October 31-November 14, 2001

Contact: Doug Williams (360) 902-2256

Late October heralds the end of daylight savings time, dark, soggy skies and the continuation of several great outdoor hunting, fishing and recreation opportunities throughout Washington state.

The modern firearm season for elk in eastern Washington began Oct. 27 and runs through Nov. 4, with early reports showing that hunting pressure is up somewhat compared to last year.

The western Washington modern firearm season for elk opens Saturday (Nov. 3) and runs through Nov. 11. Late archery and muzzleloader deer elk seasons start Nov. 21, and significant snowfall in the Cascade Mountains and in the higher elevations of eastern Washington could make for some successful hunts in the final days of the season.

On the west side of the Cascades, it looks like southwest Washington – including the Willapa Hills and Mount St. Helens areas – could again produce the best elk hunting. Those areas have the healthiest elk populations in western Washington, as well as the highest hunter success rates in recent years.

All deer and elk hunters, successful or not, are reminded they are required to submit a harvest report, either by phone (1-877-945-3492) or over the Internet.

Fall's inclement weather is expected to create favorable conditions for bird hunters. Goose season opens throughout much of the state on Saturday (Nov. 3), while the general duck, pheasant, quail and partridge seasons are already under way. Be sure to check the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's (WDFW) 2001-2002 pamphlet, "Migratory Waterfowl and Upland Game Seasons", for detailed hunting information.

The big fishing news in Puget Sound is the return of blackmouth in November and, with good marine survival conditions, it could be another great fishing season. There is a 22-inch minimum length requirement and a one-fish daily limit for blackmouth, which can be taken using a variety of fishing methods, including mooching with a herring or lure.

"Blackmouth have benefitted from the same conditions as every other type of salmon and there are plenty of bait fish in the water right now," said Tony Floor, WDFW blackmouth manager.

Meanwhile, the last vestiges of a fantastic run of coho salmon into Puget Sound is still providing saltwater anglers with some action. Beach anglers in popular places like Point No Point, Hoodsport and Kennedy Creek are taking their share of husky chum salmon. River anglers have had their hands full with coho, early fall chum and some nice cutthroat trout. Steelhead are also being taken in some of the traditional steelie-producing streams.

Anglers in central and southern Puget Sound have been facing additional competition for salmon lately, as a pod of orcas has been cruising from Seattle south through the Tacoma Narrows to the Nisqually area to feast on big runs of returning fall chum salmon. Boaters are reminded to keep at least 100 yards away from the whales and to refrain from harassing them in any way. Orcas are currently candidates for protection under the federal Endangered Species Act.

This is also the time of the year for bird lovers to make sure their backyard feeders are in good shape for the winter. Migrating flocks are making their last visits to the feeders before heading south, while the year-round residents are hunkering down for the winter. Their dependence on backyard feeders will grow as natural food sources become scarce. Bird watchers throughout the state are also finding great flocks of migrating waterfowl and shorebirds.

Here are the details of recreational opportunities, region-by-region:

North Puget Sound:

• Fishing: The end of October also means the end of trout fishing in lowland lakes. Most lakes won't re-open to trout fishing until the last Saturday of April 2002. But there are still plenty of other fishing opportunities throughout the region to keep anglers happy, most notably the blackmouth fishery, which opens Nov. 1. Other saltwater salmon opportunities include the chance of picking up a few coho near the southern end of Whidbey Island, and other waters near the river mouths, and big, bright chum salmon as well. This is the time of the year when river anglers start worrying about flow conditions, with fall's occasionally heavy rains putting the streams out of shape in just a few hours. The rain clouds have a silver lining, however, because they tend to lure more spawners into the river systems. Chum fishing should continue to pick up through the first half of November, with the peak of the run typically coming around Veteran's Day, said WDFW Biologist Curt Kraemer. Several northern Puget Sound river systems are still offering up some nice coho, particularly the Skagit, which is open to salmon fishing from the mouth to the downstream side of Gilligan Creek, with a four-fish daily limit. No more than two may be coho or chum, and all chinook must be released. The Snohomish River system, including the Skykomish, is still producing some nice coho. Cutthroat trout anglers are having some success on the Skagit as well. If you've had your fill of salmon and trout, trying going after something with tentacles: Squid jiggers are reporting good catches from several downtown Seattle waterfront piers, including Pier 62/63 and Pier 86. If you decide that this is the year to start catching your own calamari, prepare for a significant investment, including a portable generator to power a spotlight (squid are caught at night and are attracted to light), plus glow-in-the-dark jigs, and the all-important long johns for this nighttime fishery. Squid jigging is open year ‘round, with a daily limit of five quarts or 10 pounds. Legal gear is a baitfish jig, a maximum of four squid lures, a herring rake or a hand dip net.

