BIG GAME YEARBOOK! 60 GREAT CRITTERS
HEART OF
STEEL
SEASON
UMPQUA, COWLITZ SMALL STREAMS RINGOLD & NORTH SOUND
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TRI-CITIES TROPHY WALLEYE DIAMOND LAKE RAINBOWS GRAND COULEE TAILRACE TROUT PLUS
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Sportsman Northwest
Your LOCAL Hunting & Fishing Resource
Volume 10 • ISSUE 4 PUBLISHER James R. Baker
Your Complete Hunting, Boating, Fishing and Repair Destination Since 1948.
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Dick Openshaw EDITOR Andy Walgamott LEAD WRITERS Jeff Holmes, Andy Schneider THIS ISSUE’S CONTRIBUTORS Jason Brooks, Doug Huddle, Randy King, Miranda Martinz, Buzz Ramsey, Troy Rodakowski, Scott Staats, Todd Switzer, Don Talbot, Randy Wells, Terry Wiest, Dave Workman EDITORIAL FIELD SUPPORT Jason Brooks, Jeff Holmes GENERAL MANAGER John Rusnak SALES MANAGER Katie Higgins ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Mamie Griffin, Steve Joseph, Garn Kennedy, Mike Smith, Paul Yarnold PRODUCTION MANAGER Sonjia Kells
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DISTRIBUTION Tony Sorrentino, Gary Bickford ADVERTISING INQUIRIES ads@nwsportsmanmag.com CORRESPONDENCE Email letters, articles/queries, photos, etc., to awalgamott@media-inc.com, or to the address below. ON THE COVER Erik Ackerman holds a 40-inch wild winter steelhead that bit sand shrimp under a bobber. (DAIWA PHOTO CONTEST)
CLARIFICATION The cutline of an image accompanying Renee Johnson’s article in our December 2015 issue indicated she was copresident of the Association of Northwest Steelheaders’ Newberg Chapter at the time, but she had stepped down prior to that.
SUN CHASER PONTOON WE OFFER A LARGE INVENTORY OF QUALITY BRANDS ARIMA • ALUMAWELD • SMOKERCRAFT SUN CHASER PONTOONS • YAMAHA • SUZUKI • MERCURY
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CONTENTS
VOLUME 10 • ISSUE 4
FEATURES 75
HOW TO OUTSMART SMARTENED-UP SONGDOGS Now that they’ve been hounded for a few months, it can be tough to hunt this part of winter for coyotes, but not if you adapt your strategies. Jason Brooks has how to tweak your calling sequences and more.
20
2015 DEER & ELK YEARBOOK
113 DON’T PASS UP ON PASCO With plentiful steelhead north of town, lots of eater walleye and maybe even a new record fish in town and the Northwest’s earliest spring – not to mention great Mexican food – February is prime time to pack your rods and reels for a trip to this Tri-City. 129 THE GURUS: DAVID JOHNSON In the second story of our series on local sharpies, an urge to fish for steelhead from a young age turned into a career for this well-known Oregon guide. Andy Schneider interviews David Johnson – you’ll never believe how DJ was dressed when he caught his biggest winter-run to date!
DEPARTMENTS 17
THE EDITOR’S NOTE
19
CORRESPONDENCE
20
THE BIG PIC 2015 Deer & Elk Yearbook
65
PHOTO CONTEST WINNERS Monthly Daiwa, Browning prizewinners
67
THE DISHONOR ROLL Judges Get Tough On Poachers; Jackasses of the Month
69
OUTDOOR CALENDAR
69
2016 BOAT & SPORTSMEN’S SHOW CALENDAR
69
RECORD NORTHWEST GAME FISH February’s state records dominated by walleye; Idaho Fish and Game introduces new C&R category
71
DERBY WATCH Olympic Peninsula Salmon Derby, Boggan’s Spring Steelhead Derby on tap; More upcoming events
159 RIG OF THE MONTH How To Make A ‘Talbot Tail’
(TOM WALGAMOTT)
Our annual look back to the season that just was features some of the bigger bucks and bulls taken in the Northwest, celebrates hunters’ first harvests and spotlights heart-warming tales!
SUBSCRIBE TODAY! Go to nwsportsmanmag.com for details. NORTHWEST SPORTSMAN is published monthly by Media Index Publishing Group, 14240 Interurban Avenue South, Suite 190, Tukwila, WA 98168. Periodical Postage Paid at Seattle, WA and at additional mail offices. (USPS 025-251) POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Northwest Sportsman, 14240 Interurban Ave South, Suite 190, Tukwila, WA 98168. Annual subscriptions are $29.95 (12 issues), 2-year subscription are $39.95 (24 issues). Send check or money order to Media Index Publishing Group, or call (206) 382-9220 with VISA or M/C. Back issues may be ordered at Media Index Publishing Group offices at the cost of $5 plus shipping. Display Advertising. Call Media Index Publishing Group for a current rate card. Discounts for frequency advertising. All submitted materials become the property of Media Index Publishing Group and will not be returned. Copyright © 2015 Media Index Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be copied by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording by any information storage or retrieval system, without the express written permission of the publisher. Printed in U.S.A.
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Northwest Sportsman 11
CONTENTS
COLUMNS 85
ON TARGET New .410s even the odds for rabbit hunters, Dave details.
93
CHEF IN THE WILD After jilting him one too many times, Randy “breaks up” with geese – and he’s got how to make a mean goose pastrami.
99
and walleye in Grand Coulee Dam’s tailrace and downstream. 161 CENTRAL OREGON After an off-winter, Diamond Lake’s back in business as an ice fishery.
169 THE KAYAK GUYS Turns out that there’s more to Puget Sound squidding than winter nights, spotlights and piers – Todd shares how to do it in daylight from a kayak.
105 SOUTH COAST
Big rivers produce big steelhead, and the Umpqua is no exception, Randy reveals.
BUZZ RAMSEY Steelheading on the Cowlitz has changed – Buzz gets you squared away on the new run timing.
141 WESTSIDER Terry shares small-stream secrets for winter-run success. 147 NORTH SOUND Last-chance steelhead, a historic fish festival, rabbits and trout round out February ops, Doug reports. 155 BASIN BEACON Don has how to catch the big trout
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THEEDITOR’SNOTE
L
ast month’s takeover of Oregon’s Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters is part of a movement targeting our public lands and is one that Northwest sportsmen should oppose. Just as I’ve been protective about keeping the ground we hunt on from being locked up by preservationists (see The Editor’s Note, September 2011), I feel as strongly about keeping the mitts of the other side off of our waterfowl refuges, as well as backcountry forests, lakes and streams, and other national lands. Make no mistake: I understand there is anger out there at how the federal government manages its vast Western properties; how the Forest Service’s road network is being reduced; how wildfires are managed; and that increasingly strict environmental regulations are making it tougher to make a living in places where it’s already very hard to hoe. And this is not to say that local folks would make bad decisions about the land were it suddenly in their hands. In fact, I’m buoyed by recent developments along just those lines. Witness the recent good-for-the-bird, good-for-the-herd (both ranched and wild) collaboration that kept sage grouse off of the list of threatened and endangered species. What resonates most strongly in my mind about the wrongheadedness of the illegal occupation at Malheur came in a story by Hal Bernton of The Seattle Times. It detailed how all sorts of disparate interests had come together to make the refuge work for everyone. That’s rare in these days’ winner-takes-all mentality. And as Bernton wrote, the effort also “put a whole new spotlight on the war on carp,” which have reduced Malheur Lake’s capacity as a waterfowl breeding ground – the reason the great President Teddy Roosevelt (a personal hero) originally set it aside – by 90 percent. The work of a U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service biologist tasked with dealing with those invasive fish was derided by one of the occupiers as “not benefiting America. She’s part of what’s destroying America.” No, what’s destroying America are yahoos using issues like this as proxy campaigns. I see it in this – there’s more and more talk about how to wrestle national lands away from we the people – and in how states (and the feds) have been handcuffed by overly litigious wolf fanatics. As of press time, this Western drama hadn’t ended in a blaze of gunfire, and that’s a good thing. It needs to end, however, and in a way that does not embolden more takeovers. By anyone. –Andy Walgamott
FISH CAMP FOR FAMILIES The Association of Northwest Steelheaders is working to get families recreating together at their first annual Family Fish Camp. Slated to run Feb. 19-21 at Camp McGruder near Garibaldi, check out more details at nwsteelheaders.org/events/familyfish-camp. –NWS
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CORRESPONDENCE BATTLE BREWING OVER GLADSTONE BANK ACCESS A story by Bill Monroe of The Oregonian that we shared on Facebook and that described anglers fighting against the possible loss of Dahl Beach, great wheelchair-accessible plunking water on the Willamette below the falls, to mitigate work being done in Portland Harbor, drew a seething response from Derrill Hewitt. “This is exactly the kind of head-up-the-a** type of government ‘improvement’ that is totally unwanted, unneeded and useless in terms of net positive environmental impact ... ODFW and the folks at Metro ought to be worried about a massive Americans with Disabilities Act lawsuit.”
SUCTION MINING IN THE SPOTLIGHT Our blog on a coming battle over suction dredging in Washington streams – new rules in Oregon took effect last month – yielded a vein of comments from miners. Dredger Richard Engstrand noted one particular facet – a video referenced in the blog that showed Trout Unlimited field rep Gregg Bafundo looking at a miner’s creekbed pit and saying it was like a bomb had exploded. “The ‘bomb went off video’ was posted immediately to several miners forums in the Western states,” Engstrand said, “and all responses ran along these lines: ‘What were these miners thinking?’ ‘It gives us all a bad name when a couple bad apples don’t do the right thing.’” Indeed.
MORE WATER FOR FISH! Word that the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife was looking for comments on updated fish protections drew this suggestion from Gary Johnson: “Dear WDFW, More water needs to flow down the Columbia at peak times when smolts are out and in the summer when salmon are returning. A lot of sockeye died last year!” The agency’s Habitat Program manager Jeff Davis responded, “I agree with the need for improved flow management on the Columbia River. WDFW is working with the Office of Columbia River, Bonneville Power and with the U.S. State Department on issues that include water management in the Columbia.”
ARE YA SURE ABOUT NATES THERE? Word WDFW was considering setting aside the Grays and Chinook Rivers or three creeks on the Lower-lower Columbia as wild steelhead gene banks puzzled some commenters on Facebook. “There is no wild strain on these rivers,” argued Jerry Brown. “The rivers in question (have) had hatchery fish spawning with wild fish 90 years prior to them ever clipping a fin. They are hatchery integrated fish.”
MALHEUR TAKEOVER Reacting to our news item that Malheur NWR HQ had been taken over by militia, Gary Johnson found it a bit “nuts” to support the two ranchers reporting to prison the next week to serve out mandatory minimum sentences. “If you’re going to challenge the police with guns,” he added, “may the sharpshooters take you out with some lead!” At press time, luckily things hadn’t become violent. Scott Atkinson responded, “Folks here need to do more research on the years of abuses by the BLM before commenting. These militia are your neighbors and possible friends standing up for the human rights that ranchers have lost.” Harney County, however, is far from Syria.
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2015 Deer & Elk Yearbook E
BIG GAME YEARBO OK
ach winter, we take a gander back at the previous fall’s big game seasons to highlight some of the bigger bucks and bulls taken in the greater Northwest by Washington and Oregon sportsmen, celebrate hunters’ first kills and spotlight heart-warming tales. With no further adieu, please enjoy our 2015 Bucks & Bulls Yearbook! –The Editor
Hunting their old deer grounds, it felt like Steve Kelso, here, and son Jarrod both let fly with the arrow that killed this whopper Central Oregon mule deer. (JARROD KELSO)
3 Oregonians Take Trophies By Troy Rodakowski
A
lthough the Northwest experienced drought last summer and fall, there most definitely wasn’t a drought of monster bucks and bulls from the great state of Oregon. Several friends of mine did quite well, and even I was able to put some meat in the freezer. But a few guys did better than just average, putting “once in a lifetime” animals in the freezer and on their walls.
EUGENE’S JARROD KELSO has harvested several nice bucks and bulls, but last year tragedy struck: His father Steve was diagnosed with cancer and he knew it very well could be the last season they had the opportunity to hunt together. As Steve grew weaker from the cancer and its treatments, Jarrod remained positive and optimistic, scouting with trail cameras and spending lots of time in the woods in Central Oregon, where his family has hunted for generations. After an unsuccessful opening morning of deer season, Steve set up in a blind that evening as his son worked the ridge above him, trying to push an animal in his direction. All of a sudden Jarrod spotted movement out of his left eye through the dense pines – a buck. Before he knew it, 20 Northwest Sportsman
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MIXED BAG the deer stepped out and presented him with a 64-yard shot. The arrow flew true and found its mark. After recovering the buck, Jarrod and Steve spent some very special moments together, crying and celebrating the trophy. “If I had to describe a better day, the only thing I would change would be to let my dad shoot that deer,” says Jarrod. Regardless, it felt like they both released that arrow together. The velvet nontypical monster muley scored 194 7/8, Pope and Young, and will rank in Oregon’s top 10.
NATHAN LORENZ OF Creswell has made a habit of bagging big bucks and bulls for several years now, and 2015 was no different. Scouting the steep coastal mountains for Roosevelt elk prior to the general rifle opener, Lorenz found a few bulls – and one in particular that he wanted to try for. The Coast Range’s canyons were not easily traversed, as he and his hunting partner A lot of scouting in the Coast Range and a long shot paid off for Nathan Lorenz with this big bull elk. (NATHAN LORENZ)
slowly moved into position prior to daylight. “Headlights aren’t always helpful when the brush and terrain are so thick,” says Lorenz. The two hunters wanted to get to the highest point to try and locate the herd of 10 cows and the bull. The elk had been hanging in the 25-year-old reprod and feeding in some thinned locations in the
evenings and early mornings. Lorenz was worried: He typically packs his .300 Mag, but on this day he had his 7mm due to the weight of his gear and in anticipation of a closer shot. At daybreak the two hunters began tracking the herd for about an hour and a half. The elk knew something wasn’t right and continued to move, even though the hunters had kept the wind in their favor. Finally, the two cut tracks at the top of the ridge. Lorenz decided to peek over a small rise and was able to spot the herd below them, with the bull in the back. The shot, however, was 428 yards and he was concerned about the drop his 150-grain bullet would have. He slowly got into position, held 3 inches high and touched off his round. The bull didn’t move and the cows stood still for a moment, then began to run just as the bull staggered backward. “I decided to put another round in him at that point,” recalls Lorenz. As he fired, the bull collapsed. All the preseason scouting had paid off and the prize bull was now his. The elk unofficially scored 317 Boone & Crockett, and will make for a beautiful mount that Lorenz will treasure forever.
LUKE GOLDBRAND, ALSO of Eugene, made sure to keep his streak of consecutive years being able to harvest a deer alive in 2015. The avid blacktail hunter has successfully filled his freezer for 11 straight seasons. This past season was different, however, as the hunting was very tough early on due to the drought conditions. It’s a good thing Goldbrand has become a master of trail cameras and tracking blacktails in the locations he frequently hunts. It was Saturday, Dec. 12, the next to last day of archery deer season in Western Oregon, when Goldbrand decided he would shoot a doe if it presented him with a good opportunity. “I was running out of time and really wanted to put some meat in the freezer,” says Goldbrand. The archer had been hunting all day in a torrential rainstorm and was tired. He returned to his vehicle to regroup, eat a sandwich and warm up while debating on
heading home or going out for the last few hours. Lucky for him, he decided to stay. Packing his tree stand into a patch of timber he had always wanted to try, Goldbrand was in position and set by 3 p.m. Fog began to roll in, giving him a little over an hour’s worth of time to save his season. Hunting the postrut isn’t easy, as blacktail move less and less. Goldbrand had been sitting for about 30 minutes
With season winding down and his streak on the line, Luke Goldbrand harvested this big Western Oregon 5x4. (LUKE GOLDBRAND)
when he noticed something up the trail that hadn’t been there a few minutes earlier. Just then it moved and he saw it was a very nice buck that was headed his way. The deer kept coming toward him and turned, so Goldbrand let his arrow fly. Unfortunately, he miscalculated the range due to his elevation in the tree. The buck was about 35 yards and immediately bolted following his shot. But just then, another buck appeared near the same spot. “He was big – very big – and I was just hoping he would turn to give me another
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MIXED BAG chance,” says Goldbrand. The second buck finally turned and Goldbrand was ready. The shot was true, but the buck didn’t react much. Fortunately, he had time to nock another arrow and make a good follow-up shot. This time the buck bolted into the heavy timber, rain and fog. It was getting dark and Goldbrand knew he needed help, so he called friends for the tracking job. As each drop of rain washed blood away, he worried more and more. “I was just hoping to recover the deer; the size didn’t matter – I just wanted to get my buck and ease the sick feeling in my stomach,” says Goldbrand. Less than two hours later they found him. The trophy blacktail buck was a beautiful 5x4 with heavy bases and chocolate antlers. Goldbrand was stunned at his size and impressed by his antlers, and very thankful they had recovered him. The rough score on his deer is 137 Pope and Young and will easily make the Oregon record book after the mandatory drying period. NS
Miranda Martinz and “Blackie,” so-named for the soot-darkened antlers that the mule deer had rubbed while shedding its velvet. For the Spokane woman, the hunting trip made and led to a lot of memories. (MIRANDA MARTINZ)
BIG GAME YEARBOOK
Memories And Mule Deer By Miranda Martinz and Jeff Holmes
W
hen I was 10, my dad took me out on our property, lifted me onto a tree stump and handed me his rifle. He explained to me how to hold it, how to fire it and then pointed at a can he had set on a fence post 50 yards away. He told me to aim at it and shoot. I distinctly remember looking down the barrel, sighting in on that Coca-Cola can, taking a deep breath and hesitantly pulling the trigger. I was promptly knocked off the stump onto my rear end in the dirt. After that, I didn’t touch another firearm again for 22 years. The next time I would pick up a rifle it would be to give it to one of my husband’s coworkers for safe keeping. He had sat in bed with it the day before contemplating ending his life, traumatizing both my 12-year-old son and me. I then had to remove all firearms from the house so he couldn’t access them. Sadly, those efforts weren’t enough, and my husband ended up taking his own life a few short weeks later. The day after I found him, I gave birth to our son. Without a second thought, I gave guns away. Two years later, while at a Thanksgiving gathering, I found myself visiting with my grandpa and discussing his move to Tonasket, Wash., 28 years prior. He showed me a rifle he had bought when passing through Spokane on his way to Tonasket. He was building an A-frame up in the mountains and wanted to have protection from bears and other wildlife. It was a Remington .30-06, and he had only shot 10 rounds out of it when he originally 22 Northwest Sportsman
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bought it. Then it sat in his closet for 28 years, unused. I must have made a face at that rifle that my grandpa could read clear as day, one that showed sadness, fear and disdain.
