Northwest Sportsman Magazine - February 2023

Volume 15 • Issue 5

PUBLISHER

James R. Baker

EDITOR

Andy “New bs for the new year” Walgamott

THIS ISSUE’S CONTRIBUTORS

Dave Anderson, Jason Brooks, Scott Haugen, Jeff Holmes, MD Johnson, Randy King, Sara Potter, Buzz Ramsey, Tom Schnell, Dave Workman, Mark Yuasa

EDITORIAL FIELD SUPPORT

Jason Brooks

GENERAL MANAGER

John Rusnak

SALES MANAGER

Paul Yarnold

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

Colleeen Chittick, Mike Smith

DESIGNER

Lesley-Anne Slisko-Cooper

PRODUCTION ASSISTANT

Kelly Baker

OFFICE MANAGER/COPY EDITOR

Katie Aumann

INFORMATION SYSTEMS MANAGER

Lois Sanborn

WEBMASTER/DIGITAL STRATEGIST

Jon Hines

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES ads@nwsportsmanmag.com

CORRESPONDENCE

Email letters, articles/queries, photos, etc., to awalgamott@media-inc.com, or to the mailing address below.

ON THE COVER

Dylan Howard holds a nice walleye he caught last winter while blade baiting the Mid-Columbia. (COAST PHOTO CONTEST)

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES

Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and get daily updates at nwsportsmanmag.com.

Big bucks, bulls and bears, great first kills, freezer-filling harvests – our 12th annual celebration of readers’ successful fall hunts shares pics and stories from the 2022 season!

ALSO INSIDE

71 NIGHT SHIFT WALLEYE

Putting in some after-dark hours on the Mid-Columbia in midwinter could yield a trophy fish or two–maybe even a state record. But there’s plenty of action to be had during the day and for eater ’eyes too. Jeff Holmes takes a look at this highly popular big river fishery through the lens of an evening outing with a top local guide.

91 ROCK LAKE’S MEDIA SOCIAL AND OTHERWISE PROOF TROPHY TROUT

Despite attention from the likes of F&H News back in the day and Facebook groups now, Rock Lake’s remoteness, size and relative danger continue to protect this bastion of good winter fishing for some of the Northwest’s biggest rainbows and browns. Our travelling trouter shares wisdom from decades of trolling, casting and bobber fishing on the northern Palouse water.

99 BECOME A KOKANEE CATCHER

Tom Schnell of Kokanee Power of Oregon kicks off his multi-part series on angling for landlocked sockeye with an introduction to the fishery, trolling, jigging, rod and lure selection, and more!

120 THIRD STRAIGHT SMELT SEASON IN THE OFFING?

Smelt managers are optimistic that this year’s eulachon return up the Columbia could yield a recreational opener on the lower Cowlitz, and they’re also hopeful lawmakers will pass a bill requiring a license to dip for the ESA-listed stock. MD Johnson assesses the states of play.

125 WASHINGTON 2023 FISHING PLANNER, PART II

Following up on his preview last month of top January-June Evergreen State fisheries, Mark Yuasa turns his attention to the back half of 2023. From summer kings to crabs, pinks to silvers, there’s plenty to make plans for!

(COAST PHOTO CONTEST)

56

BUZZ RAMSEY Plugging For Steelies From Shore

No boat? No problem if you still want to plug for chromers! Buzz shares the unique back story of side planers, an old-school device from the Great Lakes he pioneered the use of on Oregon Coast streams and which still is effective for back-trolling Hot Shots and more.

COLUMNS

65 FOR THE LOVE OF THE TUG Better Late Than Never

Sara and the sunrise were like two peas in a pod when it came to hitting the water for winter-runs. And then her life changed and she had to put those first-light casts on hold. The question was, would the fish still bite in the afternoon for her?

81 NORTHWEST PURSUITS Ice-out Trout

Trout fishing won’t kick off in earnest for another month or two, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t good opportunities to be had in mid- to late winter as the ice melts off lakes. Jason shares waters to look to and tactics to try for February and March ’bows, cutts and more.

111 CHEF IN THE WILD A Tale Of Two Fish

When a long cold snap put a lid on his local reservoir, Chef Randy took note. That’s because ice fishing can be pretty darned good there. The only question was, how to cook its fish, which can taste a little off – or was that really even a quandry at all in winter?

143 ON TARGET 5 Top Coyote Calibers; New Turkey Shotguns, Optics

In midwinter, Dave W.’s attention focuses on two things: all the new offerings coming out of SHOT Show, and coyotes. He shares five top caliber choices that will send songdogs into the “Great Hereafter,” as well as details new gobbler guns from Mossberg and glass from German Precision Optics, Bushnell and Steiner.

153 BECOMING A HUNTER Offseason Training: The Time To Start Is Now!

If last fall’s hunts left you sore, tired and – how do we put this politely? – wishing you’d been able to get a little further afield from the rig than physical fitness or stamina allowed, now’s the time to start fixing that ahead of this coming season. Our main motivator Dave A. has workout and diet advice to get you on your way!

161 GUN DOG Mind Reading Is A Two-way Street

From the moment you bring a gun dog pup home, it starts reading your eyes to anticipate your next move. You owe it to your pup to be able to do the same for it. Scott shares the importance of mind reading between two- and four-legged hunting partners.

(BUZZ RAMSEY)

26’ KODIAK

Arecent Washington State Academy of Sciences report that found “the preponderance of evidence” shows harbor seals and sea lions are “a contributing factor in the decline and depression of salmon populations“ in Puget Sound and the state’s coast, and that there’s “an urgency to implement management strategies in the short term to take action while testing interventions,“ is beginning to get shopped around more seriously in the court of public opinion.

“Sea lions, seals might be hampering WA salmon recovery. What can be done?” read the headline of a major Seattle Times article published on the topic last month. Even as the newspaper generally tapped the brakes on the idea and the report itself is quick to state that given “ecological complexity” in the circles that salmon and seals swim in, there is “substantial uncertainty about the degree to which pinnipeds have and currently are depressing salmon stocks,” it’s all a prelude to possibly Doing Something about what fishermen have long understood to be a problem for the runs and our ways of life.

Culling some pinnipeds in the Salish Sea and on the coast would likely require an act of Congress to amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act and while that’s a big lift, it’s not impossible either. We saw that with a late 2018 tweak allowing for enhanced removals of Californias and Stellers at Bonneville Dam and Willamette Falls, chokepoints where 99 of the barking fish-eaters have been culled since October 2020. The effort at the falls has in part dramatically decreased the odds that at least one wild Willamette River winter steelhead run would go extinct if nothing had been done. Lake Washington’s steelhead had no such luck with Herschel et al, who et all.

W.S.A.S.’S REPORT IS linked to ongoing southern resident killer whale concerns and was issued in November. Governor Inslee’s proposed 2023-25 budget requests $940,000 from state lawmakers to “expand” marine mammal diet surveys in the Salish Sea and “identify nonlethal actions to deter them from eating salmon and steelhead.”

Where the report found some soft deterrents were somewhat effective on naïve pinnipeds – that is, those that hadn’t become accustomed to prey buffets at migratory congestion points – there were limits and “in some situations, lethal removal may be more effective.” It's important to note that outsized predation is occurring not just in areas of manmade chokepoints, but in the wild, per se, too.

The rub? “The major risks of lethal removals appear largely social and political rather than risks to pinniped populations as a whole,” the report summarized. Indeed, it’ll take a lot of pushing and there will be plenty of crosscurrents in the form of confounding findings and shrill outcry from the usual suspects, but the over-rewilding of predator populations in highly human-altered environments is a problem that requires addressing. We can do this again, and must. –Andy Walgamott

A sea lion consumes a salmonid below Willamette Falls, where the marine mammals have since been targeted for lethal removal to relieve extinction risks on native salmon and steelhead runs. (ODFW)

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TARA’S BACKCOUNTRY BUCK

“Nature was calling, and so I went.”

So writes Tara Nielsen Kaplan of rural Whatcom County, who shot a 29¾-inch-wide four-point mule deer buck 9 miles deep in the wilds of Northcentral Washington during midOctober’s rifle season.

While Nielsen Kaplan grew up walking timber sales with her dad and had tagged along on her husband’s hunts beforehand, three kiddos and running her own business took up most of her time until 2021, when the “itch” to get a hunting license couldn’t be kept at bay any longer.

“We knew this buck was up there,”Nielsen Kaplan writes. “We spotted him last season [2021], but I didn’t get the opportunity to place him in my scope crosshairs. We waited an entire rotation around the sun to return to this sacred spot, a grueling four-hour uphill hike into the burns and the wild. We rose above the skyline and it was as though all the stars were aligned – the perfect spot to set up camp.”

“The rest is, well … quite a story, but here he is. My first buck! Shot him opening day in Okanogan County with my Springfield Armory Creedmoor 6.5 at 350 yards. A rare-sized buck for that region, who just happens to be a collective of a beautiful gene pool!”

Last fall was odd for the area, with few deer lower down in October’s warmth, leading to speculation the herd was up in the heights of the Pasayten and Sawtooths.

“We only saw bucks of large caliber; not a doe in sight,” Nielsen Kaplan writes. “Every single day, without fail, we were presented with a stag social, if you will.”

She states that the phrase “creatures of habit” could be applied to these wilderness bucks.

“Applied patience, sheer will, determination and favorable winds were just a few factors to this high-country hunt,” Nielsen Kaplan adds.

Congratulations! –NWS

BUCK

Last evening of the last day of Eastern Washington’s rifle mule deer season was a sweet one for Clay Hanson, here with his first big game critter. He bagged this buck with his dad Cole’s .243, a first for the firearm as well.

(COAST PHOTO CONTEST)

Cash Craig, 11, stuck to it after striking out the first three days of his anydeer youth tag, tagging this two-point within 30 minutes of taking the field on his hunt’s second weekend. He bagged it with a 100-yard shot out of his .243 and was “pretty stoked to get a buck for his first deer,” stated his dad, Nathan. (COAST PHOTO CONTEST)

“Another year in the books” –our Big Game Yearbook, that is, for Jack and Carly Benson! Their dad says it’s getting harder to get his kiddos afield, what with school and sports, but he appreciates the time they do get to spend hunting. Carly got first dibs last October, anchoring her nice three-pointer (bottom) on opening weekend, then Jack (this image) “was super patient, looking over a couple smaller ones until he found one worth taking.” Both Benson bucks were harvested in Walla Walla County. (COAST PHOTO CONTEST)

BIG GAME

PICTURE

With a recurve bow made by his great uncle Don, Brandon Jewett (right) made good on a 12-yard shot on this Washington black bear he’d been hunting for awhile. Brandon also continued the hunting education of Steve Quinlan, formerly of Wisconsin, who used his grandfather’s old .30-06 to make a sub-100-yard shot on a bruin (left) of his own. (COAST PHOTO CONTEST)

PICTURE PICTURE

Oregon archery season was still in velvet, per se, when Jayce Wilder, 17, called in this Tioga Unit bull in late August and stuck it with a doublelung shot at 52 yards. (COAST PHOTO CONTEST)

2022 BIG GAME

Mike Bolt admits that he went off to Wyoming to chase pronghorns “not knowing how good it could really be,” but being able to pass on more than 40 bucks changed his mind in a hurry! Back in Washington, he also passed on three spikes before this bull meandered in range of his muzzleloader, was there when daughter Grace (far left) pulled the trigger on a 346-yard shot at her mule deer, and then he snuck within 40 yards of his own lateseason bow buck to wrap up a pretty good season. (COAST PHOTO CONTEST)

Y E A R B O O K

The Orcas Island blacktails that Wyatt Lundquist (this image) and brotherin-law Jesse Thomson (right) tagged featured something quite rare for San Juans archipelago deer: fat. A disease outbreak in summer 2021 sharply reduced the huge population, leading to healthier deer. (COAST PHOTO CONTEST)

Augie Castellano got himself a grizzly-strength black bear in this 7-foot-8 Southern Oregon bruin. He reported it weighed 356.5 pounds hanging at the butcher, putting its live weight well north of there, and it had a green skull measurement of 21¼ inches. He was hunting the Applegate Unit with a .30-30. (COAST PHOTO CONTEST)

PICTURE

2022 BIG GAME

Y

Note to the Layout Department: Just go ahead and always reserve a page for the Hart family, whose freezers are probably still full following a fabulous fall 2022! Randy Jr. (bottom right, at right) kicked things off with a Mt. Rainier foothills archery bull, followed by his dad, Randy Sr., and his muzzleloader elk (top left). Randy Jr. and son Brennon (top middle and top right) tagged out on Prescott Unit muleys in October, and then in November Randy Jr.’s wife Joleyn (this image) tipped over a six-point bull with a 260-yard shot out of the fam’s .308.

“Blessed for sure!” said Randy Jr. (COAST PHOTO CONTEST)

CAREER FIREFIGHTER DOWNS BRUISER OF A BULL

2022 BIG

GAME

Y E A R B O O K

By MD Johnson

Every now and again, as I wander down this literary career path I’ve somehow chosen for myself, I come across an individual and their story that makes me feel, well, good. You know, that “Hey! You’ve put the time in. You’ve worked hard. You’re humble, respectful and appreciative of the whole of the Great Outdoors. Oh, there was some luck involved in your accomplishment, but it was overshadowed by your effort, skill and determination.”

Yes, sir, a feel-good story, with a pictureperfect beginning, middle and end.

Meet Eric Johnson. Growing up in Snohomish, Washington, and now living not far to the north in Arlington, Johnson, 38, is a husband, family man – son, 9, and daughter, 6 – and a career firefighter

serving currently with North County Fire & EMS out of Arlington and Stanwood. That’s just part of his story. Johnson’s resume, among other things, now also includes having harvested one of the biggest elk to be tagged in Washington by an archer. His 10th bull? Nope. Fifth? No, sir. His first; not his first bull, but his first elk. Huh? How? Best, I reckon, to let him tell it.

“I STARTED BOWHUNTING in 2008,” recalls Johnson. “I would have been, ah, 24 years old. Some guys at work were really into it. We started out duck hunting, and they told me I should come out and try some elk hunting with them.”

So he got himself a bow and began learning like most of us have, by trial and error.

“I was shooting from the hip, so to speak,” he admits, “and going by what (my buddies) were showing me. We were learning as we went.”

For those wondering – and most of you indeed are – the tag Johnson applied for and ultimately drew, and the one that was eventually wrapped around the antler of his incredible eight-by-seven, 369 inch (unofficial) bull was the Observatory Quality Elk Hunt, the season for which runs September 10-22 in Southcentral Washington’s Game Management Units 334, 340 and 342.

“My elk,” Johnson says, “was actually taken in GMU 340, which is the Manastash Unit. It’s a very popular unit, but there were only 13 archery tags given out for the

Observatory Hunt.”

Johnson’s special permit gave him the opportunity to harvest any bull, as opposed to the over-the-counter archery, muzzleloader or modern firearm licenses, which allow hunters to only take a spike or true spike bull (the exception is GMU 334, where there’s an early archery antlerless opportunity).

“I hadn’t (previously) been applying specifically for the Observatory tag,” Johnson explains. “I used to apply frequently for Peaches Ridge, but some of the guys said I should try the Observatory hunt. So I started applying for it, I think last year. I had, I think, 10 points or so (invested) toward these Quality Elk tags.”

ALTHOUGH JOHNSON’S BULL was actually harvested on September 18, his hunt – as many do – began well in advance of when the tag was notched. Here, day by day, is the young firefighter’s once-in-a-lifetime adventure.

September 8: Johnson and two buddies scouted GMU 342 in advance of his September 10 opening day. “We targeted a bull we heard bugling down there,” he says, “so that’s where we decided to start.”

September 10: Classic story of opening day success; well, kinda. “We got him to come in almost immediately,” Johnson remembers, “but he came in so hot and so fast, he saw me before I saw him.” The trio devoted another day and a half of hard hunting in GMU 342 before pulling up stakes and moving north to the Manastash Unit.

Eric Johnson and his eight-by-seven, 369 inch green-score Southcentral Washington bull, taken in mid-September on an Observatory Quality Elk tag he drew with 10 points. (COAST PHOTO CONTEST)

PICTURE

JOHNSON’S GEAR GUIDE

No fanfare here, but rather a simple list of the gear Eric Johnson used while on his September elk hunt:

Binoculars: Steiner 10x42

Spotting scope: Vortex Viper

Bow: Mission MXR, a subsidiary of Mathews

Arrows: Carbon Express Maxima

Broadhead: Fixed, model uncertain

Pack: Exo Mountain Gear

Rangefinder: Vortex Diamondback HD-2000

Scent elimination: None – “I play the wind really hard,” says Johnson.

