By WAYNE KRUSE
Herald Writer
An oversight in salmon regulations for the Snohomish and Skykomish rivers developed recently when the streams were opened for coho but not for chums to match. Chum retention in the two rivers, as printed in the state fishing regulations pamphlet, was not due to open until Nov. 1. The situation has been addressed, and anglers can now keep both coho and chums in the Snohomish and Skykomish, with a daily limit of two adults of either species.
A similar move by state salmon managers has opened the Skagit River to daily fishing, for two coho or chums per day. The number of fishing days per week had been limited on the Skagit.
Remember that you need a freshwater license to fish salmon in the rivers, along with a free salmon catch record card. The short term license, good for two consecutive days of salmon fishing, is legal for either fresh or salt.
A fall/winter razor clam season, broken into several different openings on different beaches (see below), begins Oct. 25. All beaches will be open for that day’s dig, and the tide is minus 0.1 foot at 6:14 p.m. Since all razor clam digs are subject to approval by the state Health Department, call the shellfish hotline at 1-800-562-5632 before heading south.
Wally Hoch, Ducks Inn Guide Service in Ephrata (509-754-9670) says duck hunting on local birds in the Columbia Basin has been good since the season opener. Major concentrations, he says, can be found on Moses lake, McNary National Wildlife Refuge near Pasco, and the Umatilla NWR near Paterson. Moses Lake is holding a concentration of about 5,000 mallards on its south end, while the north end holds an even larger raft of mixed ducks.
A recent two-day hunt with three friends near McNary NWR resulted in a real potpourri of species, Hoch said, including mallards, pintail, greenwing teal, gadwall, ringnecks, shovelers, and one cinnamon teal.
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