A MONTH LATER at Christmas he showed up with that rifle and handed it to me, along with the two original boxes of ammo he had bought, and told me to put it to good use. Of course right away the guys wanted to go shoot it. I more hesitantly stood by and watched until someone handed it to me and told me to take a shot. I did, and even managed to stay on my own two feet this time. I quickly followed it up with “You are taking me hunting with you” to the guy I was dating at the time. After a lot of practice and time spent getting more comfortable with firearms, I dropped my first buck that next hunting season. I was hooked. The next two seasons I started taking my youngest son out to help check trail cams, scout and target practice. I love not only being able to provide my family with food, but to teach them to
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MIXED BAG
BIG GAME
appreciate nature and all it has to offer is priceless – my son telling Santa I shot his reindeer during Christmas 2015, not so much. Along with passing knowledge on to my son, I also try to YEARBOOK forever be a learner, and making lots of new friends and connecting with old friends around hunting has taught me a lot. Being relatively new to the hunting scene, I feel like there is an endless amount of knowledge to pick up and be passed down from the more experienced hunters and outdoorsmen, and I get better every year. Hunting has also provided me with a healthy distraction on the anniversary of my late husband’s death. I can’t think of anything I’d rather be doing than being out in the field focused on what I have been blessed with, rather than mourning what I have lost. Outfitter Jerrod Gibbons of Okanogan Valley Guide Service scans for mule deer during Martinz’s hunt. Summer 2015’s wildfires pushed the herd towards unburned irrigated bottomlands. (MIRANDA MARTINZ)
Last year I was approached by my friend Jeff Holmes to take his spot on a guided hunt with Jerrod Gibbons of Okanogan Valley Guide Service (okanoganvalleyguideservice.com) for a muzzleloader hunt, and I almost passed it up out of habit and lack of confidence. But one thing I’ve learned postloss is to live each day to the fullest. It’s important to tackle new challenges, and to remember that we possess far greater strength than we realize. So I agreed to accept it and try something new. I had never shot a muzzleloader, never harvested a mule deer and never participated in a guided hunt. But I was willing to learn and looked forward to the challenge. I quickly found a friend willing to lend me his muzzleloader, and I bought all the supplies I needed and took it out to target practice. Listening to the Pyrodex pellets slide down the barrel I grinned and thought, “Oh, this is going to be fun.” I pushed the bullet down the barrel with my ramrod and was ready for my first shot. I slid the safety off, peered down the open site, focusing on my target and squeezed 24 Northwest Sportsman
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the trigger. I hit my target a few inches high and to the right and smelled sulfurous smoke. It was great! I practiced until it was time to pack and leave for the hunt.
THE TRIP FROM Spokane to Omak the day before the early muzzleloader opening was fairly uneventful, but when I checked into my room I realized I’d packed mismatched boots. I made a mad dash around Omak and found a comfortable pair. New boots on a hunt was less than ideal, but I let it go and kept running through my head the process for manually loading my muzzleloader and lining up my sights on solid brown behind the shoulder, advice that Holmes, a longtime muzzleloader, had given me a few days earlier. When my alarm went off, I was looking forward to a hot shower, coffee, and to hit the field! I met Gibbons in the hotel lobby at 6 a.m., and he had a plan already mapped out. He had checked and rechecked weather forecasts, temperature, wind direction and speed, as well as barometer readings. Our first stop was just outside of town to fire a cap off on the muzzleloader to make sure it was ready to go and no grease would hinder its firing. Gibbons had the routine down; frankly, being inexperienced, it was something I wouldn’t have even thought of. I pocketed that tip away for use later, and we headed out to orchards that he had permission to hunt and he had been seeing mule bucks in daily. Due to the recent nearby fires destroying so much wildlife habitat, many more deer than normal were coming into the orchard and agricultural land to eat, drink and find cover. An overabundance of wildlife in the crops does extensive damage, so helping thin the herd is much needed and welcomed. We walked throughout the orchard, as well as the outskirts where Gibbons would glass the ravine hillsides looking for any deer bedded down in the bushes or sagebrush. After we covered all of the orchard and nearby land with no sign of deer, Gibbons decided to move on to another piece of property further north. As he drove I viewed all the burned hillsides and mountains. Some houses stood untouched in the middle of blackened surroundings. Others hadn’t been as lucky, and you could make out the remains of homesteads scattered on the landscape. In observing how much had changed since my last visit, I realized that the last time I had been in the county was for my aunt’s funeral 11 years ago. And it had been ages since I’d been to Tonasket, where I lived years ago with my grandpa when my family first moved to Washington state. These mountains were where my father had taken me with him at 7 years old to hunt rattlesnakes; he had taught me how to skin and tan them, and it is still something I
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MIXED BAG enjoy and do every year. Heavy memories swirled in, much like the dark ash hanging in the air obscuring my view. It was time to shake it off and head out on another hike through the burned mountains. As I got out of the truck and recapped my muzzleloader the smell of soot and smoke was heavy in the air. The mountainside we were on had been completely burned and each step sent ash and loose, dry topsoil into the air. Gibbons knew that the deer usually bed down on the side of the mountain during the day after feeding in a nearby agricultural field at night. He slowly led the way along game trails, pausing intermittently to glass mountains and ravines, moving on when he didn’t spot anything. At one point he stopped and looked down and nonchalantly said, “Bear tracks, but small bear,” and then kept walking. I looked at the freshly made tracks in the dust and briefly wondered if I felt comfortable enough with my muzzleloader capabilities for a run-in with a bear, and then quickened my pace to catch up with Gibbons. Soon after, he crawled up to the edge of a rock face and glassed the treed area beneath us, spotting two young bucks that were fighting. We watched them for a few minutes and then backed off and worked our way back down the mountain and back to the truck. With no sightings of a legal buck and the time now approaching noon, Gibbons suspected that more than likely the deer had bedded down for the day and our best shot would be
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to try in the evening when they would come out to feed. We decided to take a lunch break and regroup around 4 p.m.
BIG GAME YEARBOOK
BUYING FLOWERS AND lunch I went to visit my aunt’s grave in Riverside, and then drove to nearby Tonasket. My grandfather had built a house there when he first moved to Washington 32 years ago, and although he had long since moved away, I still wanted to see the place. I hadn’t been there in years, and the roads had changed, but I still drove right to it. I sat outside in my car and noticed what had changed and what was still the same. I took a few pictures, and then turned my car around and headed back to Omak to meet Gibbons for our evening hunt. He had decided we would glass a hillside and watch a wellused game trail that he had seen a few legal bucks using. He knew they typically came down into a nearby agricultural field and would come in to feed before dark. We set up to watch the hillside, with the plan that he would see them coming in from far enough in the distance that we could then get down into an open piece of land and position ourselves near the game trail, giving me a clear shot as they came off the mountain. His fiancé Mindy
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MIXED BAG after 45 minutes or so I am sure I couldn’t have walked if I had joined us on our evening hunt and needed to, having lost circulation to my feet. I briefly prayed to not she helped him glass the hillside. We have to run after the deer. When the buck didn’t seem to really be chatted about our first hunts as women, coming any closer to us, I asked Gibbons how far out it was. He said as well as her involvement in the guide 140 yards, and I commented that I wasn’t sure about taking that services business. I am always glad to see long of a shot, and so I waited. The buck came closer and was just women’s involvement in hunting, and I YEARBOOK outside of 100 yards when I heard Gibbons whisper, “You might encourage women to get more involved want to take a shot sooner rather than later; the doe to your left whenever I can. just busted us.” Our buck was standing broadside at 120 yards. A Gibbons and Mindy had taken a break from glassing the hillside doe slowly walked past him, and when she cleared, I lined up my in front of us to look back over an agricultural field about half a mile sight and pulled the trigger – and completely shot over my target. away at the bottom of the mountain we had hiked earlier in the day. The deer stopped moving and looked around, while Gibbons Gibbons spotted a buck coming down off of the mountain towards prompted me to reload, slowly. My hands were shaking and I was the field. I am in awe at his ability to pick out deer on the landscape, somewhat in shock that, one, I had missed him, and two, that he something my eyes are still learning to do. He had to point the buck was still standing there. I shook it off and started reloading and out twice for me in his scope before I spotted him, but when it finally was thankful that Gibbons was there to walk me through it and lifted its head out of the grass, the first thing I saw was the light patch of its nose. My adrenaline rushed. Gibbons grabbed his scope and said, “Let’s go kill The still-standing chimney of a home burned in summer’s calamitous Okanogan County fires that buck”. No ifs, ands or tries about it. He reminded Martinz of the A-frame her grandfather built nearby three decades before, and led definitely felt more sure about it than I did, her to donate the meat of her kill to local families. (MIRANDA MARTINZ) but it was exactly the boost in confidence that I needed. We closed in as quickly as possible on the field. Gibbons’ game plan was to get to the edge of the tall grass to take cover behind an old piece of wood fence just at the edge of freshly cut alfalfa, and hope that the buck worked his way out onto the field and into shooting range. The wind was blowing in from behind us and right into the herd of deer. We were at a disadvantage of being scented, so getting into place as quickly as possible before they worked their way into the field was imperative. We crouched down help reload, as that tight barrel made for a tough reload. He ended and made a dash for it for a short distance and then got down and up finally getting my second round pushed all the way into my belly-crawled the remainder of the distance until we reached the barrel and I slowly repositioned my barrel to line back up with edge of the tall grass. We quickly got set up in the best place to my buck. I took a deep breath, and as I slowly exhaled I saw my give me a clear shot, and a few minutes later the first doe stepped sight on brown, as I had visualized prior to the hunt, and slowly out into the field from the taller, thicker vegetation the deer had squeezed my trigger. I don’t recall hearing the shot or seeing been navigating through. A few other does, a spike and a fawn smoke. The buck was still standing there, and this time the deer soon followed, and then the three-point Gibbons had spotted started walking away. earlier stepped out, and my heart raced. I glanced back at Gibbons I heard Gibbons say I had hit him; I told him I hadn’t and started and Mindy and smiled. This was the moment I had been looking reloading. He grabbed my ramrod and said, “Nope, you hit him, but forward to since I had committed to the hunt. We watched as the reload in case you need to take a kill shot.” deer ate and slowly worked their way further out into the field. The buck slowly just sank to the ground right where he stood. Gibbons gave me landmarks as the herd moved closer, letting me And I finally let the breath out I hadn’t even realized I was holding. know where the 100-yard mark was. I had only target-practiced up Once Gibbons was sure the deer wasn’t moving anymore we slowly to 100 yards and was about where I was comfortable. walked to him. I grabbed his dark horns, and Gibbons explained As we waited, does would bed down. A smaller doe wandered that he had been rubbing on the recently burned trees while he in. My buck would wander a few steps and then graze, hanging was shedding his velvet, which made them this dark color, and back at the edge of the group. He was in no hurry to go anywhere, that they had nicknamed him Blackie. I patted Blackie, thanked so we patiently waited. I was crouched down on both knees and
BIG GAME
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him for his life and meat he was giving me, and admired what a beautiful animal he was.
AFTER THE BUCK was tagged and field
dressed, Gibbons and Mindy dropped me off back at my hotel; he would return with my deer in the morning for my trip home. I immediately walked to the restaurant/lounge next door to grab dinner before calling it a night. Still in camo, I took a seat in the lounge. Before I could even look at the menu two older gentlemen noticed the camo I was still wearing and commented on not being able to see me. I had to laugh at the joke. They asked if I had been hunting. I told them I had, and they shared that they had been quail hunting earlier in the day. We shared stories and pictures while I ate and they bought drinks to celebrate my first successful mule deer hunt. Being an outdoorsman is not just a hobby, but a way of life, and one I am proud of. The camaraderie is part of what makes a great sportsman. I slept much better with the stress off and few drinks, and woke up excited to head home. I had decided I was going to do my first shoulder mount with this cape and I was eager to drop it off at my taxidermist, as well as get the buck hung and ready to butcher at
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home. As I started the drive I marveled again at the devastation from the fires. I pulled over in a driveway to what was once someone’s home. All that was left in the blackened mess was a rock chimney and foundation. In reminiscing the day before at the old house my grandfather had built in Tonasket, it hadn’t been the physical house that impressed me, but what had gone into it. It was each stone my grandfather’s hands had collected and built into a rock chimney. It was his countless stories, letting me drive his tractor when I was 5, and our handprints in the cement/slate walkways. Something about this particular chimney still standing after the wildfires made me stop and thank the Lord for giving me the memories I have been blessed with, and to help those people displaced by fires. I turned around and headed back to town. I found a church in Riverside (the fire had burned right up to its yard) that had members from the Christian Disaster Relief based there. Pastor Vern helped me find someone at the church (who just happened to work for Gibbons’ guide service) who agreed to take my deer and butcher and distribute it to displaced families. I instantly felt good about sharing something so precious to me, but it would take a couple weeks after the hunt to recognize its significance. My own grandfather would pass away just 10 days after I visited the homestead he had built in Okanogan County. NS
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Brian Clintworth’s first special-permit bull was a whopper. He bagged it in Eastern Washington. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)
BIG GAME YEARBOOK
Hella good season, Huck! Tacoma “Huck” Clowers of Terrebonne, Ore., took a great three-point in the Interstate Unit and a big bull from the Grizzly, both with a .338. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST) Bowhunting during a rare big September snowfall in Eastern Oregon, Kasey Field harvested this very nice muley that was still in velvet. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)
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Chad Media bagged this thickbeamed 5x4 in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness during Washington’s High Hunt. The Lynnwood hunter downed the buck with a 320-yard shot from his Browning 300 WSM, using a 165-grain bullet. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)
BIG GAME YEARBOOK
After spotting this 6x5 near a ridgeline, Tadd Olson put his best sneak on to get a shot at the big-bodied Swakane Unit buck. He estimates it weighed 268 pounds on the hoof. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)
Rick Pendergrass of Tigard stuck this 25-inch-wide Keno Unit buck during the late bow hunt. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)
Cheers! Washington whiskey mogul Orlin Sorenson shot this very nice bull elk during a public-land hunt in Montana. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST) 34 Northwest Sportsman
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Greg Stanger’s moose will go down as one of the larger bulls taken in Washington. The rack of the Parker Lake moose measured 45½ inches wide. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)
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After hunting the Coluckum for 40 years, Gordon Stansfield made good on a special permit with a notable bull, this 7x7. It had been captured a year and a half earlier as part of a study on local elk movements and was estimated to be six or seven years old. Stansfield had help from friend Austin Moser. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)
Following up on other hunters’ reports of a muley “as big as an elk” running around on opening weekend, Scott Watling of Puyallup tagged this very nice Entiat four-point. It measured 28½ inches wide and 21 inches tall. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)
A belly-crawl through CRP and around a few does put Chad Zoller into position to take a 50-yard shot at this Prescott Unit mule deer. He was hunting the ZMI Ranch. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST) 36 Northwest Sportsman
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MIXED BAG Porter Abrams had a heckuva first year, filling deer and elk tags. The 10-year-old got this cow with a 190-yard shot. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)
Caroline Allen, 11, learned a lesson in persistence by hunting this blacktail for two days before getting a 50-yard shot at it. She was hunting the Snoqualmie Valley with her dad and brother. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)
You’ll recognize this name as a deer hunter, and now Tater Applegate’s made good on elk. He was hunting the Murderers Creek Unit with best friend Dakota Bunn. (BROWNING
BIG GAME YEARBOOK
PHOTO CONTEST)
Growing up in a great place for hunting, Logan Braaten notched his first buck, this nice 3-pointer from Eastern Washington’s Douglas County. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)
E-burg’s Kalee Brown, 19, bagged her first animal, this spike, on opening morning of Washington’s rifle elk season. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)
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MIXED BAG A tip that last summer’s fires had pushed bucks into the Methow Valley paid off for Dane Brubaker. He and his father Doug found this nice muley behind a gate, and the youngster hit it with a 127-yard shot. Gutted, it weighed 191 pounds. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)
BIG GAME YEARBOOK
A perfect shot, darkness and the glint of antlers in the morning combined to make Shawn Child’s first buck a memorable one. He and his father couldn’t find the whitetail after Shawn took a 200-plus-yard shot near dusk, but the next day, they went back out and found it. Kudos on keeping at it, fellas. (BROWNING PHOTO
Hunter Higginbotham opened his hunting career with a heckuva shot. The 9-year-old made a 220-yard shot that hit the neck of this eastern Klickitat County buck. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)
CONTEST)
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Proud moment for Tim Goodman-Gray. The 16-year old harvested his first bull elk hunting in Northeast Oregon. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)
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Lisa Fox poses with brother-in-law AJ Vosper and father Richard Farmer after killing her first elk, this Oregon wapiti. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)
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With his dad in another canyon, Brandon Johnson worked himself into a position to down this four-point with a 240-yard shot. They were near Waterville, Wash., on the opener. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)
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Hunting in this blacktail’s Skagit Valley dining room, Nicole Kitchen harvested her first buck near her home there. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)
On opening morning of rifle deer, 15-year-old Tiffany Pott of Ellensburg notched her tag with this handsome Okanogan County muley.
The Lindbergs are eating pretty good this winter, thanks to Peggy’s first bull, taken in her third year of hunting. She and husband Rick pose with the elk she harvested on their property near North Bend, Wash., with a “perfect shot” from a Remington 700 in .308.
