With more wild weather predicted in the aftermath of torrential rains that flooded river systems in the western part of the state, Washingtonians planning to hunt, fish or spend time outdoors will need to keep a close eye on the forecast.

Hunters preparing for late deer and elk seasons are just hoping for a "happy medium" between the dry conditions of early fall and recent downpours, said Eric Holman, a wildlife biologist for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).

"We don't need bright sunshine and we don't need driving rain," Holman said. "A cloudy, showery day would be a great setup."

Deer hunters will take to the field with modern firearms tomorrow (Nov. 16) for a late-buck season in western Washington. That hunt, along with an ongoing hunt in eastern Washington for white-tailed deer, runs through Nov. 19, setting the stage for deer and elk seasons for muzzleloaders and archers on both sides of the Cascades.

Meanwhile, anglers in many areas of western Washington are waiting for their favorite rivers to drop back into shape for fishing. "With these recent heavy rains, it's tough to say when that will be," said Tim Flint, WDFW statewide salmon manager.

Even so, some waters have remained productive for fishing. On Hood Canal, anglers have been catching nearly two chum salmon per rod in front of the Hoodsport Hatchery. On the Cowlitz River, 69 anglers caught 26 adult hatchery coho while fishing just below the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery. And on the upper Columbia River, anglers fishing above Wells Dam have been catching an average of one steelhead for every seven to eight hours of effort.

In fact, fish biologists point out that all that rough weather in early November wasn't all bad news:

• Heavy stream flows may have swamped some chum salmon fisheries, but they are also drawing increasing numbers of steelhead up rivers around the state.
• Bank anglers fishing below Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River are averaging one legal-size sturgeon - which are energized by high, dirty water - for every two rods.
• Large numbers of ducks, geese and other waterfowl have moved into the state, delighting bird-watchers and hunters alike.

Weather notwithstanding, a variety of new hunting, fishing and bird-watching opportunities are opening up in the days ahead. For highlights, see the regional reports that follow:

North Puget Sound

• Fishing: The chum salmon return to many area rivers was nearing its peak when recent heavy rains swelled the region's waters. Once river levels get back to normal, the fish might not be as abundant, but anglers should still have a decent chance to hook a chum. "When we finally get a break in the weather and the rivers have a chance to drop back into shape, anglers should find some chum and even some coho salmon," said Tim Flint, WDFW salmon resource manager. "Although, with these recent heavy rains, it's tough to say when that will be."

  Saltwater fisheries are an option for anglers waiting for river conditions to improve. Effort has been light, but stalwart anglers that braved the recent rain and wind did find some salmon in Puget Sound. One bright spot was Nov. 8, when three anglers were checked at the Everett Ramp with four chinook.

  Anglers participating in the selective blackmouth fishery in marine areas 8-1 (Deception Pass, Hope Island and Skagit Bay) and 8-2 (Port Susan and Port Gardner) can keep up to two hatchery chinook per day, so long as the fish measure at least 22 inches in length. Wild chinook salmon, which have an intact adipose fin, cannot be brought aboard the boat.

  In marine areas 9 (Admiralty Inlet) and 10 (Seattle/Bremerton) anglers can keep one chinook as part of a two-salmon daily limit in each area. Anglers in Marine Area 7 (San Juan Islands) also have a two-salmon daily limit but must release chinook.

  Seven marine areas of Puget Sound also are open to recreational crabbing. Marine areas 4 (Neah Bay), 5 (Sekiu), 6 (eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca), 9, 10, 12 (Hood Canal) and 13 (south Puget Sound) are open seven days a week through Jan. 2 unless catch quotas for those areas are reached before then.

  Marine areas 7S (San Juan Islands), 7E (Anacortes to Bellingham), 7N (Bellingham to Pt. Roberts), 8-1, 8-2 and 11 (Tacoma-Vashon Island) will remain closed to sport crabbing for the season.

  Back on the freshwater, about 3,000 hatchery rainbows - averaging approximately three pounds each - are scheduled to be released into Beaver Lake near Issaquah the third week in November. Beaver Lake, which is one of several westside lowland lakes open to fishing year-round, is best fished by small boat, although anglers can also be successful fishing from shore, said Chad Jackson, WDFW fish biologist. The daily bag limit is five fish, and bait anglers must keep the first five trout they catch.