• Hunting: Goose hunting in Management Areas 1 and 3, which includes most of western Washington, except the lower Columbia and southwest Washington coastal counties, resumes Nov. 3 and runs through Jan. 20. The second installment of this year's modern firearm black-tailed deer hunt is set for Nov. 15-18. The recent significant snowfall in the Cascade Mountains should help keep the deer in lower elevations.

• Wildlife viewing: Birdwatching near Blaine on the Canadian border has turned up a number of interesting shorebirds lately, including flocks of black-bellied plovers, greater and lesser yellowlegs and even a Franklin's Gull. As far as gulls go, the Franklin's is the all-time champion for long-distance migrations. The birds nest in the northern prairies of central Canada, then undertake an amazing 5,000-mile migration to the wintering grounds of northern Chile and southern Peru where they spend just a few months before taking flight again for the long journey north.

Olympic Peninsula/South Sound:

• Fishing: Coho fishing may be drawing to a close but that doesn't mean it's time to put away your salmon gear. The blackmouth season begins Nov. 1 from Sekiu to Olympia and fishing is expected to be good to excellent. "Blackmouth have benefitted from the same conditions as every other type of salmon and there are plenty of bait fish in the water right now," said Tony Floor, WDFW blackmouth manager. Best bets, according to Floor, include Point Defiance, Point Monroe on the east side of Bainbridge Island, Jefferson Head, Kingston and Point No Point. The daily limit for blackmouth, which usually run between 6 and 10 pounds, is one fish per customer. Hefty chum salmon are also moving toward bays and rivers in good numbers, with good fishing expected through Thanksgiving. Starting Nov. 1, anglers will get their first opportunity ever to fish for chum salmon downstream from the Minter Creek Hatchery on the Longbranch Peninsula near Purdy. The limit is four chum per day through Dec. 31 in the new fishery that extends from the mouth of the creek upstream to markers located approximately 50 feet downstream of the Minter Creek Hatchery rack. All other salmon species must be released. Fishery managers caution anglers to avoid trespassing on private property, noting that the future of the new fishery may depend upon how it is received by the local community. Fishery managers caution anglers to avoid trespassing on private property or this year's fishery might be the last. Other popular spots to catch chum include Hoodsport, Oakland Bay, Totten Inlet and the estuary at the mouth of Kennedy Creek. And don't forget the next razor clam opening scheduled in mid-November. Provided that marine toxin tests show that the clams are safe to eat, digging will begin at noon Nov. 13, Nov. 15, Nov. 16 and Nov. 17. Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis and Mocrocks will be open all four days and Kalaloch will be open for one day only on Nov. 17. Be sure to check the WDFW Shellfish Hotline (1-360-796-3215) or website for updated information on those toxin tests before you head to the beach.

• Hunting: Fresh off one of the best deer seasons in recent years, area hunters can also look forward to a good season for elk, said Jack Smith, regional WDFW wildlife manager. About one in three hunters took deer in the Dayton/Satsop area and the Vail Tree Farm in October and other areas weren't far behind, Smith said. "Hunters had an outstanding season in a number of areas and the late season could be even better," Smith said. "We collared 40 deer at the start of the season and we only got four or five collars back, which indicates there are still a lot of deer out there." The late season for black-tailed deer runs Nov. 15-18 for modern firearms and begins Nov. 21 for archers and muzzleloaders. More immediately, though, is the modern firearms season for elk, which runs Nov. 3 through Nov. 11. "Elk populations have been growing in recent years and they're starting to move down into the low country," said Smith, who recommends the Willapa Hills, Sol Duc, Lower Wynoochee and Wishkah areas during the upcoming season. Meanwhile, WDFW has added an extra day per week to the upcoming hunting seasons for geese in Goose Management Areas 2A and 2B (from Grays Harbor County to Clark County). Check the recent press release on the WDFW website for the particulars. Duck hunters are reportedly finding lots of wigeon in Willapa Bay right now, but Smith said waterfowl of all kinds will soon start moving into the inland valleys as the weather gets rougher.

• Wildlife viewing: Three pods of orcas, which normally call the waters around the San Juan Islands home, have apparently extended their stay in Puget Sound, most likely on the trail of migrating chum salmon. An estimated 60 orcas from pods J, K and L have been spotted throughout the Sound since mid-October, cavorting between ferries on the Seattle-to-Kingston run one day then breaching near Port Townsend the next. At last report, they were moving south between McNeil Island and Steilacoom, probably headed to the Nisqually delta or Balch Passage. "Orcas are sort of the ultimate watchable wildlife species," said Mike O'Malley, with WDFW's Watchable Wildlife Program. "They're absolutely fascinating to watch." But if you do see them, O'Malley advises giving them plenty of room. Orcas are currently under consideration for listing under the Endangered Species Act and boaters are advised to keep a distance of at least 100 yards. Violations can lead to stiff penalties. But even if you don't spot the orcas on this trip, you're sure to see plenty of spawning chum salmon if you stop by the Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail near Highway 101 about halfway between Olympia and Shelton. Built just last year by the South Sound Salmon Enhancement Group on land owned by the Taylor Shellfish Co., the trail is open to the public between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. through Dec. 2 on weekends. Weekday school field trips may be arranged by calling (360)754-6464. To get there from Highway 101, turn west at mile post 356 onto the Old Olympic Highway. Travel eight-tenths of a mile, then turn west onto an unnamed gravel road marked with the Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail sign.