Scent: “Cow urine scent wafer”

Cow call – Born & Raised Outdoors’ Sound Bite open reed

Diaphragm/Bugle tube: Phelps bugle tube, with Elk 101

September 12: An entire day, Johnson recalls, was spent in GMU 340 on the move, bugling and listening. And bugling and listening. “Right at dusk,” he says, “we got one to holler at back us, so we set up camp (nearby). Our goal was to stay mobile and go where we needed to go.” Four days they hunted, with, as Johnson relates, “a lot of curious cows and spikes coming in to check us out, but no big bulls.”

Next Johnson experienced a hunt interruption known by a certain four-letter word, “work,” but as soon as his two-day shift was over, and he’d had a chance to have breakfast with his wife and children, he headed back out in GMU 340.

September 18: “We went to a new area where (one of) my buddies thought there should be elk,” he says, “but there weren’t any.” Getting late now, the guys parked their rig back where they’d last seen animals. “We’re sleeping in the truck,” Johnson recalls, “and woke up about 3:30 to three or four bulls bugling just outside the rig … probably within 100 yards of us. We could hear ’em thrashing around.”

A plan was quickly formulated: The crew stayed bedded down until roughly 5:30, “so as not to scare anything off,” gear up, and have some breakfast. “We chased bugles for about 3 miles,” Johnson says.

Now it gets really interesting. Moving fast, Johnson outpaced his two friends, and found himself on a dirt road cutting across a hillside; thick timber gulch to his left, and broken pine scrub above him to the right.

“I could hear two bulls above me that were bugling,” he says, “and what sounded like a monster down below me bugling.”

With the wind blowing downhill, he opted to go up and focus on the bulls above him.

“I was calling pretty aggressively,” he remembers. “Every time he’d bugle, I’d call and move 10 or 15 yards.”

Finally, Johnson cut the distance between himself and the bull to 30 yards, but there was, as he puts it, “a giant bush” in between them.

“I knew if I moved any closer, I’d spook him,” he says, “so I set up shop where I was, and picked my shooting lanes left and right.”

The bull, Johnson remembers, was all worked up. “He’s bugling and bugling,” the

diaphragm –MDJ

While the pack out was relatively and blessedly short, the whole experience was long on lessons about elk behavior for Johnson. (COAST PHOTO CONTEST)

PICTURE

firefighter recalls. “Close enough I could hear the ‘snot’ blowing out of his nose.”

About that time, Johnson’s buddies closed the gap to within 200 yards, cow calling as they approached.

“The second (my buddies) hit their call,” Johnson says, “he decided to come out from behind that bush.”

The bull walked into Johnson’s rightside shooting lane, and the archer stopped him midstride with a sharp cow call.

“I double lunged him on his right side,” Johnson recalls. “I could see the arrow, but wasn’t exactly sure where I’d hit him. I thought at first it was too far back.”

As it turned out, the shot was nothing short of perfect. After lunch and an anxious 60 minutes, Johnson and his partners took up the blood trail. “I was getting nervous,” Johnson says, “because he wasn’t giving us much of a trail. It was very patchy. We kept on it, though, getting a little bit at a time.”

But eventually, the meager sign ran out.

“We’re at the last blood and doing 360s just trying to find the trail again,” Johnson

says, “and all of a sudden my buddy yells my name. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw him. He was bigger than any elk I’d ever seen up close.”

The bull, Johnson guessed, had only made it 80 yards from shot to fall.

Oh, and if you’re wondering about the hellish task of getting the huge animal out of the field and into the truck?

“We quartered him,” Johnson says, “and drove the truck to the dirt road I’d originally be standing on. It was about a tenth of a mile pull. Downhill.”

CURIOUS, I ASKED Johnson a final question as we wrapped up our interview. Had this experience – this once-in-a-lifetime bull –changed him in any way? And if so, how?

“As a hunter,” he began, “I learned a lot of things about elk and elk behavior that I didn’t think about before. One of those were all the cows and spikes (responding) to our cow calls just out of curiosity. I assumed the bulls would come check us out, but I didn’t realize the cows and spikes would be that

curious about other animals.”

But it’s what he said in closing that hit home, making me realize just what kind of individual Johnson truly is.

“From a family standpoint,” he says, “well … this hunt is almost a two-week season, and I put a lot of time into it, which took a lot of time away from my wife and kids. That was tough. It was hard on my wife ’cause she was taking care of the kids and putting all her effort into that, while I was putting a bunch of time and effort into the elk. So, it gave me a great deal of appreciation for what she does and what she was willing to do so I could make that (hunt) happen.”

Johnson also commented on the efforts of his outdoor colleagues.

“I have a lot of appreciation,” he says, “for the guys who helped me with this. They sacrificed their season so that I could be successful. They called for me. They put me out front.”

This, he went on, was a collective effort, and a hard-won handsome trophy, not to be held by one, but shared by several. NS

Johnson extends a lot of credit for his success to his hunting buddies who “sacrificed their season so that I could be successful,” and he said it also gave him an appreciation for all that his wife handled on the home front so he could go on the extended hunt. (COAST PHOTO CONTEST)

MONTHLY WINNER

A single stand in Central Oregon served up two sweet bucks for Travis Clowers (left) and son Tacoma (this image) early on in the Beaver State’s bow season. (COAST

PICTURE

2022 BIG GAME

No doubt there are a lot of nice bulls to the west of his hometown of Yakima, but Chris Daniels found himself in central Arizona in late November, where two shots out of his .300 Win. Mag. “sealed the deal” on this big boy. (COAST PHOTO CONTEST)

For your shot at winning great fishing and hunting products from Coast, send your full-resolution, original images with all the pertinent details – who’s in the pic; when and where they were; what they caught their fish on/weapon they used to bag the game; and any other details you’d like to reveal (the more, the merrier!) – to awalgamott@media-inc.com or Northwest Sportsman, 941 Powell Ave SW, Suite 120, Renton, WA 98057. By sending us photos, you affirm you have the right to distribute them for use in our print and Internet publications.

PHOTO CONTEST)

Steve Lockwood (this image) and his dad Ken (below) enjoyed a Cowboy State antelope hunt, downing two speed goats on the same day. (COAST PHOTO CONTEST)

PICTURE

Fall 2022 was “a season I’ll never forget,” says Chad Smith. It started out with a 130-yard shot at a black bear boar (bottom middle), followed by a 15-yarder at a blacktail buck (bottom right) and wrapped up with a 38-yard shot at a cow elk (this image), all in Western Washington. “First time I have ever filled all three in a season,” he states. Brother-in-law Kyle McCullough’s late-season forked horn (bottom left) put a bow on things. (COAST PHOTO CONTEST)

PICTURE

It was a season of climatic contrasts for Kyle Klander. The unusually warm weather of Washington’s October rifle deer season saw him tag out with a four-point blacktail in Whatcom County, and then there was good tracking snow on the ground during his special permit hunt for a Nooksack Unit elk, also a four-pointer! (COAST PHOTO CONTEST)

2022 BIG GAME

There are basket racks and then there are basketball-hoop-sized racks – or at least fun camera angles.

long after Washington’s rifle season opened.

Temperatures in the low 80s and heavy pressure pushing bucks onto private land or keeping them well out of range made for tough hunting for Wade Ramsey, who wasn’t looking for just any Maupin Unit muley either. But as the controlled season in Northcentral Oregon ground towards its end, the appearance of a three-bytwo at first light across a big canyon had him take a 530-yard poke at it. “Having a range finder and compensating dial for bullet drop on his Leupold scope made the shot possible,” reports Wade’s dad, Buzz Ramsey. (BUZZ RAMSEY)

Parker Bolden smiles over a nice blacktail buck he harvested last season. (COAST PHOTO CONTEST)

Eric Braaten tagged this muley not

(COAST PHOTO CONTEST)

Jacqueline Siegel bagged this Western Washington bull. She was hunting on public land in November. (COAST PHOTO CONTEST)

MIXED BAG

Long Poaching, Wastage Case Leads To Citations

Following “a lengthy investigation,” a 21-year-old Coos Bay-area man has been charged with killing and wasting three young blacktail bucks in early 2021. Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division troopers say that Macen M. West, 21, of North Bend was behind the shootings of the deer on Coos Bay’s North Spit, and after a December 2022 interview they cited him with three counts of take of a game mammal during a closed season, three counts of wastage and a single count of hunting with an artificial light.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife says it wants to see Macen pay $3,000 in restitution and lose his hunting privileges for a minimum of three years, as well as forfeit his .17-caliber Savage 93R17.

WORD ABOUT THE case first emerged in late March 2021 after local resident Joseph Metzler saw a congregation of crows while riding his ATV on a sand road and then, upon rounding a bend, spotted the carcasses.

“As soon as I came around the corner, there they were, and if it had been dark, they would have been standing right in front of my headlights on the hillside,” Metzler told ODFW.

Troopers reported that the animals had all been “shot in the head from relatively close range and were likely taken using artificial light at night” some two to four days beforehand.

“It was a crime of opportunity,” said OSP Sergeant Levi Harris in a press release. “We believe the shooter drove around a corner, saw the deer in the headlights and made a poor, shocking, impromptu decision to hop out and shoot those deer.”

Metzler was pleased to learn OSP solved the case, even if it took over 20 months.

“It goes to show you that if you turn in poachers, it might be a while, but they can find them,” Metzler said, adding, “We know what’s right and what’s wrong. And it’s too bad that [West’s] friends didn’t turn him in. They took this hunting resource from everyone in the local hunting community. Each one of those bucks this year would have filled a freezer and made people proud of how we manage deer in Oregon.”

Call (800) 452-7888, text *OSP (*677) or email TIP@osp.oregon.gov to report poaching. Preference points or cash rewards are on offer for tips leading to citations.

JACKASS OF THE MONTH

Deer don’t really belong in our neighborhoods, but then again, jackasses shouldn’t be allowed in them either.

But such is the case in Louisiana, where “known heroin distributor and thief” Chad Blythe, 51, allegedly

stepped out of his house with his .22 rifle and shot “Butterbean,” a tame whitetail doe as it walked down the street – all while kids, other neighbors and a state game warden were watching, according to an outdoorlife .com report filed in late December.

Making it even more traumatic, Blythe’s shot – which hit a woman’s house – didn’t kill the deer, so the officer had to put it

By Andy Walgamott

down. It had a parent answering all sorts of awkward questions from his kids as the officer wrote Blythe three citations – hunting without a license, hunting without a tag and shooting across a road. According to OL, between charges, fines and restitution, Blythe could end up paying nearly $3,200.

Before the shooting, the officer had been awaiting for the arrival of a biologist to help capture Butterbean to take it to a facility for tame animals.

Oregon wildlife troopers say Macen M. West of North Bend shot these three young blacktail bucks in March 2021, a case that took them over 20 months to solve, but drew plaudits for their sticktoitiveness. (OSP)

All In A Day’s Work

We tend to think of game wardens as having a pretty simple, straight-forward job: protect fish and wildlife, police anglers and hunters. But it’s so much more than that. I’m always struck at how many things officers handle, and the Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division’s monthly newsletters provide a great glimpse into their day job. To be clear, most newsletter stories are about busting poachers, but the November 2022 is interesting for the scope of other activities. Troopers …

• Rescued a stranded motorist in Lake County after the driver slid off a Forest Service road, two injured bald eagles in Yamhill County and the Columbia Gorge, two Labradoodles that ran away from their Columbia County home, and a Wheeler County five-point bull elk that had caught its antlers and legs in a wire fence;

• Recovered two rifles, meds, a wallet and other gear for an elk hunter who drove off a road in the Elliott State Forest, rolled his rig multiple times and came to a rest 400 feet downhill before crawling back up to the road and being rescued by loggers;

• Dealt with not one but two traffic stops on the way to a daybreak wildlife enforcement decoy operation, including a woman who jumped out of her car on the Youngs Bay Bridge then tried to get back in before being found to allegedly be “significantly impaired by drugs,” and a man who attempted to steal a cargo trailer from a Warrenton business but found it chained to 11 other trailers and ran off into the brush before reemerging and claiming “he wasn’t trying to steal the trailer, he just wanted to make sure his hitch fit because he was interested in buying it,” lol;

• Participated in an Oregon Hunters Association youth upland game hunting event in Prineville and in a parade through The Dalles celebrating the Hood River High School Girls Varsity Water Polo Team after they won the state championship (and for the fourth time in six years);

• And aided and volunteered to plant bitterbrush and sagebrush at OHA mule deer Hope and Habitat Project sites on winter range in the Interstate Unit burned by 2021’s Bootleg Fire. Kudos!

An Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division trooper out of the agency’s McMinnville office holds an injured bald eagle subsequently transported to a wildlife care facility. (ODFW)

CALENDAR OUTDOOR

FEBRUARY

1 ODFW Intro to Hunting ($, registration), Sportsman’s Warehouse, Portland –info: myodfw.com/workshops-and-events

4 Oregon Northwest Permit Zone late goose and Mid-Columbia Zone late white and white-fronted goose openers; Oregon and Washington statewide veterans and active military waterfowl hunting day; Washington statewide youth waterfowl hunting day

10 Deadline to apply for Oregon spring black bear permit

11 Washington Goose Management Areas 1, 4 late white goose opener; Washington Goose Management Area 2 Coast and Inland zones late goose opener (state wildlife areas, federal refuges closed; select dates)

11-12 ODFW Steelhead 101 Workshop ($, registration), Glen Otto Park, Troutdale –info: see above

15 Last day to apply for Idaho spring black bear hunt; Last day of steelhead fishing in select Puget Sound terminal areas

16 ODFW Intro to Hunting ($, registration), Sportsman’s Warehouse, Portland –info: see above

18 Oregon South Coast Zone late goose hunt opener

18-19 Free Fishing Weekend in Oregon; ODFW Ice Fishing Workshop (free), Lake of the Woods, Klamath Falls – info: see above

19 Last day of Oregon Zone 1 snipe hunt

28 Last day of bobcat and fox season in Oregon; Last day to fish for steelhead on numerous Washington Coast streams

MARCH

1 Lake Billy Chinook’s Metolius Arm opens for fishing; ODFW Intro to Hunting ($, registration), Sportsman’s Warehouse, Portland – info: see above; Numerous Eastern Washington lakes open for fishing; Blackmouth opener on Washington Marine Area 5

10 Last day of Oregon Northwest Permit and South Coast late goose, and High Desert and Blue Mountains Zone white and white-fronted goose seasons

11 Bottomfish, lingcod, rockfish and cabezon seasons open on Washington Marine Areas 1-3 and Area 4 west of Bonilla-Tatoosh line

15 Last day of bobcat, fox, raccoon, and rabbit season in Washington

16 ODFW Intro to Hunting ($, registration), Sportsman’s Warehouse, Portland –info: see above

20 Washington sea duck, Southwest Canada goose, snow goose and brant harvest reports due

31 Last day 2022-23 Washington fishing and hunting licenses valid; Last day to fish for steelhead on remaining open Washington coastal systems

1 New Washington fishing and hunting licenses required; Opening day of controlled or general spring bear hunts in all Oregon and select Idaho units

1-7 Washington youth turkey hunting week

6 Tentative Marine Areas 5-10 halibut opener (Thursday-Monday fishing through May 22) – info: wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations/halibut

8-14 Idaho youth turkey hunting week

8-9 Oregon youth turkey hunting weekend

15 General spring turkey season opener in Idaho, Oregon and Washington; Opening day of spring black bear hunts in more Idaho units

APRIL MAY

1 2023 Northern Pikeminnow Sport-reward Program fishery begins on Columbia and Snake Rivers – info: pikeminnow.org; Areas 5-11, 13 lingcod opener

4 Tentative Columbia River Subarea/Area 1 halibut opener (Thursday, Sunday fishing through May 21); Tentative Area 2 halibut opener (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday fishing through May 23); Tentative Areas 3-4 halibut opener (Thursday, Saturday fishing through May 20) – info: see above

The “Wall of Kings” collection of trophy big game animals is a popular attraction at the O’Loughlin’s three Northwest sportsmen’s shows. Those and other shows also hold headand-horns competitions in which hunters can get their bucks and bulls officially scored. (ANDY

CALENDAR 2023 BOAT AND SPORTSMEN’S SHOW

FEBRUARY

1-5 Vancouver International Boat Show, BC Place and Granville Island, Vancouver, BC; vancouverboatshow.ca

1-5 Washington Sportsmen’s Show, Washington State Fair & Events Center, Puyallup; otshows.com

3-5 Eugene Boat & Sportsmen’s Show, Lane Events Center, Eugene; exposureshows.com

3-11 Seattle Boat Show, Lumen Field Event Center and Bell Harbor Marina, Seattle; seattleboatshow.com

10-12 Douglas County Sportsmen’s & Outdoor Recreation Show, Douglas County (Oregon) Fairgrounds, Roseburg; exposureshows.com

10-12 Willamette Sportsman Show, Linn County Expo Center, Albany; willamettesportsmanshow.com

15-19 Pacific Northwest Sportsmen’s Show, Expo Center, Portland; otshows.com

24-26 Central Washington Sportsmen Show, Yakima Valley Sundome, Yakima; jlmproductionsllc.com

24-26 Jackson County Sportsmen’s & Outdoor Recreation Show, Jackson County Expo, Medford; exposureshows.com

25-26 Saltwater Sportsmen’s Show, Oregon State Fairgrounds, Salem; saltwatersportsmensshow.com

2-5 The Idaho Sportsman Show, Expo Idaho, Boise; idahosportsmanshow.com

3-5 BC Sportsmen’s Show, Tradex, Abbotsford; bcsportsmenshow.ca

9-12 Central Oregon Sportsmen’s Show, Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center, Redmond; otshows.com

10-11 Northwest Fly Tyer & Fly Fishing Expo, Linn County Fairgrounds, Albany; nwexpo.com

16-19 Big Horn Outdoor Adventure Show, Spokane Fair and Expo Center, Spokane; bighornshow.com

MARCH MAY

18-20 Anacortes Boat & Yacht Show, Cap Sante Marina, Anacortes; anacortesboatandyachtshow.com

To be determined: Victoria Boat and Fishing Show; victoriaboatshow.com

WALGAMOTT)

Plugging Steelies From

From Shore

BUZZ RAMSEY

Because I worked for GI Joe’s selling tackle when in high school, I was aware of the method of backtrolling plugs. To gain river fishing access, I bought my first drift boat in 1968 – used, it cost me $125. Although we primarily employed the drift fishing method in those days, it didn’t take long for us to add plug pulling to our arsenal.