  Anglers should check WDFW's 2006/2007 Fishing in Washington pamphlet (http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regs/fishregs.htm) for more information on those and other fisheries in the region.

• Hunting: While the rough weather made fishing difficult for some anglers, the rain and wind improved conditions for waterfowl hunters. "The recent weather has made for great waterfowl hunting," said John Garrett, manager of WDFW's Skagit Wildlife Area. "The number of waterfowl hunters has increased and they are having very good success."

  Duck and goose hunts in the region are open through Jan. 28, although snow, Ross and blue geese hunts in Goose Management Area 1 (Skagit, Snohomish and Island counties) last through Jan. 7.

  Turnout was light and hunting slow for the modern firearm elk season, which ended Nov. 13. Up next for modern firearm hunters is the late black-tailed deer season, which is open from Nov. 16-19 in select game management units. Archers and muzzleloaders also have late-season opportunities to harvest black-tail deer, with both seasons beginning Nov. 22 in select units. Elk hunters also will have an opportunity to head out again starting Nov. 22, when late muzzleloader and archery seasons get under way in select game management units.

  Meanwhile, hunting seasons are under way for cougar, grouse, pheasant, California quail and bobwhite in the region. The bear season closes today (Nov. 15).

  Before going afield, hunters are encouraged to check the 2006 Big Game Hunting Seasons and Rules pamphlet (http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/game/hunter/hunter.htm) and the 2006-2007 Waterfowl and Upland Game Regulation pamphlet (http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/game/water/water.htm) for regulations in specific areas.

• Wildlife viewing: Flooded fields also made for good birding in the region. At the Green River valley near Kent, one birder reporting to the Tweeters website (http://www.scn.org/earth/tweeters/) spotted several American wigeons and northern pintails, as well as 200 ring-necked ducks. In another field, the birder also saw about 200 cackling geese among piles of discarded pumpkins and squash.

  Farther north, Fir Island is usually the place to be for birders looking to spot large flocks of snow geese. Thousands of the birds return to the Skagit area each winter, and this year is no different. One birder, however, spotted some other interesting species among the "dense flocks" of waterfowl, including a short-eared owl and a barn owl. Just after sunset, the birder also heard a great horned owl calling from a wooded hillside north of the North Fork access area.

  Elsewhere, commuters recently spied a couple of orcas passing the Edmonds ferry terminal. The whales were making their way south when they passed the terminal, an observer reported to the Orca Network (http://www.orcanetwork.org/sightings/map.html). "One of the orcas had a huge dorsal fin, very tall and thin," the observer noted.

South Sound/Olympic Peninsula

• Fishing: In a sure sign that the dog days of summer have given way to the dog days of fall, thousands of chum salmon are now moving into fisheries throughout the region. "We've got schools of chum out front and they're being caught," says the phone message (360-877-5222) at the Hoodsport Hatchery on Hood Canal. That's something of an understatement. A creel check conducted Nov. 11 counted 84 bank anglers with 170 chum salmon taken in the "hatchery zone," where the daily limit is four salmon (with a maximum of two chinook) per rod. "That's pretty good fishing by any measure," said Hal Michael, a WDFW fish biologist.

  While high water in mid-November temporarily stalled chum fishing in area rivers, Michael said catch rates should pick up quickly once those rivers drop back into shape. "We're just approaching the middle of the run in most rivers," he said, adding that recent updates indicate many runs are exceeding pre-season forecasts. "There will still be a lot of opportunities to catch chum salmon in the weeks ahead," said Larry Phillips, another WDFW fish biologist. Most chum salmon caught in area waters range from six to 15 pounds, he said.

  Both biologists pointed to Kennedy, Perry, McLane, Johns, Schneider and Skookum creeks in the South Sound area as good bets for chum fishing, once water levels drop. Other areas now open to chum salmon fishing include the Dosewallips River and Duckabush River in Jefferson County, and Minter Creek in Pierce and Kitsap counties.

  Michael recommended that bank anglers fishing the estuaries near the mouths of those creeks and rivers start casting just before high tide for best results.

