November 13-26, 2002

Contact: Doug Williams (360) 902-2256

The return of normal fall weather – rain and wind in the lowlands, and fresh snow in the mountains – has improved the multitude of fishing, hunting and wildlife-watching opportunities throughout Washington state.

The rain returned water-starved rivers to seasonal levels and ended the fishing ban on several Olympic Peninsula streams. Unfortunately, a little too much rain has fallen in some areas, creating high, "dirty" river conditions that can present a challenge for fishers.

River anglers throughout western Washington have their choice of coho or chum salmon, while fishers in the saltwater can go after blackmouth (chinook salmon) through the end of the month in much of Puget Sound. Heavy weather during the first part of the blackmouth fishery made it hard for anglers to get on top of the fish, but good catches have been reported recently from the San Juan Islands to Tacoma.

The same wet and wild weather that kept many blackmouth anglers on the beach has attracted more ducks and geese to agricultural lands where sheetwater has created prime hunting opportunities.

The moisture has also quieted things down in the woods, where the extended stretch of dry weather made for noisy game tracking. Hunting conditions should continue improving for the start of late hunting seasons on both sides of the Cascades.

Wildlife-viewing enthusiasts also benefit from inclement weather. Coastal storms can bring birds into sheltered bays and coves, well within viewing distance of land-based birdwatchers, and the wind helps deciduous trees shed their leaves, offering better views of birds, squirrels and other tree-dwellers.

Migrant winged visitors continue arriving throughout the state, including majestic trumpeter swans in northwestern Washington, sandhill cranes in the southwestern corner of the state, and an array of raptors in eastern Washington.

Backyard bird feeding is also under way. According to a recent U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recreation survey, more than two million Washingtonians regularly feed birds, but if it's not done right, backyard feeding can cause problems for wildlife and people. Check out the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's Backyard Wildlife Sanctuary program on the department's website for more information.

Here are the details on fishing, hunting and wildlife-watching opportunities in each region of the state:

North Puget Sound:

• Fishing: Much of the first half of November's blackmouth fishery has been plagued with ugly weather, leaving many would-be fishers on the beach. "Only the hardest of the hardcore fishermen go out for blackmouth in that kind of weather," said WDFW fisheries biologist Curt Kraemer. The season continues through the end of November with a one-fish daily limit and a 22-inch minimum size limit. Enthusiasts south of Seattle can fish for blackmouth in Marine Area 11 (from the northern tip of Vashon Island to the Tacoma Narrows Bridge) through the end of the year. Chum fishing continues to improve as the big return of big fish approaches its peak in North Sound. The rain has also refreshed summer-run steelhead into biting on a few river systems, and Kraemer said a fresh supply of winter-run steelhead should be coming into rivers with the recent rain. With all species, the Skagit River might be a river anglers' best bet. At last report the Stillaguamish River was running high and dirty.

• Hunting: Duck hunting success has improved dramatically on the Skagit Wildlife Area with recent changes in the weather, reports WDFW Regional Wildlife Program Manager Lora Leschner. Ducks have discovered the barley on the Samish Unit and will soon discover the corn on the Island Segment, improving hunting opportunities once again. Pheasant hunting continues through mid-December, and the forest grouse hunt is on through Dec. 31. Deer, elk, black bear and turkey hunters are reminded that they must report their hunting activity for each tag by Jan. 31 by calling 1-877-945-3492, or via the Internet at http://www.fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov/. Hunters who report within 10 days of taking an animal, and unsuccessful hunters who report by Jan. 10, 2003, will be entered into a drawing for one of nine deer or elk special incentive permits.

• Wildlife viewing: The fall migrations of ducks, geese, swans and shorebirds are well under way. Colorful harlequin ducks have been spotted at Birch Bay State Park, and the fall's first trumpeter swans have begun arriving in the lower Skagit River Valley. The valley's rich agricultural fields annually play wintertime hosts to a few thousand trumpeter and tundra swans. These massive white birds are easy to spot by driving along the many back roads between Mount Vernon and LaConner. Be sure to keep an eye out for bald eagles, especially along the Skagit River, as well as peregrine falcons, great horned owls, and a host of other birds.