One of my tasks when later working for Luhr-Jensen was to promote products in the Great Lakes salmon market, where small side planers were popular when trolling the big lake. It was in 1977 on the Wilson River that I first tried back-trolling a plug from shore using a Yellow Bird side planer. The Yellow Bird was designed to be fished in-line and trip much like a Pink Lady or Delta diving planer. So that I could position my plug 30 feet away from my Yellow Bird, I added a downrigger line-release to the planer. What I failed to do when rigging up that very first time was to position a swivel 3 feet up the line from my plug.

I remember getting the Yellow Bird out midstream with my Hot Shot plug trailing behind, which is when I started backing my planer and plug downriver by slowly walking along the river bank. The trip mechanism worked great when the steelhead hit, but the fish went totally bonkers when the planer slid down the line all the way to the plug, drilling that steelhead between its eyes, which caused me to lose both the fish and the planer. That was the first and last time I rigged up a side planer and plug combo without first rigging a swivel several feet up the line from my plug.

While the Yellow Bird worked, it was really bigger than needed for plugs sized for steelhead. In addition, at 8 inches long, the side planer pulled hard after sliding down the line to the swivel, which spoiled the fish fight. Years later I ran across an already marketed product called a Hydro Kite that measured 5 inches. With my encouragement, Luhr-Jensen ended up

Author Buzz Ramsey caught this wild winter steelhead from shore with the aid of a Hot Shot Side Planer. The old-school device takes a page from one of the most effective boat-fishing techniques ever, plugging. (BUZZ RAMSEY)

buying the product, which is when we renamed it the Hot Shot Side Planer and marketed it for river use.

LIKE SOME OTHER side-planing devices, the Hot Shot Side Planer is designed to be rigged onto your main line and can be locked in place, allowing for your lure to be positioned any distance away. Once the built-in trip mechanism is triggered, the planer will slide down your line. In addition, this product allows for right- or left-handed (port or starboard) trolling; it just depends on which side of the buoyant planer body you assemble the side-planing strut and rudder on. The tripper arm should be swung toward you, opposite the rudder. Twenty to 30 feet from planer to plug is the right distance for most places steelhead hold. In shallow water a short distance from planer to plug is right, while a longer letout will help your plug dive near bottom where the water is deeper. Realize too that the right distance

A page from Ramsey’s fishing log details the first time he ever tried to use a side planer for steelhead – a buoyant Yellow Bird that was designed to be fished in-line and trip much like a Pink Lady. For river use, he modified it with a downrigger release so he could position his plug 20 to 30 feet away such that it would trip and slide down his main line to his plug. (BUZZ RAMSEY)

When fishing from shore, Ramsey will often take along a couple of prerigged outfits which, given the right place and conditions, might include his dedicated side planer rod, which he has rigged with 50-pound braid (monofilament works too) in combination with a 15-pound-test leader. If you decide to use mono as your main line, consider using 20-pound test in combination with a 12-pound-test leader. Since plugs can hang bottom, using a heavier test than normal in combination with a lighter leader will likely prevent you from losing your side planer should your plug hang up. (BUZZ

when using a side planer is shorter as compared to when fishing from a boat, as your planer is riding on the surface of the water.

Just like when plugging plugs from a boat, I usually start plugging from shore at the upper end of a drift and work my plug all the way to the tailout. Wearing hip boots or waders will go a long way in getting your plug to float downstream from your planer before locking in the distance from planer to lure – not to mention being able to work your way downstream as you back-troll your plug down the river.

Three or four wraps around the fin tab should be all that’s needed to lock in the distance from planer to plug. If your main line is braid, it will likely stay in place after

RAMSEY)

Maggie Ramsey shows off a big summer steelhead she caught and released after it struck a Hot Shot plug back-trolled behind a Hot Shot Side Planer while fishing near the mouth of Oregon’s Deschutes River in 1984. That same year was when hubbie Buzz caught a then-world-record 25-pound 13-ounce steelhead while bank fishing a size 25 Hot Shot back-trolled behind a surface side planer. (BUZZ RAMSEY, BOTH)

RIGGING A SIDE PLANER

Since it can be rigged to plane to port or starboard, the Hot Shot Side Planer (1) comes unassembled. There are two rudder sizes, with the small rudder (2) best for really fast water. The large rudder (3) is what you will likely use most. The release tension of the stainless steel tripper arm (4) can be adjusted with a pair of needlenose pliers.

The round end faces upstream and you assemble the strut and rudder (5) the direction you want the planer to go, making sure to slide the strut all the way to the rear of the planer (6). A little wax or lip balm applied to the strut will make it slide on easier. The wire tripper arm should be positioned toward you and snapped into the provided release groove.

Once assembled, thread your main line through the wire eyelet at the end of the tripper arm (7), down through the center grommet (8) and out the tail eyelet – located on the bottom (9) of the planer. It’s then that you place a plastic bead (10) onto your main line and add a swivel (11). Your leader length, extending back to your plug (12), should be 3 to 4 feet long.

The key to locking the planer onto your main line at the desired distance from your lure is to wrap it around the end fin tab (13). When wrapping, make sure to grab your line between the tripper arm and where the line threads through the grommet in the center of the planer. –BR

wrapping. Because it’s stiff, monofilament can resist the wrapping and spring of the fin tab, which means you may have to hold the wraps in place until you have the planer suspended off your rod tip.

The idea is to then swing your side planer out into the water from your rod tip and let the current pull your planer to midstream. By adjusting the amount of letout and rod tip angle, you can pretty much position the planer and trailing plug wherever you like. It’s then that you back-troll your planer and plug downstream by slowly walking along the river bank. Keep in mind, it’s important to not walk too fast. Take a few steps and stop and let the plug work for a minute before taking another couple of steps.

WHEN MR. STEELHEAD strikes, your reaction should be to yank back to set the hook, which should also trip the arm on the planer, causing the device to begin sliding down your line. Unlike my first try, make sure to have a swivel prerigged 3 feet above your plug so the planer won’t drill your prize between its eyes.

Keep in mind that using a side planer in the same location as where others are fishing is not a good idea. This is especially true if they are casting while downstream from your location. My advice: back-troll your plug from shore in drifts not being fished by others, just like those trolling plugs from boats do.

The theory among many anglers, including me, is that steelhead (especially males) strike plugs viciously when backtrolled into their location due to them having no tolerance for a vibrating plug invading their territory. Nearly all the really big steelhead, most of which are males, we have landed over the years were caught on plugs.

And finally, keep in mind that plugs are most effective when the water is clear. NS

Editor’s note: Buzz Ramsey is regarded as a trout, steelhead and salmon sport fishing authority and proficient lure and fishing rod designer. He has been honored into the Hall of Fame for the Association of Northwest Steelheaders and the national Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame.

(BUZZ RAMSEY, ALL)

Better Late Than Never

Passion never ceases to amaze me. Once it finds you, so many incredible things and feelings begin to unravel, producing an abundance of purpose and desire to the day. You feel things like never before; so deep and almost uncontrollable, passion can flood a heart and completely take over one’s very soul.

In the beginning we seek out each and every opportunity to bring us closer to this passion. In giving so very much of yourself to it, it can turn into a borderline obsession. It makes it easy to know what your time will be given to and allows for massive personal growth. This type of pull can be a healthy thing as long as it brings out the best in you. If it challenges you to believe in yourself more than you have ever believed, then I can’t believe it could be bad.

I have to say how entirely blessed I was in the beginning of my river hunting. My babes were tiny, my mother was in good health and could help me out with them, and we all were able to pursue what it is we love quite naturally. Leaving in the middle of the night to reach my tiny coastal waters, I could be home a little after lunch. With or without a harvest, I still felt as if I were the richest woman in the world. I watched many a sunrise in total solitude and was able to be the first person to touch the water at daybreak.

That devotion made a passionate woman out of me. I would share my fish tale of the day with my family, and that passion would flow right out of my heart and into theirs. Honestly, it was easy even though it was hard. Passion led the way and I learned to fish the river by leaps and bounds compared to some.

AS WE KNOW, life has this way of reminding us that on the flip side of passion are things we must face head on. For me, I went from fishing those daybreak bites, to

“The river won’t judge you, nor will she think you are late,” writes author Sara Potter, here with a coastal buck caught in the afternoon. “She knows you have arrived at precisely the right time, just like the wild beauty that has settled into your spot.” (SARA POTTER)

By Sara Potter

not. My babes needed me as I embraced being a single mother and school kept me hunkered down more than I had hunkered down in some time. It wasn’t even a debate, despite the importance of fishing in my life. Steelheading allowed me to check out of my mind and check into nature. Hauling quite the load mentally at the time, I truly wanted nothing more than to work some water and find some fish.

One thing is for sure: My windows of opportunity had shrunk. But instead of

feeling sorry for myself, I readied my gear as my babes slept. When I did find the time I would be ready. Even though I hadn’t given the afternoon bite much of a chance in my winter fishing, I knew it was time to give it a whirl if I wanted to catch a steelhead.

It was honestly weird to show up with only a couple fishers still on the river. “Oh, you missed it!” the guys said with a laugh, or “You are late!” The greetings didn’t shock me, but had they known the mental load I was carrying that winter they might not

have been so quick to give me a hard time. Given the pressure the water and fish had no doubt endured from my fellow fishermen before my arrival, the anticipation of it all was different for me than waiting on sunrise so I could take the day’s first cast. However, this chapter wasn’t about tugs, even though there were plenty of them. It was about me finding a way to hold onto the only thing I felt I could even control: my love for steelhead.

THE GROWTH THAT took place in this chapter of my life was significant. I had little confidence in showing up on the water at that time of day and as I know, confidence is crucial. However, I didn’t have the pressure of fishermen either, so doing things I was not certain of seemed less scary. I may have been late but I was there and the weights in my heart began to feel easier to carry. Learning to let go of things had always been a struggle for me, but it was within this timeframe that I realized I wasn’t ever going to let them go because these things were also very much a part of me. Yes, they hurt me while they were still turbulent in my heart, but those afternoons on the river helped me find the places within my heart where my troubles belonged. It helped settle things in a manner so that they wouldn’t just keep that turbulence roaring.

The amazing thing was that the fish did indeed bite after noon. I landed the biggest coastal buck of my life one fine evening on the river. I found him where very few men even fish. I was forced to fish spots that weren’t my number one choice, knowing they had less pressure on them at daylight. Learning new water and methods challenged me and ultimately rewarded me. Having the sun on the water was a blessing, as the fish were quite active simply because of that warmth, I think. Moving up into holes, I found fish that would typically be waiting for you at daybreak.

I actually liked it – a lot! I landed many a fish without a soul in sight, and somehow the Lord also blessed me with a couple of true friends who showed up with perfect timing when I needed them most. Had Larry and Zach not been there for me, both in the heaviness of my life and the camaraderie of steelhead, that winter wouldn’t have been what it was. Despite

The bright colors of a winter sunrise over a steelhead stream reflect the promise of a new day and a first-light bite, affording Potter a feeling of being “the richest woman in the world” in being able to experience both. But life had changes in store for her, ones she would learn from and adapt to in her passion for winter-runs. (SARA POTTER)

TIME

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such massive change in my life, I began to believe I was going to be OK.

HAD I NOT felt such passion for the river, it could have been easy to tell myself I didn’t have the time to fish. The thing I love about life is that as long as you are truly willing to put in the work – to give it your all in the time that you can give – you shall not fail. In the chapters of life in which we feel lost, so lost that we could possibly even let our passion slip through our fingers, may we always remember it is better to be late than never.

If we are lucky enough to ever find true passion, may we realize the importance of feeding it. Living in yesterday just isn’t enough. Even if you find yourself full of doubt, live for today. Gather your gear, remember who you are, and get your ass to the river. The river won’t judge you, nor will she think you are late. She knows you have arrived at precisely the right time, just like the wild beauty that has settled into your spot. My heart is on the river and I couldn’t change it, even if I tried. NS

DUVAL POINT LODGE

Duval Point Lodge is nestled in a protected bay. About 15 minutes by boat from Port Hardy, BC, on northern Vancouver Island.

At the northern end of Johnstone Strait, we are in an area through which virtually all of the millions of salmon which migrate down from the north Pacific each year must pass. It is also one of the coasts’ most productive bottom fishing areas, producing ling cod up to 70 pounds, halibut and a variety of rock fish.

You can reach Port Hardy, BC via the Island Highway or scheduled air service. Once in Port Hardy your host Dave will pick you up and take

you on a scenic boat trip to the lodge. Although only a 20 minute ride from Port Hardy, you will feel as though you are miles from anywhere. The scenery is spectacular and the fishing spots uncrowded.

What can you expect in a day a Duval Point Lodge? Wake early (or at your leisure) and step into a comfortable 16 1/2 foot welded aluminum boat equipped with all the gear and tackle you’ll need for a day’s fishing. Then hit the fishing grounds (some of the biggest springs are caught in an area 5 minutes from the lodge!). Relax and enjoy the unsurpassed

beauty of your surroundings, craggy shores covered with wind-swept trees, eagles and a variety of sea-birds, otters, seals and occasionally a pod of killer whales. Many of our guests have said that even if they hadn’t caught a fish, the trip was worth it for the wild beauty!

At the end of a day’s fishing, come on back to the lodge where you can relax on the deck while you barbecue your catch, or gather around the fireplace in the lodge while you cook dinner in the well-equipped modern kitchen. If you want to try for the evening bite, feel free. If you’d rather just visit with friends in the lodge or rest in your room, that’s fine too. You decide how to spend your time.

We o er several di erent packages, from bring your own boat, use our boat or a fully guided fishing experience. Book the adventure that fits you on our website, www.duvalpointlodge.com

“The amazing thing was that the fish did indeed bite” after noon and after fellow anglers had worked the waters, Sara found. (SARA POTTER)

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Show the water who’s boss with the F200 In-Line Four. Incredibly light, responsive and fuel efficient, it serves up plenty of muscle to handily propel a variety of boats. On top of that, its 50-amp alternator offers the power to add a range of electronics, and its 26-inch mounting centers and compatibility with either mechanical or digital controls give you the flexibility to easily upgrade your outboard or rigging. Experience legendary Yamaha reliability and the freedom of forward thinking, with the F200 In-Line Four.