  Anglers are also advised to check the Fishing in Washington rules pamphlet (http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regs/fishregs.htm) for boundaries, catch limits and other regulations for each area. In doing so, anglers targeting chum salmon should also check the regulations for other fish species before they cast a line, Michael said. "There are still a fair number of late-running coho in many of these waters," he said. "Also a lot of `egg predators' such as char and sea-run cutthroat. You may be fishing for chum salmon, but it's important to know the rules for these other species before you get one on your line."

  Anglers should also start watching for winter steelhead, said Mike Gross, a WDFW fish biologist for the Olympic Peninsula. Although heavy rains render most area rivers "unfishable" in early November, Gross expects to see early steelhead in the catch once the rivers fall back into shape. "The steelhead fishery on the Olympic Peninsula traditionally gets under way around Thanksgiving, but all this water could bring early-run steelhead in sooner," Gross said. He noted that WDFW will release a pre-season forecast for steelhead returns in early December and that the department will start conducting creel surveys soon on many area rivers. All anglers planning to fish for steelhead should check the Fishing in Washington rules pamphlet for regulations applicable to specific rivers before they go.

  Rather catch crustaceans? Recreational crab fishing reopened Nov. 1 for the fall season in four marine areas of Puget Sound, including marine areas 6 (eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca), 12 (Hood Canal), 10 (Seattle/Bremerton) and 9 (Admiralty Inlet). Crab fishing in those area will be open seven days a week through Jan. 2. Also open seven days per week are marine areas 4 (Neah Bay), 5 (Sekiu) and 13 (south Puget Sound), where fishing has continued uninterrupted since those areas opened June 18. Marine Area 11 (Tacoma) will remain closed for the season along with several other areas in Puget Sound where area catch quotas were reached during the summer season.

  Clam diggers should note that the next razor-clam opening is tentatively scheduled Dec. 2-3 at Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks and Kalaloch beaches if marine toxin tests show the clams at those beaches are still safe to eat. Twin Harbors would be open one additional day, Dec. 4. Copalis Beach will again remain closed to digging those days due to the low number of clams in the total allowable catch. Clam digging will be restricted to the hours between noon and midnight each day.

  In addition, WDFW has tentatively scheduled a dig over the New Year's holiday, pending the results of upcoming marine toxins tests. If those results are favorable, evening digs will be held Dec. 31 at all five ocean beaches - including Copalis - and continuing Jan. 1 at four beaches: Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks and Kalaloch. One beach, Twin Harbors, would also remain open for an evening dig Jan. 2.

  Again, digging will be restricted to the hours between noon and midnight each day.

• Hunting: After a "rollercoaster ride" of warm, dry weather followed by flooding, wildlife managers are hoping for moderate conditions during the late-buck deer hunting seasons, which start with a modern-firearms hunt that runs Nov. 16-19 in western Washington. "We're holding our breath," said Greg Schirato, a WDFW wildlife biologist stationed in Montesano. "Hunters could really use a break for the late season."

  Following on the heels of the four-day modern-firearms hunt, muzzleloaders and archers will take to the field for late deer and elk seasons starting Nov. 22. Hunters planning to participate in those seasons should check WDFW's Big Game Hunting pamphlet (http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/game/hunter/hunter.htm) before they go for regulations in specific game management units.

  Despite rough weather, waterfowl hunters have had "some good shoots" in recent days, Schirato said. Lowland areas around the mouth of the Columbia and in the Chehalis River Valley have been especially productive, he said. "The ducks are off the salt water and moving inland," he said. "Duck hunting should be good in the days ahead."

  Hunting for ducks and geese is open seven days per week through Jan. 28 in Goose Management Area 3, which includes the Olympic Peninsula and southern Puget Sound. Goose hunting in Area 2B (Pacific County) is open Saturdays and Wednesdays only through Jan. 13. Hunters must pass a goose-identification test and receive written authorization from WDFW to hunt in Area 2B. For more information, see WDFW's Upland Game and Waterfowl Pamphlet (http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/game/water/water.htm).

• Wildlife viewing: Now's a great time to get out to Kennedy Creek to see spawning chum salmon. The creek, which flows into the head of Totten Inlet in south Puget Sound, is one of the most productive chum salmon streams in the state. Spawning salmon are best viewed from the Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail. The half-mile trail, located off U.S. Highway 101 between Olympia and Shelton, is open to visitors Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Dec. 2. Visitors also are welcome Nov. 24, the day after Thanksgiving. Volunteers from the South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group will be at the trail to answer questions. For directions and more information, call (360) 412-0808 or visit http://www.spsseg.org.

