Northwest Sportsman Mag July 2019 by Media Index Publishing Group

FISHING • HUNTING • NEWS

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Sportsman Northwest

Your LOCAL Hunting & Fishing Resource

Volume 11 • Issue 10

Your Complete Hunting, Boating, Fishing and Repair Destination Since 1948.

PUBLISHER James R. Baker EDITOR Andy Walgamott THIS ISSUE’S CONTRIBUTORS Jason Brooks, Dennis Dauble, Scott Haugen, Sara Ichtertz, MD Johnson, Randy King, Bill Perconti, Buzz Ramsey, Mark Veary, Dave Workman, Mike Wright, Mark Yuasa EDITORIAL FIELD SUPPORT Jason Brooks GENERAL MANAGER John Rusnak SALES MANAGER Katie Higgins ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Mamie Griffin, Mike Smith, Paul Yarnold DESIGNERS Celina Martin, Jake Weipert PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS Kelly Baker, McKenna Boulet OFFICE MANAGER 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 Mariah Gibson and her grandpa Gary Lundquist show off a pair of hatchery coho caught out of Westport last summer aboard Lundquist’s boat, the Skyhook. (YO-ZURI PHOTO CONTEST )

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and get daily updates at nwsportsmanmag.com.

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CONTENTS

VOLUME 11 • ISSUE 10

113

SMALL CREEKS, GREAT REWARDS

The streams that feed Idaho’s North Fork Clearwater offer quality fishing and good numbers of trout. Bill Perconti takes us on a roadtrip deep into the backcountry of the Panhandle in search of “red bellies” – native westslope cutts.

(BILL PERCONTI)

FEATURES 65

SILVER LINING: GOOD SUMMER TO BE A COHO CATCHER With good numbers of coho returning to Washington ocean and inland waters, fishing should be excellent for these hard-fighting, tasty salmon. Mark Yuasa has the lowdown on this summer’s wheres and whens!

107 LOSING A SPECIAL DRIFT: IT ‘WAS MINE AND I DID SHINE’ Sara Icthertz mourns the loss of the Southern Oregon river stretch she sharpened her summer steelhead drift fishing skills on over the past five years, but March’s big flood also served up a new angling challenge that she’s accepted.

PUGET SOUND SALMON SEASON PLANNER Chinook and pink numbers are down but there are fish to be caught and the coho forecast is very promising, especially for saltwaters and rivers in Central and South Puget Sound. Jason Brooks breaks down the predictions and best ops.

121 A TALE OF 2 RIVERS, PART II It’s a river that calls two nations and two states home, and even has two different spelling, and in the second half of his series, Mike Wright takes us to far north Idaho and British Columbia, where the Kootenai/y River changes from a trout haven to bass waters and back again.

153 MENTORING YOUNG WATERFOWLERS, PART I In a call to action, longtime Northwest duck and goose hunter MD Johnson shares how he’s working to recruit newbies into the sport to stem declining numbers, and invites you to take up the cause too.

SUBSCRIBE TODAY! Go to nwsportsmanmag.com for details. NORTHWEST SPORTSMAN is published monthly by Media Index Publishing Group, 14240 Interurban Avenue South, Suite 190, Tukwila, WA 98168. Periodical Postage Paid at Seattle, WA and at additional mail offices. (USPS 025-251) POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Northwest Sportsman, 14240 Interurban Ave South, Suite 190, Tukwila, WA 98168. Annual subscriptions are $29.95 (12 issues), 2-year subscription are $49.95 (24 issues). Send check or money order to Media Index Publishing Group, or call (206) 382-9220 with VISA or M/C. Back issues may be ordered at Media Index Publishing Group offices at the cost of $5 plus shipping. Display Advertising. Call Media Index Publishing Group for a current rate card. Discounts for frequency advertising. All submitted materials become the property of Media Index Publishing Group and will not be returned. Copyright © 2019 Media Index Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be copied by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording by any information storage or retrieval system, without the express written permission of the publisher. Printed in U.S.A.

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THE KAYAK GUYS:

Coastal Coho Are Calling “The far horizon, blurred by a thin offshore fog, exists all but imperceptibly to the west. Gray ocean reflecting gray sky, set to the gray noise of distant waves on sand …” Ert! We interrupt kayak angler Mark V’s daydream to say this summer’s coho forecast is anything but! He shares how to score silvers off the Oregon and Southwest Washington Coasts.

(MARK VEARY)

COLUMNS 81

BUZZ RAMSEY: BUOY 10: Tides, Strategies And Gearing Up Even though this is a down year at Buoy 10, a whopping 1.25 million fall salmon are still expected to enter the mouth of the Columbia. Buzz shares his tips for how to catch the bonanza of silvers and big kings in the big river’s estuary.

CHEF IN THE WILD: More To Oregon Coast Bounty Than Just Fish Like many of his fellow desert-dwelling sportsmen, Chef Randy has a love-hate relationship with the Oregon Coast: hates the nine-hour drive over from Boise, absolutely loves the wide range of foods to catch and gather around Newport. This issue he serves up grilled mussels and reveals other overlooked wild foods to forage for where the sun goes down on the Northwest.

133 SOUTH SOUND: As Salmon Near, Scout For Big Game Midsummer finds Jason heading for the hills to scout for elk, bear and deer in the mountainous bowls and berryfields of the Cascades, but he’s also got his optics up looking for the first hint that fall salmon have arrived in his South Sound waters. 141 ON TARGET: ‘Quick Zero,’ And A Quick Reminder About Semiautos “Don’t carry a gun that you can’t accurately shoot.” That’s Dave’s mantra as hunting seasons appear on the horizon, and it applies not only to dialing in new scopes but getting on target with handguns you might carry for protection or plinking for the pot. Dave also looks at blowback from I-1639. 147 GUN DOG: Next-level Water Training By training your dog now how to deal with obstacles they may encounter on water retrieves, they’ll be better prepared to handle those situations during this season’s hunts. Scott details his training regimen for helping gun pups overcome tricky and fast-water retrieves, as well as bullies in the blind.

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(ODFW)

THE BIG PIC:

Refined Focus Improves Angler Access Across Oregon Now in its 25th year, ODFW’s Restoration & Enhancement program directs money to work making fishing easier, more enjoyable.

DEPARTMENTS 19

THE EDITOR’S NOTE In praise of volunteers

FISHING AND HUNTING NEWS Lake Sammamish gillnetting raises questions

READER PHOTOS FROM THE FIELD ’Bows, bass, kokes and more!

PHOTO CONTEST WINNERS Yo-Zuri, Ontario Knife Co. monthly prizes

THE DISHONOR ROLL Final main SW WA poacher sentenced; Jackass of the Month

DERBY WATCH Derby season in full swing; Ongoing, upcoming events

OUTDOOR CALENDAR Upcoming openers, family and kids events, deadlines, boat shows, more

164 BACK PAGE Watching your honey cast

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THEEDITOR’SNOTE

Madeline Ashmore and Chris, John and Ken Ness were honored for their Washington wildlife work, Madeline for educating people about Okanogan loons, the brothers for building 46 crates to transport mountain goats from the Olympics to the North Cascades. (WDFW)

t was ages ago, but while fishing a lake in Washington’s eastern Okanogan Highlands I heard the haunting call of loons. That memory stuck with me and I followed the debate to ban small lead-based fishing gear there and at 12 other known loon-nesting lakes. I also wrote about a misguided effort for a much wider ban. Somewhere around then, little Madeline Ashmore sent the state Department of Fish and Wildlife a note to say, “I am four years old. I do not want lead sinkers in loons.” This spring the eighth-grader was honored by WDFW as its Citizen Educator of the Year for her work to protect the rare birds from ingesting lost lead tackle. “Madeline has sold loon-themed greeting cards and cookies, dressed as a loon for Halloween, and encouraged the sale of lead-free tackle at local businesses to support her education efforts,”WDFW said.

IN THESE SOUR times, I want to use this space to highlight people who are involved and care about critters. Where Madeline has shown “drive, determination and care” in her short time on this Earth so far in earning her award, the Wenatchee Sportsmen’s Association’s 70-year history of doing good deeds for critters contributed to it earning WDFW’s Organization of the Year honor. “The association has worked to build and fix fences, plant shrubs after wildfires, conduct wildlife surveys, develop kid’s fishing events, and process seized meat from poachers to provide for local charitable organizations,” the agency stated. When WDFW took out the livestock-depredating Wedge Pack in 2012, the governor’s office received 12,000 emails opposed to it, and only one from a hunters’ group in support – the Wenatchee Sportsmen’s Association. They were also instrumental in preserving wildlife habitat in Chelan County that at one point was going to be turned into high-elevation cherry orchards. Three Castle Rock brothers/Master Hunters, Chris, John and Ken Ness, were named co-volunteers of the year for the 600-plus hours they spent building 46 crates for last September’s state-tribalfederal mountain goat move from the Olympics to the Cascades. Russ Lewis and Dave Morrow also earned awards as co-volunteer and landowner of the year, while Bob Palmer, who matriculated 166 new sportskids and others, was given the Terry Hoffer Memorial Firearm Safety Award for his hunter education work. Kudos to all, you rock and are heroes to fish and wildlife!

IF YOUR FISHERY’S in the toilet and you now have time on your hands, the three Northwest states could use your help. Check out wdfw.wa.gov, myodfw.com and idfg.idaho.gov for volunteer opportunities. Hatchery and habitat helpers, weed whackers, elk hazers, lek surveyors and more are needed! –Andy Walgamott

nwsportsmanmag.com | JULY 2019

Northwest Sportsman 19

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Northwest Sportsman 21

Refined Focus Improves Angler Access Across Oregon ODFW’s Restoration & Enhancement program directs money to projects that make fishing easier and more enjoyable. By ODFW staff

t Southern Oregon’s Denman Wildlife Area, new 75-foot-long fishing jetties make it possible for people of all abilities to get closer to good fishing. Further north, anglers, walkers and boaters enjoy nature at the expansive Cheadle Lake Recreational Area not far from Lebanon.

Throughout Oregon, outdoor enthusiasts of all ages are finding a place to fish and a fish to catch – from a new youth fishing pond in Central Oregon’s Prineville to restored fishing platforms at Lytle Lake on the North Coast. These projects are just a few of the many dozens of improvements made using Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife’s Restoration & Enhancement program dollars the past several years. Each were accomplished under the umbrella of the 25-year Recreational Angling Enhancement Plan, meant to make fishing a more pleasurable, convenient and successful experience for anglers throughout the state. This funnels the money anglers pay in fees directly back to improving the fishery. “One of the things that we’re very 22 Northwest Sportsman

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careful to look at is, What’s the benefit for fishermen?” said Richard Heap, who serves on the R&E board. “The bottom line is it’s their money.”

RECENT AND UPCOMING SUCCESSES The latest angling access improvements range from the ongoing restoration of a boat ramp in Jefferson to a state-of-the-art fish cleaning station for boaters at the new Rainbow Plaza ramp in Reedsport on the lower Umpua, finished in summer 2018. The coastal project was part of a much larger, collaborative effort with multiple funding sources and included replacing the boat ramp, docks and pilings, as well as adding a restroom, sidewalks and lighting. Partners included the Oregon State Marine Board, City of Reedsport, Oregon State Parks, Port of Umpqua, Reedsport/

Anglers enjoy a day fishing off the new dock at Oregon’s Lake Lytle, in the North Coast town of Rockaway Beach, one of multiple communities across the state benefiting from a state program to enhance water access. (ODFW)

PICTURE

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Northwest Sportsman 23

PICTURE Winchester Bay Chamber of Commerce, USDA and ODFW. “This was a chance for us to really make an impact that would benefit boaters for generations,” said Janine Belleque, OSMB boating facilities manager, of the overall project. Also on the coast, in Coquille, a 2015 storm had damaged an existing dock at Sturdivant Park. Designed for boaters to tie up to, the dock had long been used illegally by anglers fishing on foot, creating issues with grant-funding agencies. A new dock planned there, with construction starting later this year, will replace aging creosote pilings with those made of steel, and wooden docks with aluminum ones. The site will be usable by boaters tying up and also by anglers fishing dockside because of a zone meant for anglers. Additional projects approved for this ongoing two-year funding cycle include boat ramps at Pine Hollow Reservoir in Wasco County, improved parking at an ADA-accessible fishing pier at Hagg Lake near Forest Grove, and a bundle of smaller improvements at fishing sites in Benton, Clackamas, Columbia, Lane, Linn, Marion, Wallowa, Washington and Yamhill Counties. “R&E is directing funding to the projects anglers tell us they want and need,” said Kevin Herkamp, R&E coordinator. “With a focus that’s both angler-specific and statewide, ODFW is able to improve fishing experiences and grow new generations of anglers.”

25-YEAR VISION ODFW’s goals were to successfully teach anglers of all ages how to fish; provide bodies of water for fishing that were adequately stocked with fish, either native or hatchery; and to offer more opportunities for fishing that would be easier for urban populations to get to on any day or evening of the week. To do this meant creating new fishing ponds in places where there weren’t any, and replacing or restoring docks, boat 24 Northwest Sportsman

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Before and after pictures show how worn Lake Lytle’s dock was before it was replaced in 2012 to make it stronger, safer and bigger for anglers who work this water right alongside Highway 101. (ODFW) ramps, paths, parking areas, cleaning stations, lighting and ADA-accessibility. Since 2001, R&E’s board has dedicated more than $4 million for nearly 100 projects – with more than 75 percent of that allocated over the past 10 years. Success stories include St. Louis Ponds, located about 13 miles north of Salem in

Marion County. A welcoming refuge for anglers since about the 1970s, it is now more accessible. ODFW paved squishy pathways to some of the ponds several years ago, adding docks and fitting concrete piers with railings so users in wheelchairs could fish, too.