COOS BAY Y Marina

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EUGENE Maxxum Marine (541) 686-3572

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MADRAS Madras Marine (541) 475-2476

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CHINOOK

Chinook Marine Repair, Inc. (800) 457-9459

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EDMONDS Jacobsen’s Marine (206) 789-7474

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EVERETT Everett Bayside Marine (425) 252-3088

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MOUNT VERNON

Master Marine Boat Center, Inc. (360) 336-2176

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MOUNT VERNON

Tom-n-Jerry’s Boat Center, Inc. (360) 466-9955

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OLYMPIA

US Marine Sales & Service (800) 455-0818

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PASCO Nixon’s Marine Inc (509) 525-2823

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PASCO Northwest Marine and Sport (509) 545-5586

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TACOMA

King Salmon Marine, Inc. (253) 830-2962

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SHELTON Verle’s Sports Center (877) 426-0933

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Tyler Miller of MillerTime Fishing (fishmillertime.com) is Tri-Cities’ most active and coolest night fishing guide. Here he hoists his personal-best walleye of 17 pounds 14 ounces. He caught this fish in the same manner that his clients do – flatlining a Bandit plug over 100 feet behind a boat under cover of darkness. (FISHMILLERTIME.COM)

Night Shift Walleye

Putting in some after-dark hours on the Mid-Columbia in midwinter could yield trophy fish – maybe even a new state record.

By Jeff Holmes

From Cathlamet and St. Helens on the lower river to the Canadian border by Trail, B.C., the Columbia is chock-full of walleye. That goes for the tidally influenced waters of the Lower Columbia; the reservoirs behind Bonneville, The Dalles, John Day and McNary Dams; the free-flowing Hanford Reach; and the reservoirs behind Priest Rapids, Wanapum, Rock Island, Rocky Reach, Wells, Chief Joseph

and Grand Coulee Dams. In each of these 13 distinct stretches, walleye can (and should) be pursued during February, sometimes to great success. Really good fishing for these tasty fish occurs in each stretch, but night fishing the Tri-Cities area during February offers by far your best chances to land a trophy fish over 10 pounds – or even a new state record topping 20 pounds. A worldrecord fish topping 25 pounds seems unlikely, but it seems far more likely to occur here than anywhere else in

the world of walleye these days.

Lake Wallula, aka the McNary Pool, is the reservoir behind McNary Dam that reaches into North Richland and the bottom of the free-flowing Hanford Reach. This stretch of river receives the Walla Walla, Snake and Yakima Rivers and has become famous for the world’s best fishing for trophy female walleye. Walleye density in this pool has never been great, and the low density and huge prey base allows outsized specimens to occur. On any given night, another

20-plus-pounder could be caught, like John Grubenhoff’s 20.32-pound Washington record from February 28, 2014, the only fish of this class caught anywhere in the world in the past roughly 30 years.

These pregnant, piscivorous, eggheavy beasts weigh as much as or more than 2 pounds heavier than they will after spawning in the late winter or early spring. February is prime time for trophy walleye anglers to grind away after personal-best or state-record fish. Females will surely bite during the day, but they bite much better under cover of darkness, and a dedicated group of local and traveling anglers, including guides, chase these trophy fish nightly. The full moon is more popular than the new moon, but some argue only because it’s easier for people to see. Walleye can bite well any night.

I live .4 mile from a boat launch in

Pasco, where 19-pound walleye have been caught, and I live a short boat run from where recent state records have been caught, a fact that over a decade ago got me into the sport, dragging Bandit plugs behind my boat in the dark in reliable places where females feed while staging to spawn. I’ve had a couple great nights, several decent nights, and lots of slow nights and skunked nights as I learned to fish effectively and as I also learned that walleye can be fickle in the dark, just as in the day.

My whole life I have loved night fishing, so one might think I’d be out every night based on where I live. But in the past few years, February night fishing has changed my perspective on safety after a couple of close calls, including a very scary night in dense fog a few Februaries back. I still go in my own boat, but not nearly so often

and not when there’s any chance of fog. One wisp of fog sends me running for the launch immediately.

WHEREAS THE CONTROL freak in me usually would prefer skippering the craft for night walleye fishing, an occasional guided trip with someone who fishes every day and is a better boater than me is increasingly welcome. So in anticipation of this article and while looking for something better to tell you all than “Drag around Bandit lures in the dark in X, Y, and Z general zones,” I contacted Tyler Miller of MillerTime Fishing (fishmillertime .com). Miller is a really good young dude and arguably the best nighttime trophy walleye guide in Tri-Cities. He’s definitely my recommendation among many options. As this deadline neared, it occurred to me to reach out to inquire about jumping aboard a guided

During the first week of March last year, Miller’s clients nabbed this double of 10.6 and 15.5 pounds before releasing these beauties back into the Columbia. (FISHMILLERTIME.COM)

trip for a few hours with a camera and foregoing the fishing rod. He didn’t have a trip scheduled –a rarity –but he rounded up four of his regular clients on a moment’s notice and we all locked into a plan to put in four hours on a Friday night, launching from a popular boat launch near the confluence of the Snake and Columbia Rivers.

Bringing too many warm clothes when night fishing is far more desirable than being cold, so despite the mild forecast of evening temperatures in the 40s with no wind, I dressed in layers, wore Sorels and brought three extra coats and snowpants. I met up with Miller and crew at his boat on a dark dock and handed in what seemed like excessive amounts of clothing, especially when I saw that Miller had added a nice boat top to his Alumaweld guide sled. I introduced myself to fatherson duo Jason and Breken Lindgren of Pasco, Breken’s friend Karson

Savage of Pasco, and Scott Abernethy of Pasco, a retired Pacific Northwest National Laboratory aquatic research lab manager. I suspected as I stepped aboard that I’d be the only passenger swilling giant cans of White Claws in my proven cadence of “remove Claw can from backpack, suck Claw sauce from can, return can to backpack.”

Miller motored us into the main channel of the Columbia and pointed the bow downstream, headed for not-so-secret holy water by Buoy 30 at the end of the McNary National Wildlife Refuge’s Peninsula Unit. The stretches of river between Foundation Island and Buoy 30 and between Buoy 30 and the Walla Walla River are hallowed ground for giant walleye. I won’t be more descriptive of where we fished than to say we were trolling upstream across rocky cobble bottoms focusing on 18- to 23foot depths, the perfect depth range

for Bandit plugs trolled upstream at .8 to 1.4 mph speeds. Lure color does not seem critical.

After a short, high-speed run to where the lights of the Wallula Paper Mill were visible, Miller dispensed the back rods to the two boys, who let their lines out an identical distance, 140 feet, on the Daiwa Lexa linecounters spooled with 30-pound braid. Next, Jason and Scott deployed their front rods 130 feet each to avoid tangles with the back rods, and we were fishing. We slid slowly forward into the .6-mph current to achieve a speed over ground of about 1 mph. Our 7-foot-10 Okuma SST mag taper rods bounced gently in the rod holders, showing that our plugs were hunting the depths.

Miller’s arsenal of plugs bear many teeth marks, and some plugs are nearly devoid of color. He’s a firm believer in some plugs hunting and catching way better than others and religiously

Miller tries to start nighttime trips with an hour or so of daylight to go, and that first hour often results in a fish like this 32-inch, 13.3-pound beauty. Females can be caught any time of day, but night fishing requires special attention to safety. (FISHMILLERTIME.COM)

FISHING

deploys these proven ones. His best were swimming perfectly as we progressed up the break line, always flirting with the edge of the main river channel and depths of 18 to 23 feet.

FEMALES SHOW UP far earlier to the spawn in the Burbank/Tri-Cities area than males. By January or February, females have already moved up into shallower waters to feed on big winter baitfish and to stage for their March or very early April spawn. Meanwhile their smaller male counterparts and juvenile females reside in deeper, wintering holes that are often adjacent to or nearby staging areas. As such, most fish caught at night in the 18to 23-foot depth range are females loaded with eggs.

Our first pass resulted in nothing, as did our second, so we made a short run and got on the troll again. Jason Lindgren’s rod was the first to buckle and bend backwards. Breken, Karson and Scott cleared theirs as Jason reeled and reported feeling head shakes. After a short battle and a scoop of the net, we had a very pregnant 24-inch female ready for release after a few pictures. The boat shared the ethic of letting females go, so it was easy to watch the fish go back and for us to get on the troll again.

It’s a rare walleye fishery where a “small” one is about 2 feet, where 30-inchers are the target, and where the dream is a fish 34 inches or larger. Due to the prey base in this stretch, relatively short walleye attain great weights. A previous Washington state record of 19.3 pounds was under 34 inches! Fish topping 34 inches deserve a closer look via scale before releasing.

We got back on the troll over the same line where we had just hooked up and had another takedown in no time, but it was just a quick takedown and not a hookup. Just minutes later, Breken’s rod started ripping out line. The crew cleared lines and the deck, and Breken, under polite instruction from Miller, fought what appeared to be a decent fish. Ripping out line as it

neared the boat, the walleye did not immediately show itself. But in true walleye form, the fish quickly finished its fight, appearing large and gold in our headlamps before landing with a gentle thud on the boat’s deck. The fish taped out at 29.5 inches and 11.6 pounds. Her girth was immense! Breken and Miller posed for some pictures, and we looped around again on plane to troll through the same hot zone.

After a biteless pass through the fishy stretch, we made yet another and were briefly rewarded for our persistence. A very large fish grabbed Karson’s Bandit plug and took off the opposite direction of the boat, peeling line in the manner

that big ones do. Karson stepped up to the rod and fought the fish through just a few big head shakes before it popped loose. Sometimes they just pop off, and that was one of those times. There was nothing Karson could have done better in the situation. We made a few more passes without another takedown and called the trip a fun success. We had thrown together a short trip at a moment’s notice and went two-forfour on some really nice fish.

THE ONLY WAY to have a chance at a true monster is to fish and fish often. Miller fishes often, and he tells his clients upfront that the fishing can

Walleye can actually be a really beautiful fish, and each one looks a little different from the last. (JEFF HOLMES)

be a grind. He’s especially clear with trophy-seekers who travel from afar like the Midwest and Great Lakes states. At times the females just don’t bite or the lures just don’t find them, or vice versa. But you have to fish and grind to translate time into bites and fish landed. The night had not been much of a grind.

Nobody went home with any fish, but we all got to watch a master at work, see two nice-sized female walleye brought to hand and released, and hear the sizzle of a reel from what may have been a briefly hooked true monster. Some females get retained in the Tri-Cities fishery, but most get released under the community ethic that the biggest walleye are the big spawners because they have so many eggs. Even with popular talk of “lettin’

the big girls swim” and “settin’ her loose to do her thing,” females are some of the least productive spawners and experience majorly decreasing fertility as they age. But there’s some logic to letting big females go to be bigger females to potentially achieve record or lifetime trophy size. Whether you release or bonk, it won’t affect the population, but you will eat lesser walleye fillets with more pollutants when you eat females.

Looking for big loads of males this February? Daytime fishing was lights-out during mid-January. Reach out to Miller, Bryce Doherty (odohertyoutfitters.com) out of Boardman, Oregon, or Jerry Reyes (flatoutfishing.net) of Pasco for a great daytime trip and likely lots of catching of tastier eater-sized fish.

If you are considering a night fishing trip to the Tri-Cities/Burbank area, I have two main pieces of advice:

1) Go with a guide or expert first and ask to launch no later than the late afternoon so you can see the landscape before it gets dark. Learning the water in daylight conditions improves your situational awareness at night.

2) If you’re not hiring a guide and are new to this water, at least know that it is as dangerous as it gets in Eastern Washington. There are barges, moored barges, bridges, channel markers and buoys, other anglers and extremely shallow water all over the place. You can run aground in many places. I highly recommend you fish here in the daytime for at least a full day before attempting these waters at night. NS

Miller and 12-year-old Breken Lindgren hoist up the fish of our night on the water, a girthy 29.5-inch, 11.6-pound phatty. (JEFF HOLMES)

Ice-out Trout

NW PURSUITS

By Jason Brooks

Making my way down to the shoreline with fly rod in hand, I soon discovered the edge of the lake still had ice on it. From the parking lot overlooking the lake we could see open water and were excited that it was finally time to go trout fishing again. The previous weeks had been a waiting game with warmer temperatures and wind slowly taking the ice off, but the protected shoreline didn’t receive the melting breeze like the middle of the lake did. So the first few minutes were spent breaking the ice with rocks and stomping on the edges with my wading boots.

I didn’t need to go way out into the lake, just far enough to cast a chironomid to hungry Lahontan cutthroat trout. This was back in the heyday of Lake Lenore’s glory, when each fish was measured in pounds, and it was common to catch a dozen or more by noon. Back then the Central Washington lake was open yearround; now, it has a March 1-November 30 season. Luckily, there are several lakes on both sides of the state that are open yearround and by mid- to late February lakes start to become ice-free and full of hungry trout. This is the time of year and the bite that anglers are waiting for: ice-out trout.

DEPENDING

ON THE

lake and weather conditions, by midmonth and beyond most stillwaters will be ice-free and ready to fish from the shore or by boat. Trout are still lethargic due to cold water temperatures but are hungry and willing biters. Fish will likely stay deep until the lake “turns over,” which is when the water temperature is warmed by sunlight hitting the muddy bottom and the water flushes with tepid water rising and colder surface water sinking. Bugs will start to emerge from the mud and be in larvae and pupae stages, which for flyrodders means using chironomid, nymph,

Trout fishing won’t kick off in earnest for another month or two, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t good opportunities in mid- to late winter as the ice melts off lakes, spurring fish activity. (JASON BROOKS)

scud and San Juan worm imitations. For the bait angler, maggots will fish well. The more popular baits will also work, such as PowerBait, worms and single salmon eggs, but fly anglers do very well during the coldwater weeks of February and March.

To find a lake, start with the state fishery managers for your area. For me, this is the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. The agency lists lakes that are open and has information on where to access them at wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/locations/ lowland-lakes. Access is the key issue, making sure the lake is open water and the boat ramp is clear of ice. Some access points will be closed until springtime, while some will have shoreline parks and boat ramps that are open and usable.

Next is to look at the trout planting schedule. This is not the time of year to expect tons of “planter” trout but instead look at releases that occurred last fall, before the ice formed, as well as if the lake has any natural production.

BACK TO LENORE, where there is a robust

Along with streamer patterns, an F4 FlatFish in frog pattern trolled slowly is a good early-season lure. (JASON BROOKS)

planting, as well as regulations that are geared towards low mortality via singlepoint barbless hook and no-bait restrictions, along with a one-fish-per-day limit, though most anglers here stick to catch and release. This lake is known for early ice-out trout fishing. By mid-March the shoreline will host anglers in float tubes or those who will wade out and cast a line. The north end is extremely popular, since it is a large mud flat where the chironomid “hatch” occurs all spring long. For those who do not care to fly fish, try casting Krocodile spoons in the frog pattern or black Rooster Tails. Just be sure to switch out your lure’s treble to a barbless siwash hook.

There are plenty of other lakes with bigger daily limits, and they usually receive more planted trout with frequent replenishing of fish. They’re great to fish just after ice-out as they will have hungry trout, but they also often have more anglers and pressure. If your idea of late winter trout fishing is to catch a frying pan full of trout, then head to one of these lakes. But if you would rather fish in solitude and have a chance at catching larger fish, then look to selective-gear waters.

Those who prefer to troll might find fewer fish, as the trout are not aggressive

this time of year but instead are just trying to find enough food to make it to another day. This means bait or lures that mimic food such as small spoons, frog-colored plugs and, of course, flies. Using flies does not always mean casting a 4-weight fly rod like a graceful ballet dancer. Rather, the flies used will be wet patterns, meaning they are subsurface and fished underwater, which lends well to trolling. Leeches, Woolly Buggers, Carey Specials and other streamers are most popular. Pinch on a few split shot above a small swivel to 24 inches of leader and the fly. Let it out several feet and troll as slow as you can. It does not get much simpler than that.

YEARS AGO, IN my youth, we would take my father’s rowboat out to Roses Lake, near Lake Chelan, and troll just outside of the cattails. We put a few split shot on the line ahead of a small F4 FlatFish in frog pattern and trolled very slowly. Rowing along or using the afternoon winds to push the boat accounted for stringers of trout, both rainbows and browns. This lake is now open year-round and receives a healthy planting of trout in early winter. Most Columbia Basin lakes will be ice-free and several are open year-round. Hike- or walk-in lakes such as Lenice and

Nunnally open March 1 and offer good trout fishing under restrictive gear rules. Other lakes such as those in the Quincy Chain open March 1 and are well stocked.

Westside anglers have a lot of options when it comes to February and early March trout fishing. Though it is rare that any of the lower elevation lakes will have ice on them, higher ones that do have ice will have limited access due to snow. The Cascade foothills lakes in eastern Pierce and Thurston Counties, as well as Lewis County, offer some great winter trout fishing.