  Rather help out fish by planting a tree? The Nisqually Stream Stewards and Fort Lewis Fish and Wildlife are looking for volunteers Nov. 18 to help restore salmon and trout habitat. Volunteers are needed from 9 a.m. to noon to plant native trees and shrubs at Muck Creek. For more information, contact Don Perry at (360) 438-8687, ext. 2143 or dperry@nwifc.org.

  Birders in the region have recently identified a number of interesting species. The highlight of one birder's outing was a pomarine jaeger. The bird was spotted just north of the Point Wilson lighthouse at Fort Worden State Park, pursuing Bonaparte's gulls, according to a report on Tweeters birding website (http://www.scn.org/earth/tweeters/). For the pomarine to be so close to shore is unusual. The birds are usually spotted far from shore, but have been seen in estuaries and on beaches after storms, according to the Seattle Audubon Society (http://www.birdweb.org/birdweb/index.aspx). Pomarines prey on smaller birds and forage for food by scavenging and plucking fish from the ocean. The birds are sometimes seen hovering above fishing vessels, snatching fish from other seabirds.

Southwest Washington:

• Fishing: High, muddy water has put a damper on fisheries around southwest Washington in recent days, but sturgeon anglers aren't complaining. A creel check conducted Nov. 9 on the lower Columbia River helps to explain why. Of the 60 bank anglers surveyed that day from the Wauna power lines to Bonneville Dam, nearly one in two had taken a legal-size white sturgeon.

  "The past couple of weeks have provided some of the best bank fishing for sturgeon I've ever seen," said Joe Hymer, WDFW fish biologist. "Sturgeon actually like high, dirty water, producing high catch rates for anglers who brave the weather."

  As usual, some of the best fishing was right below Bonneville Dam, although Hymer noted that anglers also have been taking legal-size sturgeon downriver to Woodland. Sturgeon between 42 and 60 inches may be retained Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays through the end of the year. Through Oct. 31, anglers had caught and retained only 6,700 sturgeon of the 12,000-fish annual quota for the area between Bonneville Dam and the Wauna power lines, which means that part of that quota may be rolled over into next year, Hymer said.

  Eager to catch some winter steelhead? While the fishery traditionally starts in earnest around Thanksgiving, a number of steelhead have already returned to the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery, Hymer said. "All this water ought to start bringing more fish into area rivers," he said. The Grays River opens to fishing for hatchery steelies today (Nov. 15) from the mouth to the Highway 4 bridge.

  However, those same high-water conditions have also made fishing tough for salmon anglers in many areas, Hymer said. The Lake Scanewa Day Use Park was closed while the lake was drawn down but is expected to open shortly as the lake refills. High flows have also blown out the hatchery coho fishery on the lower Cowlitz River, although anglers have been doing well right below the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery, Despite tough conditions, 69 anglers pulled 26 adult hatchery coho out of the river during the week ending Nov. 12. Hymer reminds anglers that night closure and non-buoyant lure restrictions are in effect in waters between 100 feet to 400 feet downstream of the hatchery barrier dam.

  On the north fork Lewis River, 53 anglers surveyed in a creel check caught 12 adult hatchery coho that week. Nine anglers caught 16 adult coho on the Klickitat River during the same period.

  Whether fishing on the Columbia River or one of its tributaries, boat anglers should be especially cautious during a high-water event, Hymer said. "Boat anglers need to stay alert to floating debris, which can present a real hazard. Sturgeon anglers and others fishing on the mainstem lower Columbia River also need to keep an eye - and ear - out for barge traffic. Listen for horn blasts from tugs. Regardless of conditions, fishing vessels must yield to traffic in the shipping lanes."

• Hunting: When it comes to the weather, Eric Holman is hoping for a "happy medium" during the late-buck deer hunting season with modern firearms that runs Nov. 16-19 in western Washington. "We don't need bright sunshine and we don't need driving rain," said Holman, a WDFW wildlife biologist. "A cloudy, showery day would be a great setup."

  Those conditions would be a welcome change from the dry weather of the early hunting seasons and the deluge of early November, Holman said. One thing hunters can count on, he said, is that the bucks will be more active now that the rut is under way. "The late buck season is important for deer hunters," Holman said. "The four-day late season traditionally accounts for one-third of all the deer taken during the year in this region."

