Fishing
Fewer fish, larger winners and still a good time
The size was up, the numbers were down, but the weather was so great that no one complained about the fishing Saturday during the third running of the Lake Stevens Kokanee Derby.
Date: 05/24/2012 | Sports
Pick of the week: Omak Lake cuttthroat
Omak Lake offers the best Lahontan cutthroat fishing in the state, and early June is the best time to fish it, according to Anton Jones of Darrell & Dad's Family Guide Service in Chelan. Jones took a party of friends to the lake a week ago and enjoyed a 50-fish day, including a quadruple-header of...
Date: 05/24/2012 | Sports
Mammoth tiger trout likely a state record
The term "hybrid vigor" is used by fish biologists to describe the fact that the offspring of two disparate parents often exhibits a growth rate superior to either.That definitely was the case for the tiger trout Kirk Herrin caught last month.
Date: 05/10/2012 | Sports
Crab fishermen save entangled gray whale
SAN FRANCISCO -- Crab fishermen working off the Northern California coast have managed to free a gray whale that was tangled in a large fishing line and that had disappeared after a previous rescue attempt, federal wildlife officials said.
Date: 05/06/2012 | Nation & World
New Forest Service official focused on stewardship
EVERETT -- For the first time in its 100-year history, the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest is under the leadership of a woman.
Date: 05/04/2012 | Local News
Wayne Kruse's Pick of the Week: Coastal Razor Clams
The last razor clam dig of the winter/spring season has been approved for Saturday, Sunday and Monday at one coastal beach only -- Twin Harbors -- according to state Fish and Wildlife Department clam manager Dan Ayres in Montesano. Digging will then be closed on all beaches until the fall schedules...
Date: 05/03/2012 | Sports
Staying safe as boating season begins
EVERETT -- Warming days make Snohomish County waters all the more inviting, but emergency responders already are preparing for water-related deaths and injuries.
Date: 05/01/2012 | Local News
Good crowds, positive results from trout opener
Sometimes results and perceived results are two entirely different things, and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist Justin Spinelli had an anecdote along those lines from yesterday's traditional trout opener on the state's lowland lakes:
Date: 04/29/2012 | Sports
Three inland saltwater fisheries to open
Three of western Washington's more interesting saltwater fisheries open on inland waters over the next two weeks, and the day on which the three first align -- Saturday, May 5 -- presents the opportunity for an angling trifecta of sorts.
Date: 04/26/2012 | Sports
Improved Oregon stock means more salmon near state
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Improved salmon stocks from the Klamath and Sacramento rivers in Oregon mean a longer fishing season near the Washington border.
Date: 04/21/2012 | Northwest
Sockeye fishery
Fishing opportunity on lower Skagit River June 16 to July 15
Date: 04/19/2012 | Sports
Outdoors resources
EventsBIKES rides: Various starting locations; Membership and ride info at www.bikesclub.org.Everett Mountaineers: Meetings at 7 p.m. first Wednesday of the month, Snohomish County East Administration Building, 3000 Rockefeller Ave., Everett. www.everettmountaineers.org.
Date: 04/14/2012 | Life
Learn why catch and release is important
It's almost opening day of fishing season, so before you bait your hook, you and your family can learn from a beautiful rainbow trout the benefits of catch and release.
Date: 04/14/2012 | Life
A sight for sportsmen
Cabela's impresses, but will it get involved in the local scene?
Date: 04/12/2012 | Sports
Outdoors Resources
EventsBIKES rides: Various starting locations; Membership and ride info at www.bikesclub.org.Everett Mountaineers: Meetings at 7 p.m. first Wednesday of the month, Snohomish County East Administration Building, 3000 Rockefeller Ave., Everett. www.everettmountaineers.org.
Date: 04/07/2012 | Life
Wayne Kruse: Good weather blessed salmon derby
Tight lines from last weekend's big Anacortes Salmon Derby:
Date: 04/05/2012 | Sports
Outdoors Resources
EventsBIKES rides: Various starting locations; Membership and ride info at www.bikesclub.org.Everett Mountaineers: Meetings at 7 p.m. first Wednesday of the month, Snohomish County East Administration Building, 3000 Rockefeller Ave., Everett. www.everettmountaineers.org.