Unlike Eastside lakes, where the water is cold even after the ice is off, Westside lakes often have warmer temperatures, which means trolling will work well. Gang trolls, also called “Pop Gear” or Cowbells, with a trailing spoon like a Dick Nite or Super Duper is a good option to locate schools of fish. But if you want to keep it light instead, spinners such as the Promise Keeper or a Wedding Ring, both by Mack’s Lure, or the Rooster Tail by Yakima Bait Company are top trout producers on any body of water. Long lining an olive green Carey Special with a few split shot is another way to catch trout and does not require much gear or technique.

Rain, not snow, will be the primary

Flyrodders fish the Columbia Basin’s Lenice Lake, one of several waters in Central Washington that open on March 1 and are typically ice-free. (WDFW)

problem on lakes west of the Cascades. Also be ready for gusty winds; if safe, drop an anchor and wait it out. Ice can be on the boat ramps, but there is no real need to start the day early, as it is best to fish at midday when the sun heats up the water and gets the bugs active.

ICE-OUT TROUT FISHING is not as popular as the April lowland lakes opener, which unofficially kicks off the angling season. In the meanwhile, most open lakes offer a chance to fish in solitude during some of the year’s best trout fishing. Late winter to early spring is second to late fall when it comes to catching healthy adult “carryover” fish on lakes void of other fishermen as well as watercraft users. This year, when the ice starts to melt and you see open water from the parking lot of your favorite year-round lake, head on down to the shoreline. If needed, toss a few rocks and stomp on any ice around the shoreline and wade out to catch some trout. There is no need to wait until April to fill a stringer full of rainbows or catch and release a cutthroat. NS

Thomas Conley holds an 18-inch rainbow he caught at West Medical Lake near Spokane in a past March. (WDFW)

Rock Lake’s Media – Social And Otherwise – Proof Trophy Trout

Remote, deep, large, dangerous northern Palouse water hosts good late winter fishing for big ’bows, browns.

By Jeff Holmes

Irecently read some guys on a Facebook page complaining about how the predecessor publication to Northwest Sportsman, the defunct Fishing and Hunting News, had ruined Rock Lake sometime in the late 1990s/ early 2000s through overexposure. Huh, I hadn’t noticed –at all. While it’s true that this beautiful, partly timbered, 7-mile-long, 365-foot-deep lake can receive periods of busyness, challenging the capacity of the largely undeveloped Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife public access, the lake is decidedly one of the least crowded in the Evergreen State and the only lake in Whitman County. No publication nor the internet has ruined it. And Rock fishes great in February and March, with the lake’s biggest rainbows and browns both feeding regularly.

WDFW stocks a shocking number of rainbows, which grow fat and heavy-shouldered by gorging on daphnia, crayfish, minnows and other trout. They also stock robust numbers of brown trout, which can grow to double-digit-pound sizes. I try to retain five big rainbows pretty much every time I visit, but I release 99 percent of my browns because they

This beautiful winter day at Rock Lake in far Eastern Washington resulted in limits of rainbow’s averaging at least 17 inches and several nice browns released. I realized later that night under a Ritzville gas station’s lights that my Simms waders had survived a rough 40-plus-mile ride hung up on the bow hook of my trailer strap. No harm to the waders, but that date and the great time we had pushed the gal pictured over the edge into falling for me. In a couple hundred days on the water on Rock Lake, that was one of the most memorable. (JEFF HOLMES)

taste very poor and are more valuable left to grow big for another angler. The lake’s rainbows are delicious and can top 20 inches, with my boat’s biggest being 24 inches, but the lake’s browns grow much larger. I have landed them to 27.5 inches, have seen and hooked them much longer, and can verify a 34.5-incher that was landed.

Rock isn’t solely comprised of big trout, but the lake has more than its fair share, including plenty of 15- to 20-plus-inch rainbows for the smoker. Here follows some good general advice and three tried-andtrue approaches for this February

and March at Rock Lake that will put smoked trout in your dip.

FEBRUARY FINDINGS

Rock is famously a winter fishery, and the lake’s biggest fish often get quite active and shallow in this lake that never freezes due to the insulating warmth of its great depth. Rainbows will be found in the top 20 feet of the surface in late winter, and browns can be found shallow along shorelines. Browns can also be found deeper than 20 feet during periods of intense brightness, but generally the fish are up top.

Rock Lake is famous for its browns, but far more rainbows live in the lake and some really tasty ones at that. Wyatt Wireman holds one of many in this class that we caught on a particularly productive day. (JEFF HOLMES)

In general, Rock is a trolling fishery for most, and following shorelines is a popular approach. Many fish orient in close proximity to shorelines, but I have done well trolling open water too. Although most troll, casting big lures and flies at shoreline structure in the early morning and evening –and all day on overcast days –results in a lot of the lake’s biggest browns. Big rainbows also show themselves by biting lures and flies intended for trophy browns.

Definitely dress warm in February at Rock, and avoid the lake altogether when it’s windy, but most days in February are calm and great candidates for some of Washington’s best trout fishing.

TROLLING A FLY: One reason I’ve yet to catch a 30-inch brown at Rock is because of the two decades of obsessively fly fishing the lake. In my core arsenal at Rock, I still include fast, full-sink fly lines on my 5-, 6- and 7-weight rods. I run 3X and 4X tippets, and to them I tie a wide variety of streamers for different purposes. When I want to limit on holdover rainbows or bring beginner to intermediate anglers to Rock, best believe they will be handed a flyrod and that they will have action and will be able to brag about how they went fly fishing.

Whether sticking with dull brown and olive Mohair Leeches, Bunny Leeches or Crystal Flash Woolly Buggers, or upsizing to giant leeches and streamers of 4 to 8 inches, we will catch fish, just bigger ones and more browns with the huge flies. Troll slowly (.8 to 1.5 mph), but vary speed and incorporate turns as you explore the many miles of trollable shoreline.

TROLLING LURES: Back in those good old days of the ’90s before F&H News ruined Rock Lake, a lot of anglers just trolled around with steelhead plugs and other favorite lures in the top of the water column. Lots still do, and probably most Rock Lake anglers troll some variety of lure. It is the most popular and tried-and-true approach

THE BEST SEATTLE FISHING EXPERIENCE

FISHING

and allows newcomers to Rock to apply their trolling approaches from other fisheries.

Small spoons like Needlefish, small FlatFish and Kwikfish, unbaited and baited spinners, Apexes, and small Shad Rap and other Rapalas can turn up plenty of fish, whether deployed on leaded line, a flatline troll or using weights. There’s no reason to break out downriggers in winter since the fish are shallow, but some guys still use them.

Whatever your approach, stagger lures from 20 feet to the surface and see where you are getting bit most consistently. Deploying steelhead-sized lures and large minnow imitations like large Rapalas and swimbaits also yields plenty of fish and is more likely to tempt a 20-plus-inch fish. However, trolling either small or large lures tends to result in a good mix of nicesized rainbows and some browns and is a great approach to learn the lake and to keep beginners on the bite. But trolling is definitely not how I would target the lake’s biggest fish.

CASTING BIG LURES AND FLIES: In 35 years of Rock angling, it took me a long time to realize how many big fish were in the lake and how my tried-and-true techniques were not resulting in the class of fish I knew were present. Trolling standard trout lures or standard trout flies resulted in very good numbers of rainbows and also lots of browns, many of which were over 20 inches, including a 24-incher landed on a stripped leech cast to a rockpile on a shoreline while trolling a spread of rods. I did well, but there was a class of browns I was not touching.

Eleven years ago, I accepted an invite from a reader who contacted me on Facebook and swore he had big-fish abilities at Rock and wanted to show me. We had friends in common, so I went. We hit the water at an ungodly time and motored uplake in the dark. Just as light began to emerge, the guy dropped the trolling motor and grabbed a casting rod and started fishing a hatchery-rainbow-

State fishery managers stock a decent cohort of brown trout into Rock annually, and some of these fish get really old and really, really big over those years. I’ve had several big browns throw up hatchery rainbows and little browns of a size mirroring fish I have killed as part of a limit. The big browns and rainbows in the lake eat a lot of big fish, and pursuing the lake’s biggest specimens with lures that represent a large meal is wise. This 26-inch brown ate a slow-trolled 6-inch streamer pattern tied for bull trout fishing. (JEFF HOLMES)

sized swimbait. He told me to start casting a giant black Vibrax spinner he had recommended. He quickly shouted and claimed he’d been followed by a steelhead-sized brown, and I thought, “Uh oh, one of these ‘Did you see that!?’ guys.” No, I had not, but I started to watch him, and was immediately shocked to see a 6to 8-pound brown trout again slash at the big swimbait! Over the course of a day, we landed several browns from 18 to 25 inches and saw a few fish much larger, changing lures often.

That lesson launched me on a quest for a 30-inch brown, and I regularly worked shorelines weekly for a couple of years, yielding a large class of browns and rainbows topping 20 inches. Sadly, I no longer live a scant 25 miles from Rock, but if I still did, I would cast big lures for browns at least weekly. It is

such fun sport that reminds me of pike or bass fishing, only for big, predatory browns and rainbows.

Lures I favor include Husky Jerk Rapalas and Floating Rapalas in size 11, size 5 black Vibrax, and a variety of trout-imitating soft- and hardplastic swimbaits from 5 to 9 inches. I work these lures slowly in February around shoreline structure and on reefs and rockpiles. Don’t expect lots of bites, but if you’re into giantchasing, put in some time in the very early morning and see if you don’t gain some confidence in this approach as well.

SLIP BOBBERS AT LAUNCH, ELSEWHERE:

Unless you have at least a 14-foot deep-V with a reliable outboard and a backup motor and set of oars, you should find someone else’s boat to

OREGON

CULVER

Culver Marine (541) 546-3354

www.culvermarine.com

EUGENE

Maxxum Marine (541) 686-3572

www.maxxummarine.com

FLORENCE Y Marina (541) 590-3313

www.ymarinaboats.com

PORTLAND

Sportcraft Marina, Inc.

(503) 656-6484

www.sportcraftmarina.com

WASHINGTON

CHINOOK

Chinook Marine Repair, Inc. (800) 457-9459

(360) 777-8361

www.chinookmarinerepair.com

EVERETT Boat Country (425) 259-6126

www.boatcountry.com

MOUNT VERNON

Tom-n-Jerry’s Boat Center, Inc. (360) 466-9955

www.tomnjerrys.net

PASCO

Northwest Marine and Sport (509) 545-5586

www.nwmarineandsport.com

TACOMA

King Salmon Marine, Inc. (253) 830-2962

www.kingsalmonsales.com

TACOMA

Tacoma Boat Sales & Service (253) 301-4013

www.tacomaboatsales.com

FISHING

fish in. If you take a smaller craft, stick very close to the launch and go only on nice days. Remember that the wind can pick up quickly.

Many of us, including yours truly, first cut our teeth suspending bait below slip bobbers off of the big dropoff in front of the launch. Much of the protected water at the launch and under the bridge is quite shallow, but that changes immediately uplake (to the right) of the old bridge pylon no longer bearing a bridge. That pylon is next to the very rough launch, and to its right as you face the lake is a very productive ledge that trout cruise along. Lots of nice rainbows and browns are dragged ashore here, and the best way to catch fish and not lose gear is to use a bobber, ideally a slip bobber since it helps to vary depth from perhaps 4 to 12 feet with 6 to 8 feet being the sweet spot. I prefer to heavily weight my bobber such that the bobber is clearly visible but also

such that a trout can easily pull it under with little to no resistance. For baits, I have had excellent luck here on size 4 single hooks with nightcrawlers, coon shrimp, and both fresh and cured roe.

CONCLUSION & CAUTIONS

Given its beauty, excellent yearround fishery, and easy access from Cheney, St. John or Sprague, for me it begs the question why Rock is not more visited. The answers lie in its remote-ish location, its relatively unimproved public access with only vault toilets and no concrete launch, its lack of reliable services close by and that it fishes best in winter when fewer anglers are on the water.

But another and more compelling reason holds down the crowds at Rock. The lake can be flat dangerous due to big wind and waves, towering cliffs in many places that preclude escape from the water in the event of an accident, and underwater rock

reefs and pinnacles that can rip off transoms and sink boats. Run on plane only in the middle of the lake and at the lake’s far end, which is the deepest part of a very deep lake. Until you know the lake, avoid running at speed within a couple hundred yards of any shoreline, and beware all points on the shore! This conservative approach is a good one for staying safe and fishing at one of Washington’s most overlooked and excellent stillwater trout fisheries.

Launching with two-wheel-drive vehicles here can be unwise, especially when there’s ice. If you think ahead, act cautiously and learn the lake incrementally, Rock should be a safe, fun and unique lake to add to your quiver of choices. It’s a great place to get away from the crowds and to enjoy scenery that one almost earned Rock Lake state park status. I like it the way it is and am confident this article won’t ruin the lake further. NS

Become A Kokanee Catcher

Our multi-part

By Tom Schnell

Kokanee are becoming a favorite fishery in the Northwest, and no wonder: They are fun to catch, delicious to eat and found in lakes and reservoirs throughout the region. When runs of ocean-returning salmon decline, anglers turn more and more to the landlocked version.

A kokanee is a sockeye salmon, but unlike its relative, which travels to and from the Pacific, kokanee live their entire lives in freshwater. While most kokanee average between 10 and 15 inches, they can get larger. The IGFA-record 9-pound 10-ounce kokanee was caught in Oregon’s Wallowa Lake in 2010.

Kokanee filter feed on tiny plankton and zooplankton in lakes and reservoirs. That said, they are known to consume small larva that are present in the water. During a hatch they may prefer a certain color that closely resembles the larva that they are feeding on. They may also be feeding on freshwater shrimp known as mysis shrimp if the lake has been stocked with the crustaceans. What is interesting is that most of the time kokanee are not hitting a lure because

series on angling for landlocked sockeye kicks off with an introduction to the fishery; in the coming issues: deep dives on rods and dodgers.

Kokanee are not as big as their sea-going sockeye salmon cousins, but they make up for that with plentiful numbers, wide availability at lakes and reservoirs across the Northwest, and they’re fun to catch on light tackle, as author and kokanee expert Tom Schnell will attest. (TOM SCHNELL)

There are many rods and reels specifically designed for kokanee fishing. The author’s favorite are the Edge KDR-760-1 rod for downriggers and the Santiam Rod for a dropper rod. He pairs both with Daiwa Lexa 100 linecounter reels. (TOM SCHNELL)

they see it as a food source. Most kokanee lures have no resemblance to anything a kokanee would eat. The fish most likely are hitting out of aggression or curiosity.

Kokanee have delicate flesh and are known as excellent table fare. Prepare them the same way you would salmon or trout. You can help preserve their deliciousness by bleeding them and getting them on ice as quickly as possible. Once home you can fry, barbecue, smoke (our favorite) and even can them. Making salmon patties and salmon dip with kokanee is a favorite among some kokanee anglers.

KOKANEE TEND TO be an open-water fish, and most anglers target them from a boat or other watercraft such as a kayak. Boat size does not matter; we have seen very small boats and kayaks all the way up to cabin cruisers fishing for kokanee. Very few kokanee are caught from the bank.

OREGON EUGENE

Maxxum Marine

(541) 686-3572

1700 State Highway 99 N www.maxxummarine.com

Kokanee can be found anywhere from close to the surface to hundreds of feet down in deeper lakes. Having a fish finder, downriggers and a longhandled net are all very helpful.

There are two primary ways to catch kokanee: trolling and jigging. When jigging, find schools of fish on your fish finder and then jig just above the depth the schools are located. You also can cast a jig when you see fish jumping at the water surface. Slowly twitch the jig back to the boat, paying special attention to when the jig is falling. Most strikes occur on the downward fall of the jig. Often it is a very subtle hit, so don’t be afraid to gently set the hook, being careful not to rip the hook out of the fish’s mouth. Jig weight can vary from ¼ ounce all the way up to 1 ounce, depending on how deep you are targeting the fish at.

There are three primary trolling methods: long lining, dropper rod and using downriggers. These methods have been covered in previous articles in Northwest Sportsman, so here is a brief recap:

Long lining entails using a heavier attractor, usually a dodger, and letting out 100 to 150 feet of line with no weight. This will get you down to as deep as 10 to 12 feet.

Dropper rod fishing uses a weight in front of your attractor, although some anglers still use lead core line instead. Most use 1 to 3 ounces of weight; anything over 3 ounces and you are better off using a downrigger. This setup will get your lure and bait as deep as 40 feet, depending on the amount of lead, the length of the line and the trolling speed.

When you need to go deeper than

30 to 40 feet, downriggers are an invaluable tool.

SPEED, DEPTH, BAIT, scent, dodger, lure action, color and even leader length all factor in when trolling for kokanee.