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PICTURE

Ten thousand boats annually put in and take out at Reedsportâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Rainbow Plaza ramp on the lower Umpqua River, a great access for salmon, sturgeon and other species, but it had become rundown since its last major upgrade in the early 1990s (bottom, top right). Thanks to $2 million in grants from state, federal and local partners, last year old pilings were removed, launch lanes were widened (top left), an ADA restroom was installed, the parking area was improved and a fish cleaning station was built (middle right), a boon to the local economy. (ODFW, CITY OF REEDSPORT)

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PICTURE It’s a popular site not far from I-5. On a clear weekend after fish have been stocked midweek, you might find 100 to 150 people fishing there. Family fishing events in spring and fall usually draw up to 800 people. In the seven ponds, anglers can catch trout, catfish, bluegills, crappie and pumpkinseeds, providing a variety of fishing opportunities for a diverse group of anglers. The Whetstone Pond project in Central Point also focused on accessibility, repairing a broken wheelchair access area, adding two fishing jetties built with curbs to make them more usable and increasing parking to meet demand by anglers and wildlife watchers. “This place gets a tremendous amount of fishing use. As soon as the sun comes out in the spring, that parking lot fills up and people come out with little kids and fishing poles,” said Denman Wildlife Area Manager Clayton Barber. “It’s a nature spot

within the urban industrial complex.”

– it’s right in the center of the community.”

LEVERAGING FUNDS

TOWARD THE FUTURE

The R&E board considers whether funds can be combined with other grants to leverage money. When there are federal or other grant dollars involved, “We get a pretty big bang for the dollars we’re investing,” Heap said. The Cheadle Lake project brought together numerous partners to transform the site of an old millpond into the city’s busiest park. It now has a dock, boat launch, 21/2 miles of paved trails, restrooms and a paved parking area. A new pumping station keeps the lake full even in summer. Partners included the Lebanon Community Foundation, Oregon State Parks, Santiam Steelheaders and OSMB. “It just has a lot of amenities really close, right in town,” said Jason Williams, head of maintenance operations for the city of Lebanon’s public works department. “I think that’s one of the greatest benefits of it

Some of the projects help create the next generation of anglers through education, clinics and close-in ponds designated for kids age 17 and younger. “I think one of the biggest problems kids have getting into fishing is they’re not very mobile,” said Assistant District Fish Biologist Tim Porter. “A lot of the places where they can fish and have fun, they need a ride.” Visit Shevlin Pond northwest of Bend and you’re sure to find kids catching rainbow trout and families enjoying the picnic areas, said Jen Luke, Salmon and Trout Enhancement Program biologist. R&E funds paid to dredge the pond, which was filling with sediment. That made more room for fish. The water stays cool enough for trout fishing throughout the summer. “I would say it’s for sure the most popular pond in Bend,” Luke said. “It’s a small pond, but there’s always a few families out there. It has a steady flow of people.” NS

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NEWS

Lake Sammamish Gillnetting Raises Questions

ee Getzewich had heard that there was some gillnetting going on on Lake Sammamish, a water he’s fished for more than 25 years, and it gave him pause. But believing it to be just a “study,” the Issaquah resident decided to hit it this spring anyway. “What we love about it is that it is such a diverse and quality fishery,” Getzewich says of the 4,900-acre lake about 17 miles east of Seattle. “We regularly target warmwater species such as bass, crappie and perch, but we also enjoy the great cutthroat trout fishing, particularly during colder weather.” When fresh fish is on their menu, yellowbellies and sometimes specks are the target, but that midspring weekday morning, he and his neighbor planned to catch and release cutts and smallies. “When the trout are keying in on the

smolts, we regularly catch 20 to 30 cutts in a day, some going over 25 inches,” Getzewich states. “Twenty-seven inches is the biggest I can recall.” The plan was to cast into the pods of coho just released from the state salmon hatchery in hopes of catching cutthroat preying on the young fish, but after launching at Lake Sammamish State Park’s southeast corner boat ramp they saw nets being deployed off the mouth of Issaquah Creek. Motoring over to learn more they began talking to the two-person crew. Getzewich says they were shown totes with the previous night’s catch. “He held up and showed us a sucker fish about 1 pound, but I could see several smallmouth bass and what looked like small crappie in the bin,” Getzewich recalls.

The crew told them that the fish were all being kept so their stomach contents could be studied, and that they were just doing what they’d been told to by biologists. Getzewich and his neighbor left and fished elsewhere on Sammamish. The day was slow, and they only caught a few small perch and saw some small bass in the shallows at the lake’s north end, where it drains toward Lake Washington. Afterwards, though, he talked to a buddy with a fisheries degree about what he’d seen and now he isn’t so sure it can be considered a study. “What I really want to know is, Why is this permitted? Who said this was OK? Why aren’t the people being kept in the loop about this? Where is our DFW?” asks Getzewich. “There is going to be a serious revolution amongst sportsmen if it keeps going.”

A Lake Sammamish angler reels in a lure while fishing next to a Muckleshoot Tribe gillnet boat docked at the state park launch. According to documents, the Seattle-area tribe was performing a three-and-a-half-month-long “Warm Water Test Fishery” to figure out if harvesting spinyrays could be “commercially viable.” (ANDY WALGAMOTT) nwsportsmanmag.com | JULY 2019

Northwest Sportsman 31

NEWS

Salmon smolts leap after their release from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Issaquah Salmon Hatchery, which produces millions of Chinook and coho for state and tribal fisheries. (ANDY WALGAMOTT)

ON A MISTY May Friday morning I decided

IT’S BEEN A long, long time since I’ve used

to go check out things on Sammamish for myself. I parked at the state park’s Sunset Beach, near a long row of upturned picnic tables, then wandered out on the trail to the mouth of Issaquah Creek, where a wading angler stood in water midthigh high about 30 yards offshore, casting and retrieving a lure. With his tackle box back on dry land, he kept a wary eye on what I was up to as I peered into the murk for buoys marking strings of nets, but the only ones to be seen were the floats delineating the swimming area. Over on the other end of the string, an angler sat fishing the edge of the lily pads. Turning around I went back and struck up a conversation with a plunker set up next to a long since fallen cottonwood. He said he was fishing for cutthroat and as we talked some salmon smolts began breaking the surface of the little bay he was on. He told me that earlier in the day he’d seen a couple larger fish swim by together, but wasn’t quite sure whether they were trout, bass or something else. More and more of the young fish started jumping and as I zoomed in, there were a couple big swirls among the pod. The angler didn’t really have anything to say about the netting and seemed more focused on trying to catch the fish making those swirls, so as the mist turned to a light sprinkle I left him to it and drove over to the boat ramp.

this launch, though back when my dad lived in North Bend we’d put in his aluminum boat and fish it somewhat often. I remember catching a really, really nice trout one time while we were anchored up just to the right of all the ramps. We ate that one, as well as some bass we caught another time. The last time I was on Sammamish was maybe 15 years or so ago with fellow former Fishing & Hunting News staffer Jamie Parks. We hit the other southern corner that early spring day to fish for largemouth then zipped north to smallie waters, and on this morning three bassers were launching two boats. Moored at the end of the leftmost dock was a net boat. As he readied his craft, I asked the lone angler if he’d heard about the netting. After initially drawing a blank, he recalled fellow anglers mentioning some being dragged through the water. The other two gents putting in were far more in tune with what’s been going on and they were not exactly happy about it. As he swiped through pics on his phone of beautiful – and big – bronzebacks, Chris Senyohl, who operates a fly fishing guide service called Intrepid Anglers, told me that the nets had wiped out one of his best smallmouth spots. His buddy said I’d just missed the net crew and that he’d seen them lift two largemouth out of their boat. He said

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they’d been on the water every day during the work week, which is when he said he prefers to fish Sammamish.

SLIGHTLY DAMP I called it a morning and headed in to my office. I started working on this story on the early May day that the Muckleshoot Tribe sent out a notice showing they were intensifying their test fishery for warmwater species on Lake Sammamish and, coincidentally, the day that Lee Getzewich and his neighbor had fished there. The notice showed that the effort could be expanded from two boats to three, with the maximum number of 3.75- to 6-inchmesh gillnets tripling, from eight to up to 24. Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean that that happened, but the regulation restated that the nets could be fished from 6 a.m. Monday until 6 p.m. Friday, by which time they’re to be removed for the weekend. I left a voice mail on the Muckleshoot Fisheries department’s phone not long afterwards, but it hadn’t been returned as of mid-June’s press deadline, so to figure out what’s going on, you have to zoom in on a couple different documents. Probably the most important source of information is the LOAF – the 2019-20 List of Agreed Fisheries that was concurred to and signed on April 22 by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission coming out of the annual North of Falcon

NEWS

Hungry predators gather at the south end of Lake Sammamish in spring to snarf down justreleased salmon smolts like these coho that spilled out of the belly of a trout caught by Faustino Rincon. (FAUSTINO RINCON) salmon-season-setting process. The LOAF essentially lays out all of Western Washington’s fisheries in saltand freshwaters negotiated between the state and 20-plus tribes, and in the back are a number of appendixes. Pages 83 to 85 detail what is termed the “2019-2020 Warm Water Test Fishery” to collect data whether a directed fishery on spinyrays in the Lake Washington watershed could be “commercially viable” while also avoiding impacts on Endangered Species Act-listed salmon and steelhead. “Using large mesh gillnets will eliminate impacts on age-0 Chinook and any potential steelhead smolts migrating out to sea,” the project description states. The Muckleshoots also want to “instrument” walleye they catch with acoustic receivers to see how much their range overlaps with outmigrating coho smolts to target those areas in the future. Another document, the tribe’s 2016 watersheds report, adds context: “A recent tribal study found that fewer than 10% of coho smolts released from the Issaquah Hatchery survived their freshwater migration 34 Northwest Sportsman

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to Puget Sound. The Lake Washington basin’s miles of docks, bulkheads, rip-rap, warm water, and the many native and exotic fish predators favored by those degraded conditions are likely at fault.” Their announcement that they were increasing netting efforts roughly coincided with the spring release of millions of coho and Chinook smolts – the fish I saw jumping in the mist.

THIS IS THE third year the Muckleshoot test fishery has been going on – it initially included Lake Washington – and it follows 2015’s unexpected discovery of more than a dozen walleye, including an egg-dripping 13-pound hen and six males close by her. To paraphrase a retired state fisheries manager, whomever recently put walleye (and then northern pike) in the system was no friend of fellow anglers who’ve chased warmwater species for decades, but the Muckleshoots are more blunt; they use the word “criminal” to describe the act. Besides its many native stocks, crappie have been in the watershed the longest, in Lake Washington since at least 1890,

followed by largemouth in 1918, and smallmouth there and in Sammamish since sometime in the 1960s, perhaps earlier. Washington is ranked as one of the top 100 bass lakes in the entire country by Bassmaster magazine, and is 16th best in the Western US. Local clubs regularly hit it and according to WDFW tournament fishing records, the average bass landed there during the last 10 years weighed 2.22 pounds; the average on Sammamish was 2.31 pounds. As popular as they’ve become, the times they are a’changing. The plight of Washington’s killer whales and their primary food has put a target on the fins of spinyrays. This spring Gov. Jay Inslee signed Second Substitute House Bill 1579 which primarily – and finally – gives WDFW some actual teeth to protect shoreline habitat for Chinook and forage fish. It also contains a clause that the Fish and Wildlife Commission must now “liberalize bag limits for bass, walleye, and channel catfish in all anadromous waters of the state in order to reduce the predation risk to salmon smolts.”

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Northwest Sportsman 35

Largemouth have been in the Lake Washington watershed for a century, but with the introduction of smallmouth somewhere in the 1960s, the species now only makes up about 12 percent of the overall bass population, according to state tournament data and tribal gillnetting statistics. Jared Davis of Tacoma caught this 6-pound Lake Sammamish bucketmouth on a spinnerbait. (YO-ZURI PHOTO CONTEST) The latter idea came out of the governor’s Southern Resident Orca Task Force’s recommendations last year and it echoes current regulations on the Columbia. Limits were dropped on the three species in the big river system several years ago following pushing from federal fishery overseers. How WDFW and the commission interpret “liberalize” and “anadromous” has yet to be determined (no limits? using their SalmonScape mapping?), but the bill went into effect July 1 and will surely include Lakes Sammamish and Washington. I’m no biologist, but my bet is that bass really don’t have much to fear from sport pursuit because of current support, Northwest anglers’ general preference for other fish on the table and conservation practices, and health advisories. In other words, it’s a feel-good measure, though with more and more efforts throughout our region to supress or kill off nonnatives like lake trout, northern pike – even rainbow trout – this also feels like it could be a potential inflection point.

ONE GROUP THAT essentially supports the netting on Lake Sammamish is FISH, the Friends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery, a nonprofit that leads tours at WDFW’s most-visited production facility and does a lot of youth education with third- and fourthgrade students. 36 Northwest Sportsman

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NEWS But the organization has also been moving into the realm of advocacy lately, says Larry Franks, its vice president and longtime salmon and steelhead angler. “We’ve tried to identify things that benefit fish,” he says. Franks, who retired from Boeing and also has a fisheries degree from the University of Washington, says that despite 2.5 million Chinook being released from the hatchery, last year saw a return of just 1,800 adults, or .07 percent survival. Part of that is the productivity, or lack thereof, of the North Pacific, as well as harvest by all fleets, but primarily low smolt survival, just 8 to 10 percent from Issaquah to Shilshole Bay, outside the Lake Washington Ship Canal, he says. “The deck is stacked against them. Our goal is to have better returns,” Franks says. One problem, he says, is the increasingly narrow band of Lake Sammamish that salmon must swim through between toowarm surface waters and its anoxic depths. The other is the predators that sit and wait

in the zone for the smolts to swim through, then chow down. Franks believes that the number of warmwater species in the lake and their populations have grown, and that that is impacting salmon outmigration and thus returns that are “dropping precipitously.” “We’re of the position these are cause and effect, not correlation,” he says. He acknowledges the growth of the state bass fishery and that smallmouth and largemouth anglers are every bit as dedicated as he is to chasing salmon. He believes that WDFW doesn’t want to piss off spinyray anglers either and is afraid to act – at least without more hard scientific data. “It comes down to a choice: If you want to retain bass fishing, it’s going to be hopeless, in Larry’s opinion, to save Chinook,” Franks says. A state staffer close to the situation didn’t want to be quoted for this story, but if official WDFW comments during its May Walleye Week on Facebook are any indication, they will be managing

salmon and steelhead waters for salmon and steelhead first, and spinyrays where it makes the most sense. (WDFW is also in the third year of a study to determine abundance and diets of smolt-eating fish in Lake Washington’s ship canal, a chokepoint near the Ballard Locks.) Another option might be trucking Issaquah Hatchery’s smolts and Franks says experiments are ongoing. Anecdotally, that didn’t produce bigger returns last year – it may have been the reason why two adult kings were unexpectedly spotted spawning in Seattle’s Thornton Creek last fall – though more results are expected this year and next. That leaves removing the predators, like the Muckleshoots are doing. “We’re supportive of efforts that would increase the Chinook return,” says Franks.