He comes from deerkilling stock, and now JD Lundquist’s on the board too with this blacktail!
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BIG EK GYEAARM BOO Four days of scouting and hunting paid off for Jack Spiess, 15, who harvested this South Mt. Spokane Unit cow moose on a youth tag. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)
The Clatsop State Forest was kind to Spencer Veatch of Newberg, Ore. The 13-year-old downed this spike blacktail spike with a single shot from a .243. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST) Call him “Bam Cam” – Cameron Wilson, 11, of Friday Harbor, Wash., took his first whitetail, this Eastern Washington buck, with a 269-yard shot. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)
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North Bend, Oregon’s Cheryl Westgaard has done well on blacktail since she took up hunting eight years ago, but this Sixes Unit bull is her first elk. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)
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MIXED BAG A long shot a long way from home did the trick for Jack Allen of North Bend, Wash. He took this ďŹ vepoint Southwest Montana whitetail with a 200yard shot from his .243. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)
BIG GAME YEARBOOK
The second weekend was kind to Matt Bliss of Tacoma. Hunting in late October in Eastern Washington, he tagged this nice muley. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)
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After a whitetail since she started hunting, Kelly Frazier connected in Washington’s Steptoe Unit last fall. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)
Christian Campos put on a great sneak to harvest this 22-inch-wide Palouse whitetail with his .300 from fewer than 20 yards on the opener. (BROWNING PHOTO
Mathew Goodman-Gray, 11, got his second deer, this Jordan Valley muley. He was hunting with his grandfather, Roger Goodman, of Union., Ore.
CONTEST)
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MIXED BAG Eighty-year-old Larry Gotsch tagged this 3x4 on the opening weekend of Oregon’s deer season. He was hunting the Fossil Unit with son Patrick, a sales manager for CRKT in Portland. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)
BIG GAME YEARBOOK
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Using his cancer-felled grandfather’s well-kept .308, Hunter Smith of Lake Tapps, Wash., not only harvested a Blue Mountains foothills doe, but also this Manastash elk on Veteran’s Day, a fitting moment as his grandpa had served in Vietnam. (DAIWA PHOTO CONTEST)
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It went down to the wire for Eugene-area siblings Taylor and Harry Kenyon. Taylor shot her buck while hunting alone on the final day of general season, which made her father Mark pretty darn proud. And after passing several other deer, Harry got this fine blacktail on the last day he could hunt. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)
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“For goodness sake, the luck was with the ladies,” says Dawna Laetzch, here with daughters Renel and Mckenna Koker and their McKenzie Unit three- and fourpointers. “I have to say, this was the most exciting hunting season I have experienced in the 30-plus years I have been hunting,” Dawna added. Maybe luck was with the girls, but we’d say a pretty good guide was as well! (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)
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MIXED BAG Andy Larsson of Skinner Sights downed this Montana mule deer with a 200yard shot from his Remington chambered in .300 Savage. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)
BIG GAME YEARBOOK The Martin boys made out well – Nick, Cameron and George tagged out on consecutive days hunting near Conconully, in areas that burned last summer. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)
Hunting since she was 8, Amber Kolb, 14, drew into a juvenile elk tag for the Mt. St. Helens area and dropped this very nice bull with one shot. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)
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BIG GAME YEARBOOK Sue Peterson got it done in the ponderosa pines of Eastern Washington! (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)
Troy and Jayce Wilder teamed up on this Tioga Unit bull. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)
With the wind in her face and fellow hunters in the background, Ashley Masters wisely passed up a 300-plus-yard shot at this three-point Coweeman Unit blacktail to set up a much closer and better chance at downing her ďŹ rst branch-antlered buck, her third deer overall. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)
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“Just a little bragging,” says Mike Winnett, left, after he, brother Don and friend Jim Baurer took three spikes in two days from the Bethel Unit in Washington’s South Cascades during the muzzleloader elk season. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST) No bucks in Yakima County? Not so fast, says Gary Wall, who got this one with a 335-yard shot while brother Cory spotted for him. The Southwest Washington residents pull a buck out of the area hit by a louse infestation annually. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)
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PHOTO CONTEST
WINNERS!
A beautiful, bright Buoy 10 fall Chinook for Kymberlee Schoonover is this issue’s monthly Daiwa Photo Contest winner. It wins her a Daiwa hat, T-shirt and scissors for cutting braided line, and puts her in the running for the grand prize of a Daiwa rod-and-reel combo!
Klaye Kitchen is our monthly Browning hunting photo contest winner, thanks to this pic of wife Nicole and her Skagit Valley blacktail buck. It scores him a Browning hat.
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Your LOCAL Hunting & Fishing Resource
For your shot at winning Daiwa and Browning products, send your photos and pertinent (who, what, when, where) details to awalgamott@ media-inc.com or Northwest Sportsman, PO Box 24365, Seattle, WA 98124-0365. By sending us photos, you affirm you have the right to distribute them for our print or Internet publications. nwsportsmanmag.com | FEBRUARY 2016
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Judges Get Tough On Poachers
By Andy Walgamott
J
udges in Idaho and Oregon stuck it to elk poachers in recent months. During Oregon’s bow season last September, an archer reported to state troopers that they had seen someone shoot with a rifle at a herd of elk near Cottage Grove, according to the Eugene Register Guard. One of the animals, an 8x7, was mortally wounded and had to be put down. But thanks to the hunter’s photographs of the suspect and his vehicle, the poacher was identified, and in December, Jeffrey C. Dodge of Creswell was sentenced to pay $15,000 in restitution for killing the trophy-class elk, as well as was put on probation for five years. Jeffrey C. Dodge of Creswell, Ore., and the 8x7 bull elk he illegally shot with a rifle According to the paper, Dodge said shooting the bull was during last fall’s bowhunting season. (LANE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE) “a stupid mistake.” A stupider mistake will be if Dodge doesn’t pay the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife the full restitution. Lane County Circuit Court Judge Douglas Mitchell told him that if he didn’t, his three-year hunting license suspension would become a five-year ban. Meanwhile, a gem of a judge in Idaho threw the book at a man who poached a bull elk and wasted the meat. David S. Wallace of the small town of Culdesac east of Lewiston had faced just a fine of $250 and a two-year suspension of his hunting and fishing privileges. But at the 19-year-old’s sentencing, Magistrate Gregory Kalbfleisch gave him 10 days in jail, fined him nearly $2,500 and ruled he won’t be able to fish or hunt for three years. According to the Lewiston Tribune, Wallace shot the elk in late September off a road for food and then dragged it to a more concealed spot for butchering later. But when he came back, the meat had spoiled. Nonetheless, he hacked off the 5x6’s head and took it home, and also tried to talk a Nez Perce Tribe member into claiming the animal. “For some reason some people think it isn’t a crime to take game animals out of season, or to waste them,” Kalbfleisch told reporter Ralph Bartholdt. “I take those things very seriously.” So does this page. Tip of the cap to Judges Kalbfleisch and Mitchell. Thanks, your honors.
JACKASSES OF THE MONTH
N
o matter how you feel about January’s takeover of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters by militia members, the bottom line is that it resulted in the closure of the 188,000-acre Harney County refuge to all hunting. Yes, thankfully there are millions more acres of federal ground in the southeastern corner of Oregon on which to pursue upland birds, rabbits and waterfowl, but JOTM has little sympathy for either those who poach our game or get in the way of our precious public-land hunting options.
Just as a hunter was key to nailing the poacher who shot an 8x7 bull elk in Oregon (above), an alert citizen in Washington helped solve the case of this 5x5 killed 2 miles inside a closed area near Mt. St. Helens last November. That person led a fish and wildlife officer to the scene, where evidence was collected. Afterwards, a suspect admitted to shooting the elk, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and its mount and meat were seized. “This is another great example of citizen involvement in the reporting of crimes and/or suspicious circumstances,” said officers on the WDFW Police Facebook page. “Thank you for caring about our natural resources in this state!” (WDFW)
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FEBRUARY Tacoma and Hood Canal (Marine Areas 11, 12) open for blackmouth Late goose hunt opens in Northwest Oregon Permit Zone Last day to apply for Oregon spring bear hunts (results available Feb. 20); Late goose hunt opens in Washington Goose Management Area 2A (on private lands only) Late goose hunt opens in Washington Goose Management Area 2B (on private lands only) Last day for steelheading in select Puget Sound terminal areas; Last day to apply for Idaho controlled spring black bear hunt; Washington brant, snow goose and sea duck harvest reports due Sekiu (Marine Area 5) blackmouth opener Boat Techniques For Spring Chinook workshop ($, registration) at Glen Otto Park, Troutdale; South Coast (Oregon) Zone late goose season opener (on private lands only) Last day of snipe hunting season in Oregon’s Zone 1 Last day of bobcat, fox season in Oregon Last day to apply for Washington spring bear permit
1 6 10 14 15 16 20 21 28 29
NORTHWEST BOAT & SPORTSMEN’S SHOWS JANUARY Seattle Boat Show, CenturyLink Field Event Center and South Lake Union, Seattle; seattleboatshow.com
29-Feb.6
FEBRUARY KEZI Eugene Boat & Sportsmen’s Show, Lane County Fairgrounds, Eugene; exposureshows.com Pacific Northwest Sportsmen’s Show, Expo Center, Portland; otshows.com Central Washington Sportsmen Show, SunDome, Yakima; shuylerproductions.com Servpro Douglas County Sportsmen’s & Outdoor Recreation Show, Douglas County Fairgrounds, Roseburg, Ore.; exposureshows.com Great Rockies Sport Show, Lewis & Clark County Fairgrounds, Helena; greatrockiesshow.com KDRV Sportsmen’s & Outdoor Recreation Show, Jackson County Expo, Medford; exposureshows.com Wenatchee Valley Sportsmen Show, Town Toyota Center, Wenatchee; shuylerproductions.com Saltwater Sportsmen’s Show, Oregon State Fairgrounds, Salem; saltwatersportsmensshow.com
5-7 10-14 19-21 19-21 26-28 26-28 26-28 27-28
MARCH 3-6 3-6 4-6 11-12 12-13 17-20 17-20
Central Oregon Sportsmen’s Show, Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center, Redmond; otshows.com Idaho Sportsmen’s Show, Expo Idaho, Boise; idahosportsmanshow.com BC Boat & Sportsmen’s Show, and BC Hunting Show, TRADEX, Abbotsford; masterpromotions.ca Northwest Fly Tyer and Fly Fishing Expo, Linn County Expo Center, Albany, Ore.; nwexpo.com Great Rockies Sport Show, Adams Center, Missoula, Mont.; greatrockiesshow.com Big Horn Outdoor Adventure Show, Spokane County Fair & Expo Center, Spokane; bighornshow.com Puget Sound Boat Show, Tacoma Dome; otshows.com
APRIL 1-3
Great Rockies Sport Show, Brick Breeden Fieldhouse, Bozeman, Mont.; greatrockiesshow.com
TO BE DETERMINED Oregon Coast Sportsman’s Expo, Lincoln County; oregoncoastsportsmansexpo.com
RECORD NW GAME FISH CAUGHT THIS MONTH Take note, record-fish fans who don’t like to eat their trophies: The Idaho Department of Fish & Game is launching a new catch-and-release category this year. Just catch a fish, take a picture of yourself with it and it against a measuring device, and have at least one witness, and send the info to IDFG. For more, see fishandgame.idaho.gov.
Date 2-4-13 2-7-10 2-20-90 2-28-14
Species Mackinaw Utah chub Walleye Walleye (image)
Pds. (-oz.) 35.63 2-13 19-15.3 20.32
Water L. Chelan (WA) L. Walcott (ID) Columbia R. (OR) Columbia R. (WA)
(WDFW)
Angler Phil Colyar Alfred Woolstenhulme Arnold Berg John Grubenhoff nwsportsmanmag.com | FEBRUARY 2016
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By Andy Walgamott
Fourpeat In The Straits?
C
an they do it yet again? Jerry Thomas and Larry Quesnell have enjoyed quite a run at the Olympic Peninsula Salmon Derby over the past three years, and if the Mount Vernon fishing partners enter and bring in the biggest blackmouth at the 2016 edition, it would bring their haul out of Gardiner to a whopping $40,000. Held in the eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca, this year’s contest falls on Feb. 19-21, Presidents’ Day Weekend. It’s part of the Northwest Salmon Derby Series (nwsalmonderbyseries.com) and features a $10,000 prize for largest fish. Thomas won 2015’s with an 18.95, as well as 2013’s, while Quesnell won 2014’s. Tickets ($40) are widely available at sporting goods stores along the straits, on the Kitsap Peninsula and at Puget Sound locations. When the winds are up, it can be a bit of an ironman contest,
2016 NORTHWEST SALMON DERBY SERIES Feb. 19-21: Olympic Peninsula Salmon Derby, eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca; gardinersalmonderby.org March 19: 10th Annual Everett Blackmouth Derby, Marine Areas 8, 9; everettblackmouthderby.com July 8-10: Bellingham Salmon Derby, San Juan Islands; bellinghampsa.com/wp/derby July 27-31: The Big One Salmon Derby, Lake Coeur d’Alene; lcaaidaho.com (note: awards ceremony Aug. 6) Aug. 6: South King County PSA Salmon Derby, Areas 10, 11, 13; pugetsoundanglers.net/skc-puget-sound-anglers-derby-page Aug. 12: Gig Harbor PSA Salmon Derby, Areas 11, 13; gigharborpsa.org Aug. 20: Columbia River Fall Salmon Derby, Lower Columbia; swwa.org Sept. 3: Willapa Bay Salmon Derby, Willapa Bay; dfdbones@aol.com Sept. 10: Edmonds Coho Derby, Areas 8, 9, 10; fisharc.com/ groups/2-PSA_Sno_King/derbies Sept. 24-25: Everett Coho Derby, Central Sound salt- and freshwaters; everettcohoderby.com Nov. 5-6: 25th Annual Bayside Marine Salmon Derby, Central Sound; baysidemarine.com Dec. 1-3: 2nd Annual Friday Harbor Salmon Classic, San Juan Islands; fridayharborsalmonclassic.com To be determined: 7th Annual Resurrection Derby, San Juan Islands; resurrectionderby.com
but last year saw good conditions at what is one of the older derbies in the region. It’s been around for over four decades now, in one form or another. For more, see gardinersalmonderby.org.
Boggan’s Steelhead Derby Begins
T
here was more ice than river to the Grande Ronde last month, as the eastern side of the Blue Mountains was clamped in bitter cold. But those conditions should ameliorate in time for the start of the 10th Annual Spring Fishing Derby, held out of Boggan’s Oasis. Running from Feb. 5 through March 19, fishing for hatchery steelhead is open on the Washington side of the river down to the Highway 129 bridge. Last year, Will Gregory’s 9-pound, 30½- Mason Rurberti won the kids division at last year’s Boggan’s inch steelhead claimed the $500 Spring Fishing Derby with this first-place prize in the adult division 7.6-pounder. (BOGGANS.COM) and Mason Rurberti’s 7.6-pound, 30-incher was tops on the kids side and won $200. Fish weights were up over the 2014 derby. Tickets are available at Boggan’s, located at the highway bridge, and there are weekly prizes up for grabs. For more, see boggans.com.
MORE UPCOMING EVENTS
Feb. 1-April 10: 12th Annual Frank Wilson Memorial Blackmouth Derby; facebook.com/fhkingsmarine Feb. 13-14: 27th Annual Cascade Cup, Cascade Reservoir, Idaho; Tackle Tom’s (208-382-4367) March 12 through the end of season: Westport Charterboat Association Weekly Lingcod Derby; charterwestport.com April 9: 24th Annual Spring Fishing Classic; Columbia and Willamette Rivers; nsiafishing.org * More events: wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/contests/index.html To have your derby or results listed here, email awalgamott@ media-inc.com.
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HUNTING
Careful Calling Can Bring In Coyotes It can be tough to hunt this part of winter for Northwest songdogs, but not if you adapt your strategies.
By Jason Brooks
P
atches of snow revealed a set of fresh coyote tracks leading through the tall sage. An hour earlier, in the predawn gloom, I had located the songdog with a series of howls. The set began with a series of small cries from a cottontail call that increased in intensity over the next 15 minutes. I knew the coyote was nearby, but maybe he had had a good night hunting and decided the “easy meal” wasn’t worth the effort. After taking a break I decided to start some yip-howling with a few juvenile coyote howls. It worked, as apparently, the party that this dog was missing was just enough to bring him in, and soon he showed himself in the sage.
FEBRUARY CAN BE a tough month to
Whether hunting them for their fur, the challenge, to help regulate populations of the predators or ease depredations around cattle and sheep operations, coyotes are a favorite target for winter sportsmen like the author, Jason Brooks, hoisting a songdog he shot in a recent season. (JASON BROOKS)
hunt coyotes, if you go to the normal grounds that have been pounded since late November, when buyers began purchasing furs. Trying to use the calls that mimic a free meal does get a few dogs, but as the shortest month of the year starts to wane, female coyotes nwsportsmanmag.com | FEBRUARY 2016
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HUNTING Dressing in camo, whether standard patterns, soft earth tones or all white to match early winter’s big snowfalls, will go a long way towards concealing yourself from the watchful eyes of coyotes. (JASON BROOKS)
will begin their heat cycle. Breeding instinct takes over and it’s time to switch it up and mimic vocal groups of coyotes. For the areas that might not have been hit as
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hard, mixing the dying cry of a small animal and the calls of several birds with a yip-howl or bark can bring the nearby coyotes running.