  Muzzleloaders and archers also have high hopes for upcoming deer and elk hunts that get under way Nov. 22 on the heels of the four-day modern-firearms season. Hunters planning to participate in those seasons should check WDFW's Big Game Hunting pamphlet (http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/game/hunter/hunter.htm) before they go for regulations in specific game management units.

  Meanwhile, the goose-hunting season opened Nov. 11 in most parts of Goose Management Area 2A (Wahkiacum, Cowlitz and Clark counties north of the Washougal River), but flooding limited hunter success, said Don Kraege, WDFW waterfowl section manager. "Success rates should improve as the water recedes and hunters regain access to key areas," Kraege said. Most birds checked were cacklers, he said.

  Kraege noted that hunters must pass a goose-identification test and receive written authorization from WDFW to hunt in Area 2A. Goose-hunting seasons there run Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays for most species through Jan. 28. An exception is the Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge, where hunting is allowed Saturdays, Tuesdays and Thursday Nov. 14-25 (but closed Nov. 23) and Dec. 7 through Jan. 20.

  Hunting seasons for geese and ducks continue seven days per week through Jan. 28 in goose management areas 3 (which includes Lewis and Skamania counties) and 5 (which includes Klickitat County).

• Wildlife viewing: In recent years, the Internet has become almost as indispensable to roving bird-watchers as a pair of good binoculars. Several websites provide birders with tips and updates on where to find birds of interest throughout the region. Take, for example, the Tweeters site (http://www.scn.org/earth/tweeters/digests/), which focuses on birding in Washington state but also includes reports from around the nation and the rest of the world. In one recent posting, a contributor wrote of spotting three or four short-eared owls hunting in the River S Unit of the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge in Clark County. Another informed fellow birders of a Heermann's gull sighting at the mouth of the Klickitat River.

  While Tweeters frequently includes postings from southwest Washington, the website maintained by the Vancouver Audubon Society (http://vancouveraudubon.org/) focuses exclusively on birds - and birding activities - in the lower Columbia River area. One feature, "Afield" by Wilson Cady, provides an ongoing catalog of notable sightings in the region. Cady's most recent report highlights sightings of 35 great egrets at Post Office Lake, a male Eurasian wigeon on Rest Lake in the Ridgefield refuge and a brown pelican seen along the Columbia River near the Portland Airport. Regarding the brown pelican, Cady notes that the records show only one has ever been spotted in Washington. All good information for birders looking to spot these birds for themselves.

Eastern Washington:

• Fishing: Snake River steelhead fishing appears to be improving in all upstream stretches of the mainstem and in most tributaries, according to the latest steelhead creel survey conducted by WDFW fish biologists and their colleagues in Idaho and Oregon. The best catch-rate was on the Tucannon River where anglers averaged less than six hours of fishing per steelhead. Steelheaders checked on the Walla Walla River averaged less than seven hours of effort per fish. On the Snake mainstem, the stretch from Little Goose dam to Lower Granite dam saw an average of just over seven hours of fishing per steelhead. On the Lower Grande Ronde River, from Bogans to the Oregon border, the average catch rate was less than 10 hours per steelhead. See http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/creel/snake/index.htm for all the details from the latest creel survey.

  Glen Mendel, WDFW district fish biologist, reminds Snake River steelheaders that the season, which runs through mid-April, is only for retention of hatchery fish - those fish with a clipped adipose or ventral fin and a healed scar at the location of the clipped fin. All wild steelhead, which are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, must be released unharmed. Barbless hooks are required when fishing for steelhead to protect wild steelhead that are caught and released.

  Mendel also reminds anglers that sections of some tributaries in the Snake River basin - Grand Ronde, Touchet, Tucannon, Walla Walla - are closed to trout fishing but remain open to hatchery steelhead fishing through April 15. Check the fishing rules pamphlet for section details.

  Recent WDFW enforcement patrols of Lake Roosevelt indicate angler numbers and harvest of the reservoir's net-pen-reared rainbow trout were low. But that was likely due to recent rainy, windy weather that kept the trout from biting and the anglers at home, said WDFW Fish Biologist Heather Woller. As more wintry conditions settle in and water temperatures drop, Lake Roosevelt fishing will improve. "Our best catch rates are usually recorded in December and January when anglers have to brave freezing weather," she said.