Date: 03/31/2012 | Life
Will weather cooperate for Anacortes Salmon Derby?
Organizers of the big Anacortes Salmon Derby are hoping this weekend eases in with better weather conditions than the lumpy crud that greeted last year's flotilla and was responsible -- at least in part -- for a depressingly low total weigh-in.
Date: 03/29/2012 | Sports
Outdoors Resources
EventsBIKES rides: Various starting locations; Membership and ride info at www.bikesclub.org.Everett Mountaineers: Meetings at 7 p.m. first Wednesday of the month, Snohomish County East Administration Building, 3000 Rockefeller Ave., Everett. www.everettmountaineers.org.
Date: 03/24/2012 | Life
Blackmans stocked, waiting
Snohomish County lake receives big plant of big trout
Date: 03/22/2012 | Sports
Outdoors Resources
EventsBIKES rides: Various starting locations; Membership and ride info at www.bikesclub.org.Everett Mountaineers: Meetings at 7 p.m. first Wednesday of the month, Snohomish County East Administration Building, 3000 Rockefeller Ave., Everett. www.everettmountaineers.org.
Date: 03/17/2012 | Life
Better weather for Everett Blackmouth Derby?
It was cold, the wind was blowing a minor gale and most salmon fishermen -- those who could get out at all -- were hugging the shoreline of Saratoga Passage and looking for any small patch of protected water they could find.Last weekend?
Date: 03/14/2012 | Sports
Anglers have plenty of winter fishing options
Most of the state's steelhead rivers have closed early this year except for those on the Olympic Peninsula.What's a diehard angler to do?
Date: 03/11/2012 | Sports
Outdoors Resources
EventsBIKES rides: Various starting locations; Membership and ride info at www.bikesclub.org.Everett Mountaineers: Meetings at 7 p.m. first Wednesday of the month, Snohomish County East Administration Building, 3000 Rockefeller Ave., Everett. www.everettmountaineers.org.
Date: 03/10/2012 | Life
Point Whitney shellfish are worth the drive
One of the better public beaches for a tasty winter combo of steamer clams and oysters is Point Whitney on Hood Canal, but there isn't a lot of time left to take advantage of it this year. The area is the site of the state Department of Fish and Wildlife's Point Whitney Shellfish Lab, and both the...
Date: 03/07/2012 | Sports
Outdoor Calendar
EventsBIKES rides: Various starting locations; Membership and ride info at www.bikesclub.org.Everett Mountaineers: Meetings at 7 p.m. first Wednesday of the month, Snohomish County East Administration Building, 3000 Rockefeller Ave., Everett. www.everettmountaineers.org.
Date: 03/03/2012 | Life
Outdoors Pick of the Week: Yakima River trout
An offbeat trout fishing adventure this time of year? Try the Yakima River between Ellensburg and Rosa Dam for big, fat rainbows and a lot of elbow room. Everyone knows the Yakima is one of the state's scarce blue-ribbon trout waters -- particularly for fly fishermen in the summer and fall -- but...
Date: 02/29/2012 | Sports
Elwhas won't release hatchery steelhead this year
TACOMA -- The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe has agreed not to release any hatchery-raised steelhead into the Olympic Peninsula's Elwha River this year.
Date: 02/28/2012 | Northwest
Outdoors resources
EventsBIKES rides: Various starting locations; Membership and ride info at ://www.bikesclub.org”>www.bikesclub.org.
Date: 02/25/2012 | Life
Saltwater Journal a must for local anglers
After a wait of nearly a year and a half, the new edition of "John's fishin' book" is out. That would be the Saltwater Fishing Journal, by local tackle shop owner and piscatorial guru John Martinis.
Date: 02/22/2012 | Sports
Federal boat bought with fishing fines used for fun
BOSTON -- A luxury undercover boat purchased with fines collected from fishermen was used by federal fishery police to visit dockside restaurants with friends and for high-speed "pleasure cruising," according to documents released Friday.
