Think smelt dipping on the Cowlitz River doesn’t draw a whole lot of participants these days? Check out a report from state Fish and Wildlife Department biologist Joe Hymer about Saturday’s six-hour recreational dipnet opening on the big southwest Washington river.
Hymer said that “instantaneous effort counts” tallied about 3,000 fishers at one point on the most popular section of the river. Best dipping, he said, was on the six miles from Riverside Park in Kelso upstream past Carnival Market to the Camelot area. Many netters on that stretch of river were landing 1 to 5 pounds of smelt per dip, which was much better, Hymer said, than downstream at the mouth, or upstream around Castle Rock.
A lot of dippers above and below the hot stretch still managed to take home a 10-pound limit, at a success rate running 0 to 10 fish per dip.
Hymer said the catch was a mix of large and small fish, males and females, fresh and spawned out, and generally was a little under that of the last couple of years. The fishery drew a good crowd, perhaps down a little from last year, and the dipping was also down somewhat from 2015, but still pretty good.
One positive note about the always short fishery is the number of family groups along the banks. “It’s a great tradition with a lot of families,” Hymer said.
While the crowd was down a little, the number of violations was much lower. One problem, though, was caused by fishers going online to find regulations regarding the fishery.
“Quite a few people were quoting last year’s regulations from online sources,” Hymer said. “That led them to believe there would be another opening this weekend, which is not the case.”
There will be a decision made soon, Hymer said, about the possibility of another short opening, but he didn’t sound encouraging when he said, “There hasn’t been much talk about that (around the department).”
Razor clams
Diggers will be able to hit popular Copalis Beach for a couple of days, Feb. 19 and 20, evening tides only, assuming marine toxin tests show clams are safe to eat. Final word will be out either late this week or early next, according to WDFW clam manager Dan Ayres.
A Copalis opening would be in addition to the ongoing dig at Long Beach, which started Feb. 4 and will close March 10. Copalis had been closed by WDFW to save clams for later digs, after earlier openings accounted for over 40 percent of the annual quota. The other three Pacific beaches — Twin Harbors, Mocrocks and Kalaloch — remain closed.
Tides for the two days at Copalis are as follows: Feb. 19, 4:33 p.m.; 0.0 feet; and Feb. 20, 5:17 p.m., minus 0.1 feet.
Ayres reminds diggers at Long Beach that the best digging conditions are on low tides of one foot or lower. A tide chart can be found on WDFW’s webpage at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/shellfish/razorclams/current.html., and on the NOAA webpage, http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/map/.
Eastside steelhead
The WDFW has opened the Icicle River and an additional stretch of the Wenatchee to steelhead fishing until further notice. The Wenatchee, which has been open from its mouth to Leavenworth, is now open on upriver to 400 feet below Tumwater Dam. The Icicle opens from its mouth up to 500 feet below the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery barrier dam.
Area biologist Travis Maitland said there are fish in the new section, mostly those which have been holding there over the winter. Many are wild-stock and must be released, but there is also a scattering of hatchery fish, going 5 to 8 pounds and occasionally to 10-pounds plus. Bank access on the newly opened section of the Wenatchee is good, Maitland said, and there are some nice holes available. As water temperatures warm and spawning time approaches, the fish will become more active, he said.
Generally, two types of terminal tackle are used by bank fishermen on the Wenatchee — float-and-jig, and hardware such as spoons and spinners. A few fly fishermen work the river, but not as many as fish the Methow (currently closed).
Be sure to check the special regulations on both the Wenatchee and Icicle, which include mandatory retention of hatchery steelhead and selective gear rules (no bait, single barbless hooks).
There are also steelhead in the Icicle, but bank access is always limited and especially now with snow on the ground. Boat fishing is more popular, Maitland said.
Portions of the Entiat, Similkameen and Okanogan are also open to steelhead currently, but Maitland said the season for most or all will run no longer than the end of March.
On the Olympic Peninsula, the Sol Duc and Calawah both put out good fishing through the WDFW creel-check period, Feb. 1-4. Checkers tallied 59 anglers on the Sol Duc with 49 wild steelhead released; 26 on the Calawah with 27 wild fish and l hatchery fish released; and on the Bogachiel, 27 anglers with 1 wild and 1 hatchery fish released and 3 hatchery fish kept.
In the southwest corner of the state, the most recent checks showed 46 bank anglers on the Kalama with 4 hatchery steelhead kept and 11 wild fish released, and 12 boat fishermen with 3 hatchery fish kept and 2 wild fish released; and on the East Lewis, 32 bank anglers with 2 wild released.
Salmon closure
The WDFW has announced that salmon fishing will close Feb. 22 in Marine Area 6, the east end of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. That allows the Olympic Peninsula Salmon Derby (Feb. 19, 20 and 21) to squeeze in before the closure, albeit with a one hatchery chinook limit.
Tickets are $40 and first-place payout is $10,000. Mike Chamberlain at Ted’s Sport Center in Lynnwood said his tackle shop is the only place selling tickets on this side of the Sound in our area. His phone number is 425-743-9505.
The event will incorporate the same boundaries as last year – marine areas 5 and 6, and a portion of Area 9. Checks over the weekend put out some pretty good fishing in the derby area, with the Port Townsend ramp on Saturday showing 21 fishermen with 11 chinook, and on Sunday, 28 with 14 fish.
The derby website is www.gardinersalmonderby.org.
Salmon forecasts
The North of Falcon salmon season setting process gets underway with a public meeting March 1 in Olympia. The WDFW will preview this year’s salmon returns and potential fishing seasons for all interested fishermen, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in room 172 of the Natural Resources Bldg., 1111 Washington Street S.E. Those attending will have an opportunity to talk to fishery managers about the pre-season forecasts and participate in work sessions focusing on conservation issues and possible salmon fisheries.
The WDFW has also scheduled additional public meetings focusing on regional salmon issues through early April. These meetings will involve representatives from federal, state and tribal governments and recreational and commercial fishing user groups. A schedule of meetings and more information about the salmon season setting process for Puget Sound, the Columbia River and the Washington coast is available on WDFW’s website, http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/northfalcon/.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