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HUNTING Instead of the normal large tracts of desertlike Bureau of Land Management ground and the like, where fur hunters often prowl, try to find small tracts of public lands mixed with farmlands. These areas tend to hold a lot of coyotes because they aren’t normally hunted. Food sources are readily available in the form of domestic cats and other small farm animals, as well as wildlife attracted to the locations, plus garbage or even pet food that’s been left out. Coyotes are opportunists and don’t need much room as long as they have a food source. Knocking on a rancher’s door and offering to hunt the coyotes that will come after their livestock as calving or lambing season starts in a few weeks is another way to gain access to some deer hunting ground next fall. I have found that wheat farmers of the Palouse don’t care either way about coyotes as they keep the moles and mice populations down and they normally don’t raise livestock. Besides, the Palouse is often hunted hard most of the year just by virtue that coyotes in open fields make for easy targets. In Eastern Washington, the Methow Valley has a lot of interspersed public and private lands. McFarland Creek drainage, which sustained damage from last summer’s fire on the top end, leads over to the South Fork of Gold Creek and can provide a place to hunt coyotes, as long as the road is open. Along Highway 20, the rolling hills between
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CAREFUL HANDLING Coyotes are a pest, and though you might find it hard to kill an animal just because it is there, these predators need population control. Their fur value diminishes in February and any dog in Western Washington isn’t worth selling anyway. But coyotes carry several diseases such as parvo and canine distemper, both of which are deadly to your pet and can be transmitted from coyotes that roam in nearby neighborhoods. They also carry mange and other parasites like fleas. When handling a dead coyote, make sure to always wear gloves if possible or wash your hands as soon as you can. I often see guys throw the dogs over their shoulders, which is a good way to spread fleas all over you. The animals weigh between 20 and 35 pounds, on average, and if you can’t carry them by hand, it is a good idea to drag them in a sled or place them in a large plastic garbage bag and then pack them out. I have learned from experience that fleas don’t make good house pets and you can easily bring them inside your home and give them to your dog if you don’t take precautions. If possible, wear coveralls when hunting, and when you get back to the truck, simply take them off and put them into the back of the rig, not in your cab. –JB
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HUNTING the Okanogan National Forest. Near the small town of Chesaw is the Chesaw Unit of the Scotch Creek Wildlife Area. With its rolling hills, open grasslands and stands of timber, coyotes do well here. There are private lands nearby where coyotes can escape to and populations of songdogs can thrive. And thanks to North-central Washington’s colder winter climate, the fur on February coyotes tends to stay in shape, so it is still worth the time to preserve the pelt for market. Otherwise, fur buyers often stop buying as February folds into springlike weather and the dogs start to rub and ruin the pelts. If you plan on hunting coyotes for profit, the above areas will extend your season.
on Shoo t ny
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COYOTES ALSO THRIVE in Western Washington. If There are plenty of coyote hunting opportunities on the west side of the Cascades, and while you have a pass to the many “pay to play” timber the pelts are nowhere near as valuable as those from the colder side of our region, it’s still quite an achievement to bag the wary critters. Misty Fox killed this one near Scappoose, Ore. company lands, then going out and hunting coyotes (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST) is another way to extend your hunting season and take the sting out of buying the use permit. There’s For lands with small clearings or heavy timber, a also a lot of Department of Natural Resources lands, such 12-gauge shotgun loaded with T-sized shot or Hevi-Shot’s as Capitol State Forest, Tahuya State Forest, Elbe Hills and Dead Coyote loads will do the job. For the larger clearcuts, the like that are outside foothills towns. These are highany rifle will work, as Western Washington coyotes are use areas for multiple groups of outdoor enthusiasts, so not of any value on the fur market. But since they often don’t expect privacy.
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HUNTING eat family pets, as well as deer fawns and a few elk calves, keeping their numbers in check is still necessary. Sounds don’t carry very far in dense forests. Because of this, you need to call more often and use a series of calls. Start with a dying rodent and then really work the birdsfighting call. Howling doesn’t work as well as it does on the Eastside, but it can still be used to locate the dogs at night. Don’t overlook calling one stand for the usual 15 to 20 minutes and then simply moving 50 yards and calling in the opposite direction. Sound tends to bounce off of the dense trees and a coyote could hang up just inside the tree line, but by making the move, it could produce just enough noise to get the dog to come in. As a reminder, wolf numbers are increasing in the Northwest, so be sure of your target. An Oregon coyote hunter was charged last fall with shooting a wolf and faces as much as a $6,250 fine and year in jail if convicted.
NO MATTER WHERE you are hunting, concealment is a must. Coyotes have keen eyesight and pick up movement very quickly. They are used to hunting mice that scurry along the ground or patient rabbits that hide in brush. I often wear camo when out on large tracts of public lands – remember to not only match the flora, but also snow if it’s on the ground – but if I am hunting an area
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near homes or private lands, I will just wear earth-tone colors. Sitting with your back against or alongside brush to break up your outline will also help, as coyotes pick up on movement, not camo patterns or your clothing. As long as you break up your shape and stay still, you should remain undetected by at least their eyes. If you have a remote-controlled electronic caller, set it as far away as you can. Make sure to sit still, which means making yourself very comfortable before you start calling. I use a foam pad to sit or kneel on, and always sit with my back to some brush. A shooting tripod or shooting sticks can really help, especially to prop the gun on while you call with one hand or work the remote. I also tend to wear a face mask to stay warm, as well as break up my face. If you are hunting with a partner, one can use the rodent distress call while the other works the bird call; together, you can make a real ruckus. If using calls that mimic coyotes, such as a bark or yip-howl, the main thing to remember is that this is breeding season and you want the canids to think that something is going on with a group of coyotes, such as a female in heat looking for a suitor. The idea is to get the coyotes excited to come see what is going on. Sometimes they come running in real fast; other times they wander in slowly. Either way, you need to be ready to shoot. NS
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New Guns Even Odds On Rabbits
You can run, rabbit, but new shotguns and old favorite rimfires help give winter hunters a chance at putting Peter and pals in a pot. (CAPT_TAIN TOM, FLICKR)
B
y the time you read this, the 2016 Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show will be history, and there will have been introductions from three companies of new .410-bore shotguns, one of the two perfect guns for rabbit hunting. ON TARGET The other is the .22-caliber rifle or pistol, By Dave Workman and more about that in a minute. What makes the .410 such a great gun for rabbits is that they’re thin-skinned and don’t require a lot of lead to put them down. No. 6 or 7½ shot is ample, and you’ll have some good eating. Just be careful to pick out any pellets rather than ingest one accidentally or break a tooth. Rabbit hunting in Washington continues to March 15, while in Oregon the season is year-round. In Idaho, cottontails are open through the end this month, snowshoes the end of March. But for my money, February is the month for bunnies. (Take a rifle along because the coyotes will be out there too.) With liberal limits – in fact, there’s none in Oregon – you can find yourself in a lot of rabbit, which, when it’s prepared right, is better than chicken.
GETTING DOWN TO it, Browning (browning.com) this year has
introduced a new Citori 725 O/U shotgun, and one of the available chamberings is .410. Never sell this little shotgun short. I know some guys who brag on their 28-gauge shotguns, but if you want a real challenge, run with the .410 bore. To hit things consistently, you’ve got to be very good. The .410 has little or no felt recoil. I’ve got a dandy Stoeger side-by-side with full chokes on both sides and double triggers. But this Browning, well, it’s a Citori and that says a bundle without saying anything else. It’s got vent-rib barrels and grade III/IV walnut stock and forearm with a gloss finish. They feature a silver nitride finish on the receiver and high-relief engraving. Translation: You can hunt and look really good at the same time! The Citori is and always has been a superb break-action shotgun. I’ve never owned one, but I’ve fired a few and none of them gave me a hint of trouble. The Redhead Premier from CZ-USA (cz-usa.com) features a new one-piece CNC machined receiver with a silver finish, checkered Turkish walnut stock, five flush-mounted choke tubes, 28-inch vent-rib barrels and five choke tubes. In .410 bore this model has extractors rather than ejectors. A workhorse model if there ever was one was the Savage combo gun with a rifle barrel above and shotgun barrel below.
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This year, Savage (savagearms.com) has introduced the Model 42 Takedown with a .22 Long Rifle or .22 Magnum barrel on top and a .410-bore barrel below. This combo gun has a tough synthetic stock and forearm, matte black finish on the barrel and action and adjustable rifle sights. It breaks down with a simple push of a button. It’s the kind of gun you can stick in a truck behind the seat, or in the back of an SUV and it will always be there when you need it.
THAT BRINGS US around to the .22-caliber rimfire. I know a guy in Wyoming who shoots a lot of rabbits. When I was down at his place in November, we had some for lunch that he had cooked up. That reminded me that I hadn’t popped a bunny in quite a while, and I made a little promise to myself that when I got back home, I’d clean up my Ruger .22 pistol (ruger.com) and make sure my 10/22 was zeroed, and sneak a weekend or two somewhere to clobber some cottontails. As I wrote this, I was waiting for delivery of a new test gun from Sig Sauer (sigsauer.com), a P250 chambered for .22
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®
Long Rifle. I might just be compelled to take that little self-loader along on a bunny hunt to see how it performs in the field. The rimfire is the gun of choice for many serious rabbit hunters. One shot in the noggin puts them down for the count. It’s important to field dress them quickly, and if you can get the skin off and get them into a cooler real fast, better still. Be sure to wear rubber or latex gloves and use a real sharp knife. A pocketknife will suffice, so there’s no need to haul out some big tactical belt knife that might just muck up the works. Get the head off and cut around the legs, then up the belly and chest to the neck so you can peel the skin off. Don’t insert the blade too far so as to keep from opening up the entrails.
Examples of good new guns for cottontails, snowshoes, jackrabbits and the like include CZ-USA’s Redhead Premier (top) and Browning’s new Model 725 Citori field model, both chambered in .410. (CZ-USA, BROWNING)
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Once the meat is cooled off, you have the makings of a meal. Northwest Sportsman staff chef Randy King has several rabbit recipes that will please your taste buds (see the March 2012, February 2014 and February 2015 issues, as well as his book, Chef in the Wild: Reflections and Recipes from a True Wilderness Chef). You can fry them up, roast or bake them like chicken. I’ve tasted them smoked. There are all kinds of ways to have rabbit, but before you eat them, you’ve got to get them.
BLACKBERRY TANGLES ARE good hangouts. They can also be around root wads in forest areas, and in farm country, they won’t be far from alfalfa, hanging around the edges of fields. If you can get permission to hunt private land, you could come up with a full bag. Out in the sagebrush country, look for them around rock formations. Heck, I see rabbits in my neighborhood out around North Bend and they seem to love clover, so don’t be surprised by where they might show up. I like either a 37-grain hollowpoint or 40-grain roundnose lead bullet, and both are accurate in my rifle and pistol out to at least 50 yards. Shooting rabbits with a handgun can be a real challenge, and the guy who can do this repeatedly needn’t prove his abilities in any other way! Just because they frequently sit absolutely still if they get worried about something, they can also disappear at warp speed, so don’t hesitate. Take a bead or settle the crosshairs
This vintage .22-caliber Ruger rimfire pistol is among the author’s favorites. (CZ-USA, BROWNING, DAVE WORKMAN)
and shoot. He who hesitates is lost – and hungry. Now that .22-caliber rimfire ammunition is more readily available – I was at a gun show in Puyallup in December and found ample supplies – buy a brick of 500 rounds and you’ll be all set for quite a while, unless you’re trigger-happy. As for .410 shells, hit any sporting goods store and you should be able to score a box or two, and that might be enough to carry you through a season. NS
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Why I’m Going To Bre k Up With You, Geese (GEORGE GENTRY, USFWS)
D
ear Geese, After a long and thoughtful consideration of our relationship, I would like to formally submit my breakletter. While I would love to admit CHEF IN THE WILD up fault in this relationship, I just cannot. It By Randy King is not me; in fact, it is you. Please take a moment and read my complaints laid out below that prove that I am undeserving of such a difficult and tenuous relationship. Hopefully these words will help you discover your inner, better self, allowing for more meaningful relationships in the future.
Complaint #1 – You are not consistent As a hunter, I often see wild creatures. When I do, they are often in no mood to be anywhere near me. Except you, geese. You think I am going to give you bread in the park. You think that I am going to feed you my last bit of popcorn. You trust me – that is, until you are outside city limits. Then, as if by some miracle pill, you are suddenly so wild that my best antelope stalk can’t get me near you. I am in need of a consistent partner; you, my honking “friend,” cannot provide that aspect of the relationship.
Complaint #2 – Our relationship is in the pits Look, the only time I ever hang out in a hole in the ground on the side of a farmer’s field in the middle of a snow/rain/sleet
storm is when I am chasing after you. While I enjoy the close quarters this often provides me to my gun-toting buddies and their smelly dogs, I just find the whole “pit sitting” thing a bit much to handle.
Complaint #3 – You won’t even let me watch Even when I do go through the pit sitting, I do not even get the common courtesy of watching you. You tease me with the loud honking, the wing buffs, the circling around the decoys. And I can’t even watch! What kind of a tease are you?! So I sit with my face looking down at my boots, listening to another grownass man call for you. I tremble at the thought of you actually stopping and committing to my decoys. My anticipation borders on neurosis. This is not a foundation for a relationship built on trust.
Complaint #4 – I feel like we have just been cold to each other It is often said that the “best goose weather is bad weather” – and by bad weather, they mean cold. Like freezing cold. Like “What the hell am I doing here in a snowstorm unable to feel my toes?” cold. This is all you have ever known for a relationship, but as a human I need more. I don’t have what you have – the feathers, the ability to move when the mood strikes. Migrating might work for you, but the Northwest is my home. I can’t be in a relationship with someone who is just passing through.
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COLUMN
GOOSE PASTRAMI To make goose pastrami requires a few steps and a little time, but it is well worth it. First, a note on Insta Cure – this is a pink powder that is available at most sporting goods stores and butcher shops. The goal with “pink salt” is to properly, and safely, cure the meat. It also gives the meat its distinctive pink color. Otherwise, the meat will be a flat gray color, but will otherwise taste similar. Some will argue that it causes cancer – I’ll risk that in the future to avoid botulism today. Ingredients 2 skinless Canada geese breasts (specks and snows are too small) 1½ tablespoons kosher salt 1 teaspoon Insta Cure #1 1 /8 cup “pickling spice” 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1½ tablespoon fresh ground black pepper, divided ¼ cup red wine (water will work, but wine makes most things better) 1 tablespoon ground coriander In a gallon-sized Ziploc bag add the salt, sugar, curing salt, pickling spice, brown sugar and half the black pepper. Shake the hell out the bag to mix up the spices. Next, add the goose breasts and shake the hell out of the bag again. This should evenly coat the
Goose pastrami. (RANDY KING)
meat in the mix. Place the bag in the fridge for 36 to 48 hours. Make sure to turn it over at some point in the process. Remove the breasts from the bag and give them a quick rinse in the sink. A little bit of brine might be stuck to the outside, which is OK. Place on a wire rack and back into the fridge for 12 to 24 hours. This will make the goose breasts “sticky,” i.e., create a pellicle that will absorb the smoke. This step is vital to good smoked meat. Next dip the goose in the red wine, and sprinkle it with the remaining pepper and the ground coriander. Then smoke – I used mesquite and it was great – until the meat reaches 145 degrees. Cool before slicing and use the meat for a delimeat applications – sandwiches, cheese boards and the goose pit. For more recipes, see chefrandyking.com. –RK
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COLUMN Complaint #5 – The lack of commitment Which brings us to the fact that no matter how much I call you – or don’t call you – you simply will not commit on a consistent basis. Look, I know you have been hurt in the past. You might have trust issues. You only like to go to the “fields” you know. But I need something out of this relationship too. Since you won’t work with me, I have decided to move my relationship forward and start seeing your cousin – the duck.
Complaint #6 – The other men and women you see Maybe I am vain in thinking that I should be the only man you visit. But when I get on Facebook, boom, there you are spreading the love all over the place. I know I don’t own the big trailer of decoys. I don’t own the fancy calls or have the fancy leases on the prime ground. And if that is what matters to you, then I am in the wrong place. But hell, I even saw you with my buddy’s son! He is 16, for god’s sake. How do you sleep at night knowing the pain you cause me? I expect fidelity in a relationship, but in this Tinder age you are not what I need right now.
Complaint #7 – I tried, I really did I watched the videos. I went to the seminars. I learned your language. None of it helped. But I really do wish you the best in OP 2016 ENINGS -201 AVA 7 W ILAB ATER LE F FOW OR T L SE HE ASO N
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the future. I hope others can provide you what you need to have a stable relationship. In closing, I would like to keep the door open on our relationship. I think we need to stay “acquainted,” but I won’t be calling. Maybe we should change our status to “It’s complicated.” When given the opportunity I will still pursue you, but don’t expect me to try all that hard. That said, if you are ever lonely and need a place to stay, my freezer is always open. Best wishes from the brokenhearted, Randy King
POSTSCRIPT Humor aside, geese are a hard-to-kill, super-smart and incredibly rewarding animal to hunt. But, by far the most impressive thing about them is the quality of their meat. While I lament my time hunting them, I frequently receive goose as “gifts” from other hunters. I don’t usually mind this, but I assume that the reason I get the meat is a lack cooking skills on the part of these waterfowlers. Now, some will argue that a goose is one big liver in the sky – and when overcooked, I totally understand that. But when treated with respect a goose can be flat-out delicious. This issue’s goose pastrami recipe is really simple and really good. The meat will taste especially good in the goose pit as a sandwich split with a buddy’s dog. NS
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COLUMN
Cowlitz Steelheading Now Begins Now I
f you’ve been thinking about chasing winter steelhead, the Cowlitz is the place, and now through April’s the time. You see, the hatchery program on the Southwest Washington river has changed from a combination of earlyand late-returning steelhead stocks to BUZZ RAMSEY all late returnees. This has been to the disappointment of anglers who enjoy fishing the productive river from Thanksgiving through January. The stock switch will undoubtedly benefit anglers targeting the late season, as the total adult return is based on a release of over half a million smolts. The late-season sport catch records available on the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s website show a winter steelhead harvest for February 2013 totaling 446 adult steelhead; for March 2013, it was 1,741 fish; and in April 2012, anglers kept 3,715 fat fish. This data is supported by comments Cowlitz guide Clancy Holt (360-880-0409) shared with me. “The fishing in February will likely be the best we’ve ever seen due to the increased number of late-returning fish being planted. Where in the past February didn’t always produce limits like March and April, this year we should be really smacking the steelhead throughout the late season.” According to WDFW fisheries biologist Pat Frazer (360-8646135), the late strain of hatchery steelhead was originally derived from Cowlitz natural-origin fish and selected to favor a late return. Now that the early, out-of-basin strain has been eliminated, it’s the department’s goal to select some portion of the late stock to return earlier in the winter. This is likely to take at least a few fish generations to accomplish, but eventually will offer steelhead success through a more traditional winter steelhead time frame.