Date: 02/18/2012 | Nation & World
Outdoors Resources
BIKES rides: Various starting locations; Membership and ride info at www.bikesclub.org.Everett Mountaineers: Meetings at 7 p.m. first Wednesday of the month, Snohomish County East Administration Building, 3000 Rockefeller Ave., Everett. www.everettmountaineers.org.
Date: 02/18/2012 | Life
Derby anglers should try Midchannel Bank
Midchannel Bank, a popular chinook fishery this time of year, is perhaps the best choice for anglers from this side of Puget Sound with a ticket in hand for the big Olympic Peninsula Salmon Derby, scheduled for Saturday, Sunday and Monday. More water is included in this event than any other derby...
Date: 02/15/2012 | Sports
Clam dig approved this weekend on coast
ABERDEEN -- The Fish and Wildlife Department has approved a clam dig on evening low tides Saturday and Sunday at Long Beach, Twin Harbors and Mocrocks beaches.
Date: 02/14/2012 | Northwest
Outdoors calendar
EventsBIKES rides: Various starting locations; Membership and ride info at www.bikesclub.org.
Date: 02/11/2012 | Life
Salmon derby produces curious results
Fishing took a back seat to the scenery Friday and Saturday in the San Juan Islands as a truly gorgeous winter weekend stole the show from blackmouth fishermen entered in the high-profile 2012 Roche Harbor Salmon Classic. Flat, calm water conditions and warm, sunny weather combined with the always...
Date: 02/08/2012 | Sports
Fishing: Pick of the week
Fish Lake, north of Highway 2 near Lake Wenatchee, is one of our state's more consistent winter ice-fishing venues. Peter Flohr at Hooked On Toys in Wenatchee (509-663-0740) said hardy anglers have been scoring well there the past few weeks on a mix of perch and rainbow. The trout are running 12 to...
Date: 02/08/2012 | Sports
Film series captures thrills, moods of fly fishing
Whether the focus is trout rising to tiny tricos in Montana or to huge cicadas in New Zealand, the global nature of the Fly Fishing Film Tour is luring anglers across the country to an evening of fine fishing -- no waders or license required.
Date: 02/04/2012 | Sports
Outdoors Resources
BIKES rides: Various starting locations; Membership and ride info at www.bikesclub.org.Everett Mountaineers: Meetings at 7 p.m. first Wednesday of the month, Snohomish County East Administration Building, 3000 Rockefeller Ave., Everett. www.everettmountaineers.org.
Date: 02/04/2012 | Life
Commission cuts most allowable halibut catches
KODIAK, Alaska -- Parts of Alaska will see substantial cuts in the allowable halibut catch.KMXT reported that the International Pacific Halibut Commission released its catch limits Friday. Overall, it's down 18 percent from last year, or about 7.5 million pounds.
Date: 01/27/2012 | Northwest
Outdoor outlook: Charter skipper shut out on both coasts
Fishing is fishing, all around the country -- at least in some respects.
Date: 01/25/2012 | Sports
15 Philippines fishermen massacred in business dispute
MANILA, Philippines — Philippine police disarmed villagers on a southern island and will test their weapons to determine whether they were used to massacre 15 fishermen at sea in a suspected feud over lucrative fishing grounds, officials said Wednesday.
Date: 01/25/2012 | Nation & World
'America's Deadliest Season' captain gets 5 years in fatal crash
KENAI, Alaska — An Alaska fishing captain who led a crew on the program that spawned the cable TV show "Deadliest Catch" will serve five years in prison for a fatal crash.
Date: 01/19/2012 | Nation & World
Washington Sportsmen's Show
The Washington Sportsmen's Show opens its five-day run on Wednesday, Jan. 25, at the Puyallup fairgrounds.
Date: 01/19/2012 | Hunting and fishing
Popular Sportsmen's Show opens Wednesday
The Washington Sportsmen's Show rolls into the Puyallup fairgrounds on Wednesday for a five-day run featuring Dock Dogs, more than 150 hours of free how-to seminars, the Kid's Free Trout Pond, camp cooking demonstrations, the Indoor Steelhead River and much more.