When trolling for kokanee go slower than you would for other salmon species. Most anglers will troll between .8 and 1.6 miles per hour. Adding some “S” turns as you troll can often incite a bite. Try to run your attractor and lure just above the depth of the fish you are marking. You want your gear to be going over the top of the fish, not underneath them.

Bait is very important when trolling for kokanee. A longtime favorite tactic is to tip your lure’s hooks with white shoepeg corn, where legal. With the corn, you can add scents such as tuna oil, garlic, anise and a variety of other enticing odors. Adding pink, orange and even chartreuse dye can help change it up some too. Other good baits for kokanee include small pieces of salad shrimp, maggots, small marshmallows, pieces of nightcrawler

A Dutch Fork Custom Lure spinner baited with cured shoepeg corn illustrates how to hook the corn to provide maximum action of the spinner while allowing the corn to release its scent. (TOM SCHNELL)

The essence of kokanee fishing – trolling with a dodger and a homemade kokanee fly off an ultralight rod and reel with downriggers and a long-handled net. (TOM SCHNELL)

and even salmon eggs. Maggots can be either natural or artificial. Berkley Gulp! Maggots have become a very popular substitute for corn where available. Always check your local regulations to ensure the bait you are using is allowed and legal.

Rods and reels should be on the ultralight side. There are many kokanee-specific rods on the market, with most ranging from 7 to 9 feet in length – watch for an in-depth story in the near future. There are rods specifically designed for jigging, downriggers and fishing a dropper.

Fishing with a downrigger calls for

a rod that’s very flexible and “loads up” under pressure. A good dropper rod will have more backbone for trolling with extra weight. A limber rod will let you feel the fight of the fish and improves your hook-to-land ratio.

A good linecounter reel will make it easier to know exactly how much line you have out. Smaller reels designed for kokanee are good in that they have a steady retrieve and a lighter, smoother drag.

Most kokanee anglers use 8- to 12-pound monofilament mainline; it all comes down to personal preference, as most kokanee will

average under a pound. Some anglers prefer braided mainline because of the small diameter/pound strength it possesses. One downside to braid – and which is why we prefer mono – is that mono stretches. With their acrobatics and soft mouths, having a little extra stretch in the line often helps in landing kokanee. Using mono with a good ultralight kokanee rod also replaces the need for snubbers.

POPULAR ATTRACTORS FOR kokanee include inline trolls and dodgers. Both dodgers – which we’ll look at more in depth in an upcoming article – and inline trolls work similarly in that their job is to help attract fish to your lure presentation. How they work, though, is where they differ. Dodgers are typically some type of metal or plastic “blade” that dodges, or swings, side to side. These kind of dodgers are also common among salmon anglers, with the smaller version being used for kokanee.

A lake troll is usually a length of heavy mono or wire where two to four spinning blades are attached. Inline trolls are still utilized, but with the advent of lighter gear, dodgers are becoming increasingly popular due to their low water resistance. Their attractiveness is found in both adding action to one’s lure and their low drag coefficient. Lake trolls can produce a fair amount of drag as they are being trolled, while dodgers have far less drag, allowing one to actually feel the fight of the fish.

Spinners, spoons, hoochies, flies, Spin-N-Glos, Brad’s Kokanee Cut Plugs, Apexes and other such lures work for kokanee. Think salmon lures, just in a much smaller size since most kokanee don’t exceed 15 inches. There also are a lot of kokanee-specific lures and dodgers on the market. Talk to kokanee anglers at the dock and many are more than willing to share what is working on any particular day.

Preferred colors for kokanee are pink, orange and chartreuse. Red, blue, purple, white, black or any combination of these colors can also

Kokanee make great table fare. Make sure to keep your catch on ice and clean the fish as soon as possible, as they do have delicate flesh. (TOM SCHNELL)

FISHING FISHING

produce strikes. Metallic colors such as silver, gold and even copper can produce limits as well, so don’t be afraid to experiment with various shades. Typically, use brighter colors during sunny days and more muted colors during overcast days. Each lake seems to have a certain color or color combo that works better than others.

One other factor that we have found useful is contrast. Often, if a plain pink or orange color is not working, we change it up with two different, sometimes opposing colors. Think pink and purple, orange and black, orange and chartreuse, chartreuse and purple, black and white, gold and silver, etc. These contrasting colors can trigger a strike, but when in doubt, start with pink and experiment from there.

Kokanee are not leader-shy, so a 10- to 15-pound-test mono leader is standard. A good rule of thumb for leader length between dodger and

lure is two to two and a half times the dodger length – usually 8 to 24 inches long. Use shorter leaders for lures that don’t have their own action, like hoochies, and longer leaders for spinners and spoons.

Time of year also can dictate leader length. The colder the water, the less aggressive the fish, so use a little longer leader so that not as much action will be imparted on the lure by the dodger. Size 4 and 2 hooks are common, depending on the size of the fish you are targeting; the typical kokanee hook is a size 4 octopus.

GIVEN THEIR ACROBATICS and very soft mouths, using a slow, steady retrieve with a light rod and a reel with a light drag will help you land more fish. For their size, kokanee can put up a very good fight. Be patient; losing fish near the boat is part of kokanee fishing. This is where a long-handled net can prove invaluable. Get one with

rubber netting to help prevent hooks from getting tangled and hooked in the net.

Kokanee can be fished for yearround, although most anglers target them from April through August. Check your state’s fishing regs for seasons, limits and any additional restrictions on the lake you plan to fish. Each lake is unique, and regulations on season, limits, legal fishing hours and even allowable bait can change, so make sure to check before heading out. Fishing regulations can be found at most sporting goods stores or by going online to your state’s fish agency. Tight lines and fish on! NS

Editor’s note: Tom Schnell is an avid outdoorsman who lives with his wife Rhonna in Central Oregon. He is the secretary of the Kokanee Power of Oregon board and a past local Ducks Unlimited and Oregon Hunters Association president.

A Tale Of Two Fish

he cold snap was not unexpected but it certainly was longer than normal. So long, in fact, that a lake that hardly ever freezes over had done so and was now offering up an ice fishing opportunity. CJ Strike is a reservoir owned and operated by Idaho Power and is located at the convergence to the Bruneau and Snake Rivers in Southwest Idaho. When it ices up, it allows for epic bluegill, trout and perch fishing. So when I saw reports on Facebook about solid ice and decent fishing, I hatched a plan.

IN THE WILD

Tblind I sometimes use for turkey hunting. Oh, and an ax and a drill, plus a spud bar I borrowed from a Minnesota buddy. It felt like we were equipped well enough to catch a fish, and my bank account didn’t have to suffer much more than funding bait and gas buys.

Now, I am no crystal ball user, but when the hot bite is “on,” you typically know it by the look of the ice. If the fish are biting, people are on the ice. When we got to CJ Strike it was not crowded at all. There was a smattering of ice holes, a few wellinsulated old men and not much else. Still, we poured our coffee and set to it.

fishing days past. All in all, a wonderful day.

But to say the fishing was slow is an understatement. Three perch and a small trout came through the ice. Not exactly a haul, but not nothing either. (I contributed nada to that catch; my line never even got a bump).

TRADITION HOLDS THAT those who catch, keep – but no one wanted to keep the meat from these four fish. “CJ Strike fish taste like pond water” is a normal refrain. And, well, they can be right.

That weekend we went out with a couple of buckets, our bass rods and a tent

We dug random holes, mostly to keep warm. We moved locations. We went for walks to chat with said well-insulated old men, who regaled us with stories of ice

But I took those little buggers home and made a great dish anyway. And shockingly, the fish tasted bright, fresh and clean. That confused me a bit, so I started looking into it. I have heard over the years that fish that come through ice taste better

Winter just might be the best time to catch trout, if taste is a consideration. In some lakes during warmer seasons, the quality of their flesh can be impacted by algae blooms. (COAST PHOTO CONTEST)

By Randy King

CHEF

TOWARDS A MEATIER MAC AND CHEESE

Mac and cheese is a winter staple. Fat, salt, carbs – add some meat and it is perfect. For most of my life I have preferred “adult” mac and cheese options, as in “not from a box.” Making the sauce is a relatively simple process involving cream and cheese. It won’t be as smooth as the Kraft brick cheese or the boxed stuff, but that is just fine by me. Not that I don’t enjoy both, but if I am taking the time to add some wildcaught items to my dish, I feel the need to make my cheese sauce from scratch.

In this recipe I ask for “white” fish fillets. What I am really talking about is any whitefleshed fish. It could be halibut, perch, catfish, bass, etc. Hell, even salmon would work, but the fish needs to be mild in flavor – think pink salmon. Basically, don’t use a super-fishy fish for this dish.

½ pound elbow macaroni

4 tablespoons butter, divided

8 ounces Cajun-style sausages, sliced into rings

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

5 ounces diced “white” fish fillets

2/3 cup heavy cream

½ tablespoon Sriracha

¼ teaspoon fresh nutmeg

10 ounces medium cheddar, shredded

Salt and pepper

½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

½ cup Italian-style breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Bring a two-quart pot of salted water to a boil in an oven-safe stock pot. Cook pasta until al dente (soft but with a little crunch left) and then drain. Toss in pasta in half the butter to coat – this will keep the pasta from sticking together. Reserve the pasta.

While the pasta is cooking, add the other half of the butter to a medium

saucepan. Melt the butter over medium heat, but before it browns add the diced onion, garlic and sausage rings. Cook for two to three minutes, or until the sausages are a little caramelized. Add the “white” fish at this point.

Next add the cream, lower the cooking temperature to low, and bring to a simmer. Add the nutmeg, Sriracha and cheese. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Toss the cheesy mix with the reserved noodles to coat the pasta. Mix the shredded Parmesan with the breadcrumbs.

Place mix back into stock pot (this is optional; bake it in whatever you want, but this method saves on the number of dishes you must wash). Place the breadcrumb and Parmesan mix on top of the cheesy noodles and bake for 20 minutes, until the top is golden brown and bubbling.

Serve and enjoy!

For more wild game recipes, see chefrandyking.com. –RK

Homemade mac and cheese with whitefleshed fish fillet and sausage. (RANDY KING)

HOW TO START ICE FISHING

Last time we checked, winter is the best time to ice fish. And while some parts of the Northwest are beginning to moderate, lakes in inland regions as well as at higher elevations should stay frozen and fishable the longest. Here’s advice I received from Roger Phillips of Idaho Fish and Game on how to start.

Just do it: “Just go – ice fishing can be as simple as digging a hole and dropping in a worm. But there is skill to this; you have to learn it, talk to experts and possibly invest in electronics. You get to decide how serious you want to get about the fishing.”

Be mobile: “The thing about ice fishing is that the fish are fairly lethargic. Perch tend to school up, and trout do as well, to some extent. Give it about 15 to 30 minutes in a spot, then move.”

Maximize effort: “First off, take advantage of the five lines you can have in the water in Idaho. It’s not all that expensive. You can build a tip-up system with a dowel, a flag and wire – a couple bucks at most … As far as electronics, you can go complicated, but you can also go cheap. Some of them are little bobberlooking things that are fairly cheap. You

connect to it with a cell phone app. A vital part of ice fishing – all lake fishing – is knowing that there is nothing underneath you. Knowing that the fish are not there is a very valuable piece of information.”

Build a knowledge base: “You gotta learn the lake, learn the conditions and build on the success you have had. You might go one day and catch no fish; you might go the next and catch one. Did you learn anything or did you just catch the one dumb fish swimming around? It’s all about learning the lake and building on the successes you have had. There is nothing wrong with hearing about a hot bite and digging a hole relatively close to those that are already fishing an area.”

Find a mentor: “It has always surprised me how friendly people are out on the ice, just how willing they are to help you be successful. When you approach people really respectfully and are honest with them – ‘Hey, I don’t really know what I am doing, I would love it if you could show me something’– I’d bet nine out of ten times on the ice you walk away with some wisdom and maybe even a new friend. The ice is much more communal than combat fishing elsewhere.”

Use the “poor man’s” fish finder: “Go look where a bunch of people are fishing on the ice. Go there and get started.”

Dress for success: “Cold? Well, yeah, you are standing on ice. Most people think that it’s going to be uncomfortable, it’s gonna be hard. I’ve been out on the ice on a day that never got above 10 degrees. It was bright, it was sunny and not a breath of wind. I swear to you I was peeling layers all day long. Dress in layers, be prepared. Take care of your hands and your feet and go give it a try … Even if you don’t get anything, at least you got out on a winter day.”

Safety first: “The first time I heard ice groan I was ready to sprint for shore. Four inches of clear ice for a single person is the minimum. Just realize what you are doing – you are standing on ice. If in doubt, drill a hole and check depth. Just be careful so you can come back and enjoy it another day. If something does not look right, just don’t go there.” –RK

Two eager ice fishermen haul gear to their family’s fishing spot on a Northcentral Washington lake. You don’t have to go as all in as this to find success, but safety should be a priority regardless. (COAST PHOTO CONTEST)

than summertime fish, but I never really believed it. How was that even possible? Well, a little investigation informed me.

Tired of taking discussion-board advice on the topic, I called Roger Phillips with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game and asked him about ice fishing. He was super insightful on why fish pulled through ice taste better.

“That is from the blue-green algae, that creates it,” says Phillips. He explained that warm summer months grow a lot of algae, which can in turn make the fish taste bad.

“For some reason perch always have a good reputation, no matter what time of year. But with trout you always hear about how they are tasting muddy in the summer ... A lot of algae blooms affect the taste of the fish. People always rave about how good the fish taste pulled out of the ice. With trout there is actually science behind it; they really do taste better in the winter,” Phillips adds.

That was all the proof and enough culinary motivation for me to want to hit the hard stuff again. Trout caught through the ice just taste gooder. NS

CONNECTICUT

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MASSACHUSETTS

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Essex Marina LLC. Essex, MA essexmarinallc.com

McLellan Brothers Inc. Everett, MA mclellanbrosinc.com

Merrimac Marine Supply Methuen, MA merrimacmarine.com

Nauset Marine-Orleans Orleans, MA nausetmarine.com

Obsession Boats East Falmouth, MA capecodboatcenter.com

Portside Marine Danvers, MA portsidemarine.us

Riverfront Marine Sports Inc. Salisbury, MA riverfrontmarine.com

South Attleboro Marine North Attleboro, MA www.sammarine.com

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NEW HAMPSHIRE

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RHODE ISLAND

Billington Cove Marina Inc. Wakefield, RI bcoveyc.com

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Third Straight

Good signs for possible winter opener as state managers also hope

By MD Johnson

Yes, folks, it’s that time again. Will we dip? Won’t we? Maybe? Of course, I’m talking about a smelt season. Who cares if it’s only for a handful of hours on a Saturday morning at the Cowlitz, with 10,000 of our closest and dearest fiends. I mean friends.

It’s always a crapshoot with smelt these days. There’s a lot that goes into getting a season – numbers, estimates, evaluations, regulatory permission, commercial netting that may – or may not – point toward a recreational opener. Columbia River smelt are, after all, listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act, so there’s hoop after hoop after hoop. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries Service

has to get involved. So does the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. And – thanks, Covid! – in recent years so too the Department of Health, which has the ultimate say in whether or not to allow said 10,000 people, some of whom may actually have the Covid, to gather in one place at one time. Whew! Yes, sir. It’s a lot.

Fortunately, we smelt hopefuls have Laura Heironimus, WDFW’s smelt, sturgeon and lamprey unit lead. Heironimus, as should be obvious from her title, wears many hats for the agency, and has since stepping into her current role in January 2018. I had the opportunity to talk with Heironimus briefly in early January about, among other things, smelt and the possibility that the now-traditional one-morning late winter opener might take place.

Smelt Season?

hope lawmakers pass a bill requiring a license to dip for the ESA-listed stock.

MD Johnson Morning, Laura. So there were seals and sea lions in the mainstem Columbia, as well as the Cowlitz, the first week of January. Good news?

Laura Heironimus In terms of our forecasting, ocean conditions look pretty good again this year for smelt, and we’re hopeful that will lead to another strong run (in 2023). Some of the indices in the ocean were good, but we also had things like warmer sea surface temperatures. So we’re not 100 percent sure, but generally the trends that we look for as they relate to smelt have been pretty good. And we had a really strong run in 2022, and we expect to see some of those

cohorts coming back again this year.

MDJ Is there any reason to believe there won’t be a season in 2023 similar to the one we enjoyed in ’22?

LH It’s important to understand (our) forecast for smelt is pretty qualitative, as in we don’t have the sort of data collection needed to do really rigorous modeling for this species. And they’re (smelt) aren’t as well studied as some other species. But from what we can tell, it’s likely we’re going to have a decent run again this year, which would indicate we could start setting the commercial fisheries – and those allow for in-season monitoring and

determining when a recreational fishery might happen.