SO HOW MANY fish are being gillnetted in Sammamish? The LOAF – that marine area by river by lake rundown of agreedto fishing state and tribal seasons and

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NEWS constraints – contains a short statement that caught my eye. It says that with “the potential for interaction with the public,” the Muckleshoots propose providing monthly reports on their test fishery, including gear used, where it was fished and for how long, to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. So I asked NOAA for that information, and 10 days later was provided with summaries of catches in March and April for what are known as Zones 7 and 8, the northern and southern halves of the lake. According to the figures, nearly 2,850 fish were caught and removed from the system during those two months, roughly 60 percent of which were native species, 40 percent nonnatives. Just over 53.5 percent of the overall catch (1,525) was comprised of largescale suckers, a native fish, followed by introduced smallmouth bass (577) at 20 percent and fellow transplant black crappie (258) at 9 percent. Other species caught include:

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Northern pikeminnow (146), 5%, native Brown bullhead (126), 4%, nonnative Cutthroat (85), 3%, native Largemouth (78), 3%, nonnative Peamouth chub (24), 1%, native Common carp (11), .4%, nonnative Yellow perch (10), .3%, nonnative Hatchery-origin Chinook (3), .1%, native Mountain whitefish (3), .1%, native Hatchery-origin coho (1), .03%, native Rock bass (1), .03%, nonnative Walleye (1), .03%, nonnative No rainbow trout or natural-origin Chinook were caught, NOAA’s catch breakout shows. Kokanee, which are at low levels in the lake but also a pelagic, or openwater, fish were not listed in the catch tally. Under the test fishery terms, if three wild steelhead are netted, the effort would be immediately stopped. In the LOAF, the Muckleshoots say there is a “very low to zero” chance of any turning up; if one did, it would probably be a stray from the GreenDuwamish River, to the south, they say.

Gillnetting was set to run through June 15, and I am interested to see what turns up in the catch during the final seven weeks of the program, what with the release of all those coho and Chinook smolts into the system. Will the catch percentages change from the first two months? The test fishery is also scheduled to resume next January through April.

SOMETHING LARRY FRANKS said stuck with me after our talk: “It’s a thorny problem.” Understatement of the century. Like many Northwest sportsmen these days, as a salmon angler I’m howling that something, anything needs to be done about predators – be they sea lions, harbor seals, Caspian terns, cormorants or piscivorous fish – to get more smolts out and more adult fish back. That means there’s no way I can support killing northern pike everywhere in our region, pikeminnows in the Columbia, birds at the mouth of the big river, and pinnipeds at Bonneville and Willamette

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42 Northwest Sportsman

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Falls without also giving the thumbs up to removing smolt-eating fish in Lake Sammamish. At the same time, my inner spinyray angler is revolted by what feels like a targeted attack on a fish I like – I literally nearly went bankrupt trying to write a story inspired by catching a huge smallmouth on the Grande Ronde – one that’s widespread across the Northwest and is a great entry-level fish that’s easy to catch. I’m all for hatcheries, but, holy sh*t, here’s a species that doesn’t require the world’s largest fish production infrastructure to perpetuate in perpetuity, plus they’re ready-made for climate change. Yet as a Washington native, tell me why our fisheries have to be exactly like what you can already find in Michigan, Arkansas, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Quebec, Tennessee, Iowa, New Jersey, Minnesota, New York, Ontario, Missouri, the Dakotas, New England, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana? We’re not the Old Northwest, this is the Pacific Northwest, home of silver fish, not green ones, and proud of it. Then again, I’ve also read my King of Fish: The Thousand Year Run of Salmon. With all the problems that our kings, silvers and steelies face, you tell me that smallies and their Midwestern and Southern cousins aren’t what’s going to come out of the other end of things here as the sole survivors. The utter mess we have made of this region obliges us to do our best to fix it. At what cost, pray tell? So, yeah, I have mixed feelings, but I have a problem with the illegal release of walleye in Lakes Sammamish and Washington, and at least two northern pike in the latter. Doing so was among the most asinine, destructive and disrespectful things perpetrated on the watershed since the Great Glacier smothered it. I’ll tar and feather the a@$hole bucket biologist(s) myself. The comanagers aren’t talking, but I’ll tell you what, I wouldn’t doubt for a second that those crimes were among the tipping points that set their test fisheries in motion. And now everybody but the guilty are paying.

BOTTOM LINE, I’M doubtful there will ever be a “commercially viable” fishery for bass in Lake Sammamish or elsewhere in the system some day, but I could be wrong. I just hope that the netting shows whether targeted removals of smolt predators at select times and places is worthwhile for increasing salmon survival and expanding harvest seasons – while also preserving native and nonnative fish and fisheries that aren’t going away any time soon. I’m willing to put a nickel down that while introduced exotics like bass and perch have an impact, it’s mostly limited to the two months or so that the young coho and Chinook are transiting the system. And that like over on Lake Washington with sockeye smolts, cutthroat and northern pikeminnow are the primary predators. Again, I could be wrong, but I’d love to learn what is in the stomachs of the thousands of fish the Muckleshoots pulled out of the lake this spring. I’d hate to see this all go to waste. –Andy Walgamott

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Northwest Sportsman 43

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The Port of Garibaldi encompasses three coastal towns, including Bay City, Garibaldi and Rockaway Beach. Besides housing RV parks and lodging, restaurants, seafood processing, a lumber mill, and commercial and charter fishing, the Port’s harbor has moorage for 277 vessels. The Port’s property also features the Lion’s Club Lumbermen’s Park and an antique train display. A walking path is also a popular draw for locals as well as visitors to Garibaldi.

READER PHOTOS Jack Benson built on his success hunting turkeys in 2018 with this pair of sunrise gobblers, taken in Walla Walla County this past season. (ONTARIO KNIFE CO. PHOTO CONTEST)

Lake Tapps fish continue to brighten our pages. That’s Olivia Boulet with a 4.8-pound smallmouth that she caught this spring. (YO-ZURI PHOTO CONTEST)

You’re never too old to start fishing! P.P. Han picked up a rod at 90 years young this spring and enjoyed catching rainbow trout at Southeast Washington’s Tucannon Lakes Chain with grandnephew Austin, as well as a couple weeks later at Ferry County’s Curlew Lake. (YO-ZURI PHOTO CONTEST)

What Cody Ramirez thought was a snag turned out to be a 6.3-pound largemouth, one of the largest he’s ever caught. He was fishing a white grub on his third cast of the day, and the bass almost snapped him off at one point, the Tri-Cities angler reports. Friend and guide Gerardo Reyes forwarded the pic. (YO-ZURI PHOTO CONTEST)

For your shot at winning great fishing and hunting products from Yo-Zuri, Ontario Knife Co. and Northwest Sportsman, send your full-resolution, original images with all the pertinent details – who’s in the pic and their hometown; 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, 14240 Interurban Ave S, Suite 190, Tukwila, WA 98168. By sending us photos, you affirm you have the right to distribute them for use in our print and Internet publications. nwsportsmanmag.com | JULY 2019

Northwest Sportsman 45

READER PHOTOS

The list of anglers setting new personal bests for bass this season includes Paula Corcoran, who caught this largemouth on a small lake near Olympia. She was using a black Senko. (YO-ZURI PHOTO CONTEST)

Isaac and Jake Murauskas showed their buddy Cas Haffey (middle) how it’s done on Lake Chelan, limiting on kokanee. “The kids had even more fun thumping some 24-inch pikeminnow from the campsite dock with kokanee heads and slip sinkers,” reports the Murauskas’ boys’ dad, Josh. (YO-ZURI PHOTO CONTEST)

W t S a c f c m

N A slow day of deer hunting turned into a good day of coyote hunting for Kyle McCullough last fall. (ONTARIO KNIFE CO. PHOTO CONTEST)

46 Northwest Sportsman

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Wayne Kubota shows off one of several nice bass he caught at Banks Lake. Friend Gary Lundquist forwarded the pic. (YO-ZURI PHOTO CONTEST)

Christina Miller enjoyed a great day on an Oregon lake, putting together a nice stringer of rainbows that got fellow anglers asking for her secret. “I used black magic and gold Hyper-Vis+ (tape) on a Blue Fox,” she reports. (YO-ZURI PHOTO CONTEST)

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For your shot at winning Ontario knives and Yo-Zuri fishing products, send your photos and pertinent (who, what, when, where) details to awalgamott@media-inc.com or Northwest Sportsman, PO Box 24365, Seattle, WA 98124-0365. By sending us photos, you affirm you have the right to distribute them for our print or Internet publications. nwsportsmanmag.com | JULY 2019

Northwest Sportsman 49

MIXED BAG

Final Main SW WA Poacher Sentenced; OR Gets Justice Too

By Andy Walgamott

Hood matched a trail cam photo of a truck three counts of unlawful big game hunting he fourth of four primary suspects in a with one spotted in The Dalles and pulled in the first degree, three counts of hunting Southwest Washington poaching ring it over. Inside were Haynes and Martin, and with hounds, and three counts of wastage. was sentenced to pay nearly $7,000 a mountain of evidence was ultimately Haynes and the Dills previously pled in fines and serve four months in jail after found on their phones and homes. guilty and were sentenced, Haynes and pleading guilty to nine counts in late May. According to The Daily News, Haynes’ Joseph Dills to a year in jail. Martin’s, Another 19 charges were dropped Oregon sentence runs concurrent with Haynes’ and Dills’ sentences include the against Erik C. Martin, but it marked his Washington one, Martin’s closure for a major portion somewhat overlaps but of a sprawling case that left Joseph Dills’ does not and he Skamania County prosecutors must serve half a year south happy it was over. of the Columbia after his “It was a lot of work, but year to the north is up. it was also really important While the sentences work,” Adam Kick told Alex may disappoint some Bruell of The Daily News of Northwest sportsmen, that Longview. “We really tip our the cases have now been hats, want to congratulate largely adjudicated brings a the Washington Department measure of closure for cashof Fish and Wildlife ... They and time-strapped county did all the work and it prosecutors as well as game was really an outstanding wardens. investigation that resulted in “We worked really the defendants feeling the Erik C. Martin (right) has been sentenced for his role in poaching cases on both sides of the Columbia Gorge, as has William Haynes (left) and other associates of theirs. (WDFW) closely with them through need to plead guilty rather the whole process,” Skamania County’s option to leave prison during the day to than go to trial.” Kick told Bruell of Washington fish and work to pay off his fine, Bruell reported. The case largely involved illegal hound wildlife officers. “They appeared at all the All four Longview-Kelso-area residents hunting of black bears and bobcats in the sentencings, all the plea agreements, they have also been sentenced in Oregon’s Gifford Pinchot National Forest by Martin, were part of the negotiation. They gave us Wasco County, where the case began William Haynes, Joseph Dills and Eddy a thumbs up or thumbs down (on each in late 2016. State wildlife troopers Dills, many of which were videotaped, agreement) ... and they seemed to be investigating a string of headless bucks with some showing their dogs attacking pretty pleased with the results.” shot and left on winter range near Mt. still-alive animals. Martin pleaded guilty to

JACKASS OF THE MONTH

OTM’s memory isn’t what it used to be, but this month we may have our very first two-time award winner. Back in August 2016 this column spotlighted the sordid story of Thad L. Bingham, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service fisheries biologist at a hatchery in western Colorado who pleaded guilty to trespassing and illegally possessing a trophy elk he shot on private land in 2014.

An image Bingham posted online tipped wardens off to the crime, and led us to write, “Here’s a tip if you’re going to work for a fish and wildlife agency, federal or otherwise: Follow the damn regulations.” Guess who didn’t follow JOTM’s advice? In May, Bingham – still working for the USFWS – pleaded guilty to one count of violating the Lacey Act in a “years-long scheme,” per Colorado Public Radio, with five others that involved the killing of over 50 bobcats, lying to state officials about where they had been taken, and then

selling the pelts to furbuyers in Greece, among other places around the world, making $25,000-plus in the process. The Lacey Act, passed back in 1900 to protect wild game including birds, bars selling or exporting illegally taken animals. Charges are still expected against the other five, but next up for Bingham is his August sentencing. It’s reported he may get the lighter end of federal guidelines, but as he may know there’s more than one way to skin a cat: It will be interesting to see if he keeps his cushy USFWS job. nwsportsmanmag.com | JULY 2019

Northwest Sportsman 51

Derby Season In Full Swing

By Andy Walgamott

2019 NORTHWEST SALMON DERBY SERIES  July 12-14: Bellingham Salmon Derby  July 24-28: The Big One (Lake Couer d’Alene) Salmon Derby  Aug. 1-4: Brewster Salmon Derby  Aug. 3: South King County PSA Salmon Derby  Aug. 10: Gig Harbor PSA Salmon Derby  Aug. 17-18: Vancouver (BC) Chinook Classic  Aug. 31: Columbia River Fall Salmon Derby  Sept. 7: Edmonds Coho Derby  Sept. 21-22: Everett Coho Derby  Nov. 2-3: Everett Blackmouth Salmon Derby For more details, see nwsalmonderbyseries.com.