WHILE STEELHEAD CAN be found throughout the river system, a large portion of the effort is concentrated at or near the Cowlitz Trout Hatchery. You see, nearly all the winter steelhead smolts are released directly from the hatchery, and thus they return to that area of the river as the hatchery water is a major attractant. In fact, if you haven’t fished the Cowlitz near the hatchery before, you probably don’t fully
Once known for producing great steelheading from late fall through early spring, the Cowlitz no longer is stocked with earlywinter-returning hatchery fish, which were an out-of-basin stock. Instead, the program focuses on producing naturalorigin steelhead, like this one held by Shane Vanderlinda, that return from midwinter on. (DAIWA PHOTO CONTEST)
understand the word “crowded.” Bank access along the north shore’s bluffs is accessible by walking downriver from the trout hatchery’s parking lot, but many anglers just find a spot near, above and below, the boat ramp there. Keep in mind that this is a public resource, and
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COLUMN as such, everyone, bank anglers and boaters alike, have a right to share in the bounty. Since the Cowlitz is a fairly large river, it draws a lot of boat traffic, especially from those with jet boats, as they can really get around and make multiple passes through every good-looking spot. Those with drift boats often float from the Barrier Dam to the trout hatchery; there to Mission Bar; Mission Bar to the new boat ramp at Toledo; or from Toledo to the I-5 ramp. There is roughly 5 to 6 miles of river between each of these launches. Although back-trolling plugs like Mag Lips has rebounded in popularity on the Cowlitz, side-drifting remains the dominant fishing method, at least by those fishing from jet boats. Most drift boaters who fish near Blue Creek, where all the jet boaters and sidedrifting is going on, anchor off to the side and drift fish the more productive spots. This allows them access to the water without getting in the way of the side-drifters. Finding the Cowlitz Trout Hatchery is easy. Take Exit 68 off I-5 and travel east on Highway 12, the White Pass Highway, for 8 miles before turning right onto Brim Road. Follow Brim Road south and turn right where it tees at Spencer Road and go another mile before turning left into the trout hatchery (there is a sign). Follow the road around the hatchery; a large parking lot and boat ramp are located at the west end. If you haven’t been to the trout hatchery before, or at least not in recent years, be ready to hear noisy explosions and fireworks. On
my recent trip, I thought deer season had reopened, but all the noise was a predation prevention program to keep hungry birds from eating young steelhead being raised for sport harvest. For river conditions and other updates, contact Barrier Dam Campground (360-985-2495), which is near the dam and offers a complete assortment of tackle; and Ethel Market and Sports (360978-6070), on Highway 12 near Tucker Road before the right turn toward the Cowlitz Trout Hatchery. Tacoma Power, which runs the steelhead program, also has updated fishing reports at mytpu.org/ tacomapower/fish-wildlife-environment/cowlitz-fish-report.htm. NS Editor’s note: Buzz Ramsey will hold seminars on “Easy steelhead success” and “Successful spring Chinook tactics” at 1 and 5 p.m. on Feb. 11, 12 and 13 at the Pacific Northwest Sportsmen’s Show, held Feb. 1014 at the Portland Expo Center.
Side-drifting is the most popular boat tactic on the Cowlitz, while a bobber and jig is productive from the bank. (JASON BROOKS)
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COLUMN
Umpqua: Big Numbers, Big Fish
Big rivers produce big steelhead, and the Umpqua is no exception. Guide Randy Wells and client Patrick Duke-Rosati hold a Mag Lip-munching 39x19 buck, the largest landed out of the author’s boat on the river last season. (OREGONFISHINGADVENTURE.COM)
E
ach December, winter steelhead begin their migration into the Umpqua River, and this season has been no different. I was getting reports of steelhead being caught in the Elkton area in early December before the big storms hit. Most of the rivers in Southern SOUTH COAST Oregon not only blew out, but stayed out until By Randy Wells January. These storms filled the rivers with water and fresh winter steelhead, making this month the time to get out there and fish your favorite techniques.
The Umpqua is a river that can produce big numbers of fish each day, as well as very large fish. The largest steelhead landed last season by a client of mine, Patrick Duke-Rosati, was a native buck that went 39 inches long with a 19-inch girth. This fish crushed a MagLip 3.0 Misty River plug and fought for 17 minutes.
IF YOU’RE NEW to the Umpqua, I will outline a few pointers here with the help of Jon Geyer and Joe Mello, two local full-time fishing guides. Also, be sure to check out the local “how-to” fishing TV show, lunkerjunkies.com, to watch recent episodes on the nwsportsmanmag.com | FEBRUARY 2016
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COLUMN Umpqua River and other great fishing destinations. Knowing when, how, and the gear to use when fishing this river is key. For starters, there are three sections to this river, the Main Umpqua, North Umpqua and South Umpqua; this article will focus on the Main Umpqua, or just Umpqua, between Sutherlin and Elkton. The Umpqua is an amazing river. With origins in the Cascades east of Roseburg, it pushes through over 110 miles of Southern Oregon before meeting the ocean at Winchester Bay. It fishes best for winter steelhead between 6 and 7 feet from December through March. Plunking from the bank is good with eggs and a Spin-N-Glow during high water, and pocket fishing during low water can be incredible. As with all rivers, if you have not navigated the Main Umpqua before, it’s best to hire a guide and get a feel for the water before rowing it on your own. This is a big river with a lot of “slow water” sections, so be sure to have a kicker. Otherwise, it will be a long day on the sticks. I also recommend looking at both the put-in and take-out before fishing new water on any river. Kellogg Bridge and the “Slide” on the Umpqua are tricky put-in/take-outs. The Umpqua can be dangerous to navigate in low water and high water in some places; each year, boaters’ skills are tested. The Forks boat ramp and/or Cleveland Rapids are two put-ins above the Umpqua Landing boat ramp. Mello, of Reel Mello Fishing Guide Service (reelmellofishing.com), says to be very careful if you are going to float to Umpqua Landing from the above-mentioned put-
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ins. Crow Rapids and Cleveland Rapids have taken out more than one drift boat piloted by an experienced oarsman.
THE AREAS I focus on during winter steelhead season Wells and client Matt Hoffman tape a large Umpqua steelhead. The river’s fish prefer side-drifted are Umpqua yarn balls, but running a jig or pink worm under a Landing to bobber or pulling plugs can be productive as well. James Woods (OREGONFISHINGADVENTURE.COM) Park; James Woods Park to Osprey boat ramp; and the Yellow Creek ramp or 9-mile ramp to Kellogg Bridge. Do not float past Kellogg Bridge unless you have private access for the next 19 miles downstream. Near the town of Elkton is the Slide put-in and the Elkton RV Park take-out. Finally, there is the Sawyer Rapids boat ramp just downstream of the town of Elkton. These areas are popular during low water and the early season. The Slide is not a boat ramp – it’s just that, a slide. Do not try and put in at the Slide in the dark until you do it a few times in the daylight. Moreover, most boaters do
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COLUMN kicker so you can go downriver and back up to the put-in. Side-drifting is the number one technique on the Umpqua because there are long drifts throughout most of the river. With a kicker, anglers can really focus on some key holes and runs that hold fish, then push through the slow water. The Main Umpqua is a big river and side-drifting allows you to cover more water, find more pockets of biting fish and A lot of the focus on Umpqua steelheading is rightfully on the large natives, but the river system work those schools. Remember the old saying: also gets hatchery fish too, like this clipped winter for Carl Marsonette, his first. He was fishing Don’t leave fish to find fish. with his father Vern and guide John Elder. (DAIWA PHOTO CONTEST) Years ago when I started guiding the Umpqua, the first thing Geyer told me was, “Feed ’em yarn.” Side-drifting eggs worked, so why would I fish yarn balls? Well, I soon learned to feed ’em yarn. Something about yarn balls with some Pro-Cure Shrimp Water Soluble Fish Oil is deadly on the Umpqua, especially in high water. I have since made the Pro-Cure-soaked yarn ball my go-to when side-drifting. Color and presentation matter too. I have found on this river that shrimp-pink, cerise, orange and red are great together and by themselves with a puffball cinched tight with a Bait Button. You’re allowed to fish a two-hook rig, and Jarod Higginbotham of Yakima Bait Company once recommended that I try side-drifting a
not float from the Elkton RV Park to Sawyer Rapids because the rapids are not easy to navigate in a drift boat and many boats don’t make it through. Geyer, of Jon Geyer’s Fishing Guide Service (jongeyerfishing.com), recommends putting in at Sawyer Rapids and taking out at that same put-in; make sure you have your
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COLUMN yarn ball on one hook, then attaching an 18-inch leader to that hook with a Lil’ Corky Egg Cluster pegged one or two fingers above the second hook. I can tell you it’s a fish-getter! The bottom of the Umpqua is made up of eroded remains of volcanic rock, and the river has carved out some great holding water, channels and deep slots the fish like. I recommend fishing when it is low so you can see where the slots and holding areas are; otherwise, you could be casting 3 to 5 feet away from those biters. Hitting the right slot can sometimes produce six to 10 fish out of one hole or pocket. In addition, when fishing higher water, target steelhead on the top of the shelves, in 4 to 6 feet of water. When fishing lower water, target the fish in slots with 8 to 12 feet of water. I have found that when side-drifting the Umpqua, pencil lead or slinkies are my best weight options. Be ready to change weight often; don’t dredge the bottom, but be near it all the time.
WHEN THE RIVER is at ideal height or running low is when I get excited, because numerous steelhead techniques work. Other than trusty side-drifting, when fishing deep slots try a bobber and jig or pink worm and don’t be afraid to run two hooks under your bobber. For example, try a Maxi Jig (nightmare pattern is my favorite) with a dropper and peg a hard bead or a split shot followed up with a Corky or a B-N-R Tackle Soft Bead. Be sure your gear is fishing vertically and close to the bottom. Geyer fishes a lot
of jigs and he says to always be adjusting your bobber to be sure you are just off the bottom of every drift. Bobber doggin’ can also be extremely effective on this river. Some days my boat has up to six Lamiglas rods rigged with three different techniques. Some days it saves me; other days only two Lammies get used. Bottom line: I go prepared. Another technique that works is pulling plugs coated with ProCure Anise Gel. From low to high water, Mag Lips will get the job done. Since the release of the 3.5, my day on the water doesn’t end without pulling plugs, as the Umpqua has many ideal slots and holes. All of your traditional colors work; Misty River is my favorite. I run my plugs with a 20-pound mainline and a 10-footlong, 12-pound leader attached with an Albright knot. When the fish get pushed down deep, try back-bouncing a plug in the deep slots and hold on. As with any river, don’t go against the grain. For example, if you pull into a section and other boats are side-drifting, don’t put out your plug rods or bobber rods. Go with the flow. With that said, one of the great things about the Umpqua is its size, many pockets and slots to fish. This river has plenty of room for you to do your thing. NS Editor’s note: Author Randy Wells is a full-time fishing guide on the Chetco River in Oregon and in Seward, Alaska. His website is oregonfishingadventure.com.
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Pas-GO!
FISHING
With steelhead north of town, walleye in town and the Northwest’s earliest spring, February’s prime in this Tri-City. Side-drifting’s the rule at the Ringold steelhead fishery on the lower Hanford Reach. Clients of Gerardo “Jerry” Reyes (back) show off their catch of hatchery summerruns. Downstream of this part of the Columbia, walleye are the target. (FLATOUT FISHING)
By Jeff Holmes
M
ore than half of Pasco’s 70,000 legal residents identify as Hispanic or Latino, so to say my hometown’s Mexican food offerings are excellent would be an understatement. In fact, it could be reasonable to assume one were in Mexico if one were to be dropped off and have a blindfold removed in old downtown Pasco. No doubt a drive through downtown is cheaper than a trip to Mexico, but our February weather suffers by comparison. No place in Mexico, however, can boast a great steelhead fishery – let alone one only 25 minutes north of town – and the world’s greatest
trophy walleye fishery right in town. You too can come here, feel early spring, stroke steelhead and walleye, and eat amazing and abundant Mexican food. February is a month that makes me especially glad to live in Pasco: Spring comes fast here, and warmwater fisheries begin to wake up just as steelheading popularity reaches its zenith on the Columbia at Ringold. For experienced sidedrifters like Flatout Fishing’s (509-302-1240) Gerardo “Jerry” Reyes, fast limits are the rule all month, often in very nice weather. Reyes is one of the Tri-Cities’ best steelheaders and Ringold’s most successful side-drifter. February is
also one of the most likely months for another new state-record walleye to be caught. John Grubenhoff’s 20.32-pounder monster – the world’s largest walleye in 22 years – bit a giant, slow-trolled Rapala two Februaries ago on a shoreline touching the city limits of Pasco. In fact, it’s easy to double up on a trip to Tri-Cities during our shortest month: walleye in the morning and steelhead in the afternoon – or vice versa, if the winds are calm on the often wavy walleye grounds. Big winds are not great for steelheading the big water of the Columbia at Ringold either, but Ringold is a little more protected from the wind. The morning almost always nwsportsmanmag.com | FEBRUARY 2016
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FISHING affords the calmest conditions at all Tri-Cities fisheries, and days are still short in February. Whether you double up in the same day or alternate days of just focusing on one of these excellent fisheries, the second month of the year offers reliably hot fishing.
STEELHEADING RINGOLD The Washington Department of Fish
and Wildlife’s Ringold Hatchery is a beacon to a giant hatchery cohort of summer steelhead: a lot of fish are caught here, and limits in February are common. These are snappy fish that eat while in the river and that are very grabby at jigs, plugs, baits and more. They average 5 to 7 pounds apiece, with the occasional fish pushing up to 33 inches. Wild steelhead, however, struggle notoriously on the Hanford Reach
because they’re shallow spawners. Actually, in the giant free-flowing Columbia, they’re deep spawners, compared to most of their kind in the Northwest. But it doesn’t matter. Most wild steelhead eggs are left high and dry by ramped flows from Priest Rapids Dam, which is a major power producer for Seattle City and Light. Daily flows fluctuate between roughly 7 and 20 feet, which means anglers must be careful not to leave
WHITEFISH A GOOD TARGET TOO
Most whitefish fishing in Eastern Washington is done on Columbia tribs, but the big river itself has some nice ones worth the effort of figuring out how to catch. (JEFF HOLMES)
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Mountain whitefish range widely across much of the Northwest and throughout the Rocky Mountains. Whitefish are a bony but meaty and sporty native fish that evolved alongside native trout, salmon and steelhead in cold, clean waters (indeed, they belong to the same family, Salmonidae). Prior to first catching whitefish on the Hanford Reach side-drifting for steelhead, the biggest specimens I’d seen were in Wyoming. They regularly stretched to 20 inches. On the Hanford Reach, with its bounty of salmon and other eggs and the flesh of rotting salmon carcasses, whitefish not only grow numerous, but huge. The average is perhaps 19 inches, with fatties reaching a legitimate 2 feet. They represent not only a great bycatch for steelheaders, but also a target opportunity. I asked guide Gerardo Reyes to take me whitefishing recently, and we side-drifted up lots of bruisers. They’re famously good when smoked, and they represent a large, abundant source of protein. –JH
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FISHING beached boats high and dry. The flows are a death sentence for what could be one of the Northwest’s greatest wild steelhead producers, along with being the current home to today’s nearly 200,000 fall Chinook, which spawn mostly in deeper water. I continue to marvel at the hatchery steelhead catch rates in and around Tri-Cities, and some of the hottest fishing of the year is definitely the February Ringold bite. Fish stack up from Snyder Street in Richland to the Wooden Powerlines all month, but the majority of Ringold hatchery fish begin staging right at or within a mile or
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them out of sometimes as little as a few feet of water into depths from 7 feet to the low 20s when fishing pressure is high and flows are low. Undoubtedly the most deadly tactic for Ringold steelheading is side-drifting from a boat because it allows anglers to cover lot of water, a particular advantage in a river so big. Jerry Reyes has been sidedrifting it for 15 years after having fished with the master, Ron Holt ( clancys fis hing.c om) for years and seeing his success on the Cowlitz and other Western Washington rivers. Reyes’ specialized sidedrifting set-ups feature Edge rods and Pflueger Miles of shoreline around the Ringold hatchery reels and 8-pound make for good opportunities from the bank. Most mainline on small anglers drift fish or run jigs or bait under a bobber, spinning reels. Perhaps but there’s a contingent who toss spoons. And in what may be the world’s biggest-water steelhead no captain kills as many fly fishery, the author reports a few flyrodders are steelhead at Ringold as
two of the hatchery intake. As the month progresses, more fish tuck in tight to the hatchery. Miles of shoreline hold fish available to bank anglers. Most people drift fish or fish bobbers and jigs and/or bait, but some toss spoons, and some even fly fish successfully when big flows push fish shallow, especially in the morning before pressure spooks
successful during high flows. (JEFF HOLMES)
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Reyes and his 14-year-old son, Ivan, an excellent deckhand and angler. Along with being super fishy, Reyes is one of the nicest and most patient guides you’ll fish with, and he instructs anglers on the finer points of hooking and landing fish with patience not exhibited by many. On the rare day the fishing is poor, he’ll invite clients back for free. He extends few of these free invites in February, though, because it’s hard not to catch fish on his boat. “February is my favorite time to steelhead up there for a few reasons,” says Reyes. “We’re just coming out of winter into longer days and better weather, and lots of fish pull into Ringold it seems like every day, and the fishing picks up, big time. Limits in two to three hours are very common. And the fish won’t spawn for a couple months still, so they make decent quality smokers and are full of great eggs. But really, it’s the whole experience: wildlife, the first hints of spring and green-up, good times helping people fight lots of big fish. For me, it’s close to home, about a half hour, but the fishing is so good that some people come from all over to camp for free at Ringold or stay in town.” Reyes says Ringold fish are just like steelhead everywhere, and they bite best when the river is on its daily drop and right at the turning point as the water bottoms out and starts to rise again for the day, thanks to Priest Rapids Dam. Reyes and young Ivan both like helping others catch fish as much as they do fishing for themselves, and sidedrifting allows them to put a rod in a client’s hands and be actively fishing, feeling for a bite. “We’ll side-drift exclusively during February because there’s no faster way to catch fish,” says Reyes. “The one exception is when very high water pushes fish into slack water that can’t be side-drifted. For those times, we keep bobber rods on the boat and will fish small, baited 118 Northwest Sportsman
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Bobber Down Jigs or just a coon shrimp under a bobber. But most of the time we’ve got clients using the light side-drifting gear and setting hooks on lots of keeper steelies.”