MDJ I understand there’s serious talk about the creation of a smelt license. What’s the status of that development? Is the agency moving forward on that front, or can they move forward on something like that?

LH (WDFW) has proposed legislation for the state to consider that would do away with the license exemption for freshwater smelt. That’s going up for debate this year, and we’ll see if any of the legislators pick it up and support the bill. Essentially, it would remove the existing exemption for a license on

Smelt managers are optimistic that this year’s return up the Columbia could yield a recreational opener for a third consecutive year on the lower Cowlitz. While river flows and water temperatures are important factors in run timing, recent seasons have occurred in late February or early March. Commercial test fisheries will establish a runsize estimate and whether it’s strong enough to support a sport opener. (WDFW)

freshwater smelt. It would then be up to the legislature whether they wanted to create a special license for smelt, or if they would use the standard sportfishing license requirement. If it were to go into effect, it wouldn’t go into effect this season.

Author’s note: Moreso to repeat myself so that I understand the process, this proposed legislation has to have the support of legislators, who can decide to remove the license exemption on freshwater smelt. If they do that, WDFW is then responsible for categorizing smelt within their licensing structure, i.e. special “smelt” license, required freshwater/ saltwater/combo license, or what have you, with any special instructions that might be handed down by the legislature. Sounds more complicated than it truly is.

MDJ If I can put you on a pin here,

Laura, is WDFW in favor of a socalled smelt license?

LH The department is in favor of having a license requirement because … so many people who come to this fishery aren’t familiar with the rules. As a result, we have a fishery that can get a little out of hand. In 2022, our average (smelt) bag limit – the average individual take – was higher than the legally allowed take. On average, people were harvesting a pound of fish more (11 pounds versus the legal 10 pounds) than they were legally allowed to. Not to mention we had law enforcement seize over 5,000 pounds of fish that were illegally taken, so we’re hoping that by requiring a license, it will help people understand the fishery better, as well as helping from an enforcement standpoint.

Author’s note: What Heironimus had to say next about the proposed smelt license

and its connection with the fishery and this species as a whole, I believe, lies at the very foundation of what the agency is attempting to do for all recreationalists.

LH We’ve tried to be very careful when crafting our requests to say, “We don’t really care about increasing fees here. We just need to have a manageable fishery.” And so we want to get rid of the exemption, not profit from the public. By not having a license requirement on a species like smelt, which has a threatened-listing status under the ESA, and (yet still) we get this really cool opportunity for a oneor two-day fishery … we’re sending the wrong message by not having a license. We’re saying it’s OK to take as much as you want, and that’s not the message I want to send. There are rule associated with this fishery, and we need to be able to sustainably manage the fishery if we want it to continue into the future.

HEIRONIMUS WRAPPED UP our discussion on smelt by speaking of the agency’s push to improve and update the existing, albeit decades old eulachon management plan.

“The existing plan,” she began, “was written in 2001, and that was prior to the ESA listing. Unfortunately, it’s so out of date that it’s not something we can easily manage. And so we’ve (Washington and Oregon) been working hard to create an updated plan, which will outline a lot of the changes that have taken place over the past 20-plus years. It will provide a more transparent approach to what it takes to manage these fisheries, as well as provide some sort of coverage for the state if NOAA Fisheries were to develop a ‘4(d) take prohibition rule.’”

That would prohibit anyone from taking/harvesting a listed species, e.g. smelt, unless that take was associated with an approved program.

“So hopefully this will allow us that coverage so that we might continue these fisheries into the future, as well as outlining how much take we can have, depending on run size and other criteria,” Heironimus said. NS

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is hoping that state lawmakers support their proposal to require smelt dippers to have a license, and legislation (House Bill 1226) to that effect was introduced last month. Currently, one isn’t needed to catch the 10-pound limit, but agency biologist Laura Heironimus says that given the stock’s Endangered Species Act listing, “We’re sending the wrong message by not having a license.” (WDFW)

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Washington 2023 Fishing Planner, Part II

From kings to crabs, pinks to silvers, here’s a look at top ops for July through December.

by Mark Yuasa

Whether you’ve made a resolution to get out on Washington’s waters more in 2023 or are looking to try out a new fishery, we’ve got you covered on the places to go that are not only attainable, but could also create some memorable angling moments.

Last issue we covered the first six months of the year, and in the second half of this two-part series, we’re looking at top fishing choices and other fun activities from July through December.

JULY

One consistent early-summer salmon fishery anglers look forward to occurs about 500 miles upstream from the mouth of the Columbia River between Wells Dam and Brewster. In the summer of 2022, anglers along this picturesque stretch of river in Northcentral Washington saw good summer Chinook and sockeye fishing from July through August. For the past several years the Chinook season has opened on July 1, but a sockeye fishery depends on inseason updates from dam counts.

Look for summer kings migrating to the hatchery netpens located at the outfall from the Chelan powerhouse plant, where cold water gushes out of the gorge into the warmer Columbia. Boats troll along the west side of the

The Upper Columbia will likely provide a good chance to knock out a limit of Chinook, thanks to a large forecasted return of 84,800 to the big river this year, 6,000 more than came back in 2022. UFC fighter Valentina Shevchenko KO’d this king last July while fishing with guide Aaron Peterson. (MARK YUASA)

FISHING

river parallel to Chelan Falls Road near Powerhouse Park to Beebe Bridge.

Be sure to pack a medium-weight salmon rod and a levelwind reel and use an 8- and 10-ounce sliding cannonball sinker on a chain swivel with a Pro-Troll ProFlash and a leader to a 3.5 spinner or a Brad’s Super Bait Mini with a gob of Smelly Jelly scent.

Those unfamiliar with the fishery can book a guided trip. Two highly regarded guides are Aaron Peterson, owner of Peterson’s Northwest Guide Service (petersonsnorthwest .com), and Wenatchee-based guide Austin Moser, owner of Austin’s Northwest Adventures (austinsnorthwestadventures.com).

What makes this fishery a great family vacation is that after a morning

on the water (when the bulk of the action occurs) you can make the short 4.2-mile drive to the town of Chelan, where there’s a variety of wineries, breweries, eateries, farms and orchards, and other activities including boating on Lake Chelan, golfing, camping and hiking. Also not too far away is the beautiful town of Leavenworth.

AUGUST

This is a period in summer when deciding where to go salmon fishing can be tough, especially when there’s so many options and not enough time to do all of them! I’ve narrowed it down to two best bets, but keep in mind there’s more at play here when it comes to choosing an opportunity.

Since this is an odd year – and not in any peculiar way – one fishery anglers can bank on is a likely robust pink salmon return. While small in

stature (3 to 5 pounds), pinks are the fastest growing Pacific salmon species and they return in bulk during oddnumbered years after spending two years in the ocean before migrating to natal Puget Sound rivers.

Referred to as the “saving grace” of 2021’s salmon fisheries, it appears that that year’s pink return surpassed the forecasted 2.9 million mark, generating some decent fishing for both boat and bank anglers around the inland sea and some local rivers. The 2023 forecast wasn’t available as of this writing, but with no environmental condition issues nor a drought or major flooding event in 2021, we could be setting up for another modest pink return in 2023. According to Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife data, the recent 10 odd-year average total run size for Puget Sound pink salmon is around 4.3 million.

Big numbers, reliable biters, a hot spot named after them – what’s not to like about pinks?!? They’ve been the first saltwater salmon for many an angler, including Zac Smith, who got a little help from his mom Sara at Humpy Hollow in mid-August 2021 to land this one. (COAST PHOTO CONTEST)

FISHING

Without getting into too many details, the top color choice for any lure, hoochie squid skirt or jig is pink. Yes, pinks like pink, and be sure once you hear when the seasons are set in early April to stock up on all the pink gear you might think you’ll need before they become slim pickings at tackle shops.

If I were to place a bet on any other salmon fishery in the summer, it would lean toward Buoy 10. Located at the mouth of the Columbia, Buoy 10 is rated as one of the hottest latesummer salmon fisheries in the Pacific

Northwest as millions of Chinook and coho salmon stage here before heading further down the coast or into the big river. Once this year’s dates are set in early April be sure to book a moorage spot in the ports of Ilwaco or Astoria because they fill up quickly. The fishery usually opens in early August and peaks by around the third and fourth week of the month, but can be good especially for coho all the way into September.

Prime fishing spots aren’t at Buoy 10, but just outside of Ilwaco at the Wing Walls; Desdemona Sands area;

Jigging for squid off Puget Sound piers has long been popular, but recent years have seen more anglers doing so off of boats and kayaks as the annual “run” surges in in fall. Author Mark Yuasa shows off a double he jigged up in November 2020 along the Seattle waterfront off the Smith Tower. (MARK YUASA)

the buoy line off the town of Astoria above the Astoria-Megler Bridge; outside the Port of Astoria Marina to Fort Stevens State Park; the Hammond area; above the bridge on the Washington side; and the Church Hole off Fort Columbia State Park.

Gear can consist of a weighted diver or 8- to 10-ounce cannonball sinker to a KoneZone or Fish Flashtype flasher tied on a tandem-hook leader on a whole or cut-plug herring. Spinners like a Toman’s Thumper Flex, with a blade in red/white or chartreuse attached to a plastic squid, or a Brad’s Super Bait Cut Plug lure catch their share of fish too.

SEPTEMBER

After the drought saga of 2015, it appears coho salmon returns to Puget Sound are rebounding, and they provided fair to good fishing in marine areas of the inland sea and Strait of Juan de Fuca in fall 2022.

“I think the Puget Sound coho fishery grade was a B+,” says Justin Wong, owner of Cut Plug Charter (seattlesalmonfishing.com) in Seattle. “We had some great moments of coho fishing, with September being pretty darn good. The shining light to the lack of rainfall last fall was that we caught coho later in the season than we have been the last couple of years.”

The salmon forecasts that come out in early March should give us a better look into the crystal ball, but a number of places should be on your list of where to fish in September. If Marine Areas 9, 10 and 11 are open for coho, look to Midchannel Bank off Port Townsend; Bush Point and Lagoon Point off the west side of Whidbey Island; Marrowstone Island; Point No Point, Possession Bar, the waters off the Edmonds Marina, Pilot Point south to Apple Cove Point (named by Charles Wilkes in April 1841 on the Wilkes Expedition for the crabapple trees blossoming around its shorelines) and Jefferson Head; West Point south of Shilshole Bay and Meadow Point north to Richmond Beach; and Brace Point,

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FISHING

Redondo Beach to Dash Point, as well as places from Vashon Island’s east side south to the Tacoma Narrows area.

OCTOBER

Despite a tumultuous start to 2022’s fall and early-winter razor clam digging season on the Washington Coast, this is always one to keep on the radar of must-do activities. The “evil villain” has been a marine toxin known as domoic acid that can be harmful or fatal when consumed in sufficient quantities. Since 1991, when marine toxins were first detected on the Pacific Coast, outbreaks of domoic acid have prompted the cancellation of 26 percent of all planned harvest dates on coastal beaches, including all or most of several seasons, with the most recent occurring in fall/winter of 2022 and most of the 2020-2021 season.

While we won’t know how

razor clam populations fare until summer surveys are taken in 2023 by WDFW, what we do know is the 2021-22 season generated oodles of success, with high harvest rates and participation. The start of the 202223 season was also setting up to be equally as good before toxin levels shut it down.

Razor clam digging is a huge money maker and last season the total value was a record $71.7 million. The 10year average is $27.5 million for small coastal communities that rely on these opportunities during the lean tourist times in autumn, winter and spring to help boost their economy.

NOVEMBER

Squid jigging around Puget Sound is a fun activity that doesn’t require a lot of fishing gear and can be enjoyed by everyone from a pier or on a boat. Migrating squid usually make an

early appearance from September to October, but primetime is December through January. Squid jigging mainly is a night-time affair during a flood tide, as squid are attracted to lights beaming off the public piers. When fishing from a boat or pier many hang powerful lanterns just above the water’s surface to attract squid.

As for gear, try a 7- to 8-foot trout fishing rod and a spinning reel strung with light braid of, say, 5- to 6-pound test to help detect the subtle taps of squid. Use weighted luminous or light-up plastic jigs in pink, chartreuse, blue, red, green or orange. The jigs don’t have “hooks” and instead have upward-slanting sharp prongs. This means when you have a squid on your line keep steady pressure and don’t reel up quickly. Unweighted lures are also used by squid jiggers that attach to a 1-ounce lead weight. WDFW’s website (wdfw .wa.gov/fishing/basics/squid) has more information on catching squid.

DECEMBER

While summer crabbing takes all the limelight, many anglers agree the winter season on Puget Sound is a more enjoyable time to be on the water and has less fishing pressure. It is also a time when Dungeness are highly sought after for their firm meat that provides a tasty holiday feast. Winter crab catch rates are often better, and it keeps folks busy when other saltwater fishing options are minimal.

Winter seasons for several marine areas of Puget Sound and Strait of Juan de Fuca are announced in late September or early October and usually the season is open daily through December 31. Coastal areas are also open year-round and the Columbia River estuary has become increasingly popular late in the year. Before you go, be sure to check the regulations. NS

Editor’s note: Mark Yuasa is a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife communications manager and longtime local fishing and outdoor writer.

Most Puget Sound crabbing is done in the summer, but there are good opportunities to be had during the winter season too. (MARK YUASA)

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5 Top Coyote Calibers; New Turkey Guns, Optics

ON TARGET

By Dave Workman

ere we are in midwinter and for the predator hunter, opportunity abounds. Here are what I consider the five good caliber choices for sending songdogs to the Great Hereafter:

.223 Remington: Probably the most popular cartridge in this arena, it’s a flatshooting coyote-stopper with a proven track record and ballistics that make it a winner. For the handloader, the .223 Remington can be loaded to warp-speed velocities, depending upon the bullet and propellant.

.224 Valkyrie: Here’s a nasty little long-range varmint load that can push a 60-grain bullet more than 1,000 yards, and the ’yote never hears it coming. Just out

Hof curiosity, I broke out a Hodgdon Annual Manual for a glance at what handloaders can do with this cartridge, and I’d hate to be a coyote on the receiving end. Out in the Columbia Basin or over in Eastern Oregon, a devoted coyote hunter could decimate the ’dogs with enough time, patience and ammunition.

22 Nosler: Here’s a rebated-rim cartridge with impressive ballistics and enough developed loading data to keep a coyote hunter busy at the bench on weeknights, prepping for weekend coyote treks. Developed by the Nosler folks in Bend, it doesn’t have a parent cartridge. Depending upon the propellant, the 22 Nosler is a hellon-wheels predator-punishing round using the same projectiles as the previous two suggested calibers.

.22-250 Remington: This legendary cartridge has been around for decades,

accounting for more dead coyotes than I’d ever care to count, although its main claim to fame is probably as a prairie dog round. Over the years, I’ve heard of some remarkable long shots made with the .22-250, and having some small experience with paper targets, I’ve never doubted a single story. Anybody who can hit prairie dogs at, say, 400 to 500 yards with one of these rifles can put any coyote down for the count!

.220 Swift: I hesitate to mention this one, although it is a devastating varmint and predator cartridge. This is definitely a handloader’s cartridge for a variety of reasons, mainly all with dollar signs. Factory ammunition could be pricey. Ballistically, it is a sizzler from a bygone era (introduced in 1935) that may have been surpassed by more recent introductions but can still hold its own.

Something to keep in perspective is that

A coyote hunts in a snowy scene. (TOM KOERNER, USFWS)

shooting coyotes can help reduce predation on deer fawns, elk calves, newborn livestock, small game and domestic pets. I live in an area where someone is almost always searching for a small pet dog or cat, and I know there are coyotes in the neighborhood.

NEW GOBBLER GUNS

No sooner had the holidays passed than was I treated to some news from Mossberg about new turkey shotguns in 20- and 28-gauge. Naturally, that set me to thinking, “It’s really not too early to be thinking about spring gobbler hunting.”

Mossberg revealed it is importing a trio of new turkey models, expanding the SA Series of semiautos. They included the fully camouflaged SA-20 and SA-28 Turkey Pistol Grip versions and a SA-20 Turkey with Mossy Oak Greenleaf camo, and classic stock and forend, the company detailed. The shotguns were on display at January’s Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade, or SHOT, Show in Las Vegas.

The company explained its move to the 20- and 28-gauge models thusly: “Smallgauge shotguns combined with today’s denser, more effective shotshells have extended ranges for these sub-gauges and grown in popularity. And thanks to their lightweight, soft-shooting and quickhandling qualities, these autoloaders are surprisingly effective on longbeards and a pleasure to carry in the field.”