  Opening Dec. 1, are the region's four winter-only rainbow trout lakes - Fourth-of-July on the Lincoln-Adams county line, Hog Canyon in southwest Spokane County, and Hatch and Williams lakes in Stevens County. Chris Donley, WDFW central district fish biologist, said he will have more data on what anglers can expect at Fourth of July and Hog Canyon later this month after pre-season sampling. But he indicated that last season's good fishing at those lakes might not be repeated due to infestations of baitfish like fathead minnows.

• Hunting: These are the final days of late buck white-tailed deer modern firearm hunting in northeast game management units, and WDFW biologists say they're the best. "The highest success rates generally occur over the last few days of the season as the rut peaks and we get snow cover," said Steve Zender, WDFW northeast district wildlife biologist.

  So far, the late season that opened Nov. 6 has been average. The latest data from check stations near Deer Park and Chattaroy over the Veteran's Day weekend show the number of deer hunters up slightly and the harvest rate down. A total of 262 hunters were checked with 41 bucks and 17 antlerless deer, which is a 22 percent success rate. Last year at this time, 242 hunters had 49 bucks and 9 antlerless deer, a 24 percent success rate.

  "This year the youth, senior and disabled hunters could take either-sex in the late hunt along with special permit holders," Zender said. "So we checked about double the number of antlerless deer this year."

  Dana Base, WDFW wildlife biologist, said there will be hunter check stations again during the last weekend of the late modern firearm season at Chattaroy and Deer Park, including more collection of deer brain tissue samples for WDFW's ongoing survey for chronic wasting disease.

  Zender said archery deer hunters still have "great" hunting for whitetails in most northeast units during a late season that begins Nov. 20. Muzzleloader deer hunters have an "excellent" late whitetail hunt opportunity in the Selkirk unit (GMU 113) opening Nov. 20 as well.

  Archery hunting for any elk also is available in most northeast units starting Nov. 20. "This hunt is an opportunity for elk that relatively few people are taking advantage of," Zender said.

  WDFW biologists Howard Ferguson and Dave Volsen are conducting airplane and helicopter surveys of mule deer in western Lincoln, southwestern Spokane, and western and southern Whitman counties Nov. 15-30. "We'll be mapping the distribution of mule deer in this time period because it's around the peak of their breeding season and they tend to move to their same breeding grounds year after year," explained Ferguson. "This type of survey is needed to learn where they habitually breed and then to get accurate counts of bucks, does and fawns year after year."

  Goose hunters in Lincoln and Spokane counties have extra days in the field over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. With recent weather shifts - warm fronts and precipitation - both geese and ducks are moving into and around the region, which could make for good hunting.

  Upland game bird hunting participation appears to be low. Although wild pheasant numbers may be relatively low in some areas this year, they are holding their own in the best habitat, which is usually Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acreage on farmland throughout the central and southeast districts of the region. Quail and partridge numbers remain good. Coming snow in the lowlands may help hold birds better.

• Wildlife viewing: Now is the time to watch bright red kokanee salmon swim up Harvey Creek from Sullivan Lake in Pend Oreille County to spawn. The kokanee usually start up the creek in early November and remain through early January. The Sullivan Lake Ranger District of the Colville National Forest is hosting a free kokanee watching session on Saturday, Nov. 18, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. At that time, weather permitting, U.S. Forest Service fish biologist Karen Honeycutt will be at the Harvey Creek bridge to provide information and answer questions about salmon. From Highway 31 south of Ione, take County Road 9345 toward Sullivan Lake Ranger Station and on to the bridge at the south end of Sullivan Lake. Honeycutt reminds visitors to avoid disturbing the streambed and the kokanee and other wildlife in the area. For a status report on the kokanee spawning run, call the Sullivan Lake Ranger District office at 509-446-7500.

  Migrating flocks of tundra swans have been seen throughout the region from Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge in southwest Spokane County to near Calispel Lake and the Pend Oreille River in Pend Oreille County. Howard Ferguson, WDFW central district wildlife biologist, counted 100 swans at Reardan's Audubon Lake in Lincoln County and about 200 at Philleo Lake, just west of Spangle in Spokane County. Growing numbers of Canada geese, mallards, and other waterfowl have also been seen at traditional waterways throughout the region.