Olympic Peninsula/South Sound:

• Fishing: Now that seasonal rains have brought streamflows to normal – or above normal – levels, rivers on the northwest coast of the Olympic Peninsula have been reopened to fishing for all species except chinook salmon. "Salmon are moving freely up the rivers now, but we're still concerned about the effect the drought had on chinook spawning success," said Bill Freymond, WDFW biologist. For that reason, Freymond said, the chinook fishery will remain closed on the Hoh, Clearwater, Queets and Quillayute River system (which includes the Bogachiel, Calawah, Dickey and Sol Duc rivers). However, all of those rivers could still offer some good coho fishing, provided they drop back into shape before the season ends Nov. 30. "A couple of clear, cold days could do it, and there are still a lot of coho to be harvested," Freymond said. For those who don't want to wait, there are plenty of other good places to catch fish, particularly for those who like chum salmon. "If people want to catch chum salmon, this is the time and place to do it," said Mark Cylwik, a WDFW hatchery specialist at the Hoodsport Hatchery on Hood Canal. "These are bright, aggressive fish and we have more of them than we can handle." Other good spots to catch chum include the Kennedy Creek estuary in Totten Inlet, Perry Creek estuary in Eld Inlet, Johns Creek estuary in Oakland Bay and Big Beef Creek estuary in Hood Canal. Mobilized by the recent rainfall, large chum runs are also overlapping with coho stocks in many areas, doubling anglers' fun in such rivers as the Skokomish, Chehalis, Satsop and Wynochee – all of which have had good success rates over the past week. For those whose hearts are still set on chinook salmon, the blackmouth fishery is producing some respectable catches from the San Juan Islands to the Point Defiance boathouse. In the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Don and Vicki Sandstrom of Port Orchard recently rode out some rough weather to land a 33-pound chinook off Sekiu, where the salmon season continues through Nov. 30. Meanwhile, those folks waiting for a razor clam season may find some solace in the latest round of marine toxin tests. In all but one case (Kalaloch), domoic acid levels have declined significantly since the last test – although all were still well above the threshold considered safe for human consumption. Dan Ayres, WDFW razor clam biologist, said it is still possible that domoic acid levels may fall enough to allow some winter clam digging but said a spring dig is more likely. "In previous (marine toxin) events, we saw the levels drop quickly at first, then decline much more slowly as they neared the threshold of 20 parts per million," Ayres said. "For that reason, it's difficult to know when we'll be in a position to open the season."

• Hunting: Just as the recent rainfall has brought better fishing to the region, it has also brought better conditions for hunting. "The late buck season is shaping up nicely," said Jack Smith, WDFW regional wildlife manager. Not only has rain improved hunters' ability to stalk their prey, but the dry conditions that made hunting so difficult during the early season has left plenty of deer in the woods, Smith said. "Those animals are still out there," Smith said. The modern firearm season for blacktail deer runs Nov. 14-17, followed by a season for archers and muzzleloaders that starts Nov. 20. Best bets for deer include the Skookumchuck, Satsop, Capital Peak and Wynoochee areas, although there should be good hunting in other areas as well, Smith said. Archers and muzzleloaders will also get another chance to take an elk during the season that starts Nov. 20, and the prospects look good, Smith said. Area elk hunters were actually more successful than anyone would have guessed during the modern firearms season for elk that ended Nov. 10, given the lack of rain up to that point. Why? Because there were a lot of two-year-old bulls in the population south of Highway 12 and because there was little previous deer hunting in the area which could otherwise spook the animals, Smith said. In any case, 72 hunters were checked with 22 bull elk at the Artic check station – which could be an indication of things to come for muzzleloaders and bowhunters. The recent wet weather is also good news for bird hunters, although they might have to shift their tactics. In recent weeks, the best duck hunting has been in saltwater areas such as the Nisqually Delta and Willapa Bay. Now that the rain has started, however, many of those birds will move to flooded fields in areas like the Chehalis Valley, said Don Kraege, WDFW waterfowl manager. Goose hunting season in area 2B (Grays Harbor and Pacific counties) opened Nov. 9 to hunters with written authorization from WDFW and will run through Nov. 29 – unless too many dusky geese are taken. The season runs 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays only. Kraege also cautions hunters against taking Aleutian Canada geese, a large flock of which has settled in and near the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge. They are smaller than most other Canada geese and have a broad white neckband, providing easy identification, Kraege said.