WALLEYE IN, AROUND TOWN PASCO Winter walleye fishing near TriCities used to be a long grind for maybe one or two bites from a trophy-sized walleye, and it still can be. But over the last few years far more male “eater” walleyes have turned up, along with Grubenhoff’s monster and lots of other big female walleye, which diehards strongly encourage you to release. There’s nothing new about large walleye in Tri-Cities during February, but the bonus of more keeper-sized walleye has been noticeable and increasing in trend. With heavy pressure and lots of retention over the last few years, I’m excited to see if the trend levels off or continues to increase. Early winter prospecting by some friends turned up some nice male walleye in the usual places. Along with many Tri-Cities anglers, I know where Grubenhoff caught the state record, but I ain’t talking. What I can assure you of, however, is that a state-record walleye could be caught anywhere from the Walla Walla River up to the Hanford Reach this year. The usual spots will produce: the Hydro Hole above the 395 Blue Bridge, Indian Island and the mileslong breakline from Foundation Island to Game Range Point at Casey Pond. The breakline below Casey Pond all the way to the Walla Walla is some of the Northwest’s best and most dangerously wavy walleye water. The trolling of bottom walkers and various homemade and factorytied ’crawler harnesses is the dominant fishing method almost year-round. There are plenty of jiggers and blade-baiters who would love to disagree, even some plug draggers, but trolling harnesses is maybe the most simple and effective
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FISHING walleye fishing method for folks of all skill levels. That doesn’t mean it’s always the best choice, but it’s
February marks prime time for anglers looking to catch big, fat walleye, like this one held by TJ Hester, and maybe even a new state or world record. But it also sees good catches of eater males. (JEFF HOLMES)
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straightforward fishing that allows anglers from beginner to expert to cover lots of water with lures in the strike zone behind a ticking
bottom bouncer rigged on a slider. Foregoing the traditional fixed-tie bottom walker in favor of a lowerprofile walker on a slider means fewer hang-ups, a more subtle presentation and the ability to feed line at the first sign of a winter-slow walleye’s bite. Mack’s Lures Smile Blades spin at very slow speeds, and the Wenatchee-based company offers the broadest range of walleye components available. Trolling worm harnesses with Smile Blades is the most popular winter walleye technique in and around Tri-Cities and upper Lake Wallula (John Day Pool). It’s possible someone could catch another state-record walleye on a small harness with a small or average nightcrawler, but trophy hunters troll big harnesses with the largest jumbo ’crawlers they can find. Smaller, male walleyes – the eaters – will also greedily grab a hold of a large-profile harness. During
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FISHING February and March the chances of catching – and hopefully releasing – trophy female walleye are much higher. It’s wise to provide a big meal to further increase chances of tempting a big, cold fish to chomp hold of your offering as you drag it slowly downstream, zig-zagging along breaklines falling into the main river channel in order to cover the most ground and locate fish. Cold water temperatures mean lethargic walleye looking for big, slow meals in natural colors resembling the sculpins and other baitfish they prefer. Walleye in the Columbia will eat all kinds of prey, but they eat far more fish than anything, and more sculpins than any other species. As such, think about using naturalcolored Smile Blades in motor-oils, blacks, greens, browns, silvers and iridescent purples. Don’t over rely on bright-colored chartreuses, oranges and other traditional walleye colors,
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CATCH NORTHWEST’S BEST MEXICAN FOOD For no good reason, few gringos dare to venture into downtown Pasco unless it’s to visit Grigg’s Department Store, home of lots of sporting goods options. They’re missing out, though. Downtown’s Tacos La Esperanza is the highest rated taco truck in Tri-Cities, and for good reason. Also in the heart of downtown is Fiesta Foods supermarket, which has an amazing deli selection and more. They have a bakery too, but it’s sad compared to Castilleja’s Bakery on 4th Street downtown. This is the oLdest, most authentic Mexican bakery in Pasco. Just outside of the core downtown area are renowned La Fama and Tacos Palomino, sister taquerias separated by maybe a mile. Try the Big D Burrito – tostadas de ceviche, their tortas – all of it. El Sazon is another very popular taqueria in Pasco with another location in Kennewick; both serve mulitas, which you should try. For El Salvadoran food with a drive-thru, try El Amanecer and get the pupusas chicharron. A pupusa is like a grill-fried corn hot pocket of amazing Mexican cheese, meats and/or veggies. For sitdown Mexican fare, Mexico Lindo is excellent, and in West Pasco at Road 68, Hacienda Del Sol and Fiesta restaurants are a stone’s throw apart. Both are very good and feature fresh-made tortillas and giant salsa bars. Also near the Road 68 area on Burden Boulevard is Viera’s Mexican Bakery. From savory to the sweetest of pastries and doughnuts, they are unique and worth a visit, as is Castilleja’s Bakery, Pasco’s oldest and most authentic. Rocco’s Pizza doesn’t serve Mexican food, although they have a taco pizza, but Rocco’s on Burden is out-of-this-world good. –JH
especially in clear water conditions. When visibility is limited, bright colors are more effective, but good visibility means go natural with color for more bites. This color advice
holds for both harnesses and jigs. Jigging continues to be more and more popular for winter walleye due to the results that can be had. Rather than drag harnesses through
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water that is only intermittently productive as one encounters structure and ledges that hold fish, jigging over walleye is far more efficient for those who can locate them. It is important, however, to maintain excellent boat control and a vertical presentation in the current. Beginner and intermediate walleye anglers should consider adding jigging to their winter walleye repertoire, marking troll-caught fish and returning with jig rods. If your GPS isn’t full of coordinates that you can jump around to in order to put jigs or blades directly on known concentrations of fish, this approach of trolling ’crawlers to find fish is a great transition into more advanced and varied walleye techniques for those who are overwedded to dragging harnesses. Jigging over GPS-marked fish inspires more confidence for beginners, obviously, than a more random approach, and it is also great practice for maintaining boat control. Whistler and other prop-blade jigs are very popular, usually fished with a stinger hook. Some anglers tie their own, and others use the popular Northland Stinger Hooks that fit on a jig’s main hook. Using a healthy, large nightcrawer as bait will exponentially increase strikes on a prop jig, and tipping other, more subtle jigs with ’crawlers and ’crawler chunks is similarly a good idea. As with harness components, jigs should be in subtle, natural colors resembling feed. Year around, nightcrawler brown is reported to be the most consistent producer. Along with prop jigs, Gulp! Minnows on jig heads are also very effective, as can be blade baits, even in the dead of winter. Silver with different overlays are always the most consistent producers. Whether using a jig or a blade bait, less movement is always more productive. Lifting the lure just inches to 2 feet in height and then gently “setting it down” on the bottom is a reliable jigging technique. NS
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DAVID JOHNSON
FISHING
GURU:
David Johnson had a hunger to catch steelhead from a young age, but it wasn’t until he was 12 that his dad took him to the Clackamas and three years after that that he caught one. These days, Johnson is an accomplished guide, seminar speaker and fishing advocate. (DAVIDJOHNSONFISHING.COM)
In the second story of our series on Northwest sharpies, an urge to fish for steelhead from a young age turned into a career for this well-known Oregon guide. By Andy Schneider
“I
t was tough keeping my ‘C’ average up through high school and college with all the steelhead fishing I was doing back then.” So recalls career steelheader and multispecies fishing guide David
Johnson. “Knowing what I know now, I should have spent more time on the water,” adds the well-known angler. “Nobody cares now if I was a good student or not, but being a good fisherman? That makes all the difference now being a guide!” Steelheading is alluring to anglers
of any age. But introduce it early in their fishing careers and that seed will not only sprout and grow, it could run rampant. Most anglers keep tight control over the unchecked growth of steelhead fishing in their lives through things like mortgages, bills and work. But there are some who let their love flourish and bloom nwsportsmanmag.com | FEBRUARY 2016
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FISHING to a point where they would wither into a deep depression if the sport was taken from them. Many of these anglers take the path of becoming a fishing guide, where there is no anxiety about missing a steelhead season due to a finance report that needs to be written or advertising demographics that must be analyzed. And while their income may not compare to senior executives at big Northwest companies, they could really care less. Because while that exec is in an early Monday morning meeting to set up times and days for more meetings the rest of the week, that fishing guide is working a long glide of emerald-green water in a shadowy coastal valley – he has found nirvana.
SOMEWHERE AROUND HIS 10th birthday, Johnson found he had a hunger to catch a steelhead. “I read every fishing magazine and
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book that I could get my hands on that talked about steelhead fishing. My dad would take me bass and bluegill fishing, but I still begged him to take me steelhead fishing. But my dad said that steelhead fishing was hard and cold, and I would have to wait till I was 12 years old. “The winter after I turned 12, my dad took me to the Clackamas, The call of the river was where we fished from strong for Johnson while the bank. For my first he was in school – this winter-run was caught on two years of steelhead the Clackamas on a snow fishing, I watched my dad day in 1987 or 1988 – but catch fish, but I remained he also eventually earned a fisheries degree from Mt. fishless. But on my third Hood Community College. winter steelhead season, I (JOHNSON FAMILY) finally caught one! “We were fishing a small tributary to the upper an orange scale Corky with a small Clackamas – one that’s closed now – piece of cured prawn tail, rigging I called Fish Creek. I was drift fishing learned from something I read. The fish was a beautiful native steelhead, and while I could have legally kept it back then, I released it. A lot of the publications I had been reading were making a big push to release native steelhead. While I didn’t have a camera with me at the time, I still can remember exactly how that fish looked. Not long after that first steelhead, I landed my second, third and even a fourth.” Even after Johnson’s first and second unsuccessful steelhead seasons, he had no doubts that he was going to make his livelihood as a fishing guide one day. Once he started getting the hang of steelhead fishing, he started finding ways to pursue them more and more. Often times Johnson would talk his parents or a friend’s parents into dropping him off on the riverbanks. “Almost every weekend I was down fishing along the river somewhere. During Christmas Break, my dad would drop my friend and me off along the Clackamas on his way to work. Then we would have my friend’s mom pick us up
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FISHING around noon.” When Johnson passed his driver’s test on his 16th birthday, he didn’t go out for a night on the town; instead, he took his newfound freedom and went exploring. “The very next day I drove to the upper Clackamas and spentthe day chasing summer steelhead. While I only caught one fish, the ability to drive presented a lot more opportunities for me.”
AS JOHNSON SPENT more and more time on the water, his fishing techniques started to evolve with his expertise. “While drift fishing was my main technique for steelhead, I started using bobber and jigs before it became so popular. I remember there was only a couple of options for bobbers, but nothing that worked well. So I had to order a special bobber called a Little Joe
Walleye bobber from Lindy Tackle from somewhere back east. Then I had to order jigs directly from Beau Mac. Nothing was ever in stock locally, and it seemed to take forever to get the tackle I needed before the season was over. But even after all these years, that bobber and jig is still one of my most productive techniques.” Sometimes, anglers evolve by trying different techniques and exploring different rivers, a slow and steady process, but sometimes there is a quantum leap, or more likely, a stumble and slow recovery as a new fishing tool is introduced. “My dad bought a jet sled in the late 1980s and we started fishing Wiggle Warts and diver and bait out of the sled on the Clackamas. But there was a learning curve and it wasn’t until I met Steve Koler at a Northwest Steelheaders meeting. I attended Steelheader
meetings religiously and would sit in the front row, taking notes and asking questions. Finally after one meeting, Steve asked if I wanted to join him for a day of fishing. Of course I said, ‘Yes!’ He took me out to the Willamette and we backtrolled Wiggle Warts and diver and bait, just like my dad and I did. But I started noticing some of the small things Steve was doing that were producing results. We hooked and lost three fish that day across from Meldrum Bar Park, and while Steve might have thought the day a bust, I thought it was a huge success. Thankfully, Steve invited me out whenever he had an open seat. Of course I asked questions, but mostly I just observed what Steve was doing. It was those little things that go unnoticed by most people that I started picking up on and are what really helped me improve my fishing skills.”
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FISHING Johnson spent most of his summer vacation working in Alaska, but that didn’t stop him from pursuing winter steelhead every opportunity when he was home. “Not only did I fish every weekend, but I fished before school many times. In my senior year of high school, I had enough credits to take off my first three classes, so you can guess where I spent those mornings.” By then he was venturing out on his own with his father’s jet boat, and Not many Northwest steelheaders can say they caught their biggest while still wearing their jammies, but Johnson can – measurements on this big wild native fish put it around 23 pounds. (DAVIDJOHNSONFISHING.COM)
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when he graduated high school, his parents got him a present that set his career in motion. “My senior graduation present was an Alumaweld drift boat. That drift boat aligned me on my path to becoming a guide. That fall, I enrolled at Mt. Hood Community College for my fisheries degree. Mt. Hood is conveniently located right next to the Sandy River, where I spent a lot of time before and after classes. Between my dad’s jet boat and my drift boat, I really started dialing in my boathandling skills. Reading the water from a boat is a lot more challenging than standing on the bank, but all those years I spent exploring river banks in my youth started paying off as I started spending more and more time in boats.” Once Johnson earned
his degree, he got his guide’s license and started paying the bills with his drift boat and his dad’s jet boat. “Once I got my license, Steve Koler continued to help me. Often times I would stay with Steve when I was guiding in different places away from home. Steve taught me a lot, from rigging herring to bait wrapping Kwikfish. I even went with Steve to Alaska, where I caught my biggest salmon, a 64-pound king!” These days, the Tillamook-based Johnson guides for Columbia and coastal Chinook, steelhead and sturgeon, and he continues to try and better his success every season. “A couple years ago, I reached my personal best, catching 104 steelhead, which sure beats the one to four a year I was catching when I was just starting out. But every one of those 104 fish was exciting and exhilarating. That year was also a year of catching 30 to 40 fish on my first cast. It was just a perfect blend of experience and
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FISHING knowing the water after fishing it so many times to know exactly where to cast and what depth to set my bobber. I’ve heard the phrase that steelhead are the fish of a thousand casts, but they really are not. If steelhead are present and you know the water, it should take you only a fraction of that to be successful.”
WHEN ASKED WHAT he might have done differently on his path to becoming a career steelheader, Johnson says he would invest more in quality gear rather than just buying inexpensive multipurpose equipment. “I would start out with the best fishing rod and gear that I could afford. As soon as I got a true ‘steelhead rod,’ one that was made out of graphite, I really started to catch more fish. Sometimes paying a little extra can make a lot of difference.” Johnson believes some very basic ingredients led to his success as an
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angler today. “Before I really even started fishing for steelhead I was reading everything I could about them. I asked countless questions from other anglers. I spent as much time with skilled anglers and spent as much time on the water as possible. It doesn’t sound like much, but you really build a foundation of knowledge that you can rely upon, and soon that knowledge becomes almost instinctual.” “But I couldn’t have done any of that without my dad’s support. He spent time with me going over all the basics, and spent countless hours actually taking me fishing and showing me what it means to be a steward of the river.” A common trait amongst successful anglers, whether a tournament bass angler or free-diving spear fisherman in Hawaii, is a good memory. Johnson is no exception. “I can literally remember almost exactly what spot I’ve caught every
fish and what the water level was.” This may sound hard to do with the sheer number of fish successful anglers may catch, but listen to how they tell a fishing story. It usually doesn’t revolve around the fish. It usually starts with water and weather conditions and takes into account angler pressure and time of day, things that most other fishermen wouldn’t think to include in a “fish story.” These successful anglers can usually even remember the exact day of the month when retelling the story years later. Sometimes the fish story isn’t as entertaining as it is informative, but if you know what to listen for, they can be a gold mine of useful nuggets. “If you struggle remembering those small things about your day spent on the water, take notes,” suggests Johnson. “Recording your successes or missed opportunities from your day can help you years down the road when you’re faced
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IF DJ HAS a memorable ďŹ sh story, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the one of him catching his biggest steelhead to date â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in his PJs! â&#x20AC;&#x153;My friend Ty and I were going to go steelhead ďŹ shing early the next morning. So instead of rendezvousing early in the morning, I spent the night at his house. The next morning we got up early and headed to the river. It was one of those cold winter mornings, where there was still snow on the ground, with the temperature hovering in the low 40s. Once we parked and started rigging up, I realized I had forgotten my waders in my truck. Instead of just sitting it out in the car, I decided to tough it out and see how long I could last in my pajama bottoms and slippers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;About two hours in the cold I was starting to feel it sucking the warmth right from my bones. Just as I was counting down the last casts and working my way back to the car, I spotted a boulder midriver that had a ďŹ shy-looking seam just behind it. So I cast my bobber out there, and just as the bobber slid past the boulder, my bobber sucked right under and I set the hook into a monster of a steelhead. As I was ďŹ ghting the ďŹ sh, I realized this was the biggest I had ever caught and then realized that if I wanted to land it, I was going to have to get wet. So I jumped in and got soaking wet. But I landed that steelhead, which did turn out to be my biggest yet, a 23-pounder, by measurements. While I was the least prepared for this ďŹ sh, it deďŹ nitely still is my favorite.â&#x20AC;? And what does the future hold for Johnson and his steelhead ďŹ shing? Oh, he will still be out there. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Even if the runs decline, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll still be pursing steelhead. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the hunt of the ďŹ sh in such an amazing environment that will keep me heading to the rivers. Even if retirement takes me to a warm, tropical locale with an abundance of ďŹ sh, I just donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know how I could leave steelhead.â&#x20AC;? NS
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Northwest Sportsman 139
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COLUMN
Small-water Steelhead
O
ne thing I’ve always enjoyed is hooking steelhead in small streams and rivers. By small, I’m talking about bodies of water that I can generally cast all the way across – sometimes, almost jump – or at least wade to the other side of. WIESTSIDER Over the years, some of my favorites By Terry Wiest have included the Cedar near Renton, Wash., Moose near Terrace, British Columbia, Alaska’s upper Situk, the Elochoman on the Lower Columbia, and Cook Creek and the Salmon River on the Quinault Indian Reservation. You won’t find any boats on these rivers and streams. Nope, it’s back to the basics of walking the bank and searching for fish. I love it!