Date: 01/19/2012 | Sports
Outdoor Calendar
• The Sno-King Chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) meets at 7 p.m. on Jan. 26 at the Sammamish Valley Grange in Woodinville (14654 148th Ave. NE). The guest speaker is John Anderson, executive director of Sound Salmon Solutions. He will be discussing resource and habitat...
Date: 01/19/2012 | Sports
Outdoors calendar
EventsBIKES rides: Various starting locations; Membership and ride info at www.bikesclub.org.
Date: 01/14/2012 | Life
Outdoord Pick of the Week: Tide Point winter blackmouth
A tough windy stretch has calmed a little, allowing winter blackmouth fishermen better access to hot spots in the San Juan Islands, traditionally our best north-Sound producer of feeder chinook. Kevin John at Holiday Sports in Burlington said fishing results have improved as a result, and tabbed...
Date: 01/11/2012 | Sports
Anglers need 22-inch tape
The most crucial tool aboard boats fishing Possession Bar Monday morning may not be a tooth-scarred Tomic plug, or a well-tuned GPS unit. It might be an accurate 22-inch tape.
Date: 01/11/2012 | Sports
Steelhead season to close Feb. 1 on Snohomish, Stillaguamish rivers
OLYMPIA -- The winter steelhead season on several Western Washington rivers is going to close early.
Date: 01/09/2012 | Sports
State needs help in stopping pike invasion
Vicious, lethal, snaggle-toothed northern pike are storming down the Pend Oreille River from Idaho, intent on decimating our Columbia River salmon and steelhead fisheries. And now's the time for a few good anglers with attitude to man the barricades and help stop the advance of the barbarian...
Date: 01/05/2012 | Sports
Basin steelheading closes
Steelhead fisheries on the upper Columbia River and its tributaries -- the Wenatchee, Icicle, Entiat and Methow -- closed Monday, leaving just the Okanogan and Similkameen open.
Date: 01/03/2012 | Hunting and fishing
Anglers have to relearn White Salmon River
UNDERWOOD -- Once a steelheader's paradise, now a century's worth of silt. That's the way anglers look at the White Salmon River, bemoaning its present condition. Fish biologists and hydrologists look at it and see a bright future.
Date: 01/01/2012 | Sports
Outdoors calendar
EventsBIKES rides: Various starting locations; Membership and ride info at www.bikesclub.org.
Date: 12/31/2011 | Life
OUTDOOR OUTLOOK: Weather changes welcomed by outdoorsmen
With a fair number of folks on holiday this week, the significant change in the weather pattern -- from cold and dry to wet, windy and unusually warm -- couldn't have come at a better time.
Date: 12/29/2011 | Sports
PICK OF THE WEEK: Snake River Chukar Hunting
The southeast corner of the state provides Washington scattergunners with their best chukar hunting, and many say winter is the top time to chase - literally - these masked bandits of the basalt. With a little snow on the ground, experts say, the birds move less and hold better for a dog. Corps of...
Date: 12/29/2011 | Sports
Rufus Lake Triploids
Anton Jones of Darrell & Dad’s Family Guide Service in Chelan said jig fishing near the lower net pens on Rufus Woods Reservoir continues to be productive for fat, multi-pound triploid rainbow trout.
Date: 12/29/2011 | Hunting and fishing
Steelhead checks
Checks made before the current series of storm fronts moved in reflected river conditions that were too low and too clear:• Cowlitz late last week, 47 boat fishermen had 11 winter steelhead, and 32 bank fishermen had 7.
Date: 12/28/2011 | Hunting and fishing
Outdoors calendar
EventsBIKES rides: Various starting locations; Membership and ride info at www.bikesclub.org.
Date: 12/24/2011 | Life
PICK OF THE WEEK: Lake Goodwin Trout Fishing
A brisk morning wrestling with a limit of feisty rainbow is a great way to clear the head and throw off the post-Christmas blahs, and Lake Goodwin is offering the cure this weekend. Mike Chamberlain at Ted's Sport Center in Lynnwood said winter trout fishing on the lake has been very productive...