• Wildlife viewing: Go virtually anywhere in western Washington – or in open areas on the eastside – you've got a chance of seeing western scrub-jays pushing to the head of the line at bird feeders or streaking through the air as a bolt of blue and gray. Omnivorous feeders, these non-migratory members of the Corvidae family (which also includes crows, raven, magpies and other jays) are most common in southwest Washington, but have also been sighted from Bellingham to Walla Walla and parts in between. This has not always been the case, says Bill Tweit, an avid birder and a member of WDFW's intergovernmental policy group. When the seminal Birds of Washington guide was published in 1953, sightings of western scrub-jays in Washington state were confined almost exclusively to the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge in Clark County. "Scrub-jays are clearly expanding northward," said Tweit, who is updating the section on scrub-jays for a new edition of Birds of Washington, due in 2004. "They are fascinating birds and their expansion into new areas is yet another indication of our changing world." Tweit is particularly curious about sightings in Jefferson, Mason and Clallam counties, where data is sketchy at best. He asks that anyone who has sighted scrub-jays in those counties to contact him at sebnabgill@aol.com. Whether birdwatching or just taking an afternoon stroll, visitors to the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge in Thurston County are reminded that a three-mile section of the popular Brown Farm Dike Trail will be closed until Jan. 27 to clear the way for hunting on adjacent state land and to provide an area for birds to rest and feed. Closed areas are clearly marked. The refuge is located just off Interstate 5 near milepost 114 and is open during daylight hours. For details, call (360) 753-9467.

Southwest Washington:

• Fishing: Recent heavy rains shouldn't dampen sturgeon fishing in the lower Columbia River, where catch-and-keep rules for sturgeon anglers will begin Nov. 23. Unlike salmon, sturgeon can find prey– or a baited hook– even when rivers are rain-swollen and murky, says Joe Hymer, regional fish biologist. Prospects should be best from Woodland to Bonneville Dam. If the Columbia cools off, fishing should still be good outside the mouth of the Willamette River across from Vancouver. Bonneville Pool, where sturgeon retention is allowed, was the site of some good catches last week with eight boat anglers keeping five legal fish, and 19 bank anglers keeping three fish. Meanwhile, late hatchery coho fishing is still very good on the lower Klickitat River, where Hymer reports bank anglers averaging more than one coho per rod last week. On Lake Scanewa (Cowlitz Falls Reservoir), boat anglers were averaging one fish for every 2.5 rods. The rains are expected to improve coho angling on the Elochoman, Kalama, Lewis and Washougal rivers. On the Cowlitz River, fishers are finding some success from Barrier Dam downstream but, although there are a lot of coho around, it's hard to get them to bite, Hymer adds. Sea-run cutthroat are coming back in high numbers to the Cowlitz, with 7,000 returns counted as of last week at the Cowlitz Trout Hatchery. A number of the fish are in the 14- to 18-inch range, with some measuring up into the low 20s. Some hatchery winter steelhead have started to appear on the Cowlitz River. More should be showing around Thanksgiving on several southwest Washington streams.

• Hunting: Rain storms should pave the way for a good late buck hunt Nov. 14 through 17. Pat Miller, WDFW regional wildlife biologist, points out that in some years the late buck hunt accounts for half the overall harvest, and this could be one of those years. Storms have dampened the woods, make tracking quieter, clearing leaves from the trees and resulting in eased access restrictions in some spots that were closed earlier because of fire danger. Miller reminds those who plan to hunt the northern portion of the Weyerhaeuser Saint Helens Tree Farm that they should first check with the Weyerhaeuser access information line at (360) 636-6510. Pheasant hunters have had a successful season at Klickitat County's two release sites, where three releases have taken place. Meanwhile, duck hunting has been good on the Columbia River, where limits of mallards have been taken by some lucky hunters, says Don Kraege, WDFW waterfowl manager. "It's been very good hunting along the river for the last few weeks," said Kraege. The cold weather of a few weeks ago pushed birds down from British Columbia. As rains disperse the birds inland, prime hunting areas should include Vancouver lowlands, as well as low spots along the Cowlitz River, and the Ridgefield area.