jigs or worms on these small waters (note that the Cedar is closed nowadays) and others. But what I really like going back to are the basics of drift fishing ultralight gear and presentations. Corkies and yarn were my bread and butter as a teenage steelheader, and I enjoy hooking fish with nothing more than these set-ups. One of my favorites is a pearl-pink Corky, a very small pinch of pink yarn and a No. 4 hook. If that doesn’t work, I switch to a peach Corky with peach yarn. No eggs, no shrimp, no scent. Pretty basic, and it works. Something new I’m using in small streams are steelhead beads. A single 8mm or 10mm bead tagged 1 to 1½ inches above a No. 4 hook, either drift fished or sometimes under a float if the water’s deep enough for it, has joined my arsenal. I like the pinks/peaches and natural colors for trying to make it appear like an egg that has came loose from a redd. My drift rod of choice has sure changed. My first was a THE LAST SEVERAL seasons I’ve been part of the float fishing craze, Shimano 8-foot-6 graphite rod that I thought was the bomb – it and there are a few places where I’ll definitely pull out my bobbers, was graphite, after all! Push some 40 years ahead and you’ll find me toting the new G.Loomis IMX 1103-2C. Talk about a sweet rod, I can feel a fly land on my gear with it – well, maybe. Sensitivity is key with small water, as you don’t have much choice but to bounce bottom because most of the time the “hole” will be less than 3 feet deep. Deeper than that and out comes the float fishing gear. Match the IMX up with a Shimano Chronarch CI4+ and you have a match made in heaven. Technology has come so far – it’s just amazing how smooth these reels are. Load the rod up with 10-pound mainline and use 6-pound leader. A small piece of lead should be used to just tick bottom. Your pearl pink or peach Corky should be small, as in size 12 or 14. And when I say a pinch of yarn, it really should only be that. I never have the yarn longer than the shaft of the hook, and most times it’s only 1/8 to ¼ inch long. An important step which I truly believe in – though many will disagree with me – is to always trim the yarn. I want it straight across at the bottom, with no long fibers trailing behind. After a few casts I’ll trim it again. If you use bait (and if it’s legal), then Small steelhead streams course throughout our region, providing occasional hook-ups, as well the Corky and yarn aren’t as important. as solitude and rejuvenation. Recovering from medical treatment a couple winters ago, Randy Prock enjoyed an outing on an Oregon Coast stream near Florence. Son Barrett snapped the pic They’ll help provide a little eye appeal, and friend Carl Lewallen forwarded it. (DAIWA PHOTO CONTEST) nwsportsmanmag.com | FEBRUARY 2016
Northwest Sportsman 141
COLUMN and help it float, but with the low water of these streams you don’t necessarily want it to float. With these types of waters I prefer no bait. Occasionally, I will, however, put a drop of scent on the yarn, which is considered bait, but it doesn’t alter the appearance of my presentation.
ONE THING THAT can be deceiving is the power of the water.
With their generally clearer flows, it pays to downsize and go light for small stream natives. (TERRY WIEST)
Even in small streams, caution must be exercised, along with some common sense. Most of my falls while fishing have occurred in shallow water, where I’m not as cautious. Big mistake. So far I’ve only had only two injuries – a torn ACL and broken finger – but things could be worse, much worse. I’ve also gone under twice, but thank God both times I was able to get my footing while being dragged downstream. Accidents happen. To help me out a little now, I make sure and wear high-quality waders with a wading belt, and wading boots with spiked bottoms. I use Simms G3 or G4 waders, which are ultracomfortable and don’t hinder my movement, and Simms Freestone boots. New to me this year, I also carry a Simms wading staff. It’s the small size of rivers and streams that attract me. Usually there are not as many people on them, mostly because you have to hike, especially to get to untouched water. But it can be truly rewarding, not only in terms of fish hooked, but also the peace that the solitude of being one with nature brings. NS
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COLUMN
What To Chase In February
A
s the September Song lyrics lament, “the days dwindle down to a precious few…” In this case, steelheaders can spend their time in February on several By Doug Huddle stream reaches in Northwest Washington watersheds until the seasonal bell tolls its last peal at midmonth. In the Nooksack, temporary enforced layoffs to meet hatchery escapement goals were lifted Christmas Day and winter fishing resumed under the permanent regulations, which hold the lower North Fork (up to Maple Creek) open until Monday, Feb. 15. This is a fin-clipped steelhead opportunity designed to mop up the few stragglers that might be in the river above and below Kendall Creek Hatchery. Typically, some of the best water conditions of the year occur this month.
NORTH SOUND
ACCESS ON THE upper third of this 9-mile stretch (Kendall-Maple Creek) for both bankies and boat-borne fishers is difficult, limited by private ownership and/or trackless forest lands. Also, the majority of it is fast-flowing “drift” water dotted occasionally with pocket pools of holding habitat. Anglers willing to negotiate their way through the woods on the south side of the river can get to the gravel bars below Maple Creek Canyon off the Department of Natural Resources forest road that’s an extension of Whatcom County’s North Fork Road. The logging road roughly starts at the Racehorse Creek crossing and you must drive out as far as the state’s G-7 gravel pit to get within reasonable range of the river. Just beyond the large borrow site, there’s now a gated spur descending to the North Fork, facilitating an in-river habitat restoration project that can put you easily onto this braided reach. Getting to and in the river is easier downstream of Kendall Creek Hatchery. On the west, or Mt. Baker Highway (State Route 542), side, the hatchery itself fronts the running river channel and therefore provides foot access. Watercraft, unless they’re canoes or pontoons, can’t be launched at all, though. Continuing downstream on the west side along SR 542 there is an ambiguous piece of land ownership at milepost 19.6 where, from the prominent turnout, a short trail goes next to a small creek to the river floodplain and leads to the renown House Rock pool. Also, at MP 18.5 is an old Department of Transportation parcel that is a once-but-now-closed rest area. It’s identifiable by the Jersey barriers blocking the entry. Parking is limited, but a well-worn footpath leads from the highway out to a good drift stretch. On the east bank in the Kendall Creek-to-Mosquito Lake Road Bridge reach, below Racehorse Bridge south to the North Fork Road pavement end, there are several excellent walk-in sites on land belonging to Whatcom Land Trust, which is open or publicly accessible space.
February marks the last chance for North Sound steelheaders to fish their local streams this season, and while the 2014 lawsuit limited this winter’s returns, there should still be a clipped fish or two around, like this North Fork Nooksack brat. (DAIWA PHOTO CONTEST)
The Mosquito Lake Road crossing has a public drift-boat launch site under Whatcom County Parks jurisdiction; it is located on the east side of the bridge. For this 3.8-mile downstream drift there’s a corresponding rough haul-out between the Highway 9 (Valley Highway) bridge and Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad bridge. From Mosquito Lake Road bridge down to the confluence
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COLUMN with the South Fork, access is essentially on the west side of the river off Truck Road at two key points. The first, or upstream, one is where the county road fronts directly on the river floodway just across and below the mouth of the Middle Fork; the second is lower down at another Whatcom County park, this one called Deming Homestead Eagle Park. The private lands on the north side of the Highway 9 bridge upstream to the pipeline crossing, as well as the pipeline entry off Rutsatz Road, should be avoided.
THE NORTH FORK’S mostly high-gradient or fast-moving riffle water is best worked with light drift offerings, like egg clusters or sand shrimp, solo or paired with Corkies or winged drift bobbers. Anywhere the main channel meets any kind of wood jam and a pool has formed, get your terminal tackle in under the wood. On naked reaches – open gravel bars with little to no vegetation – look for slot-water formations on the main channel bottom immediately below a dry channel entry. These are readily identifiable after big floods have swept away trees and brushes in the floodway and braided sections have reformed. Prime holding spots, they’re short, usually concealed by laminar surface flow and otherwise unnoticeable unless you know how to read the upland terrain. One way to school yourself on where to look for such submerged features is to check out recently abandoned or dry channels. Look for the slot feature in the waterless channel, then look at its surroundings for associated out-of-water topography. Occasionally, these short slots are left over after a logjam or stump previously lodged at a spot deflecting water and scouring the channel bottom, washes away. My fishing partner and I found one of these channel-bottom deformations at an upper mainstem Nooksack location by accident after we’d drifted over it several times. On a subsequent trip, he hit a steelhead from the spot when we chose to come down through the area on the opposite side of the channel. Because we had not expected to find a steelhead in that otherwise innocuous location, we plumbed the water there and found the deeper slot. Turned out that for the rest of that season and until a big flood event 15 months later reshaped the river, that same piece of water yielded a fish almost like clockwork each trip. Another type of locale to ply for steelhead is the outside of a bend where the river is cutting a high bank into a grove of trees, often alder/cottonwood stands. These drifts are tackle grabbers, but steelhead tuck in under or below the trunks and crowns of toppled trees just out of the fast current. Also, if you come across a fair-sized main channel hole associated with a debris jam against one bank, take the time to change over to a fairly large spoon, something like a McMahon, Canadian Wonder or even the smallest Coyote with a paint scheme and false eye most closely approximating a salmon, char or trout paar. Cast to the downside of the jam in the pool and draw it as close in to the wood as you can. The bigger steelhead can get agitated by the presence of small egg-eating fish and will attack them. A 1950s’-generation biologist/steelhead fisher who frequented the Sauk River swore by the offering, saying that his 148 Northwest Sportsman
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egg-stealer imitator often provoked big steelhead to break from cover to chase the half-pint threats out of pools.
LAST-CHANCE OPPORTUNITIES the first half of February also are available on the upper Skagit from Marblemount upstream to the Cascade River Road bridge, excellent water for high-bank dabbling, drift fishing, boon-dogging or plug-pulling. The lower Cascade also is open then, and if the water’s low and clear, it’s an early-morning shot before too many lines and boots roil up the water. A short reach of the North Fork Stillaguamish also is open, but, unless you’re on a first-name basis with a bank landowner there, you’ll be consigned to getting at this opportunity through the public access at Fortson Ponds or Whitehorse Pond, the state’s fish-production facility. Further south in Snohomish County, the Wallace as well as Skykomish from the Highway 2 bridge at Gold Bar to the confluence of the North and South Forks are open through midmonth. Best accesses are just below the hatchery on the Wallace and either side of Reiter Ponds on the Sky. Tokul Creek on King County’s Snoqualmie is another option. Puget Sound’s last open steelheading water (until the last day of February) is Whatcom Creek, between its outer mouth markers and Woburn Street bridge in downtown Bellingham. Besides private property access at businesses along its banks, it’s harder to fish than it looks because of in-stream and bank revegetation work. Additionally, the city’s public works department spills water from Lake Whatcom most of the winter to keep the lake from damaging private shoreside docks, so the creek almost always is up in the bushes. Steelhead smolts released from Maritime Heritage Center hatchery do return in small numbers. The most recent state catch stats show winter-runs caught on all the above streams in February, but because of the 2014 Wild Fish Conservancy lawsuit that scrubbed most of that year’s hatchery smolt releases in Puget Sound, the Sky will probably be the best bet if harvesting one is your goal. Don’t discount the possibility of tussling with a native, though.
FOR A FAMILY-ORIENTED winter fishing diversion that’s not too hard to gear up for, check out the Feb. 27 La Conner Smelt Festival, which still features among its attractions an angling derby on the docks of Swinomish Channel. Footraces, fish painting, fundraiser breakfasts, discounted retail sales and more may now share billing, but the smelt jigging contest still is a jewel in the crown of the historic port town’s winter celebration. Prizes include a $100 kids’ award for the biggest smelt caught and entered. There’s a proviso here: Don’t expect the fishing to be hot. The channel’s once robust saltwater smelt population has dropped off since the local fish-processing plants closed. But with a little patience and a reliable jig rig, it’s still possible to snatch a few potential prize winners from these waters. Many private channel docks off First Street, as well as several in the port’s marina to the north that normally are off-limits to casual pedestrians, can be used by would-be smelt jiggers on derby day.
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COLUMN State recreational licenses are not required to fish for smelt, so that cost is spared. Jigging set-ups can be kept simple and inexpensive as well. Some smelt seekers don’t even use a rod The smelt have mostly swam off, but La Conner still celebrates the oily fish with an annual festival – this image comes from the 1980s. This winter’s will be held Feb. 27 and features a chance for kids to win $100 for the largest smelt caught off the local docks. (WDFW)
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and reel, instead tying the jig’s main line to a wooden dowel that serves as a graspable handle. Alternatively, you can splurge and get really fancy with an unusual purpose-made sabiki rod and with its gang set of small single-point colorfully decorated hooks. A midpoint would be that reliable if somewhat stiff old fishing pole of grandpa’s and a cheap gang set tied by hand with ingredients from the tackle box or purchased at a sporting goods store. Two schools of thought govern actual angling for smelt. One says snagging is the most productive way to rustle up a mess of these fish, and on a cold, wet day, it will also help you generate heat and keep your interest up. The other prefers to let the fish “catch” themselves by presenting them with tiny, ultrasharp single hooks baited with brightly colored beads, Mylar film or slips of hair/hackle. Proactive jigging gets the nod if there are large, densely packed schools of smelt in the water column, but plunking a stillfished gang set suits the circumstance where the smelt are much less abundant and you have to wait between swim-bys. A little herring or shrimp oil daubed on each hook or bait will help the fish find the offering. Smelt jigging for all the marbles on derby day runs from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. A pancake feed is held from 8 to 10 a.m., while hot dogs are available later. Fish painting is available for the younger set not interested in catching, there are several footraces planned and, of
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COLUMN course, La Conner retail shops and restaurants are open, so there’s something potentially for everyone in the family.
RABBITS, ALONG WITH bobcats, foxes, coyotes and raccoons, provide the latest hunting options of the traditional fall/winter circuit. Snowshoe hares and cottontail are on the gunning card until mid-March. The considerable upland grounds of the Intalco and Lake Terrell Units of the Whatcom Wildlife Area complex, together with the northern field section of the river-bottom Nooksack Unit between Marine Drive and Slater Road, offer some unique, eminently huntable expanses for cottontails. The smaller of the two rabbit family species here predominate in lowland, farm habitat, while snowshoe hares take to the high country. Because of the profuseness of cover and the species’ innate tendencies, successful boot hunters will be in the field at first legal light or during the last vestiges of visibility before shooting hours close each day. Otherwise, to hunt cottontails with any degree of effectiveness in the cold light of day requires a dog with a nose for critters, plus a willingness to burrow into the brush to ferret out the hoppers. Cocker spaniels, beagles and even dachshunds are bred to these occasions, but in this day and age don’t come with a trained veteran nose’s inclinations, instead often requiring considerable on-the-job training.
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For this hunt, consider a 20-, 28- or .410-gauge shotgun with a full choke as your first choice of weaponry. Small-caliber pistols or rifles otherwise legal to use for small game and which improve your odds aren’t advisable, since these locales are frequented by dog walkers, winter hikers and birdwatchers, so there’s a safety concern.
FINALLY, TWO LAKES that should start warming this month are Lake Campbell in western Skagit County and Fazon Lake in Whatcom County. The former, located on Fidalgo Island, is a recipient of an annual dose of cutthroat trout, and the latter got some of the steelhead smolts from this brood year’s ill-fated plants from Kendall Creek Hatchery. Campbell has been open throughout the winter, but its fish have not been pressured much. Fazon’s just coming off its annual boat-fishing ban, in place during the waterfowl season, so the 2,500 nice young steelhead turned rainbows ensconced in its waters shouldn’t be lure-wary either. NEXT ISSUE Beach fishing venues, hike-in cutthroat waters and the last of the hunts. NS Editor’s note: Doug Huddle lives in Bellingham, is retired from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and has written about hunting and fishing in the Northwest for more than 32 years.
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COLUMN
Buckle Up For Bar Fishing W
ho in their right mind gives away their secret hole that they have fished for over 20 years? Apparently I do. The Colville Tribes’ fish checker at the Seaton’s Grove boat launch needs more people to take advantage of the incredible fishing that happens below Grand Coulee Dam. BASIN BEACON By Don Talbot “I am kind of lonely with as few boats that fish this water anymore,” she told Scott “Hollywood” Fletcher and I after a successful outing not long ago. Yes, I must be crazy, but here is the catch about fishing below Grand Coulee Dam any time of year: The trout get spooked very easily. You need to go out and get a medium/light-action 9-foot steelhead rod to be able to cast long distances. I use a 9-foot TICA baitcaster rated 6-14-pound test and love it, and Fletcher uses a 9-foot spinning rod loaded with 6-pound test to match my casts. He was using a 3/8 -ounce Worden’s Rooster Tail to cast far enough away from the boat to pick up a strike every 15 minutes or so in our quest to hit a big one. Rufus Woods Lake built its fame on fat triploid trout, escapees of commercial netpen operations, but in recent years, wild rainbows, possibly washed out of Grand Coulee Dam, have provided a good fishery. (DONSFISHINGGUIDESERVICE.COM)
HOW TO WORK THE BAR The technique to go after these trout requires a ton of patience if you are going to fish spinners for them. I look for shallow areas around Buckley Bar that drop off into pools. I sneak up to those spots with my 70-pound-thrust MinnKota I-Pilot and keep my boat on the deep side of the bar so that the fish will not run 100 yards away. I put the speed at level 2, or three quarters of a mile per hour, to inch my way up and down the edge of the bar until we get nailed. Fletcher hooked one native fish that hit hard and ran all over the place. It was obviously in fantastic condition. We wanted to see what it was eating and I got a huge surprise. I have been telling everyone for years that their favorite food was snails during fall and winter, but this one had seven really nice crawdads in its belly – a few of which were even still kicking!
