportunity to polish their fish-identification skills as shad, summer steelhead, sockeye and chinook salmon surge past. The Cowlitz Wildlife Area offers a number of viewing opportunities, including deer and red-tailed hawks. At Swofford Pond, staff observed four sub-adult and two adult bald eagles. The eagles have been using perch sites along the shoreline as well as fishing in the pond banks.

Eastern Washington:

• Fishing: June is usually the peak for walleye harvest in Lake Roosevelt and Sprague Lake, reports WDFW fish biologist Chris Donley. Both waters have new walleye rules: Lake Roosevelt has no minimum size, a five walleye daily catch limit, and no more than one over 18 inches; Sprague follows the new statewide walleye rules with a minimum size limit of 16 inches, daily catch limit of five, and no more than one over 22 inches. The Governor's Cup Walleye Tournament on Lake Roosevelt is June 22-23, headquartered out of the Locust Grove Campground near Kettle Falls; call Spokane Walleye Club's George Allen at 326-5219 for more information. Kokanee fishing at Spokane County's Chapman Lake is good with fish averaging 10 inches. Donley says there's still plenty of hatchery-stocked rainbow trout left in area lakes. "Unless we get really warm weather," he said, "I would expect them to fish well through the month." Trout fishing in the region's swollen, muddy rivers and streams has been spotty. But WDFW habitat biologist Jeff Lawlor, for one, just reported that "despite the big big water in the Spokane River, I still managed to tighten my line with a few scrappy rainbow." With drier weather ahead, river and stream fishing should improve. Bass fishing should be good in some of the smaller lakes like Silver, Clear, Chapman, Bonnie, Eloika, Downs and many others.

• Wildlife viewing: A pair of peregrine falcons has been confirmed to be nesting under the Highbridge Park bridge over Latah Creek near downtown Spokane. WDFW wildlife biologist Howard Ferguson reports that at least two young have been spotted in the nest, which is in the same location as in past years (right over the creek, on the highest arch of the bridge underside). With the aid of Washington Department of Transportation crews and bridge repair equipment, Ferguson will attempt to band the youngsters this week so more can be learned about this species of concern. The falcon chicks aren't the only newcomers as spring advances toward summer. WDFW habitat biologist Jeff Lawlor notes that "bird boxes are bursting with babies, ducklings and goslings are on the water in formation behind moms, spotted fawns are being spotted, and turkey chicks should be hatching out anytime." Lawlor also notes another sign of the advancing season: Buck deer are showing up with velvety new antlers. Just west of Dayton in Columbia County, Lewis and Clark Trail State Park summer programs are underway, including a June 22 nature walk on "Meriwether Lewis' Botanical Discoveries." The walk starts at 2 p.m. with park ranger Gary Lentz, who is coordinating a series of interpretive programs to celebrate the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Call (509) 337-6457 for additional information.

• Hunting: Special hunting permit applications are due June 23 and this year there are some new antlerless deer and elk opportunities in the region. The Steptoe, Almota, Mayview, Dayton, and Couse units offer more antlerless deer permits, mostly to address agricultural damage problems. New any-elk permits are available in the Selkirk unit. Although there are new antlerless elk permits in the Dayton unit, there are no bull permits this year in the Dayton and Tucannon units due to excessive poaching. With growing moose populations, a couple more moose permits are offered in the Huckleberry unit area. Fall turkey permits have doubled and even tripled in Stevens, Ferry, and Pend Oreille counties since turkeys have spread and actually become a nuisance in some areas. Check all details about permits and the telephone and Internet application procedures in the hunting season pamphlet.

North Central Washington:

• Fishing: Warmer weather has bass, perch, and walleye fishing picking up at both Moses Lake and Potholes Reservoir in the Columbia Basin. The Sand Dunes area of Potholes has especially been producing some nice-sized walleye. The walleye catch in the Lind Coulee arm of Potholes has been under legal keeping size, but it's a good area to learn walleye jig fishing. The mouth of Frenchman's Wasteway has also been producing trout, along with bass and walleye. Trout, perch, and walleye have been reported from Soda Lake, and Corral Lake has provided some big trout by trolling with nightcrawlers. Crab Creek recently yielded a possible new state record catfish by an angler fishing nightcrawlers on the bottom. Good trout fishing continues at Warden Lake for both bank and boat fishermen.

• Wildlife viewing: Official summer may be just ahead for the lowlands, but in the mountains it's still very much spring with many birds just starting to nest. This makes June a great month to birdwatch at higher elevations (if you don't get into snow). Some birds that wintered at backyard feeders in lower areas are now breeding in the high country, such as evening grosbeaks, pine siskins, mountain chickadees, juncos and Cassin's finches. Others just migrated into the mountains from the tropics, like western tanagers, ruby-crowned kinglets, and calliope hummingbirds. And then there's the tough, year-round mountain birds now nesting, like blue and spruce grouse, rosy finches, gray jays, Clark's nutcrackers, and ravens.

• Hunting: Special hunting permit applications are due June 23 and this year there are some new antlerless deer opportunities in the region. The Sinlahekin, Mission, Foster Creek, and Beezley West units offer new antlerless permits. There are also some new permits for bull and antlerless elk in the Malaga and Peshastin units. Check all details about permits and the telephone and Internet application procedures in the hunting season pamphlet.

South Central Washington:

• Fishing: With rivers flowing high and expected to remain higher than normal for several weeks, WDFW fish biologist Jim Cummins reports, fishing rivers and streams is not expected to be very productive in June. High elevation lakes are getting some fish plants now that they're ice and snow free. Fly-fishing only Leech Lake near White Pass is scheduled for a triploid rainbow trout plant soon, although harvest of those big fish may be limited beyond the current no more than two over 12-inch rule; stay tuned for changes. Dog Lake, also near White Pass, is finally free of ice and may get trout this week, although there is snow in the Forest Service campground. Bumping, Kachess, and Keechelus reservoirs could be good bets for kokanee, Cummins said. Rimrock's water has been turbid due to considerable snowmelt runoff from the South Fork and North Fork Tieton rivers, so kokanee fishing there has been light. There's good bass fishing, mostly smallmouth, in the Columbia River in the Tri-Cities area and below McNary Dam in the Patterson and Plymouth areas, although wind can make fishing difficult. Bass fishing has been poor in the lower Yakima River because of high flows. The I-82 ponds, Rotory Lake, and Wenas Lake might be good bets for channel catfish now.

• Wildlife viewing: WDFW habitat biologist Ken Bevis says this is the time of year when too many well-intentioned but uninformed people try to "rescue" young wildlife. "If you find a young bird on the ground or a deer fawn alone," he said, "the parents are most likely close by and the best thing you can do is leave it alone. If they are in immediate danger of getting run over, or eaten by a cat or dog, move the creature out of harms way and confine your pets. But then leave it alone." Bevis also reminds birdwatchers to avoid disturbing nests of eggs or chicks with close-up and frequent viewing. "Sometimes this can lead to nest abandonment and the death of the young birds," he explained. "Enjoy new bird families from a respectable distance and wait quietly. The parent birds will return to feed the young and eventually you can get good views of the whole family." Bevis noted that if a wild animal is truly orphaned, it can be turned over to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator referred by your local WDFW office.

• Hunting: Special hunting permit applications are due June 23 and this year there are some new bull elk muzzleloader and archery opportunities in the region. Check all details about permits and the telephone and Internet application procedures in the hunting season pamphlet. Deer permit applicants are reminded the popular Alkali Unit has later seasons and limited scouting this year, due to increased military training and restricted access at the U.S. Army's Yakima Training Center.