• Wildlife viewing: A WDFW employee reported a close encounter with a black bear sow and two cubs at the Swofford Pond Unit of the Cowlitz Wildlife Area last week. Swofford Pond is a favorite spot to watch large rafts of waterfowl. A wildlife area employee reported seeing a raft of some 500 feeding birds, including some 250 coots and 150 Canada geese, along with ring-necked ducks and wigeon. Wigeon are adept at stealing food from coots, although the coots apparently tolerated the behavior well enough to continue feeding in the same area. A Tweeters website correspondent reports many bird sightings during a swing through southwest Washington last weekend, with visits to Dike Access Road near Woodland, the Shillapoo Wildlife Area, Vancouver Lake, and the southern end and the River S Unit of Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. Highlights included a white-tailed kite hunting in a field in the south end of the Shillapoo Wildlife area, just northwest of Vancouver Lake; 40 sandhill cranes feeding in a field in the north end of the wildlife area, and another 50-plus sandhill cranes flying overhead the River S Unit of the Ridgefield refuge. A large field at the southern reaches of the S Unit auto route was reported to be teeming with raptors as darkness fell.

Eastern Washington:

• Fishing: Snake River drainage steelheading should be pretty good, says WDFW Fish Biologist Glen Mendel, with tributaries getting more water from recent rains and warmer weather. "The Grande Ronde was iced up from the cold weather but that should not be a problem now," he said. Mendel had no specific creel checks at the time of this writing, but noted that November and December usually have the best catch rates. The daily limit is three hatchery-marked (clipped and healed-over adipose fin) steelhead. Lake Roosevelt continues to be a good bet for big rainbow trout, plus some kokanee and walleye. Long Lake should be good for yellow perch.

• Hunting: Rain and snow is finally aiding late buck whitetail deer hunters, at least in the northern units (105-124) where the general modern firearm season runs through Nov. 19. Central district units (127-142) close Nov. 17. Late archery and muzzleloader deer and elk seasons open Nov. 20 in select units. Upland game bird hunters should also be faring better with wetter conditions quieting things down and making scent-tracking easier for dogs. The last farm-raised pheasant releases of the season will occur during this time period on the usual sites. See the Eastern Washington Pheasant Enhancement Program booklet for details.

• Wildlife viewing: Recent rain, snow, and wind seem to be moving groups of birds both in and out of the region, with new sightings of evening grosbeaks, American goldfinches, and pine siskins at backyard feeding stations. Bighorn sheep are currently very visible right in and near the small town of Lincoln on Lake Roosevelt, northeast of Creston in Lincoln County. WDFW Wildlife Biologist Dave Volsen reports that the sheep are grouping up and rams are displaying breeding behavior, including the species' famous horn-banging battles for dominance.

North Central Washington:

• Fishing: Hatchery steelhead fishing on the upper Columbia and Methow rivers and lower Okanogan River continues to be productive. The Similkameen River, from the river mouth to a line 400 feet below Enloe Dam in Okanogan County, opens Nov. 15 for hatchery steelhead fishing with the same rules in effect: Selective gear, release of wild, unmarked steelhead and night closure. With air and water temperatures milder, Moses Lake is a good bet for yellow perch, rainbow trout, and walleye. Rainbows and walleye also continue to fill catches at Potholes Reservoir. Largemouth bass are also biting at Potholes.