North Central Washington:

• Fishing: Upper Columbia River hatchery steelhead fishing has been good, said Bob Jateff, WDFW district fish biologist. "Steelheaders above Wells Dam have had catch rates of one fish for every seven or eight hours of effort," he said. "Boat and shore anglers are doing the best around the docks at Pateros, drifting jigs tipped with whole shrimp." Jateff said hatchery steelhead are averaging six to eight pounds, with some fish up to 12 pounds. Recent flooding on the Methow River slowed participation and possibly success rates in the Wells pool area, but fishing should pick up again as conditions moderate.

  The steelhead fishery is currently open from Rocky Reach Dam upstream to 400 feet below Chief Joseph Dam. Only adipose-fin-clipped, hatchery-origin steelhead can be retained, and the daily limit is two fish. Statewide gear rules apply and a night closure is in effect. All steelhead with an intact adipose fin and steelhead with an anchor (floy) tag must be immediately released unharmed without removing it completely from the water.

  Jateff reminds angler that both the Okanogan and Methow rivers are closed to fishing for all gamefish at this time.

  Rat Lake near Brewster and Big and Little Green lakes near Omak are still open for catch-and-release trout fishing until Dec. 1. "Then all three lakes will switch to a catch-and-keep season," Jateff said. "Rat Lake fishing should be excellent for rainbows ranging from 11 to 14 inches."

  Potholes Reservoir is producing large rainbow trout for bank anglers and largemouth bass for boat anglers, who can now reach the sand dunes area because of high water levels. When Columbia Basin irrigation canals are shut down in early November, the reservoir water level rises and the year-round fishery improves.

• Hunting: Waterfowl hunting continues to improve with greater concentrations of ducks and geese on the Columbia Basin's large waterways, such as Moses Lake and Potholes Reservoir. A north Basin aerial survey, pending weather limitations, should provide more details soon and will be posted at http://wdfw.wa.gov/reg/eventopp/events2.htm#geese. Goose hunters throughout the region will have extra hunting days with Thursday, Nov. 23, and Friday, Nov. 24, of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

  Late archery and muzzleloader deer hunting seasons open Nov. 20. Jeff Heinlen, WDFW wildlife biologist, said with snow moving the deer down into the lowlands of most open game management units, it should be a productive season. "Unlike the earlier modern firearm hunting season, the Tripod Complex wildfire access closures should not be an issue for these late season hunters because the deer are coming down now with 40 inches of snow on Harts Pass and more on the way," he said.

  Heinlen said some U.S. Forest Service closures from this year's wildfires in Okanogan County may still be in effect, and hunters should seek updated information at http://inciweb.org/incident/341/. "I know the fires and those closures kept a lot of forest grouse hunters out of business earlier, and now the snow is closing down traditional grouse hunting areas for many," he said.

  Heinlen recommended upland game bird hunters shift to quail, Hungarian partridge and chukars in lower-lying areas. "Quail are flocked up in good numbers and chukars have been on the rise for the past few years," he said.

• Wildlife viewing: Snow in the high country of Okanogan County makes for good mule deer viewing as herds migrate to low-lying wintering grounds. Heinlen said Highway 97 between Omak and Tonasket is not only a prime spot for "drive-by" deer viewing, but also deer-vehicle collisions. Washington Department of Transportation data shows that stretch of highway is the number one deer-vehicle collision spot in the state. "It's a good time to view deer," he said. "It's also a good time to slow down while driving to avoid hitting one."

  Waterfowl viewing opportunities continue to improve with greater concentrations of ducks and geese on the Columbia Basin's large waterways, such as Moses Lake and Potholes Reservoir. A north Basin aerial survey, pending weather limitations, should provide more details soon and will be posted at http://wdfw.wa.gov/reg/eventopp/events2.htm#geese.

South Central Washington:

• Fishing: The Columbia River steelhead fishery in the Ringold area (from Hwy. 395 Bridge at Pasco to Old Hanford townsite wooden powerline towers) has been productive. According to the latest weekly creel report, the estimated 139 steelhead caught this month exceeds last year's catch for the entire month of November. WDFW Fish Biologist Paul Hoffarth said the current catch rate may even be larger than 2004, a banner year for Ringold steelhead. "Boat and bank anglers also continue to pick up an occasional chinook salmon," he said. The number of boats in the Ringold area has declined with the closure last month of the salmon season above the wooden powerline towers, Hoffarth said. The Ringold bank fishery continues to be popular. For the week of Nov. 6-12, bank anglers averaged one steelhead for every six hours fished. Boat anglers averaged one steelhead for every 14 hours fished.

