Razor clam digging on the ocean beaches switches from evening to the more popular morning tides this month, but the change brings with it a little confusion about which beach is open what days and at what times.
First, Long Beach is open daily through the end of the month, but diggers should be aware that low tides will shift back and forth between morning and evening through the 31st. Dan Ayers, coastal shellfish manager for the state Fish and Wildlife Department said Long Beach will be open on evening tides now through March 23, and on morning tides March 24-31. Check the full list of low tides or changes in dates or times at WDFW’s razor clam webpage, http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/shellfish/razorclams/current.html.
That webpage also carries good information on digging and cleaning clams, along with clam recipes.
Two of the most popular beaches, Mocrocks and Copalis, open Friday for three days, with evening tides as follows: March 18, 4:15 p.m., plus 0.7 feet; March 19, 5:07 p.m., plus 0.5 feet; and March 20, 5:50 p.m., plus 0.4 feet.
Mocrocks is tentatively scheduled for another three-day dig, on morning tides, March 25, 26 and 27 if clams are found to be free of marine toxins by the state health department. The department normally issues a final announcement about a week before the dig is scheduled to begin. If Mocrocks opens, morning tides will be as follows: March 25, 8:31 a.m., plus 0.7 feet; March 26, 9:06 a.m., plus 0.6 feet; and March 27, 9:42 a.m., plus 0.7 feet.
All diggers 15 or older must have an applicable 2015-16 fishing license to harvest razor clams on any beach. Licenses, ranging from a three-day razor clam license to an annual combination fishing license, are available on WDFW’s website, https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov and from license vendors around the state.
Early trout
Wind and rain have held down fishing pressure on the Columbia Basin lakes which opened to trout fishing on March 1, but the fish are there and waiting. State biologist Chad Jackson, at WDFW’s Ephrata office, gave the following recommendations: Quincy, Martha and Caliche lakes should be excellent for 11- to 13-inch yearling rainbow and carryovers up to 20 inches. Burke Lake, rehabilitated in 2013, should put out some nice-sized carryovers also. Dusty will fish well for 14- to 20-inch trout.
All those lakes are in Grant County, Caliche and Martha near the town of George, and Quincy, Burke and Dusty on the Quincy Wildlife Area southwest of Quincy. Jackson says the Quincy walk-in lakes — Crystal, Cup, Upper and Lower Spring, and Cliff — west of Evergreen Reservoir on the Quincy W.A., will provide good fishing and lots of elbow room for those who don’t mind a short hike.
The “quality” lakes on the lower Crab Creek drainage in south Grant County, Lenice and Nunnally, should fish “really well” for trout 14 to 20 inches and larger. The lakes are favorites of fly fishermen, but not limited to flies only.
Another special situation is Lake Lenore, near the town of Soap Lake, which opened to catch and release fishing on March 1. Big Lahontan cutthroat are the draw here, and both flies and spoons are popular.
Levi Meseberg at MarDon Resort on Potholes Reservoir adds a list of year-around lakes to the early openers, and says he usually has better luck, particularly for larger fish, in the year-arounders.
“The weather in March always seems to be irregular, but the trout fishing this time of year can be excellent,” he says. “This spring a number of the all-year ‘seep’ lakes (below O’Sullivan Dam) have been kicking out quality trout, most notably Upper Goose, Blythe and Corral lakes. Goose has been the hands-down best producer with relatively quick limits in the 14 to 16 inch range. Blythe and Corral have been putting out occasional limits with some really nice 18-inch fish mixed in and some going 5 or 6 pounds.”
Meseberg says all three lakes have easy access and adequate boat ramps. The best technique has been still-fishing with bait.
“As for bait, pretty much everything will work on the right day,” he says. “I like Power Bait tipped with a piece of nightcrawler for bigger trout and just Power Bait for the smaller guys. My favorite colors are chartreuse, orange, lime and Captain America, all with glitter. One advantage I have found is tying fluorocarbon leaders, for two reasons. One, the fish can’t see it, and two because they can’t see it, you can get away with higher pound test. This really helps on larger fish.”
Salmon seasons
Federal, tribal and state salmon managers are in the middle of the “North of Falcon” salmon season setting procedure and have come up with three non-tribal recreational fishing alternatives for coastal salmon anglers.
Alternative 1: 58,600 chinook quota and 37,800 coho. This option includes early season fisheries, from June 18-30 for hatchery chinook, in marine areas 1-4. This option also allows hatchery coho retention in all four marine areas during the traditional summer fishery.
Alternative 2: 30,000 chinook and 14,700 coho. No early season fisheries for hatchery chinook, but provides summer chinook fisheries in all four marine areas. Hatchery coho fishing would be allowed only in Marine Area 1 (Ilwaco).
Alternative 3: The nuclear alternative would allow no commercial or recreational salmon fisheries in Washington’s ocean waters.
Last year, the Pacific Fisheries Management Council adopted recreational ocean fishing quotas of 64,000 chinook and 150,800 coho.
The public can comment on the proposed ocean alternatives as well as on other proposed inland salmon fisheries through WDFW’s North of Falcon webpage, http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/northfalcon/.
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