• Hunting: Harvest of bucks during the late modern-firearm permit deer season in Chelan County appears light so far, reports WDFW Wildlife Biologist Tom McCall of Wenatchee. "Lack of snow is likely delaying migration to lower elevations and making deer less vulnerable to hunting," McCall said. "White-tailed deer are expanding their range into Chelan County, with several observations this year, including one buck I recently saw near Lake Wenatchee." The deer permit season runs through Nov. 15. Late archery deer hunting opens Nov. 20 in select units. The last farm-raised pheasant releases of the season will occur during this time period on the usual sites. See the Eastern Washington Pheasant Enhancement Program booklet for details.

• Wildlife viewing: WDFW Wildlife Biologist Scott Fitkin of Winthrop says mule deer should be moving to their Methow Valley winter ranges in significant numbers now, and breeding behavior should be evident. "This makes for a good watchable wildlife opportunity on the Methow Wildlife Area," Fitkin said, "particularly the portion to the northeast of Winthrop. However, deer viewers need to stick to roads and established trails to minimize disturbance to the animals as they enter the most stressful time of year." WDFW Sinlahekin Wildlife Area Manager Dale Swedberg reports tundra swans on Blue and Ford lakes. In late October, he notes, one snow goose, rare for this area, was also spotted on Blue Lake.

South Central Washington:

• Fishing: Columbia River steelhead fishing remains good in the Tri-Cities Ringold area, from the Highway 395 Bridge at Pasco to the Old Hanford townsite wooden powerline towers. This season remains open through March 31 for hatchery fish with both the adipose and ventral fins clipped. A few chinook salmon are being caught during this steelhead fishery, reports WDFW fish biologist Jim Cummins, but that won't last much longer. "The chinook are spawning now and the fish are poor eating quality," Cummins said. "The season is pretty much wrapped up, with an estimated 7,325 adult and 1,000 jack chinook harvested. We interviewed a total of 4,586 boat fisherman who caught 1,576 adult and 176 jack chinook, and 159 bank anglers who caught two adult and seven jack chinook," he said. Cummins also notes that although the crowds have subsided somewhat, there are plenty of fly fisherman after rainbow trout on the Yakima River. "Fishing is very good at times and very slow at times," Cummins said, "and it all depends on insect hatches. Blue-winged olive mayflies and midges are providing lots of surface activity during hatches, but are reportedly hatching sporadically." WDFW Fish Biologist Eric Anderson says catchable-size rainbow trout plants were just made in I-82 Ponds No. 4 and 6, Sarge Hubbard Pond, Tims Pond, and Clear, Myron, Mud, Rotary, and Wenas lakes. Catchable brown trout were also planted in I-82 Ponds 3 and 4, as well as Myron, Rotary, and Wenas lakes. "Although these rainbows and browns were on the small side at six to nine inches," Anderson said,"they will carry over through the winter and contribute to good fishing next spring." WDFW enforcement officers report excellent rainbow fishing in the Yakima River Canyon. Most fish average about 11 inches but larger fish in the 14-16 inch range are not uncommon. The Yakima River above Roza Dam is catch-and-release only.

• Hunting: Recent rain and snow should aid late archery and muzzleloader deer and elk hunters, whose seasons open Nov. 20 in select units.

• Wildlife viewing: Snow buntings were recently reported north of Ellensburg on roadsides in the Colockum Wildlife Area, although there's no telling how long these these migrants will be around for more viewing. Close-up views of bald eagles, ravens and other carrion-eaters might be gained along the upper Naches River west of Yakima in the next few weeks. With assistance from the U.S. Forest Service's Naches Ranger District, WDFW fish biologists will be conducting their annual salmon carcass nutrient enhancement project in the upper Naches River drainage the week of Nov 18. This project includes the pickup of over 11 tons of spawned out salmon carcasses from Priest Rapids Hatchery on the Columbia River for distribution to the upper Naches River drainage. The carcasses are distributed into streams with low levels of ocean-derived nutrients. Studies have shown that the nutrients from decaying salmon carcasses are very important organic food sources for young salmon, steelhead, bull trout and other resident stream fishes and aquatic insects. The eagles and other carrion-eating wildlife also benefit from these salmon carcasses, as do wildlife watchers.