Members of Team OpporTunaty celebrate after winning last year’s Deep Canyon Challenge out of Ilwaco with 139.5 pounds of albacore. (OTC)

ove over summer, it’s derby season in the Northwest! July, August and September are prime times to win cold, hard cash for catching big, tasty fish, with derbies being held everywhere from the San Juans to North Idaho to the 125 line. That last one is the longitude where crews fishing late July’s Deep Canyon Challenge and late August’s Oregon Tuna Classic Garibaldi will head as they try to land albacore for the tournament series that’s all about “reelin’ in hunger.” It raises money for and donates caught tuna to food banks, with both avenues having helped deliver more than 1 million pounds to the needy since 2005. “The tournaments also bring much needed economic benefit to the communities visited by the armada of fishermen, volunteers and spectators,” OTC organizers add on their website (oregontunaclassic.org). “Local businesses in Ilwaco and Garibaldi continue to see the benefits while also donating their time and services to the events. Garibaldi City Manager John O’Leary speculates the Oregon Tuna Classic might rival the annual Garibaldi Days in generating business.” After a four-month break, the

Northwest Salmon Derby Series roars back into town with stops in Bellingham, Coeur d’Alene, Tacoma and beyond as anglers vie to hook a huge ’Nook and score prizes up to $15,000. Many of these events are also put on by local chapters of the venerable profishing Puget Sound Anglers organization and serve as fundraisers. Enter any of them and others in the derby series and you stand a chance at getting your name drawn for a Weldcraft 202 Rebel Hardtop with Yamaha 200- and 9.9-horse motors, EZ-loader galvanized trailer and more, a

package worth $75,000, at September’s huge Everett Coho Derby. Coastal Conservation of Washington chapters are also holding two Westside events, while the Northwest Sportfishing Industry’s big Buoy 10 Challenge is coming up in mid-August. Also in the middle of next month is the 2nd Annual Lipstick Slayers Salmon Tournament, the motto for which is “Leave the boys behind, this one’s for the ladies.” Last year’s innaugural edition was won by Kelsey Van Dyke, who scored $4,000, which is the top prize again this year.

ONGOING/UPCOMING EVENTS  Now through the end of season: Westport Charterboat Association Weekly Lingcod, Halibut, Chinook, Coho, Albacore Derbies; charterwestport.com Now through Oct. 31: 2019 WDFW Statewide Trout Derby; fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov July 19-21: Lower Columbia Summer Steelhead Challenge; ccawashington.org/derbies July 26-27: 2019 Deep Canyon Challenge, Ilwaco; oregontunaclassic.org July 26-28: Baker Lake Sockeye Shootout; ccawashington.org/derbies July 27: Surf Fishing Tournament, Ona Beach State Park; everylist.com Aug. 15-16: 19th Annual Buoy 10 Salmon Challenge, Lower Columbia; nsiafishing.org Aug. 17: 2nd Annual Lipstick Slayers Salmon Tournament, Lower Columbia; lipsticksalmonslayer.com  Aug. 23-24: Oregon Tuna Classic Garibaldi, Garibaldi; oregontunaclassic.org For more Washington contests, see wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/contests.

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nwsportsmanmag.com | JULY 2019

Northwest Sportsman 53

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JULY Leftover big game tags go on sale in Oregon and start of youth “first time” 1 hunt application period; New Washington fishing regs pamphlet takes effect; Marine Areas 5, 6, 7, 11 and 12 (south of Ayock Point) open for salmon fishing; C&R steelhead opener on much of Idaho’s Clearwater 4 Start of summer crab season in much of Puget Sound; Family Fishing Event (free) at Mingus Park in Coos Bay – info: odfwcalendar.com 4-6 Oregon Central Coast all-depth halibut backup weekend (if quota) 6 Family Fishing Event (free) at Jubilee Lake near Tollgate – info: see above 7 Family Fishing Event (free) at Dundas Pond near Siletz – info: see above 13 CAST For Kids events at Emigrant Lake by Ashland and Foss Waterway in Tacoma – info: castforkids.org/event 14 CAST For Kids event at Prineville Reservoir – info: see above 15 Deadline to purchase Washington raffle hunt tickets 18-20 Oregon Central Coast all-depth halibut backup weekend (if quota) 20 Family Fishing Event (free), July Jubilee at North Bend – info: see above; CAST For Kids event on the Umpqua at Elkton – info: see above; Oregon bighorn sheep and mountain goat tagholders workshop and orientation at Fort Dalles Readiness Center, The Dalles – info: oregonfnaws.org 23-27 International Federation of Fly Fishers’ 54th Annual International Fly Fishing Fair, Bozeman, Montana – info: fedflyfishers.org 25 Marine Areas 9-10 hatchery Chinook opener 27 CAST For Kids event on Yaquina Bay at Newport– info: see above AUGUST Opening of salmon fishing at Buoy 10; Steelhead restrictions begin on 1 Columbia, lower sections of select tribs; Coho opener in Marine Areas 8-2 and 12 north of Ayock; Fall bear season begins across Oregon, Washington; Steelhead retention opener in lower ½ mile of Idaho’s Clearwater 2-3 Oregon Central Coast summer all-depth halibut opener (open every other Fri.Sat. if quota) 3 Washington Waterfowl Calling Championships, Sumner Sportsman’s Club 10 Opening day of numerous Oregon controlled pronghorn hunts 17-18 Oregon Free Fishing Weekend 20 Last scheduled day of Chinook retention at Buoy 10, Columbia to Puget Island 24 Opening day of bowhunting season for deer and elk in Oregon 27 Last scheduled day of Chinook retention on the Columbia from Puget Island up to Warrior Rock 30 Opening day of bowhunting season for deer and elk in numerous Idaho units 31 CAST for Kids event on Clear Lake (Spokane) – info: see above; Last scheduled day of Chinook retention on the Columbia from Warrior Rock to Bonneville SEPTEMBER Washington statewide cougar, deer (bow), dove, grouse and various small 1 game openers; Oregon grouse opener; Northeast Oregon steelhead opener 7 Washington bow elk hunt opens; CAST for Kids event at Gene Coulon Park, Lake Washington – info: see above 8 CAST for Kids event at Hagg Lake near Forest Grove – info: see above 12-15 2019 Seattle Boats Afloat Show, South Lake Union – info: boatsafloatshow.com; 36th Annual Portland Fall RV & Van Show, Expo Center – info: otshows.com

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FISHING After a rough few years following the Blob, coho fishing is on the upswing in Washington waters, with action first picking up on the coast and straits before transitioning to Puget Sound, where Chad and Logan Smith caught this silver last season. (YO-ZURI PHOTO CONTEST)

Good Summer To Be A Silver Slayer With good numbers returning to parts of Puget Sound and the Columbia, fishing should be excellent for hard-fighting, tasty coho. By Mark Yuasa

e’re all dreamers and the stringent Puget Sound Chinook fishing regs in place this summer has turned many anglers into bona fide daydream believers.

But soon enough you’ll be able to cast aside the dreaming and turn them into reality for another more abundant and just as prized salmon species that is known for its silvery shimmering color and acrobatic skills when hooked.

“We all know the Chinook closures have people down this season but in my opinion, what 2016 taught us is that coho are the go-to fish in Puget Sound,” says Mark Baltzell, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Puget Sound salmon nwsportsmanmag.com | JULY 2019

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FISHING resource manager. “We have a huge contingent of anglers who simply love to fish for them and it’s one of those fisheries everyone looks forward to as summer begins to wind down.”

A ROBUST 670,159 hatchery and wild coho are expected to return to Puget Sound – compared to 557,149 in 2018 – which is up 15 percent from the 10-year average. A breakdown also shows 416,319 are of hatchery origin (307,975 in 2018), fish meant for anglers to catch and keep! Forecasts for the five most important wild coho stocks driving Puget Sound sport fisheries – Strait of Juan de Fuca, Skagit, Stillaguamish, Snohomish and Hood Canal – have all rebounded in 2019 compared to a disastrous 2016 season.

The Stillaguamish wild coho forecast of 23,820 in 2019 is up from 18,950 in 2018, 7,622 in 2017 and 2,770 in 2016. The Strait is 12,453, up from 8,391 in 2018, 14,489 in 2017 and 4,696 in 2016. Hood Canal is 81,619 compared to 61,104 in 2018, 93,835 in 2017 and 35,322 in 2016. The Snohomish is 62,600, down somewhat from 65,925 in 2018 and more from the 107,325 in 2017, but well above the 16,740 in 2016. The Skagit wild forecast of 57,933 is down from 59,196 in 2018 and above 13,235 in 2017 and 8,912 in 2016. During a decent season the Marblemount hatchery facility in the upper basin will see about 20,000 coho, and on a more normal year it should be right around 10,000. The dismal Puget Sound coho

forecasts in 2016 shutdown most fishing opportunities. Coho faced warm water conditions from “the Blob” on their migration in the northern Pacific Ocean, leading to a lack of feed, poor fish survival and fewer eggs in returning adults. This was coupled with drought-like conditions and deadly warm water temperatures in river spawning grounds that created havoc on spawners as well as rearing juvenile fish. Those dreary times appear to be in the rearview mirror now and judging by what anglers saw in 2018, when Puget Sound coho produced some stellar fishing, it appears good fortune could repeat itself again in 2019. “I’ve got a feeling coho fishing will be just as good or even better than last year,” Baltzell says. “There will

G T

“What 2016 taught us is that coho are the go-to fish in Puget Sound,” says state fishery manager Mark Baltzell, and it would be hard for author Mark Yuasa, here with one, to disagree. (MARK YUASA)

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FISHING be tons of coho swimming through the Strait (of Juan de Fuca), northern Puget Sound and central Puget Sound (Marine Areas 5, 6, 9 and 10).â&#x20AC;?

IN EARLY- TO midsummer the vast majority of coho are resident fish averaging 2 to 4 pounds. From late August through autumn the larger migratory coho ranging from 5 to 20

pounds will start appearing, usually just before and right after the first rainfalls occur in September and October. In the Strait, Sekiu/Pillar Point (Area 5) opens from July 1-Sept. 30 for hatchery coho (nonretention of Chinook from Aug. 16-Sept. 30). Port Angeles (Area 6) opens July 1-Sept. 30 for hatchery coho, and places west of a true north/south line through the

During peak season, typically late summer, boats can pack Puget Sound as anglers hope to catch fat coho and maybe even score some cash with their fish at several derbies. (ANDY WALGAMOTT)

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No. 2 Buoy near the tip of Ediz Hook are also open for hatchery marked Chinook until Aug. 15. Both Areas 5 and 6 will certainly be bustling with anglers chasing larger hook-nosed ocean-run coho by September. The Dungeness Bay terminal fishery opens for coho from Oct. 1-31. The San Juan Islands (Area 7) has

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FISHING only a small window of coho fishing during prime time, from Sept. 1-30 (coho and hatchery Chinook may also be kept July 1-31). The Bellingham Bay terminal fishery is open for coho and Chinook Aug. 16-Sept. 30 (Samish Bay is closed). Area 7 isn’t known as a coho destination, but anglers can expect a good bite along the outer western islands of the chain. And for the first time in a few years, anglers along the northeast side of Whidbey Island can target coho from Aug. 1-Oct. 31. “We’re fishing again in Area 8-1 during October for coho mainly heading to the Skagit, and it will be a decent fishery,” Baltzell says. The northern section of Area 8-2 is closed, but a portion from the Mukilteo-Clinton line south and west towards the Area 9 boundary is open Aug. 16-Sept. 15 for hatchery coho. The southern section of 8-2 was a hotbed for big coho in 2018 and anglers should hopefully see a similar

scenario this season. And finally, the Tulalip Bay terminal fishery is open now through Sept. 2 from Friday through Monday of each week; and from Sept. 7-29 it is open on weekends only.

THE LIFE OF a salmon angler remains “complicated” once again in northern Puget Sound (Area 9), which is open July 25-Sept. 30 for hatchery coho (hatchery Chinook fishing is also open until Aug. 15 or until the quota is achieved). Popular coho locations are Port Townsend south along the east side of Marrowstone Island; west side of Whidbey Island from Fort Casey to Bush Point; both sides of Possession Bar; Point No Point; off the Edmonds Marina; and Pilot Point south to Apple Tree Point. Within sight of the Seattle skyline and Mount Rainier lies central Puget Sound (Area 10), which is open for coho only from June 1-July 24.

Beginning July 25, it is open for coho and hatchery Chinook fishing until Aug. 31 or until the Chinook quota is achieved and will then switch to Chinook nonretention. From Sept. 1-Nov. 15 it is open for coho only. Look for decent coho action September through October in the shipping lanes from Jefferson Head south to Vashon Island; from the Edmonds Oil Docks south to Richmond Beach; and West Point south of Shilshole Bay to Alki Point. Note: The popular inner-Shilshole Bay area is closed for salmon fishing through Aug. 31 but becomes fair game starting Sept. 1.