Southwest Washington:

• Fishing: Late hatchery coho should continue to provide anglers with catches on the Cowlitz, Kalama, Lewis and Elochoman rivers. Recently on the Green River, bank anglers have been keeping an average of almost one hatchery coho per person, reports Lisa Harlan, a fish biologist in WDFW's southwest Washington regional office. Boat anglers are enjoying some luck at the mouth of the Cowlitz and on the mainstem Columbia River in the Camas/Washougal area. The river below Bonneville Dam also is providing some good sturgeon fishing, with bank anglers there recently bringing in an average of one legal size fish for every five anglers. The Lewis and Cowlitz are expected to offer some continued fall chinook success over the next week, and hatchery cutthroat also are coming on in the Cowlitz, Harlan added. Meanwhile, Battle Ground Lake was stocked last week with some 3,600 cutthroat trout.

• Hunting: A successful season should be in store for elk hunters. Not only have elk already been spotted by deer hunters, but WDFW aerial surveys also found good numbers of elk in areas that produced well in recent years. Mild weather over the past few years has contributed to winter survival. Previous early archery and muzzleloader hunts were limited by private land closures, and those curtailed hunts may mean better success now for modern firearm hunters. Meanwhile, permits required for Canada geese hunting in Goose Management Areas 2A and 2B (Grays Harbor, Pacific, Cowlitz, Wahkiakum and Clark counties) will be mailed this week. The permits, issued to hunters who have successfully passed goose-identification training and testing, are intended to help protect dwindling dusky geese.

• Wildlife viewing: Flocks of shorebirds and Canada geese have been migrating through the Cowlitz Wildlife Area. Ruffed grouse have been increasingly visible in several areas as deciduous leaves fall. Large flocks of south-bound ducks have stopped on Swofford Pond, which also has been a good place to see pied-billed grebes. At least three common loons in winter plumage were recently spotted on Mayfield Lake. The State Route 12 corridor also is a good place to look for loons. An adult and a juvenile barred owl were observed on the Peterman Hill unit, as were two adult and two juvenile pileated woodpeckers. Coots have arrived in force at Swofford Pond, with several hundred taking advantage of this year's abundant aquatic vegetation. A large otter has also been seen several times at the pond. Meanwhile, an area birder reports spotting 17 tundra swans, a snow goose and more than a dozen great egrets at the Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge near Washougal in Clark County, as well as several swans at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge.

Eastern Washington:

• Fishing: Mainstem Snake River steelhead fishing is spotty despite the huge numbers of fish now in the system. Steelheaders might do better at this time focusing on tributaries such as the Grand Ronde and Tucannon rivers. WDFW fish biologist Chris Donley of Spokane reports that Rock Lake brown trout are biting now, and you don't necessarily need a boat to catch a nice fish there; shore anglers at the public access site are doing fairly well. Donley also notes that crappie fishing is usually good throughout November at several year-round waters in the region, like Long Lake on the Spokane River, and also on Sprague and Newman lakes.

• Hunting: Elk hunting pressure, but not necessarily success, has been up in some areas of the region. WDFW wildlife biologist Dana Base of Colville reports that initial checks of elk hunting parties up north, where elk are more scattered in smaller groups over rougher terrain, show harvest at about half the 5 percent average. North Spokane County elk hunting seemed to be more productive, according to enforcement field checks, including lots of harvested spike bulls and at least one five-antler-point bull. South Spokane County is seeing lots of elk hunting pressure, but not a lot of harvest. The Lick Creek unit in the Blue Mountains has been hunted hard and is producing average numbers of harvested elk. Right after elk season closes, northeast units (105-124) open Nov. 5 for whitetail buck deer, one of the most popular hunting seasons in the state. Whitetails are abundant, especially on private farmland in Ferry, Stevens, Pend Oreille and north Spokane counties. Continuous rain, and snow in some places, is helping make hunting conditions prime for these wily deer. The season runs through Nov. 19, right through the peak of the whitetail rutting or breeding period when bucks are a little less wary. Hunters can expect to see success rates in the neighborhood of past late seasons' 20 percent average. In the central and south districts of the region, special permit deer hunting also opens Nov. 5. Another general season on three-antler-point minimum whitetail deer opens Nov. 10 for just a week in the central district of the region (units 127-142). Pheasant hunting should be boosted with releases of game-farm-raised roosters this week at the usual sites throughout the region; contact the Spokane office (509-892-1001) for site information.