SA Series autoloaders feature a gas operating system that vents excess gases, reducing recoil for the shooter and lessening stress on components for reliable operation. All models feature a five-round total capacity and 22-inch vent rib barrels with an interchangeable choke

tube system (extended turkey choke tube included). Barrels are topped with fiber optic ghost ring sights and receivers feature a Picatinny rail for ease of adding optics. Other standard features include a cross-bolt safety, extended charging handle and easy-load elevator, according to Mossberg’s announcement.

Mossy Oak’s Greenleaf pattern offers silhouette concealment with its blend of dirt, bark, moss and oak sapling elements.

Here are some specifics:

SA-20 Turkey Pistol Grip (75799): This one is equipped with a compact pistol-grip stock (12.75-inch length-of-pull) and full camo coverage with Mossy Oak Greenleaf on stock, forend, receiver and 22-inch barrel. Target acquisition is enhanced with the combination of a fiber optic front sight and adjustable ghost ring rear sight. Completing this package is top-mounted rail, extended turkey choke tube and front

Mossberg’s new SA-20 and SA-28 Turkey semiautos wear Mossy Oak Greenleaf camo. (MOSSBERG)

German Precision Optics’ new 15-45x60 Tactical Spotting Scope is available in brown or black. (GPO)

and rear sling swivel studs. MSRP: $902.

SA-20 Turkey (75801): This model features a camouflaged forend and classically styled stock with 14.25-inch length-of-pull, 22-inch barrel with extended turkey choke tube, fiber optic front sight and adjustable ghost ring rear sight and sling swivel studs. A topmounted rail provides for ease of adding an optic. MSRP: $816.

SA-28 Turkey Pistol Grip (75802): This one also features a pistol grip-style stock with 12.75-inch length-of-pull with Mossy Oak Greenleaf camo coverage on the stock, forend, receiver and barrel. Fiber optic front sight and adjustable ghost ring rear sight top the 22-inch barrel. Rounding out this offering is an extended turkey choke tube, top-mounted rail and sling swivel studs. MSRP: $902.

For more on the complete line of SA20, SA-28 and SA-410 Turkey shotguns, see mossberg.com.

General spring turkey season opens April 15 in the three Northwest states, which also have early opportunities for youth hunters. See each state’s pamphlets for more details. Also note that in Washington, the combined spring/youth spring season limit is three birds. Only two turkeys may be killed in Eastern Washington, except three may be killed in Spokane County and only

one may be killed in Kittitas or Yakima Counties. One turkey may be killed per year in Western Washington outside of Klickitat County, where two turkeys may be killed. Only male turkeys and turkeys with visible beards may be taken.

In Washington, turkey hunters can thank a guy named Dan Blatt, a retired state Department of Fish and Wildlife game biologist, for ramrodding this program decades ago. The Evergreen State has Merriam, Rio Grande and eastern turkeys, and I’ve managed to find them all over Kittitas and northern Yakima Counties, and up in Stevens and northern Spokane Counties without fail over the years.

NEW OPTICS

German Precision Optics recently unveiled a selection of new optics for 2023, and there are some dandy models in the bunch.

For openers, there’s the new 15-45x60 Tactical Spotting Scope, featuring the same reticle found in GPO’s popular new first focal plane GPOTAC 4.5-27x50i FFP Tactical riflescope. According to GPO, grid markings on the spotting scope reticle and the riflescope reticle are identical in appearance and size to ensure familiarity and sight picture synergy of the user. It features a variable 15-45x eyepiece, a 60mm objective lens, a 60-foot field of view at maximum power, and it measures just 10.95x5.4x3.3

inches and weighs only 2.75 pounds.

GPO’s new Passion 4-12x50i riflescope is a versatile micro-fiber illumination scope equipped with upgraded ultra-premium optical lenses. It features large field of view, quick adjust turrets, fast focus ocular and generous eye relief. The scope is powered by a proprietary iControl illumination system featuring a fiber optic illuminated micro-dot which can be adjusted between barely visible for low-light conditions or extremely bright for daylight use. The system automatically powers down the illumination when the electronic module has been stationary for more than three hours and it alerts the user when the battery has 15 percent power remaining. It has a huge 50mm objective lens for maximum light transmission. This scope has counterclockwise rotating metal turrets with ¼ MOA click adjustments.

Next comes an addition to its high-magnification, first focal plane GPOTAC 4.5-27x50i riflescope line. This new model features a reticle that has been custom designedfor Precision Rifle Series competition, and the turret was enhanced to show multiple rotations.This one has a 34mm main tube made from a one-piece aluminum block. It is designed to work in tandem with the new spotting scope mentioned earlier.

Also from GPO is the Spectra 6X 4.5-

Bushnell’s new Match Pro ED 5-30x56 FFP riflescope. (BUSHNELL)

27x50i SFP “designed as the ultimate long-range, high-performance riflescope,” according to the company. It features “Double HD Objective Lens technology, iControl illumination, GPObright lens coatings and PassionTrac zero-stop-lock turrets.”

Rounding things out, GPO has introduced the Spectra Reflex Dot sight. Featuring what GPO calls the “next generation red dot technology,” this new sight has a built-in photo sensor to adjust the brightness of the 3mm red dot

automatically. It also has a built-in motion sensor to switch it off or on automatically, extending battery life to a reported 25,000 hours. It will mate with virtually any

three-position power change lever that is convertible to left- or right-hand use, removable sunshade and forward internal threads for mounting accessories.

2-16x42, 3-24x50 and 4-32x56. (STEINER)

modern semiauto handgun and it may also be mounted via the included Picatinny rail on a rifle.

Bushnell has introduced the Match Pro ED 5-30x56 FFP riflescope with a 34mm main tube. The 56mm objective features EXO Barrier coating to protect it from the elements, and a 30 Mil (103 MOA) elevation range. It has 11 brightness settings with alternating off intervals and a six-hour auto-off timer to extend battery life. It comes with a removable

New from Steiner is the Predator 8 riflescope series featuring 8x zoom capabilities. This scope series is built on 30mm main tubes, and there are three models: 2-16x42, 3-24x50 and 4-32x56. All three feature ¼ MOA ballistic turrets, illuminated reticles with 11 different brightness settings and Steiner’s E3 second focal plane reticle. The scope comes with different numbered turret rings, allowing shooters to customize the turret to their needs.

And finally, there is a new sight adjustment tool from XS Sights. Called the Inline Rear Sight Tools, they are added to the DIY and Gunsmith series of tools.

The DIY Sight Pusher Install Kit allows a Glock handgunner to complete a wide range of sight installations. This tool comes with an Allen key. The Gunsmith tool also comes with an Allen key and a T-handle for additional leverage. NS

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Offseason Training: Time To Start Is Now!

BECOMING A HUNTER

By Dave Anderson

Looking back at last year’s hunting season, did you feel physically fit or were you sore and tired every morning? Did your level of physical fitness or stamina stop you from pushing harder and going further than you wanted to?

Are you sick of driving around in a truck looking for game?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, now would be the time to start making changes – changes that will not only help you going into this year’s hunting season, but also help you in life by creating a healthier and happier version of yourself.

The first step is making the commitment to change and putting your health and physical fitness as a priority. This can all be done without a gym membership, although having one is not a bad option, especially for those days when winter weather kicks in. There are several cardio options at the gym, but my favorite piece of equipment would be the stair climber. I also have a small home gym that is equipped with a rowing machine, elliptical and free weights. Since I have access to all this equipment, there really is no excuse to not get some sort of exercise on a daily basis. I am definitely not a fitness expert, but I know what works for me. In addition, if you decide to make the commitment to change but have some health concerns, I would consult a doctor prior to jumping into any type of exercise program.

I DECIDED TO start my offseason training back in December to prepare for the 2023 Idaho archery elk season. I was not in awful shape, but I wasn’t where I wanted to be. Therefore, it was time to focus!

Living in Coeur d’Alene provides my family and I some excellent outdoor opportunities for hikes that are close to the house. When I am not working across the country, on the road or in the air, I get in a weighted hike almost every day. I can wake up early, throw on the backpack and easily get in a 4-mile hike close to home.

In addition to weekly hikes, I also get to share these trips and outdoor adventures with my two boys, Ryland and Barrett. They have been hiking with us on weekends since before they could even walk. They both started in a backpack on my wife Kristina’s

back or mine. Once they got to a point where their legs could start keeping up, they have had boots on the ground in the mountains or on the trails. There is nothing better than getting your kids outdoors with you while exploring in the mountains. It is our job as parents and advocates for the outdoors to get our kids outside and share the great resources we are so fortunate to have access to. If you have an area near your home, hiking is one of the best ways to get in and stay in shape, in my opinion.

I HAVE A Mystery Ranch Guide light

Along with a gym membership or a home weight and cardio room, as well as watching your diet, hiking is a great way to stay in shape outside of hunting season. Author Dave Anderson and his family enjoy going for walks in the woods. (DAVE ANDERSON)

packframe with a Pintler bag that I use for my weighted hikes, but there are a ton of different options. My recommendation on packs is pretty simple: Find one that fits you the best! I have had awesome luck and love my Mystery Ranch packs. They are tough and built to last. I use the same pack for hunting and hiking. Another neat feature with these packs is that you can switch out bags depending on your need, whether it’s for multiple days/nights or just a daypack situation.

For my weighted hikes, I carry kettle bells ranging from 20 pounds to 50 pounds. This all depends on the hike and where I am at physically. I also carry two Nalgene bottles full of water on these hikes.

Hiking sticks are a great thing to have as well. Trekking poles are four-wheel drive for the human body. Once you get used to having poles, it is hard to go back to not having them. I can’t tell you how many times I would’ve landed flat on my back or face first if I hadn’t been using trekking poles. There are a ton of different options out there, but there is a huge difference between a cheap pair and a set that you pay a couple hundred

For Anderson and his wife Kristina, taking sons Ryland and Barrett on their hikes subtly encourages the boys to also become outdoorsmen. (DAVE ANDERSON)

bucks for. The cheaper ones normally don’t perform well under pressure and can break if you try to catch yourself during a fall. I am a fan of Leki trekking poles.

In addition, a good set of hiking shoes, trail runners or lightweight boots for traction is a good idea. I would not recommend tennis shoes on the trail. A rolled ankle or slip can ruin a day. I have had great luck with the Salomon Speedcross 5 trail running shoes during spring/summer hikes. While I was pretty skeptical about using a pair of lightweight trail running shoes for my hikes, I was blown away by the performance of these shoes. They have a very aggressive tread pattern, providing amazing traction, and are light and comfortable. Last year, Kristina used the women’s Salomon Speedcross trail running shoes to hike Central Washington’s Enchantments, in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, which was a 20-mile through hike, and they held up great and provided enough traction and stability. Having a good set of hiking shoes just adds another level of four-wheel drive to the human body.

THE GREAT THING about having a pack is being able to bring along some extra items like rain gear, first-aid kit and delicious snacks or lunches for on the trail. Since hiking with my boys, I fully understand the necessity of having snacks. We take more breaks with the boys, so having something they can munch on is perfect for those breaks and rest periods.

On my mountain hikes, I always have my Glock Model 20 in 10mm loaded with 220-grain Buffalo Bore ammunition. I carry it in my Windhill Holster Chest rig, made in La Grande, Oregon. This makes it accessible and easy to carry. It definitely adds more weight to my hikes, but I also would rather have a gun and not need it than need a gun and not have it. Carrying a form of protection is especially important in areas where grizzly bears are encroaching. North Idaho has quite a few and there are several roaming throughout Montana. Make sure that if you carry a handgun, you shoot it and are proficient with it. Just having a gun is a small piece of the equation when it comes down to defending your life and

the ones you love.

MY LAST BIT of advice on getting back into shape boils down to one of my favorite quotes: “You can’t outrun a fork!” Diet is just as important as exercise, so maybe this will be the year that you start to watch what you are putting into your body. Doing so can help us stay healthy and fit.

Generally speaking, easy and convenient does not equal healthy. True, that advice is coming from someone who spends almost half of his year traveling for work, and it is not easy. However, with a little effort it is possible. Finding healthier alternatives is easy once you commit to it.

I am definitely excited to make the changes necessary in order to be more proficient in the mountains when my Idaho archery elk season opens this fall. To me, having improved physical fitness and stamina will make my time in the woods more enjoyable. Hopefully I have influenced a few of you to jump on the offseason training regimen, because now is the best time to make those changes! NS

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Mind Reading Is A Two-way Street

GUN DOGGIN’ 101

By Scott Haugen

If you pay close attention to your hunting dog, you know it watches every move you make. It looks closely at you when you get out of your favorite chair and it can tell by your demeanor whether you’re getting up to grab a snack during a break in the football game or taking them outside to potty.

When gearing up for the hunt, your dog can tell by the look on your face when it’s time for them to stop so you can put their vest on. Or whether or not it’s OK for them to run ahead of you when walking to the hunting locale. They know when the hunt is over and it’s time to go home, without you saying a word.

By looking at you, your dog knows when you’re getting frustrated – and likely why. Their tail wags when you laugh, even if you’re not looking at them. If you’re a duck hunter, your dog knows by the look in

your eyes when birds are approaching. Or, if you’re like me, you watch your dog’s eyes, because they spot way more ducks than we do, and usually sooner than we can.

SPEND ANY TIME getting to know your dog you’ll realize that it’s trying to read your mind in an effort to please you. But do you look at your dog’s body language, facial expressions and eyes to try and read their mind? Do you know how they walk when they’re ready to go to the bathroom, how their ears hang when happy, sad or in pain? Do you know how your dog is feeling, what it’s thinking or what its next move is going to be? If not, you should – dogs communicate through body language and facial expressions, just like humans do.

“One of the biggest obstacles I deal with is teaching dog owners how to read their dog,” shares Jess Spradley of Cabin Creek Gun Dogs in Lakeview, Oregon. Spradley is one of the best known and most respected dog trainers in the country. He’s patient,

loves working with all gun dogs and spends a lot of time getting to know the dogs he’s training.

“A lot of people bring me dogs for simple training,” continues Spradley. “Whether they want me to teach it to whoa, sit at blind or not break on the shot, it’s all simple stuff, really.”

Spradley spends time watching a dog before he begins training it. He notes its demeanor, attention span, how it makes eye contact and its body behavior. Then he proceeds slowly and very patiently.

“I don’t want the dog to be shocked by any of my movements or commands. I keep communication simple and calm. While the dog’s reading my mind, I’m doing the same to it so I can anticipate what my next move should be.”

ONCE THE DOG is trained, Spradley has the owner come pick it up. But before taking it home, Spradley spends time teaching the owner how he trained their dog so the

From the moment you bring a gun dog pup home, it starts reading your eyes to anticipate your next move. You owe it to your pup to be able to do the same for it. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

owner can proceed in training the dog the same way.

“One thing people need to realize is that training never, ever ends,” Spradley offers. “From the time you bring a pup home to the time it dies, every day is a training day, whether you’re on a hunt, training in the field or hanging out at home. And reading a dog’s actions plays a big part in how you communicate with and respond to your dog.”

Inevitably, Spradley gets calls from many owners of dogs he’s trained, saying the dog is back to displaying the same unwanted behavior.

“I just ask if they’ve worked with their dog like I showed them, and usually the response is ‘No, I’ve been too busy.’ First of all, it’s easy to look at your dog and see by the way it’s acting if it’s going to try getting away with something or slip back into that unwanted behavior; that’s what dogs do, push control to the limit and this is where owners have to pay attention and can’t give in. Second, if you don’t have time to interact with a dog, then maybe now’s not the time to have one.”

Noted dog trainer Jess Spradley spends a lot of time getting to know dogs by watching their body language and facial expressions. From there, he knows what his next move should be in helping teach the dog the desired behaviors. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

Spradley’s known for being one of the top breeders of pudelpointers in the country. These are highly intelligent dogs that are sensitive and have a strong desire to please their owner.

“It never ceases to amaze me how much training you can do without actually saying a word,” concludes Spradley. “Get a dog that respects you and wants to please you, and it’s easy to teach them to do what you want them to do.”

For those of you who are parents, think back on how you raised your kids and how many times you directed their behavior without saying a word. When it comes to dogs, it’s no different. Once you pay attention to your dog’s expressions and behaviors, you’ll be amazed at how powerful eye contact and body posture can be in getting your dog to do the right thing. NS

Editor’s note: Scott Haugen is a full-time writer. See his puppy training videos and learn more about his many books at scotthaugen.com and follow him on Instagram and Facebook.

A well-disciplined dog is what we all strive for, and understanding how to communicate with it without words is essential. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

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