A SLEEPER SPOT that is open July 1-Sept. 30 (closed Thursdays and Fridays of each week) is south-central Puget Sound (Area 11). Try the east side of Vashon Island and from Brace Point south to Dash Point. Hood Canal (Area 12) south of Ayock Point is open July 1-Sept. 30

Thanks to myriad parks as well as points that jut out into the inland sea, casting off the beach can be productive for coho – resident fish early in the season and ocean-returning ones later. Buzz Bombs, herring under a bobber and baitfish-imitating flies are favorites. (ANDY WAGLAMOTT)

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FISHING (release wild Chinook) and north of Ayock opens Aug. 1-Sept. 30 for coho only. The “Hood” is open Oct. 1-Dec. 31 (release wild Chinook, release chum through Oct. 15). From lateAugust through September target the Quilcene/Dabob Bay fishery, where a forecast of 53,037 coho is expected to return (up from 50,600 in 2018). Southern Puget Sound (Area 13) is open year-round and has garnered plenty of attention for hatchery coho in late summer and fall, especially around Anderson Island. These coho are mainly a product of a joint WDFW-Squaxin Island Tribe program, which sees returns of more than 25,000 coho annually from the

1.8 million reared at state hatcheries and released into Deep South Sound from tribal net pens.

MEANWHILE, THE OCEAN is expected to “filled to the gills” with coho and the driver of fisheries off Neah Bay, La Push, Westport and Ilwaco (Areas 1, 2, 3, and 4) is a Columbia River forecast of 1,009,600 compared to 349,000 in 2018. Wendy Beeghley, the WDFW head coastal salmon policy manager, is very optimistic for coho and says you’ll have to connect the longterm memory part of your brain and go back to 2015 to recall any comparable prospects.

The total allowable sport and nontribal commercial catch is 190,000 hatchery coho, up considerably from 47,600 in 2018. All four ports are open daily for salmon now through Sept. 30, though they could close once each area’s catch quota is achieved. There will also be a La Push bubble salmon fishery from Oct. 1-13. Ilwaco has a 79,800 hatchery coho quota (21,000 in 2018) and a 7,150-Chinook quota (8,000 in 2018); Westport is 59,050 (15,540) and 12,700 (13,100); La Push is 4,050 (1,090) and 1,100 (1,500); and Neah Bay is 16,600 (5,370) and 5,200 (3,024). NS

COHO QUICK TAKES 1)Two popular coho-directed derbies which are part of the NMTA Northwest Salmon Derby Series coincide with the peak of returns. The Puget Sound Anglers Edmonds Coho Derby is Sept. 7, and the biggest derby on the West Coast – the Everett Coho Derby – is Sept. 21-22. For details, go to NorthwestSalmonDerbySeries.com. 2) Anglers can find decent shoreline access to good coho fishing at the Possession Point Bait House; on the west side of Whidbey Island at Bush and Lagoon Points; Fort Casey; Point No Point; Marrowstone Island; Point Wilson near Port Townsend; Lincoln Park in West Seattle; and various piers, docks and shorelines from Edmonds to Seattle and as far south as Tacoma. Check the regulation pamphlet for what is open or closed. 3) The popular late-summer salmon fishery at Buoy 10, the mouth of the Columbia River, opens Aug. 1-20 for adult Chinook and hatchery coho, and then is open from Aug. 21-Dec. 31 for a hatchery-coho-directed fishery (release all Chinook and wild coho) with an initial limit of two a day. 4) Autumn rainfall will be a signal for anglers to start hitting up local rivers for coho. For the first time in several years the Stillaguamish will be open for coho, from Sept. 16-Nov. 15. But to the south, the Snohomish, Skykomish and 72 Northwest Sportsman

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Capping off coho season are two September derbies, the first held out of Edmonds, the latter out of Everett and which also features the drawing for the grand prize Northwest Salmon Derby Series boat. This year’s is a Weldcraft 202 Rebel Hardtop with Yamaha 200- and 9.9-horse motors, EZ-loader galvanized trailer and more, a package worth $75,000. (MARK YUASA) Snoqualmie will see abbreviated seasons due to concerns over recent years’ returns. They are open for coho Sept. 1-30, while the Wallace opens Sept. 16-30. Any continuation of fishing past the end of the month will depend on inseason updates. 5) It’s better news north and south of Snohomish County. The Skagit opens Sept. 1-Dec. 31 for a coho fishery. And the lower Green River opens Aug. 20-Dec. 31; with an expected coho return of 71,681 (68,680

are of hatchery origin), it should provide some decent fishing heading into fall. The area above the South 212th Street Bridge opens Sept. 16-Dec. 31. Fair numbers are returning to the Puyallup, some 41,569, but double check the regs for what areas are open when on the lower river. Above East Main Avenue in the town of Puyallup, season opens Aug. 15, with the Carbon opening Sept. 1. And Minter Creek opens for salmon Sept. 15-Dec. 31. –MY

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COLUMN

Coastal Coho Are Calling I

f anything can blur the line between a dream and an experience, it’s fishing the salt for silver-blue THE KAYAK GUYS coho salmon from a Kayak Guys kayak. By Mark Veary The far horizon, blurred by a thin offshore fog, exists all but imperceptibly to the west. Gray ocean reflecting gray sky, set to the gray noise of distant waves on sand. Gulls swoop and

dive, calling your name, then dash away like impetuous children. Before you, a team of porpoises herald your progress. Behind, the blow of a feeding humpback quickens your pulse. All around you, baitfish break the surface, sounding like a summer rainstorm. With the prediction of a full 1 million adult coho swimming off the Northwest Coast this summer, 2019’s ocean salmon season has the potential to turn dreamy days of trolling the briny blue into dream

mornings of fast action and quick limits. The majority of these fish, along with 300,000 Chinook, are expected to enter the Columbia River this fall, which means that every mile of accessible saltwater from Long Beach, Washington, to Newport, Oregon, should be ripe with potential.

THE STANDARD METHOD for putting ocean coho and Chinook in your kayak is trolling. While mooching and flutter jigs will work, they’re only really effective once

Kayak anglers Hugh Harris, Matt Howard and the aptly named “Onefish” show off a nice haul of coho and a Chinook caught off Oregon’s Pacific City, one of the better places to fish for salmon from the nimble watercraft. (MARK VEARY) nwsportsmanmag.com | JULY 2019

Northwest Sportsman 75

COLUMN you’ve found schools of actively feeding salmon. To troll successfully, you’ll employ the same techniques you use in either estuaries or midriver stretches of the Columbia and Willamette.

For the uninitiated, the standard trolling rig consists of an inline flasher or dodger, held down with 6 to 10 ounces of lead, followed by your favorite bait or hardware, on an appropriate length of 20- to 40-pound leader. These fish are powerful and not at all leader shy. With that in mind, it’s a good idea to run a rubber “snubber” between your mainline and flasher. The snubber is there to dampen the initial contact with a hungry coho, fish that occasionally hit with such speed and ferocity that they can break

A coho tries to throw the hook after biting Nate Olken’s bait off Washington’s Long Beach Peninsula. While this fishery requires a surf launch, it targets the abundant silvers that are returning to the nearby mouth of the Columbia River. (BRIAN STEVES)

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leaders and even rods. On the water, I’ll generally bring both herring and anchovies, as the subtle differences in presentation can bridge the gap between frustration and a limit. In case I use up all my bait, I’ll also bring along a couple of Coyote spoons in various sizes. If I’m running a dodger, I’ll carry smallersized Brad’s Cut Plug and Super Baits. As counterintuitive as it sounds, Chinook are often found chasing bait balls in water less than 25 feet deep, so deploy your gear as soon as you’re safely outside

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COLUMN the surf line. In these shallower areas, run your gear at six to 10 pulls (12 to 20 feet) of line. For perspective on the true shallow-water, ocean-salmon potential, the majority of my Pacific Chinook over the last 10 years have been taken in depths from 6 to 18 feet. Coho on the other hand tend to frequent areas 50 feet or deeper, where upwellings and current seams draw in baitfish. As you troll, keep an eye out for splashes, feeding birds and jumping bait. This is often an indicator of feeding salmon. As you troll, pay attention to your fishfinder and match the depth of your gear to the tops of the bait balls or fish marks. A good starting point is between 15 and 20 pulls (30 to 40 feet).

WITH GEAR DIALED in, it’s time to figure out where to use it. If you’re a saltwater newbie, consider Depoe Bay. With its sheltered launch and nearby amenities, this is by far your easiest access to a surf-free launch. Just remember Author Mark Veary hoists a pair of ocean coho. If you want to try your luck, make sure to have the right safety equipment and watch the wind and swell forecasts for good conditions to head out. (MARK VEARY)

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to bring your VHF radio and announce your passage through the slot (both coming and going) on channel 80. The opening to Depoe Bay is tiny and stating your intention is an easy way to ensure you don’t end up smeared across the bottom of a charter or recreational fishing boat. Once safely out of the channel, troll your way out to the edge of reef, while scanning for schools of baitfish that will draw in the salmon. For novices, Pacific City and Depoe Bay will both be productive fishing grounds. At Pacific City, salmon are often trolled up along the shore and just north of Haystack Rock, though some days you’ll need to head out to waters as deep as 150 feet. Again, be watchful for bait balls but also humpback whales and porpoises. These marine mammals are a good indicator of bait and, by extension, salmon. Those who are confident in their beach landing and open-ocean paddling/ peddling skills can take advantage of all the usual powerboat haunts like Long Beach,

Buoy 2, the mouth of the Nehalem, etc.

AS MUCH EFFORT as you put into catching ocean salmon, you’ll want to ensure that your catch is of the highest quality, so bleed your fish out and get it on ice immediately. To save you from a trip back to your car between hook-ups, carry a good quality catch bag filled with reusable ice packs or frozen water bottles. I’m partial to Ice Mule catch bags, as they’re easy to mount to the bow of my kayak and can be deflated for transport or storage. Speaking of cold, Oregon summer ocean temperatures hover in the 40s and low 50s, so be sure to wear appropriate dry gear or a wetsuit along with a well-fitted PFD. Also, since you might be trolling as much as 3 miles offshore, carry a fully charged VHF radio and fly a safety flag that can be easily seen by transiting power boats. Now that you too are in the know, it’s time to start watching the forecasts for those wind and swell windows that’ll let you put the plan into action. NS

Cowlitz River

Shines in July! While June sees a spattering of earlier run summer steelhead on the Cowlitz River, July is the month to mark on your calendars when looking for the best shot at catching fish. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no secret that the Southern Washington river is the most famous hatchery steelhead factory on the planet and fresh, mirror-bright steelhead will be aplenty this time of year!

Handfuls of Cowlitz River summer steelhead!

With favorable conditions, all popular techniques should be effective. Pulling plugs or bait divers will get the job done, however, if you have ever been on the Cowlitz, you know that side-drifting rules the program and yields more fish day in and day out. Small offerings of eggs or yarn ties sidedrifted down the river and covering a lot of water is just so effective in locating pods of fish. Of course, once fish are found, they can be covered and re-covered with the help of a jet boat. The trick is to keep your offerings small and keep the bait drifting as naturally as possible. Small Cheaters and scaled down hooks in the size 6 class are not out of the question this time of year. Make sure you have fresh bait and the rest is up to the fish! Always check the WDFW website for changes before you head out. These tips come from the anglers at Wooldridge Boats. We build them for a living and fish out of t hem for fun! Check out our website at wooldridgeboats.com. Be safe out there!

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COLUMN

Buoy 10: Tides, Strategies And Gearing Up Y

eah, the number of fall Chinook returning to the Columbia is a measly 340,000, but BUZZ given that nearly RAMSEY 900,000 coho are also expected back to the mouth of the big river means better than a million total salmon will flood Buoy 10 this August and September. That should be enough to keep the boat ramps and fish-cleaning stations at this popular fishery busy.

WHEN IT COMES to catching salmon, like many near-saltwater fisheries, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all about the tides at Buoy 10. You see, each successive tide pushes more and more salmon into the estuary, which is the first place you can ambush them as they enter the Columbia. The fish ride the incoming tide into the river like a surfboarder might a big wave, which means each tide, especially a big one, will carry with it large numbers of salmon all the way to and above the Astoria-Megler Bridge. To be successful you need to understand where this wave full of fish can be found and be above them when they bite in this ever-changing push and pull of water. During times when tides are less draEven though this is a down year at Buoy 10, 1.25 million fall salmon are still expected to enter the mouth of the Columbia, but Chinook anglers wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to wait long to try and catch upriver brights, given that king retention is only open Aug. 1-20. Brian Bell caught this one last season. (BUZZ RAMSEY)

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COLUMN matic, it’s true, fewer fish push less deeply into the estuary. But if the lesser tides occur for a week or more, the lean daily numbers can add up to big ones and offer quick limits fairly close to midestuary access points like Hammond, Warrenton, Chinook and Ilwaco.

BECAUSE THE AREA extending from Buoy 10 – the red channel marker that describes this fishery – to Tongue Point is 14 miles long and 4 to 5 miles wide most anglers locate the salmon by trolling. And the best time to troll is mostly during the last half of the incoming and first half of the outgoing tide. The fishing rods used here are fairly stout and stiff enough to handle cannonball-style sinkers that might vary in weight from 4 to 16 ounces. What most angers do is run heavier sinkers on their front rods, say, 12 to 16 ounces, and lighter sinkers, 8 to 10 ounces, on lines trailing out the back of the boat. How much weight you use depends on how deep the salmon are running and whether or not you are trying to keep your gear at or near bottom. Keep in mind, though, that not all salmon are on the bottom, as many will suspend at mid-depth, especially when tides are flooding. What many anglers do is run their front rods out 20 to 25 feet on their linecounters and their back rods out far enough to occasionally hit bottom when trolling over

When it comes to rigging up for Buoy 10, what many anglers including author Buzz Ramsey do is to run a Fish Flash in combination with a Free Sliding Spreader. Ramsey’s also excited about the new .051-inch-diameter Rigging Wires from Yakima Bait, which come in 10- and 15-inch lengths, for attaching a dropper weight and running behind the flasher. It “makes untangling lines a lot easier than we ever thought possible,” he says. A 36-inch leader is then extended back to a herring or spinner from a swivel at the end of the rigging wire. “This has proven to be a bulletproof way to rig up when trolling for salmon,” Ramsey attests. (BUZZ RAMSEY) water less than 30 feet in depth.