Date: 12/22/2011 | Sports
Steelhead are biting
Now's the time to get them; here's where the fishing's good
Date: 12/22/2011 | Sports
Outdoors calendar
EventsBIKES rides: Various starting locations; Membership and ride info at www.bikesclub.org.
Date: 12/17/2011 | Life
Tightened catch limits alarm Alaska halibut fisheries
HOMER, Alaska -- A south-central Alaska town's halibut fishing community is alarmed at a decision that could set catch limits at one fish per person.
Date: 12/10/2011 | Northwest
Outdoors Calendar
EventsBIKES rides: Various starting locations; Membership and ride info at www.bikesclub.org.Everett Mountaineers: Meetings at 7 p.m. first Wednesday of the month, Snohomish County East Administration Building, 3000 Rockefeller Ave., Everett. www.everettmountaineers.org.
Date: 12/10/2011 | Life
Blackmouth derby fails to match last year's results
If one derby can be considered an indicator of future fishing success, then blackmouth action in the San Juan Islands this winter may not be up to last year's standards. The two-day Resurrection Derby out of Friday Harbor last weekend drew much of the best sport salmon fishing talent in Western...
Date: 12/08/2011 | Sports
Wayne Kruse's Pick of the Week: Resurrection Salmon Derby
Tickets were moving well this week for the second running of the Resurrection Derby, Friday and Saturday, out of Friday Harbor and sponsored by the San Juan Islands Chapter, Puget Sound Anglers. This is a team event, up to four anglers per boat, with a limit of 100 boats and an entry fee of $400...
Date: 12/01/2011 | Sports
Outdoor Outlook: Waterfowlers enjoyed productive weekend
The combination of a La Nina weather pattern, a long holiday weekend and good numbers of ducks and geese in the area produced top hunting for waterfowlers last week, according to Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife game managers.
Date: 12/01/2011 | Sports
Mystery of the whale solved
An alert reader identifies the photographer who shot this photo
Date: 11/28/2011 | Local News
A view long blocked
Larsen tours Suiattle River Road, which may reopen in 2013
Date: 11/26/2011 | Local News
Outdoors Calendar
EventsBIKES rides: Various starting locations; Membership and ride info at www.bikesclub.org.
Date: 11/26/2011 | Life
Wayne Kruse's Pick of the Week: Razor Clams
Weather and surf conditions might be iffy, but a combination of great minus tides and a holiday weekend offer a top opportunity for limits of razor clams on the coastal beaches Friday and Saturday. Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis and Mocrocks will all be open to digging Friday evening (low is a...
Date: 11/24/2011 | Sports
Weekend clam digging OK on Washington beaches
OLYMPIA -- Instead of leftover turkey, how about fresh razor clams this weekend?The Fish and Wildlife Department has approved razor clam digging Friday and Saturday on some Washington coastal beaches on evening tides.
Date: 11/21/2011 | Northwest
Outdoors calendar
EventsBIKES rides: Various starting locations; Membership and ride info at www.bikesclub.org.
Date: 11/19/2011 | Life
Outdoor Outlook: Chum salmon showing up right on schedule
Big, nasty, snaggle-toothed chum salmon take over the fishing spotlight about this time each year, between coho and winter steelhead, and the numbers show the "dogs" are right on time. State Fish and Wildlife Department checks at the Hoodsport Hatchery on Hood Canal one day last week counted -- be...
Date: 11/17/2011 | Sports
Outdoors calendar
EventsBIKES rides: Various starting locations; Membership and ride info at www.bikesclub.org.
Date: 11/12/2011 | Life
Wayne Kruse's Outdoor Outlook: Salmon Derby produces intriguing story lines
Several different story lines made last weekend's Everett Bayside Marine Salmon Derby a particularly interesting one.
Date: 11/10/2011 | Sports
2-day razor clam dig set for 3 ocean beaches
LONG BEACH -- The state Department of Fish and Wildlife has approved a two-day razor clam dig for Friday and Saturday on three ocean beaches.Clam diggers are welcome to bring their shovels and buckets to Long Beach, Twin Harbors and Mocrocks. No digging is allowed before noon.