• Wildlife viewing: The Kettle River and Boulder Pass areas in the northeast, and many other riparian or streamside areas throughout the region, are in prime fall foliage right now with eye-dazzling yellow displays of cottonwoods, western larch, and aspen trees. When you take in those sights, you're also bound to see wildlife battening down the hatches for coming winter: Pine squirrels hurriedly stashing seed cones, magpies and ravens flocking to road-kills for easy high-fat meals, maybe even a black bear scouring orchard or garden remnants before hibernation. Take the cue and set up winter feeding stations for birds now, if you want to enjoy wildlife watching from home during the coming months; see "Backyard Wildlife Sanctuary" program on the WDFW wildlife viewing website for more information.

North Central Washington:

• Fishing: The fishing season in Conconully Reservoir in Okanongan County, which normally closes Oct. 31, has been extended through February to allow anglers to catch rainbow trout that otherwise wouldn't make it through the winter there. WDFW fish biologist Heather Bartlett of Okanogan explains that drought conditions left such low water levels in the reservoir that the fish population isn't expected to survive. Anglers are being allowed to take advantage of the situation now, and in the spring catchable-size rainbows will be restocked to ensure good fishing next year. WDFW fish biologist Jeff Korth of Moses Lake reports that yellow perch and rainbow trout fishing in Moses Lake and Potholes Reservoir is still good. Korth says jigging for walleye is picking up also, especially where there is some flow. He suggests trying downstream from the I-90 bridge on Moses Lake. Bass fishing is fairly productive, especially for smallmouth, Korth says, but the bass have moved into deeper water (10-15 ft). Sprague Lake has a large year class of eight- to nine-inch crappie which should provide some good fall and winter fishing. November is the last month to fish Dry Falls and Lenore, both selective regulation waters. Dry Falls has been very good in November the last few years. Lenore has shown some signs of life also of late, with most cutthroat running in the two- to three-pound range. Beda Lake, also a selective fishery, is open year around and has been providing some great action for rainbow up to six pounds.

• Hunting: Spike bull elk hunting in Chelan County units winds up Nov. 4. Special permit deer hunting starts Nov. 1 in several units, including WDFW's Desert Wildlife Area. Waterfowl hunting should be picking up with shifts of pintails, wigeon and mallards moving with the weather throughout the Columbia Basin. Pheasant hunting should be boosted with releases of game farm-reared roosters this week at the usual sites throughout the region; contact the Ephrata office (509-754-4624) for site information.

• Wildlife viewing: Ducks and geese are on the move throughout the Columbia Basin with rain, wind, colder temperatures and "winter's-a-coming" weather in general. Fill the coffee thermos, pack the bincoulars and spotting scope, bundle up and take a drive around Potholes Reservoir, the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge, and the irrigation district wasteways and canals to spot pintails, widgeon, mallards and other ducks. Casual observers or interstate travelers can't miss the huge skeins of Canada geese criss-crossing northcentral Washington's skies at this time of year; take a minute to pull over, roll down the window, and drink in the soulful sound of their honking.

South Central Washington:

• Fishing: Chinook salmon fishing in the Columbia River's Hanford Reach has been dynamite, reports WDFW fish biologist Jim Cummins, but the best fishing may be over with more fish in poor condition as they get closer to spawning. The most recent Hanford Reach creel reports showed boat anglers averaging about eight hours per fish, with the best efforts in the Vernita and Wahluke areas. The chinook fishery on the lower Yakima River closed Oct. 31 with outstanding fishing, including reports of just two hours per fish per angler below Hord Rapids and Prosser dam. Mid-Yakima salmon fishing continues through Nov. 15, but very little effort and catches have been reported. "The mid-Yakima coho salmon have not been cooperating, " said Cummins. "A few have even started to spawn already, but there should be some good fish around. I'm a little surprised that more have not moved upriver." Cummins also reports that the Yakima is putting out some rainbow trout for fly anglers, there might still be some good bass fishing in the Columbia around the Tri-Cities, and there could be some steelhead opportunity in McNary pool if the water temperatures cool down and the fish start cooperating.

• Hunting: Elk hunting closes on Nov. 4 and special permit deer hunting in some units opens Nov. 7. Pheasant hunting should be boosted with releases of game-farm-raised roosters this week at the usual sites throughout the region; contact the Yakima office (509-575-2740) for site information.

• Wildlife viewing: This is a spectacular time of year to drive, bike, hike, horseback-ride, or otherwise travel through the Yakima River Canyon on Highway 821. Fall tree color is brilliant now, and there are good opportunities to see everything from roosting bald eagles to foraging woodpeckers, especially along the Umtanum trail. You might even catch a glimpse of a California bighorn sheep or two.