A POPULAR ROD line is the Berkley Air rod series that I helped the company design. Actions that work at Buoy 10 include the 7’9” HB (Heavy Bounce), 9’ XH (Extra Heavy), and 9’6” and 10’6” HH (Heavy Herring) models. The 7’9” HB is easier to stow than longer rods and perfect for fishing

straight out behind your boat. The 9’ XH is an overall favorite among many for its ability to handle big sinkers, while the 9’6” and 10’6” HH actions are handy when wanting to spread lines out to achieve a wider trolling swath. The HB and HH will handle weights to 12 ounces, while the XH can easily handle 16-ounce sinkers. If you want the ultimate in stiffness with a land-them-quick action – it’s the rod action I use – consider the 8’ XHB (Extra Heavy Bounce), which will handle sinkers of 20 ounces or more.

LEVELWIND REELS EQUIPPED with line-

Presharpened hooks, like those made by Owner, are what most anglers use when rigging herring or anchovy for Buoy 10 salmon. Barbed hooks will also be allowed again at the fishery after Oregon and Washington managers this spring relaxed restrictions that required barbless only on the Columbia. (BUZZ RAMSEY) 82 Northwest Sportsman

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counters are what everyone uses at Buoy 10, since you really need to know what depth you are trolling and be able to return to it reliably. And while I’ve used the Abu Garcia 5500/6500 linecounter models here, I’m mostly using them when chasing spring Chinook these days. For Buoy 10, it’s the Penn Warefare or Fathom II Line Counter reels in the 15 size that works best for me. And yes, these Penn models are available in right- and left-hand versions. When it comes to fishing line, the majority of anglers employ high-tech braid. Most guides and anglers I know spool

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COLUMN Coho should keep the action going in the estuary after Chinook close, thanks to a run of around 900,000 expected back to the mouth of the Columbia and a daily limit of up to two hatchery silvers. Kari Truax caught this one during the 2016 fishery. (BUZZ RAMSEY)

mono, it’s much more likely to occur with reels filled with super line. If knifing does occur, you may have no drag and could break your fish, especially a big one, off. No matter how hard I try, I cannot get super line wrapped on my reels tight enough when first filling up with new. To get it spooled tightly enough so that there is no possibility of knifing, I attach the end of the line to a stationary object and walk 90 or more yards away and then reel myself back, holding tension on the line with the rod as I go. Only after doing this am I ready to tackle a big salmon with a reel filled with fresh super line.

LIKE MANY BOAT anglers, I’ve usually got

50- or 65-pound-test braid, which is way thinner than even 25-pound-test monofilament and totally eliminates the thought of an unexpected break-off. This is something that can happen when using mono, especially if it has been heavily used and on the reel for more than a year. However, some anglers do prefer mono and if that includes you, I would suggest 86 Northwest Sportsman

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picking a tough one like Berkley Big Game in at least 25-pound test.

A TIP WHEN putting on fresh line is to make sure the line is spooled tightly on your reel, otherwise the line could knife into itself. This is especially true if and when you hook into a big salmon with too tight a drag. And although this can happen with

four friends with me when trolling Buoy 10, meaning we have five rods in the water. Although it varies depending on what the fish are biting, I generally run spinners on the two rods near the bow and herring or anchovies on the rods out the stern. Make no mistake, spinners work at Buoy 10 and what you might discover, as we have, is that the majority of big Chinook seem to come on the spinners. The idea behind running bait on the back rods is to encourage salmon that passed up the spinners or arrived late to all the attraction produced by the flashers to bite. As for my rod, I once ran it between the two stern rods and had it rigged with the same amount of weight as the other back rods. Doing this meant my rod was mostly in line with the others and as such, rarely got bit as fish attracted to our Fish Flashes got to the side rods first. What changed the success of my center rod was when I started trailing my outfit, often rigged with a Mulkey spinner in combination with a 4-ounce sinker, behind the boat 70 to 100 feet or more. What this often means is that my sinker might bounce bottom when trolling over 20 feet of water or less but otherwise my outfit is suspended somewhere at mid-depth. There is just something about having a lure trailing out behind the other gear that the fish respond to at Buoy 10. NS Editor’s note: The author is a brand manager and part of the management team at Yakima Bait. Like Buzz on Facebook.

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FISHING

Puget Sound’s salmon forecasts may not be the best overall, but there are fish to be had for anglers fishing cutplug herring, spoons, jigs or other lures for coho, Chinook and pinks this summer. (JASON BROOKS)

Sound Salmon Season Planner

With Chinook and humpy numbers down, the coho forecast is actually very promising, especially for saltwaters and rivers in Central and South Puget Sound. By Jason Brooks

ith 2019 being an oddnumbered year Puget Sound should be turning “pink” with salmon, but with a forecast among the lowest in recent memory anglers might start to worry about summer fishing. There is some need to be alarmed, but those who like to fish from the Straits to the

Narrows will notice Puget Sound has a silver streak this season. In a weird twist, with both Chinook and humpy numbers declining the coho forecast is actually very promising. Move those pink Buzz Bombs and plug-cut herring to the back of the tackle box and pull out the Coho Killers, Puget Sound is shaping up to be a good summer of salmon fishing if you like to catch coho with the

intermixed Chinook and odd pink thrown in once in a while.

COHO ARE PREDICTED to show up in the neighborhood of 670,000 fish, which is 15 percent above the 10year average and 130,000 more than last year. The Strait of Juan de Fuca gets the first incoming ocean fish and areas such as Sekiu and Port Angeles, Marine Areas 5 and 6, will have good nwsportsmanmag.com | JULY 2019

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FISHING fisheries throughout the early part of summer, with the latter extending through September. While the San Juan Islands of Area 7 are set to be closed in August, the bright spot for coho is Area 10 and those south of there. Area 10 has been open since June 1 and catches of resident coho were good right from the start. As summer continues ocean fish arrive, which means much larger ones than those 16- to 20-inch, 2- to 4-pounders will be on tap. With Area 11 to the south having been closed in June, resident coho known to hang around southern Vashon Island will have put on a few pounds. Last year Redondo was a hot spot and could be again this summer. While these marine waters should be good, new this year are closed days for Area 11 boat anglers. No fishing will be allowed Thursday and Fridays to extend the Chinook season, which has a 2,800-fish quota. Marine Area 13 is home to the Squaxin Island net pens, as well as a few rivers that get a coho return. Open year-round, resident coho fishing is very good in early spring

Dragging a flasher and hoochie behind a downrigger has accounted for untold numbers of Puget Sound salmon, but it’s not the only way to catch ’em. Sans ’riggers, use a banana weight to get down, followed by an inline flasher such as a Big Al’s and a cutplug or loaded Brad’s Super Bait or Cut Plug. (JASON BROOKS)

through May and then once again in July until September. Mixed in will be ocean salmon bound for Minter Creek and for the first time anglers can fish the trib for clipped kings, coho and chums starting in mid-September, though access is very tight.

CHINOOK ANGLERS SHOULD be aware that wild fish returns are still low, with

Trolling is a popular and effective way to target Chinook, coho and pinks because of how much more water you can cover, but mooching has its practitioners, particularly in places where kings and silvers can get out of the currents or use them to prey on baitfish. (JASON BROOKS)

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some stocks such as the Stillaguamish and mid-Hood Canal being very depressed, impacting certain fisheries. The new orca concerns might come into play this summer as well. Marine Area 9, one of the most popular Chinook fisheries, is slated to have a very short season this summer, so be ready come July 25-28 to get out and catch some hatchery kings while

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FISHING you can. After that initial four-day opener, state salmon managers will review catch data to see how many fish are still available in the quota and proceed from there. Area 10 will also be open under a quota, but will stay open until it’s filled. Marine Area 11 will get a fishery starting July 1 and run until the 2,800-fish quota is met or the end of September. Either way, the famed Clay Banks and Owens Beach mooching areas will be crammed with boats during the fiveday-a-week fishery. Normally, odd years have enough pink salmon to provide anglers with a chance to stay on the water and catch some sort of salmon, but not this year. No bonus bag limits and low returns mean it might be a bit slower at Humpy Hollow and the many fishing piers and beaches along the way as the fish head south towards the GreenDuwamish, Puyallup and Nisqually, which are the southernmost Puget Sound rivers with runs of the smallest wild salmon. One bright spot is that the prediction for 608,400 pinks to return is about 92,000 more fish than what actually came back in 2017. So if you caught them then, you should catch some again this summer. Area 13 might become the new

All is not lost with humpies, as there will still be opportunities to troll and cast all things pink for the species that is going through the low end of the up-and-down salmon cycle. (JASON BROOKS)

SO WHY ARE PINK RUNS DOWN?

A decade and a half of huge to humongous pink salmon returns made it seem as if the pint-sized but prodiguous species would always swarm into Puget Sound in outlandish piles every other year. The Blob thought otherwise. Adult pinks at sea during the height of the poor feeding conditions in the North Pacific returned to the inland sea in summer 2015 starving and desperately snapping at anything anglers threw their way. The undersized hens carried fewer eggs, and due to the snow drought the previous winter and then the long, hot summer, the places they made their redds in the diminished streams were utterly whalloped when four big October, November and December floods hit. What eggs and fry survived that second catastrophe went to sea in early 2016, and while they returned in 2017 much bigger than 2015’s fish, just 442,252 spawned, the fewest in 20 years. That led to this year’s conservative forecast of just 608,388 bound for streams from Port Angeles to Bellingham to Lacey. Where the huge spurt in pink numbers from 2001 to 2013 was due to their colonization of the Green-Duwamish, Puyallup and Nisqually, the pendulum has swung back in the direction of northern rivers being more productive, with about 115,000 due to the Skagit, 128,000 to the Snohomish and 141,000 to the Green-Duwamish. Even so, humpy retention will be limited to marine waters and rivers from Seattle south, a disappointment for some anglers, but one that still provides catch-and-release fun while runs rebuild. –NWS For salmon anglers stuck on shore, there are plenty of public beaches and piers in Puget Sound to give it a go from. Point Wilson Darts, Buzz Bombs and other fluttering jigs are typically favored. (JASON BROOKS)

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FISHING

Chinook opportunities are on the brief side this year for most of the Central and North Sound, but returns have been booming in Deep South Sound in recent years. In Area 13, you won’t find any quotas, no-boat days or in-season stoppages, but you will find good numbers of hatchery kings and two-polin’ is allowed with the endorsement. (JASON BROOKS)

“ground zero” Puget Sound salmon fishery. Open year-round for clipped fish with good numbers of resident coho and Chinook, several hatcheries see returns of ocean-migrating fish, making the southern end of Puget Sound will be a good bet. The Nisqually River’s pink return won’t be as good as it has been in the past but there are fish heading there. Fishing around the Green Can in the Nisqually Delta and Gibson Point at Fox Island will be your best bet at south-bound salmon.

RIVER FISHERMEN WILL have a few changes this year as well, most notably no extra or “bonus” pink limit. Skykomish anglers have until the end of July to catch a few summer Chinook and then the river reopens for salmon retention in September, but with only a dismal one-coho-a-day limit. On the brighter side, the GreenDuwamish is forecast to get back 141,130 pinks, which is the largest Puget Sound run expected this summer. The lower river will also be 94 Northwest Sportsman

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open for Chinook retention, just be sure to check the regulations before you go. The notorious Puyallup is only getting back an estimated 47,905 pinks, which is way down from the 838,000 prediction in 2015. But the bright side for the Pierce County river is the coho. With 32,220 hatchery silvers heading upstream, fishing should be good when the river opens in mid-August. The Nisqually is getting 25,380 pinks, which is barely more than the 21,000 hatchery Chinook and a bit more than double the coho estimated at 10,298 expected back.

AS FOR TECHNIQUES, in the saltwater trolling an 11-inch Hot Spot flasher trailed by a cut-plug herring or a 3.5 Purple Haze hoochie tipped with a herring strip is a top producer. This summer put one rod out with a dodger and a Mini Cut Plug by Brad’s Killer Fishing Gear stuffed with tuna fish cured in Bloody Tuna Super Gel. This setup does really well for spring

Chinook and the hot pink color would be a good bet for pinks, as well as coho and Chinook in the mix. Anglers without downriggers can take a lesson from Buoy 10 and use heavy drop weights with an inline flasher such as a Big Al’s from Yakima Bait Company or the new Scent Flash from Mack’s Lure. Bait it with a cutplug herring or a Super Bait or Cut Plug lathered with Pro-Cure Gels in Anchovy, Herring or Sardine. With the number of coho returning you don’t have to fish very deep. This is where the dropper setup works better than downriggers. You can get the gear in the water faster and there is less down time between bites. Other techniques for those without downriggers are Dipsy Divers and other diving weights. But with today’s inline flasher and lure options you don’t need to use the divers with the drop weights and long rods designed for Buoy 10 fishing. With the rivers opening up in July and into August it is hard to beat drift fishing. When it comes to odd-year

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angling it is best to do what others around you are doing, especially since it will be very crowded on the popular stretches of water. One bank fishery that is often overlooked is the Nisqually Delta. It is hard to access but if you fish it at low tide, floating eggs under a slip float is the way to go. Look for days when low tide is at sunrise, as these are the best conditions for Chinook heading upriver from the salt. Be ready to get off the water before high tide hits, as there is no bank left to stand on then. The Puyallup will once again be very popular but with the Duwamish having some stretches open in late August and good bank access via various parks and trails this might take some pressure off of the Puyallup. The Duwamish has some spots where you can float bait, but the Puyallup is primarily a drift fishery until the crowds thin and the second wave of coho arrive in October. That’s when throwing spinners works well, with size 5 and 6 Vibrax in chartreuse and silver being best. The water tends to clear up a bit during late fall too as cool nighttime temperatures reduce the silt load from the melting glacier.