Date: 11/06/2011 | Northwest
Outdoors calendar
EventsBIKES rides: Various starting locations; Membership and ride info at www.bikesclub.org.
Date: 11/05/2011 | Life
Outdoor Outlook: It'll be hard to top last year's derby winner
The odds are pretty good that the $2,000 first-place salmon in this weekend's Everett Bayside Marine Derby will not match last year's 22-plus-pound hatchery chinook. That hog -- taken off Camano Island's Onomac Point by the famous Bill "Hot Plug" Hayes -- was the largest in the derby's history and...
Date: 11/03/2011 | Sports
Outdoors Pick of The Week: Winter crabbing
The recreational winter crab season is in full swing on the local saltwater and most of those chasing November Dungeness are reporting good, but not great, success rates. Of course, it would take some spectacular crabbing to rank as "great" compared to this past summer's extraordinary harvest, so...
Date: 11/03/2011 | Sports
Outdoors calendar
EventsBIKES rides: Various starting locations; Membership and ride info at www.bikesclub.org.Everett Mountaineers: Meetings at 7 p.m. first Wednesday of the month, Snohomish County East Administration Building, 3000 Rockefeller Ave., Everett. www.everettmountaineers.org.
Date: 10/29/2011 | Life
Outdoor Outlook: First razor clam dig will be in the dark
The first coastal razor clam dig of the winter season comes on line Friday and Saturday at four beaches, bringing mixed prospects for those who like their clamming cold and dark. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife clam manager Dan Ayres in the agency's Montesano office said an excellent...
Date: 10/27/2011 | Sports
Westport: Where the fish come to you
In describing people fishing in the Westport boat basin, one person accurately observed that the anglers look like gulls with fishing poles. That person was referring to the approach that many people use when they fish for coho salmon swimming among the docks in the marina.
Date: 10/23/2011 | Sports
Outdoors calendar
EventsBIKES rides: Various starting locations; Membership and ride info at www.bikesclub.org.Everett Mountaineers: Meetings at 7 p.m. first Wednesday of the month, Snohomish County East Administration Building, 3000 Rockefeller Ave., Everett. www.everettmountaineers.org.
Date: 10/22/2011 | Life
Volunteers sought for Humptulips fish hatchery
HOQUIAM -- Washington Fish and Wildlife Director Phil Anderson says the department could use a little help at the Humptulips fish hatchery as it deals with budget cuts.
Date: 10/20/2011 | Northwest
Wayne Kruse's Pick of the Week: Cast and Blast at Potholes Reservoir
Hot late-fall walleye fishing is on tap at Potholes Reservoir as water temperatures inch down toward the 55-degree mark, according to Mike Meseberg, owner of MarDon Resort. That, along with last weekend's statewide opening of the general waterfowl season, makes for an interesting "cast and blast"...
Date: 10/20/2011 | Sports
Wayne Kruse's Outdoor Outlook: Waterfowl, deer seasons off to slow starts
Two of the state's most popular hunting seasons, general waterfowl and modern firearm deer, opened Saturday to less than rave reviews. The weather in a lot of places was too good for duck and goose hunters, and usually productive Eastern Washington deer areas put out mostly slow hunting for the few...
Date: 10/20/2011 | Sports
Outdoors calendar
EventsBIKES rides: Various starting locations; Membership and ride info at www.bikesclub.org.Everett Mountaineers: Meetings at 7 p.m. first Wednesday of the month, Snohomish County East Administration Building, 3000 Rockefeller Ave., Everett. www.everettmountaineers.org.
Date: 10/15/2011 | Life
Outdoor Outlook: Foul weather is good news for fowl hunters
The forecast for a "La Nina" winter brings mixed emotions, but for the hunter, cold, wet and windy are happy words. They mean waterfowl won't be camped on inaccessible big water. They mean early deer and elk migration down from the high country. They mean better visibility and quiet walking as wet...
Date: 10/13/2011 | Sports
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