  The Ringold bank fishery is defined in the fishing rules pamphlet as the water of the Columbia River adjacent to Ringold Hatchery from WDFW markers one-quarter mile downstream of the Ringold wasteway outlet to WDFW markers one-half mile upstream of Spring Creek. Only the hatchery side of the river is open for bank fishing.

  Hoffarth reminds steelheaders that as of Nov. 1, all hatchery steelhead with just clipped adipose fins may be retained, up to the daily catch limit of two. Last month only hatchery steelhead with both adipose fin and ventral fin clips could be retained.

• Hunting: Muzzleloader deer hunters have a major change in the late season in an area north of the Tri-Cities. Game Management Unit (GMU) 381, formerly known as the Esquatzel unit, was split into two units - 381 or Kahlotus is now the eastern portion and 379 or Ringold is now the western portion. GMU 379 is open for the Nov. 20-Dec. 8 muzzleloader deer hunting season, but the season no longer exists in GMU 381.

  Mike Livingston, WDFW district wildlife biologist, said the change was made to increase opportunity for modern firearm and archery hunters because muzzleloader participation and harvest had exceeded district and statewide objectives. New modern firearm permits were issued and a late archery season was established in GMU 381 to increase opportunity for these two groups. Season length, timing and permit numbers are allocated based on the variations of hunting participation and harvest success rates among the equipment groups.

  The Nov. 20-Dec. 8 season for muzzleloaders in GMU 379 is open for the harvest of any mule deer, which may lead hunters to believe there is a great abundance of deer in the unit, Livingston said. "Actually, about three-quarters of the unit is irrigated agricultural cropland with few deer present," he said. "The 'any-deer' rule is meant to help us stay ahead of crop damage. More deer are on the other quarter of the unit in the shrub-steppe habitat of the Hanford Reach National Monument, which has already been hunted hard in earlier seasons this year."

  Livingston also said there is an abundance of Canada geese in the Tri-Cities area that waterfowl hunters can take advantage of with the extra days of hunting allowed over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. "They're foraging primarily in the wheat fields adjacent to the Snake and Columbia rivers, and roost on the rivers," he said. "Most of the land is private and leased so hunters need to secure access from landowners. A few Feel-Free-to-Hunt and Register-to-Hunt areas are available. Ducks are not as abundant and are mostly comprised of resident birds, he said. "We're still waiting for the northern migrants to arrive, which could happen any day now."

  U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service aerial waterfowl surveys of the south Columbia Basin were conducted this week and a compiled report should be available soon at http://wdfw.wa.gov/reg/eventopp/events3.htm#geese.

• Wildlife viewing: Livingston said good diversity of waterfowl and waterbirds are highly visible in the Yakima River delta and Walla Walla River delta. "Most shorebirds have moved on, although the occasional oddity is still being observed by local birders," he said.

  McNary National Wildlife Refuge, extending along the east bank of the Columbia River from the confluence of the Snake River to the mouth of the Walla Walla River and downstream into Oregon, is also a good bird-watching spot this time of year. A nearly 2-mile interpretive trail begins at the McNary Environmental Education Center and winds around Burbank Slough. Interpretive signs, a photo/bird-watching blind, and a rest shelter are located along the trail. The first 700 feet of the trail are paved and accessible to wheelchairs, as is the photo/bird-watching blind.

  U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service aerial waterfowl surveys of the south Columbia Basin, where up to half of Pacific Flyway mallards winter, were conducted this week and a compiled report should be available soon at http://wdfw.wa.gov/reg/eventopp/events3.htm#geese.

  Deer and elk can be easily seen from Highway 12 through the Tieton River canyon and WDFW's Oak Creek Wildlife Area complex. "They're moving down to their traditional winter range," said Ted Clausing, WDFW regional wildlife program manager. "That range, of course, is where highways run," Clausing said. "So although it's easy viewing, it's also potentially dangerous. Slow down to avoid colliding with a deer or elk."