REGARDLESS OF WHERE you go or which species you plan on targeting, it is best to go in with the mindset that you’re more than likely going to catch coho than anything else. This is a good year to learn how to fish along the kelp beds and various points and current breaks. Topwater action is good for coho and pinks, so if you decide to go deep for Chinook you might not be catching as many fish as those around you. For now we at least have fisheries, but this year should also be one for anglers to get together and let state fish managers know that we need seasons and, most of all, we need salmon. Don’t let the orca and other political agendas ruin our fisheries. Puget Sound summer salmon is a pastime that needs to be preserved. NS

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COLUMN

Jordan King (center) admires his rockfish, caught aboard a charter during a boys trip from Boise to the Oregon Coast town of Newport, host to a plethora of angling and foraging opportunities. (RANDY KING)

More To Oregon Coast Bounty Than Just Fish “Get the lidocaine, not for your teeth, but for your ass.” Aaron Rackow, just before a nine-hour road trip

“

a d ! Dad!” my youngest son called. I turned CHEF IN THE WILD to watch his pole fold over the rail of By Randy King the boat, something clearly tugging on the other end. “Fish! I got a fish!” Jordan called, his

8-year-old voice cracking with excitement. At that moment my line began to twitch with a bite too. I set the hook. It was a double – he and I reeling fish at the same time. My smile was ear to ear. I tried coaching the young man, but it didn’t matter. He just reeled and reeled, bringing his rock bass to the surface quickly. With the help of the deckhand he landed his fish. Mine followed shortly. “Dad! My fish is bigger than yours!” Jordan said emphatically. His brothers and grandfather, not 10 feet away, laughed at that. I didn’t care – this was a first for us:

three generations of King boys on a boat in the ocean.

MY CLAN HAS a long and distinguished record of being on land. We are not ocean people. So having all five living King men in one place at one time on one boat is a rarity. I relished the moment. We’re part of an annual summer migration. I am not sure why folks from Idaho descend on Newport, Oregon, each year, but, man, do we ever. Most of us drive to the coast. From my house it’s about nine hours, gas stops included. nwsportsmanmag.com | JULY 2019

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COLUMN 3-ounce triangle weight, Berkley Pile worms and my 11-foot-long surf casting pole. Over the course of three hours or so I caught four redtail surfperch. Those are the only four I have ever caught. I fried and ate them that night. I liken the meat to that of a large crappie. Newport is lousy with surfperch fishing options. Basically, find a small creek and go south of its outflow. The perch stack up there and will often be feeding. The funky part about catching surfperch is that they are unique feeders. They inhale their food, crush it then spit out the shell, especially with crabs. So the goal is to set the hook right after the first bite. This information came in handy, so I’m sharing it with you.

MUSSELS AND CLAMS I am not sure why but mussels seem underutilized along the Oregon Coast. They are just about everywhere and super easy to access during low tide. I have harvested them several times and they are generally fantastic food. California mussels are usually brown and grow to about 7 inches long, while bay mussels grow to about 3 inches. Check local regs for harvesting and for consumption advisories – that is, unless you like the side effects of shellfish poisoning, things like amnesia, paralysis or death. As fun as those sound, see last month’s column on coastal clamming for more.

Surfperch quest complete! Chef Randy King has struggled to catch redtails on his trips to the beach, but this year scored four. He likens the taste to large crappie he catches in his Idaho home waters. (RANDY KING) Then while there we fish the ocean. Inexpensive rockfish charters are booked solid with groups of inlanders who smell of sagebrush. It is a tradition. I make it a prerogative to do as much ocean-based food acquisition as possible on my trips. Below is a list of things that I like to try and bring back home to Idaho. 100 Northwest Sportsman

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SURF PERCH Several years ago I wrote an article about my struggles catching surf perch (June 2014, Northwest Sportsman). Well, that struggle has been rectified. I found success just south of where Beaver Creek flows into the Pacific between Newport and Waldport. My setup included a

Mussels coat rocks along rugged sections of the Oregon Coast. Accessible at low tide, the daily limit is 72. Before gathering, double check for shellfish closures due to biotoxins and that you’re not in a marine reserve. (NATE LINDSKOOG)

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Northwest Sportsman 101

COLUMN ROCKFISH Find a reef or structure and you will find rockfish, also known as seabass. They are not complicated to catch, especially on charters. Drift a jig head through a pile of fish, set the hook and reel. The question is not the finding of the fish, it is more about whether they will bite. Our charter had an issue finding biters. Normally, catching the five-fish limit is a given, but on this day they were super slow to hit.

“We can find them,” said the captain, “but we can’t make them bite!” It was true. On the sounder you could clearly see fish balls around structure. We would pass over them and reel in a few, but not as many as you would think. It becomes a game of patience with the fish. They will hit, just give it time.

CRABS Crabbing Yaquina Bay is enjoyable off the pier, sure. You catch mostly what I like to

call “elevator” crabs. Sublegal Dungeness make their way into your trap, you bring them up then toss them back in when they turn out to be too small. Then you lower your crab pots and do it all over again. I find that a buddy with a boat is the most sure-fire way to crab the bay. Send down the traps to soak, then go fish the jetty, the bridge pilings, or even the bay itself. This past year the crabbing was not that great. I came home empty. That is OK, I have plans for next time.

Grilled mussels garnished with rosemary and thyme. (RANDY KING)

MUSSEL UP A SPICY ROCKFISH DISH Grilled Mussels with Rockfish and Garlic Chili White Wine Sauce 20 or so Pacific Coast mussels ½ pound diced rockfish fillets 1 tablespoon garlic 1 tablespoon sambal sauce (“rooster sauce”) ½ cup dry white wine 2 tablespoons butter

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Salt and pepper Mint, thyme and basil Heat grill to medium high. Place mussels on the grill so that they will not fall through. Close lid and cook for five minutes, or until the shell opens. If the shell does not open, discard the mussel.

In a 9-inch sauté heat the remaining ingredients to a boil. The fish should be “poached” or lightly simmered and still tender. Remove the opened mollusks from the grill and add to sauce. Toss to coat. Enjoy with crusty bread and a cold beer! For more wild game recipes, see chefrandyking.com. –RK

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COLUMN BEACH AND BAY FORAGING Beach peas are by far the easiest thing to forage for in the summer on the coast. They are everywhere the sand hits grass. They are basically wild snap peas but with inedible shells. I gather a sack of them, then shuck, blanch and freeze a batch for later use. I find them great in pastas and seafood soups. Another great item to forage for is sea beans. They look a lot like short, stubby bunchgrass. They are super salty and very crisp to the bite. I sauté them with clams for a cool color contrast and crispness. Hank Shaw will often take and dehydrate them, making a form of sea bean salt. Bullwhip kelp is also often overlooked but is incredibly good. The stalks themselves make great pickles and have a crunch to them unlike most other wild plants. Check for freshness before processing and do some google research on the topic. Honestly, most kelp is overlooked and delicious. NS

A smorgasbord comes together at fish camp on the coast. The author says that wild peas, beans and kelp are also overlooked by many. (NATE LINDSKOOG)

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FISHING A summer-run steelhead nears the bank of author Sara Ichtertz’s favorite drift of a Southern Oregon river, one that served up a big flood this past winter and utterly changed it. (SARA ICHTERTZ)

It ‘Was Mine And I Did Shine’ Sara mourns the loss of the drift she sharpened her summer steelhead skills on over the years, but March’s big flood also served up a new challenge for her. By Sara Ichtertz

un after run, year after year my heart lingers for this one stretch of river no matter the fish I chase. The nights they grow long, and the ambiance of this fishery truly is second to none. So close to home, how could I be so blessed

to have such a gift within my own backyard? I not only discovered who I was on this stretch, I discovered I was truly happiest on the river. Yes, I was a stay-at-home mom but staying at home just wasn’t us. I learned I should face the fears inside and see what we could do.

The river showed me, Sara, you are indeed a badass and I will show you that by facing your fears of failure with your little babes in tow, this is where you are meant to pour your passion. This somewhat intimidating stretch of river will eventually not be one bit scary. It will become your comfort zone. nwsportsmanmag.com | JULY 2019

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FISHING IT’S TRUE THAT within the course of half a decade I went from a clueless yet driven mom to a summer steelhead slayer. I had that stretch dialed all the way in; if there was one fishery, one fish, one stretch that Sara truly shined, it was right there. I could hook fish after fish like there was nothing to it. The jaws of men across the river would drop as I hooked three beauties in three casts. The fish would shimmer and shine, exploding from the river with such power yet ever so gracefully. They are one of a kind and the keepers of my heart. I possess drift fishing skills not everyone has; I was in my element and I never wanted to leave it. Roy would watch me in amazement as once I found them, it wasn’t a question as to whether I would land a fish; it was more like how many fish will I land? I will never forget what that drift meant to me. Nor will I forget my little family coming together each summer to embrace the fire these fish possess. It was truly special, truly one of a kind and will remain a piece of my heart. Roy would tell me how hot it was to watch me step up and hook those beauties without hesitation. It was indeed like coming home and I will treasure it always.

“My drift is gone and I’m not going to lie. It hurts. Hurts me deeply, as my favorite place on planet Earth no longer exists,” writes Ichtertz of the fishing hole that gave her confidence to become who she is today. (SARA ICHTERTZ) 108 Northwest Sportsman

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NOT ONLY DID I gain self-confidence I shared it. I shared it with my family, I shared it with a handful of wonderful people who I know will never forget the time we shared. I was able to put people who hadn’t much of a clue, just like me five years ago, on fish. I was sharing the passion, and success was all around me. Many a local would complain that there were not any fish left in our glorious river, though I begged to differ. I let them think that, but to me those days were my glory days and despite this hardest year I have faced, all I could dream about was stepping foot on that bank where nothing could stop me. No human nonsense could affect

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FISHING

Even as her river has inextricably changed in one place, it still holds plenty of steelhead, just elsewhere and catchable other ways. “Mother Nature believes it is time for me to embrace the new when it comes to the fish I love more so than any other. So I will trust her.” (SARA ICHTERTZ)

me. No judgment. No, I could just let the worries of the world disappear for those hours as all I focused on was the water in front of me, hunting the bank and finding what those glimmering beauties wanted. I was river hunting. I was good at figuring that out, asking myself, What do these fish need from me? I am stubborn and changed my rigging again and again until that incredible dark green seam produced a bite for me. Once I found what they wanted, driven, I became a master. Which is saying a lot. But it is true. Very rarely after my second year did I have anyone outfish me while I was in that hole. That just isn’t the case with damn near all other fisheries. But this stretch was mine and I did shine. My heart overflowed into that river each and every year. My strength grew and the fish, even though they would rock my world and often elude me after one too many headshakes, they never let me down.

MY HEART SANK this year when I stepped foot on the river that had been so right, where I’d found comfort in a place that was beyond intimidating, discovered who I was and what my calling in life truly was. That darkest green seam, the inside seam, the boulder down its girth, they were gone. Completely filled in. The depths she once possessed had become shallow. That storm that raged so intensely this past March was a dandy. As I sat at the raging river’s edge, I couldn’t help but feel this storm was for me. I knew its severity. I knew things that were lodged so deep for so long had no choice but to surrender to the strength of her fury and be flushed downriver. I could feel it within my soul and yet I hadn’t a clue that she truly was changing. Game-changing, life-changing, gut-wrenching changes. My drift is gone and I’m not going to lie. It hurts. Hurts me deeply, as 110 Northwest Sportsman

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my favorite place on planet Earth no longer exists, even though I can still stand at its edge. As I looked on in disbelief, I thought of that winter storm. I couldn’t help but feel that the changes that took place beneath the river were also related to my life, and I found myself crying. Weeping like a hurt child. Changes in life hit us hard. I am somewhat used to it as far as human interactions go, but not when it comes to the river. Not like that. How could you do this to me, Mother Nature? Why? What am I supposed to do now? I cried it out and realized, It wasn’t but five years ago you hadn’t a clue. You were scared, you were naïve, you were driven, and with only that you became a master. I trust that the river knows I must once more leave my comfort zone and if she must change the entire bottom of the river for me to see this, so be it. I now know how to truly read water. The gratification I will feel finding summers in a new stretch of river will be empowering, and so I trust it.

THE 31 MILES of my upper river have always intrigued me, though the fear of failure kept me cozy in drift fisherwoman land. Content, this creature of comfort loved it. She saw no reason to ever leave it. She grew right there as a fisherwoman and as a person. Life is like a river, it will change, it never stops changing, so ultimately it’s up to us what we do with those changes. Mother Nature believes it is time for me to embrace the new when it comes to the fish I love more so than any other. So I will trust her. I will dig deep and embrace the new as if I had a choice in the matter. At the end of the day all of this is true. My heart is on the river and I couldn’t change it, even if I tried. NS Editor’s note: For more on Sara’s adventures, see For The Love Of The Tug on Facebook.

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FISHING “Red bellies,” a local name for westslope cutthroat, abound in Idaho’s North Fork Clearwater River and its tributaries, with some reaching lengths of up to 18 inches. (BILL PERCONTI)

Small Creeks, Great Rewards The streams that feed Idaho’s North Fork Clearwater offer quality fishing and good numbers of ‘red bellies’ – native westslope cutts – and other trout. By Bill Perconti

ow does easy fishing for the largest of a particular trout species, numerous and wild, with open access to some of the most beautiful water and settings in the Northwest sound? Add to the list that, compared with similar waters in nearby Montana, these are not crowded. Although the cutthroat trout is the state fish of Montana, I’d much rather fish for them in Idaho, specifically, in the creeks of the Idaho’s North Fork of the Clearwater River above Dworshak Dam.