MODIFYING SPINNERS I was playing with one of my favorite Panther Martin spinners and landed a few really nice rainbows that day as well. I like to enhance my favorite spinners with a black-and-silver tail (see Rig of the Month). I could also use red-and-white tails too, but I always catch more fish below Grand Coulee with black-and-silver tails. We have had dozens of challenges over the years and I learned this from a spinner I helped develop at Mack’s Lure 18 years ago. It is called a black and silver Promise Keeper spinner. Spinner companies should take note of that tail design, a proven winner! I didn’t catch the biggest fish that day – Hollywood put on a black-and-silver Rooster Tail and was having a stellar day on the water. You may want to also try some of the “new” Worden’s 2016 model Sonic Rooster Tails. They look incredible. Oh, so why is Fletcher’s nickname Hollywood? He got that years ago for learning how to hold a fish correctly for the camera and sending those photos to Northwest Sportsman to be evaluated for magazine usage. His very first king salmon nearly nine years ago got the attention of the editor. Hollywood has since refined his
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COLUMN picture-taking routine after every catch to a tee and been in over 30 editions of Northwest Sportsman magazine, including on the September 2015 cover. Let’s give Hollywood a little credit and a bunch of competition – get your cameras out and take the picture immediately after your catch. And don’t just take one shot either. I take a dozen every time Fletcher catches a dandy! Email your images with all pertinent details to awalgamott@media-inc.com – you could win photo contest prizes!
WALLEYE TOO Trout aren’t the only fish biting at the upper end of Rufus Woods Lake below Grand Coulee Dam. We also caught a bunch of walleye trolling at Nespelem Bar, which is about 6 miles downriver from Buckley Bar, with the exact same MoneyMaker Shaker Wing technique and Super Dipping Sauce in Game Fish scent that I described in December’s Basin Beacon. You may want to go out and get some crawdad scent too. The Shaker Wings were killing the big walleye on a size 2 Slow Death hook and a 1¼-ounce slinky weight trolling at level 2.5, about 1 mph minus the river current. Enjoy fishing the bars below Grand Coulee Dam for rainbows and walleye. The Seaton’s Grove ramp is off Highway 155 about 6.1 miles downstream from the dam. I do have one word of caution around Buckley Bar. It is rocky and not forgiving to lower units. Approach with caution and enjoy the adventure of catching fish in the middle of nowhere. Fishing should be good all winter long!
Guide Don Talbot shows off Rufus Woods’ other winter wonder – walleye. (DONSFISHINGGUIDESERVICE.COM)
If you have any additional questions about this subject, feel free to contact me at Don Talbot’s Fishing (509-679 8641; donsfishingguideservice.com). NS
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HOW TO MAKE A ‘TALBOT TAIL’ Step 2
NOTES:
Here are the steps to making what I call a “Talbot Tail” for a spinner or crankbait in just minutes to get more action out on the water. –Don Talbot Step 3
Step 3
STEP 1: Separate about 15 strands of black and 15 strands of silver Crystal Flash. STEP 2: Use a heavy line loop and grab the strands about 1 inch up from the end. STEP 3: Pull the strands through the eye of a hook. I use single barbless hooks so that I can release unharmed fish that I don’t want to keep. You can use single or treble hooks with this extremely effective technique.
Step 4 Step 7
Step 5
Step 6
STEP 4: Fold the strands down over
the hook.
STEP 5: Push a rubber Owner Bead over the eye of the hook and on top of the strands. STEP 6: Trim the tail of the Crystal Flash.
STEP 7: Apply a good Rosco split ring as the connector to your favorite spinner, and you are done.
(DONSFISHINGGUIDESERVICE.COM, ALL)
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COLUMN
Ice Fishing Returns To Diamond Lake T
here aren’t a lot of lakes in Oregon where you can go ice fishing, mainly due to the fact that most are closed during the winter. However, four years ago the Department of Fish and Wildlife changed the regulations to keep Diamond Lake open CENTRAL OREGEON year-round. BY Scott Staats According to John Jonesburg, the marketing and events coordinator at Diamond Lake Resort (diamondlake.net), the change has been a big hit. Over the past three winters, he says there have been some weekends when he’s seen 200 to 300 people out on the hard water. When I talked with him early last month, he said there have been some anglers out fishing, though the ice wasn’t great yet. “You always take a risk when you go out on the ice,” said Jonesburg. “It wasn’t ideal conditions quite yet.”
He said there were about 20 inches of combined ice, slush and snow layers. In that 20 inches there were about two layers of 1-inch-thick clear ice. He says you want at least a 3-inch layer of clear ice to consider it fairly safe. Even though the ice felt pretty solid, this year the snow came in first before any good ice formed. Everyone is hoping for more cold weather to freeze that 20 inches more solid.
THIS WINTER MARKS the end of a four-year trial at Diamond of yearround fishing. Now it’s up to ODFW to decide whether to continue it or not. The agency also changed the regulations from a five-fish limit to eight. However, this year, the limit is back to five trout. “We’ve had ice over the past years where the augers are too short to get through and they’d have to finish with a little shovel,” Jonesburg recalls. “Some years the ice can get up to 5 feet thick or more.”
After a one-year hiatus due to last year’s weak winter, ice fishing is back on at Diamond Lake. The hardwater season, which can stretch all the way into midspring, produces nice-sized trout for those hearty enough to brave the conditions. (ODFW) nwsportsmanmag.com | FEBRUARY 2016
Northwest Sportsman 161
COLUMN He says anglers he talked with in January caught some fish and had a good time. Fish have been averaging 15 or 16 inches. Most anglers are using PowerBait and some use worms. The dough bait in chartreuse, rainbow and fluorescent orange works best, with yellow corn-flavored also drawing bites. Rainbows survive the winters well and some trout up to 12 pounds are once again being caught. The fish are searching for oxygen, so you have to target that layer. The average depth of the lake is about 20 feet and fish can be found around 10 feet and up. You don’t fish the bottom (the deepest spot is 50 feet) in this lake. Diamond is shallow; that’s why it freezes over so quickly. Plus, it sits at about a mile high in the Cascades. Where winter 2014-15 was all but snowless, Jonesburg reported there were 50 inches of snow on the ground at the resort, and that nearby Crater Lake had just seen its snowiest December on record, so he assumed it was the same at Diamond Lake. The resort rents augers and skimmers and sells ice-fishing rods and everything else needed to catch fish. They charge $5 for the augers. “This is an opportunity that you don’t always get in Oregon, since most fishing starts the end of April,” notes Jonesburg. “It brings a new sport to our area. Lots of folks catch fish, even though they haven’t ice-fished much.” Indeed, ODFW hosted ice-fishing workshops here in 2013 and
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2014, and last month held one on Lake of the Woods, on the other side of Crater Lake.
DIAMOND HAS GOTTEN a lot of attention in recent years due to its invasive tui chub problem, including the 2006 rotenone treatment that eradicated the invasive baitfish. The lake’s famous insect populations have rebounded and fingerlings are putting on an inch or more a month from spring through fall. Unfortunately, last fall state biologists caught a single large tui chub, thought by many to have been the result of someone using the live minnows for bait. ODFW reminds anglers that the practice is highly illegal and has resulted in previous explosions of tui chub populations, but it’s too early to say whether the chubs are making an unwelcome comeback. Lots of fish have been stocked in the last few years and ODFW estimates there are 500,000 trout in the lake right now, ranging in size from 11 inches to over 20 inches. Last year ODFW released 3,500 trophy trout and 3,000 legal trout, in addition to their annual stocking of 300,000 fingerlings. Creel surveys for the winter of 2013 showed 2,162 anglers during ice fishing season harvested 3,200 trout. In comparison, during the summer of 2012, anglers caught and released 22,000 trout and kept 85,500. The 2014 ice fishing season (November 2013 to April 2014) creel survey showed that about 3,500 anglers caught 6,000 trout. Due
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COLUMN Ice fishermen have averaged one to two rainbows a trip at Diamond the last two fishable winter seasons (2012-13 and 2013-14). In the past, the hard water season has stretched into April. (DIAMOND LAKE RESORT)
to warmer temperatures last winter, the lake did not freeze over completely and no ice-fishing harvest was recorded. On the west side of the lake Mount Bailey (8,363 feet) takes up most of the horizon, while the Matterhorn-like peak of Mount Thielsen (9,182 feet) rises on the eastern horizon. This peak acts as a lightning rod and causes the formation of an unusual mineral known as fulgurite, which forms when lightning actually melts the rock. On Thielsen, fulgurite can be found only within 5 to 10 feet of the summit. The rock appears as patches of brownish-black glass
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up to 12 inches long. Jonesburg warns that just because some people are out fishing doesn’t mean the ice is safe elsewhere on the lake. People have to take some responsibility for their actions, he says. He hoped that colder weather would come in soon to get some good ice. Watch the resort’s Facebook page and website for updates on ice conditions and fishing reports, or call them at (541) 793-3333). NS
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COLUMN
Squidding Sans The Pier, Dark Of Night THE KAYAK GUYS
T
here’s little doubt that we’re in the grips of a rough winter that’s limited the opportunities for kayak fishing. With few chances to hit my favorite Eastern Washington lakes for species like trout and walleye, I’ve had more time to focus my efforts on Puget Sound Kayak Guys By Todd Switzer squid during what’s turning out to be a banner season for the species. The method most fishermen are familiar with is to visit a pier after dark and stay close to a light or bring your own battery-powered light to attract the squid. This can be a very productive method if you don’t mind fishing in close company, because when the squid are in at the pier, you’ll have plenty of fellow calamari lovers to share in the bounty. But the method I prefer is to fish by kayak close to shore on the leeward side of the points in Puget Sound during the day. Yes, there’s still plenty of squid to be caught during daylight, you just might need to go a bit deeper than you would off the pier.
one spot. I won’t try to sell you on the challenges of landing a squid. They simply don’t have much fight to them. Chinook, they are not. If you’ve ever snagged a blade of kelp or a sandwich baggie, you’ve experienced all the fight you’ll get out of a squid. Rather, the challenge is in locating them. To find them, you need to know a few things about the habitat they prefer and why they occupy those spots. In this fishery, it’s not a matter of the old “find the bait and you’ll find the fish.” It’s a case of, find the right habitat features
SQUID ARE COMMON throughout Puget Sound, but during the summer, they stay in deep water and have little reason to come into the upper 100 feet or so. But during the winter, huge numbers move into water less While most Puget Sound squidding is done off piers after dark, kayak anglers are finding that squid are catchable than 100 feet deep to release during daylight hours behind sheltered points. (TODD SWITZER) their eggs, and they stay up for an extended period of time, making them much easier to target. The one aspect of the chase and you’ll find the squid. that makes them difficult to find on a regular basis is that they The habitat that squid prefer during the winter is a mixture don’t seem to follow regular patterns or hang out too long in any of sand with rocky outcroppings and about 1 knot of current.
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COLUMN That can be found on the northern side of many of the points on Puget Sound, in water depths from 40 to 90 feet. Those areas where the bottom slopes off from shallows into water a couple of hundred feet deep are prime locations for winter squid, especially if there’s a bit of current moving down the slope. Larger features like sunken wrecks or large rocky reefs will also hold squid, but I lose gear as fast as I can tie it on in those areas, so I seldom spend much time fishing them.
SQUID ARE ALMOST always on the move. Even fishing for them from a pier, you’ll notice that the bite is red hot for a few minutes and everyone seems to be catching them, then suddenly they’re gone, and a few minutes later, they’re back again. The purpose for using strong lights at night is to attract squid to small schooling fish in the light and give them a reason to hang around. When fishing by kayak, I find it more productive to continually move around until I locate a school, and then Todd uses both blinged-out, expensive squid jigs and more homely ones. “What it really comes quickly drop the jig down to the bottom. In this case, down to,” he says, “is getting the hooks into the school.” (TODD SWITZER) moving around doesn’t mean you’ll need to move any strong marks on a fish finder, but since they love to school up, great distance. Often times, once you find squid in an area, if you they often show up as a small cloud, either right at the bottom or lose contact with the school, you’ll seldom need to move more within 10 feet of it. At times, they school up in such high densities than a few hundred feet to find another. that they show up as a dark mass, and at other times there will Squid don’t have an air bladder, so they don’t show up as
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COLUMN be so few of them that they barely register as a thin cloud of pixels on your fish finder’s screen. One thing is for certain: If you see a cloud of what looks like baitfish concentrated right at the bottom, send your jig down to investigate; if they’re squid, you’ll know almost immediately.
SQUID JIGS COME in a wide variety of colors. Some have fluorescent features or even internal lights with big plastic eyes and lots of glitter and bling, while others are simple bits of plastic with a skirt of needle hooks. Cost varies widely with the amount of bling involved. I wish I had evidence that my more expensive jigs caught more squid, but the truth is, I catch just as many on the simple and much cheaper style of jig as I do with my costliest ones. What it really comes down to is getting the hooks into the school. Rigging up for squid is simple. If you’re using a weighted jig, just tie it directly to your mainline; you can add a short leader with a swivel if line twist is an issue. If you use the unweighted style of jigs, or find that your weighted jig is not getting you to the bottom fast enough, use a 12-inch dropper loop off the bottom jig and add enough weight to keep your line vertical during jigging. Current regulations allow four jigs to be used together on each line, but I find that managing more than two on the same line can get tricky from a kayak. When you do hit a nice school, don’t be surprised to find more than one squid per jig.
The technique is to work the jigs as close to the bottom as possible without snagging. I’ll typically use 2 to 4 ounces of weight, depending on the current, and let the gear hit bottom before reeling up a few feet. If I don’t feel the weight hit the bottom every four or five jigging strokes, I let out line until it hits bottom again. The jigging stroke that works the best is a slow and steady up and down. Since the hooks of squid jigs are actually barbless pins, you’re not trying to set the hook but rather to feel the weight of a squid loading up the line. If it feels like the weight of your gear has just been doubled, you’ve got a squid on the line. Now just reel it steadily to the surface. Keep reeling until the jigs and the squid are clear of the water and let gravity hold the squid on the jig. Expect a good squirt of water when the squid breaks the surface and possibly a shot of ink headed your way, so be prepared to duck. If you stop reeling before the jig clears the surface, the squid will work its way off the hooks.
WITH A GENEROUS limit of 10 pounds, or 5 quarts, of squid per day (except in Marine Area 12, where squid fishing is closed), you can end up with a lot to clean and eat. I bring along a 1.5-quart container, and when it’s full, I know I’ll have plenty to make two large batches of squid fried rice or another dinner favorite. If you end up with more than you can eat at one time, clean them first and then freeze them. Cleaning is a matter of slicing off the tentacles just below the eyes, removing the hard beak from inside these tentacles and then slicing the head up one side. With
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PASCO Northwest Marine and Sport 509-545-5586 www.nwmarineandsport.com
SALEM CPS RV & Marine 503-399-9483 www.cpsrvmarine.com
EVERETT Bayside Marine 425-252-3088 www.baysidemarine.com
PORT ORCHARD Kitsap Marina 360-895-2193 www.kitsapmarina.com
WENATCHEE Bob Feil Boats & Motors, Inc. (509) 884-3558 www.bobfeil.com
MOUNT VERNON Master Marine 360-336-2176 www.mastermarine.com
PORT TOWNSEND Westside Marine 360-385-1488 www.westsidemarine.com
MOUNT VERNON Tom-n-Jerry’s 360-466-9955 www.tomnjerrys.net
SEATTLE Ballard Inflatable Boats 206-784-4014 2611 NW Market St. www.ballardinflatables.com
EUGENE Clemens Marina 541-688-5483 www.clemensmarina.com EUGENE Maxxum Marine 541-686-3572 www.maxxummarine.com GLADSTONE Clemens Marina 503-665-0160 www.clemensmarina.com
WHITE CITY River Marine Sales & Service, Inc. 541-830-5151 www.rivermarinesales.com WASHINGTON AUBURN Auburn Sports & Marine Inc. 253-833-1440 www.auburnsportsmarineinc.com
YamahaOutboards.com/F200InLine
YAKIMA Valley Marine (509) 453-6302 www.yvmarine.com IDAHO HAYDEN Mark’s Marine, Inc. 888-821-2200 www.marksmarineinc.com
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REMEMBER to always observe all applicable boating laws. Never drink and drive. Dress properly with a USCG-approved personal intended to be an endorsement. © 2013 Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. All rights reserved.
nwsportsmanmag.com | FEBRUARY 2016
Northwest Sportsman 173
COLUMN a single slice along the head, lay the head open and use the knife to scrape off the guts and remove the plastic-like bone that runs the length of the head. Give both the meat of the head and the tentacles a rinse and set it aside. There’ll likely be a bit of black squid ink on the meat, but this won’t impact the taste. There are lots of great recipes for squid, but the one thing they have in common is either flash cooking for a couple of minutes at most or stewing them down for an extended period of time. As soon as the opaque quality of the meat is gone, it is done and it’s time to remove the squid from the heat; if you cook it longer, you’ll risk making squid chewy. My favorite is to flash cook the squid in some sesame oil, remove them from the heat and chop into bite-sized pieces and store in a bowl with the juice from the pan. With the squid resting to the side, I cook up some chopped carrots, celery, onions, bell peppers and other stir-fry veggies in the pan until slightly soft. I then toss in a couple of cups of cooked and cooled rice, stirring them until they’re evenly mixed and folding in the squid once it’s off the heat. Adding in a liquid like cooking sake, white wine, vinegar or even a splash of a good old Northwest IPA while the rice and veggie mix is cooking just adds to the flavor. These squid might not be the hardest-fighting meal you’ll pull from the sea this year, but if you prepare them right, they will be one of the best tasting. Good luck and happy squidding! NS
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FEBRUARY 2016 | nwsportsmanmag.com
The author says that a 1.5-quart container’s worth of squid is enough for two dinners. (TODD SWITZER)
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nwsportsmanmag.com | FEBRUARY 2016
Northwest Sportsman 175