RISING ALONG THE Bitterroot Mountains on the Idaho/Montana border, the Clearwater drains a monumental 9,645 square miles from four big Idaho counties over its length of nearly 75 miles. For the fisherman, the complex system of large rivers that make up the Clearwater can be narrowed to those that hold prime westslope cutthroat trout populations: the North Fork above Dworshak, the Little North Fork, the Lochsa and the Selway Rivers. The Lochsa gets pressured early, and the fish bolt to the side of the river opposite the road (no kidding),

making them hard to reach. You can take the time, trouble and expense of heli-dropping into the Little North Fork, or raft the Selway by special permit only. Or you can drive to the readily accessible North Fork of the Clearwater above the dam and fish the numerous feeder creeks. These smaller waters are much more fisherman-friendly and easier on the budget. To name just a few, try Beaver, Skull, Orogrande and Weitas Creeks. Weitas is bigger than an average creek. Access is good by foot, bike or ATV at the confluence campground nwsportsmanmag.com | JULY 2019

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FISHING with the North Fork. The name Weitas may be a euphemism for wet ass, and it supposedly was bestowed by the Lewis and Clark Expedition. If not true, it should be. Shorter and smaller, Beaver, Skull and Orogrande are within easy access of parallel gravel roads. If you follow the North Fork far enough on a map, you’ll notice Kelly Creek, a world-renowned catch-andrelease cutthroat fishery. Its confluence at Kelly Forks is where the North Fork turns north. From there, the North Fork is known as Black Canyon, more creeklike than the lower reaches. These are just a few of the many creeks waiting to be explored. The best days on the North Fork mainstem will see 50-plus fish per day. The creeks produce similar numbers, as well as some of the biggest fish of the year, averaging 10 to 13 inches, with the largest pushing 18. The larger fish, known locally as “red bellies,” display a carmine swath of orange/red along their lower half. In the pocket water you’ll also hook the occasional rainbow. Timing your trip when the runoff subsides is key. In late July and August, check online at waterdata .usgs.gov/id/nwis/uv for the gauge on the North Fork near the Canyon Ranger station to show river levels below 1,500 cubic feet per second. When summer gets hot and most fishing in the West suffers, August can be the best time of year to fish the creeks. Trout will scoot up smaller brooks to seek cool and shaded water. And the lower water levels of summer will expose more fish.

A GENERAL ROAD map of Idaho will show two main ways to reach the North Fork, one from Orofino and the other from Greer. Both towns are along US Highway 12 out of Lewiston. Next, reference the Idaho Road and Recreational Atlas for roads to the North Fork through the towns of Headquarters, Pierce and Weippe. Both routes from US 12 offer good 114 Northwest Sportsman

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Ellen Perconti plays a trout on one of the system’s numerous small and highly accessible creeks. These cool, clear waters are perfect for catching and releasing dozens of fish a day during the height of summer. (BILL PERCONTI)

mountain roads that will take you (in two to three hours’ travel time) to the lower sections of the North Fork above Dworshak. Explore up and down the North Fork road for the numerous creeks. Fishing opportunities in this lightly populated and wild area are limitless. Since the North Fork above the dam is entirely within the Clearwater National Forest, access is widespread. The drainage is rich in wildlife and supports all the largest game animals in North America except grizzlies, although you may see signs that ask for reports of that species.

The North Fork begins at the upper end of Dworshak Reservoir’s slack water. The main season is from the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend through November 30 and there are some special regulations to adhere to. Barbless hooks are required and no bait is allowed. The daily limit is two, and cutts under 14 inches must be released. Bull trout can be targeted but not kept, and the limit for brook trout, found in the upper sections of some of these creeks, is a generous 25. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game does an excellent job of monitoring pressure and fish numbers

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FISHING

Author Bill Perconti recommends light rods and dry flies such as caddis, stonefly and grasshopper patterns, as well as small spinners. All lures must be barbless and bait is not allowed, and while the fishing opportunities are “limitless,” only two a day can be kept, with no cutts under 14 inches. (BILL PERCONTI)

– and licenses. Last summer, while standing on the road above Skull Creek and watching a buddy below catch fish, I was “carded” but my buddy was not. The conservation officer left him alone, probably trusting my own judgment to fish with a friend of similar legality. The agent was correct, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to hold it up to my friend, who thinks to this day that I covered for him so he could continue to fish. To be honest, IDFG presence in such remoteness was welcome, and the officer and I had a pleasant conversation. I didn’t mind spending the time to show my license while my buddy fished. By midafternoon we had both caught a bunch of beautiful trout, including a fat 17-inch red belly. Since I have fished these creeks for 116 Northwest Sportsman

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many years and consider them my “home water,” I was happy to play the guide role while my friend fished his 3-weight fly rod. I admit to a bit of nervousness in taking others fishing, not from competitiveness but rather only because I wish for them to do well. Of all the fishing I’ve done, if timed correctly, I am most confident of success in taking others to fish the creeks of the North Fork.

CUTTS DON’T SUP prey, they slash at it. For dry flies use caddis, stonefly and hopper imitations. No need to go tiny – sizes 14, 12 or bigger will do. For the spin fisherman most small spinners will do, and there is no rule against fishing a dry fly with a bobber. Once, on the way back to the car, for the fun and challenge of it I made

a cast from the road just to see if I could reach a prime hole below and was rewarded with a nice 16-inch beauty. I didn’t mind scampering down the bank to land it. A Tenkarastyle rod – or a long cane pole – on the brushier holes would be a blast. Whether spinning or fly fishing, lighter rods are the most fun. Fishing with a 2-weight fly rod is my favorite. Whichever creek you choose, look for shaded and deeper runs. If the bottom is visible, then it probably won’t hold the bigger fish. But don’t leave a hole without casting to the white water nearby, as fish love the oxygenated water. Cutthroats spawn up the tributaries in early spring, and often stay. In the fall you’ll be treated to thousands of bright-orange kokanee, the landlocked sockeye that

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FISHING travel up from Dworshak to spawn.

SUMMER WEATHER IN

North-central Idaho is simply and consistently the best I’ve experienced: mostly warm and sunny, with low humidity and little wind. Tourists are the only ones wearing waders in late summer. In a win-win possibility, if you happen to catch a cloudy day in late summer the fishing on the mainstem can be exceptional. And I’ve never experienced much trouble from the bugs that seem to be a nuisance elsewhere. Fishing competition is minimal, especially during the week and early in the day, but expect occasional

fishermen who pool-hop in ATVs for their lunches. I’ve also seen pickups unload a truck-bed of people who scatter to scour a creek. But I’ve also caught 18-inchers from pools no bigger than a dinner table, and there seems to be room for everybody. Since wading is fairly easy, try above and below the more accessible pools to reach more fish. If you stumble, just stand up. That said, caution in wading is always recommended, especially above the pools created by sweepers and brush in the water. These creeks are also an ideal way to introduce kids how to fish running water. Many open holes can

Kelly Creek is the most well known of the North Fork’s tribs, but trout can be found in many others, including Skull, which this angler was photographed fishing. It can pay off to explore the numerous waterways – just gas up before you head for the hills, because services are few and far between, but the fish are not. (BILL PERCONTI)

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be fished from the creek banks right up against the road. On the other end of the age/wisdom range I have fond memories of guiding my 80-yearold father-in-law on these waters. Indeed, fishermen of all ages will get a kick out of watching several trout compete for your artificial. On summer days you’ll find families using the beautiful white beaches on the main river to recreate. Be advised that after Orofino camping spots are plentiful but amenities are not. Topping off your gas tank, cooler and other necessities in town before heading out is a good idea. And bring plenty of sunscreen. NS

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FISHING The Kootenay/Kootenai River cuts through far northern Idaho, a region where its fisheries change from trout (inset) and char to spinyrays like largemouth and panfish. (ROGER PHILLIPS, IDFG, BOTH)

A Tale Of 2 Rivers, Part II Idaho and British Columbia’s lower Kootenai/Kootenay goes from trout haven to bass waters and back again. By Mike Wright

he Kootenai River goes through some gradual changes downstream from Kootenai Falls. The gradient is still steep enough that it’s a swift-moving stream with a rocky shoreline and bed, creating good trout habitat. Although trout numbers tend to decrease below the falls, fishing is still considered good from Troy, Montana, through the

canyon section in Idaho until the river reaches Bonners Ferry. After the river exits the canyon section, it undergoes a rather drastic change of character. The banks and bed rapidly become less rocky, with clay, fine silt and sand becoming increasingly dominant features. And as it enters the gentle terrain of the Kootenai Valley, the gradient decreases and the water temperature increases. In this section of the river, trout

Editor’s note: Last issue’s first installment of this two-part series covered fishing the upper, or East, Kootenay River in its British Columbia headwaters, as well as Montana’s Kootenai Reservoir and the river from Libby Dam downstream to Kootenai Falls. become a rare occurrence, replaced by perch, bass, bluegill and other spinyrays. It’s also here that two other species of fish fell on hard times in the latter part of the 20th century.

AT ONE TIME burbot and white sturgeon were very common in the river, but due to overfishing, dam building and habitat loss, they teetered on the brink of extinction in the system. In an effort to save the two species, the nwsportsmanmag.com | JULY 2019

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FISHING Bonneville Power Administration, Army Corps of Engineers and fishery biologists from Idaho, Montana, British Columbia and the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho began working together to ensure their survival. In 2014, with funding from BPA and the Corps, the tribe dedicated a new $15 million fish hatchery to restore sturgeon and burbot, as much as possible, to their former glory. Of the two, the latter has made the biggest gains. In the mid20th century it was estimated that there were between 50,000 and 60,000 burbot in this section of the Kootenai, but by the early 1990s the estimate had dropped to a miniscule 50 fish. In 1992 fishing was banned for this once flourishing species. Although dam building and other environmental issues were the main culprits in the decline of the burbot, another hint about why the population dropped precipitously might be seen in the nickname for this eel-like fish. The burbot, or ling cod, has also been known as “the poor man’s lobster,” one of the best fish available for table fare. But a vigorous stocking program and habitat restoration by the tribe, Idaho Department of Fish and Game, BPA and a number of state and community organizations has shown

Rising in Canada’s Rockies, the Kootenay as it’s known north of the border comes within a mile of joining the Columbia at Canal Flats before slicing into Montana. As the Kootenai it pulls a U-turn through Idaho and returns to British Columbia. Last issue, author Mike Wright detailed the fisheries from headwaters to Kootenai Falls downstream of Libby, and here talks about the angling and issues from there down through Kootenay Lake to the Columbia at Castlegar. (SHANNON1, WIKIMEDIA, CC 4.0)

some remarkable success, and now for the first time in a decade and a half, you can catch and keep burbot. The population estimate on Dam building and habitat degradation led to a crash in burbot numbers in Idaho’s Kootenai, but tribal, state and federal efforts at boosting their numbers have been so successful that this past January officials were able to open a retention season for the first time in 27 years. (IDFG)

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this iconic fish is back up to around 50,000, with one unexpected outcome of the program. The burbot are exhibiting excellent growth rates and are considerably larger than anyone had expected.

AS FOR STURGEON, there have been some major advances in their recovery program. Since it takes 20 to 30 years for one to reach reproductive stage, they’re not coming back as rapidly as burbot, but an important milestone was documented for the first time this past year. A hatcheryraised sturgeon (a male) reached sexual maturity. However, this may not mean that there will be a significant increase in the overall population. “We have native sturgeon in the river that have reproduced, but there is no evidence that any of

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FISHING

Restoring the river’s white sturgeon is taking longer than burbot, but a $15 million Kootenai Tribe of Idaho hatchery is playing a key role in rearing young fish for release to augment the wild sturgeon population. This one was let go near Bonners Ferry. (MIKE WRIGHT)

the young have survived,” says Sue Ireland, the Kootenai Tribe’s fish and wildlife director. At present time there are an estimated 1,500 sturgeon in the river system, including those in Canada. Although a sturgeon can live up to 100 years, unless a solution is found to help the young sturgeon to survive, the only increase in the population will come through the stocking program. Between 2011 and 2017 the tribe completed nine projects in the Kootenai River Restoration Program in the 45-mile-long stretch of the river downstream from Bonners Ferry to the Canadian border. These included the creation and enhancement of pools to provide holding habitat for spawning fish, provide places for fish to rest and feed, and to create a deeper thalweg, or channel, to encourage sturgeon to migrate upstream. The Through the Kootenai River Restoration Program, inriver and off-channel fish habitat in a 45-milelong stretch between Bonners Ferry, Idaho, and the US-Canada border is being repaired and enhanced. “There are a number of positive indicators that all of these ecosystem improvements will revitalize fish populations and increase fishing opportunities in this portion of the river,” notes author Mike Wright. (ERIK MERRILL, NWPCC, FLICKR, CC 2.0)

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species originally ranged all the way to Kootenai Falls, which barred further passage. The program includes constructing pool-forming and bank structures to create more diverse aquatic habitats, including eddies and alcoves to protect the stream

banks. Another project involved the placement of rocky spawning substrates on the clay shelves along the riverbed in known sturgeon and burbot spawning areas to support egg and larval survival. Another includes side- and offchannel reconstruction, as well as off-channel enhancement to support the food web and provide diverse habitats for native fish like kokanee and trout. Additionally, a program for restoration and creation of floodplain habitat to restore critical ecosystem functions and the food web has been started. A project to restore riparian revegetation and buffer fencing to protect stream banks was also instituted to enhance the food web and provide cover for native fish. With the completion of Libby Dam in 1972, much of the nutrient input from the upper watershed was interrupted, so to mitigate the loss a program to add nutrients back in was established. That has helped to reestablish a functioning food web, and contributes to the recovery and viability of multiple native aquatic species. There are a number of positive

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Northwest Sportsman 125

FISHING indicators that all of these ecosystem improvements will revitalize fish populations and increase angling opportunities in this portion of the river. Although trout numbers here will probably never reach that of those above Bonners Ferry, bass and burbot should provide excellent fishing, with the possibility of sturgeon angling sometime in the future.

AS THE KOOTENAI turns north and flows back into Canada, where it drops the i and tags on the y again, its slow, S-shaped meanders do not fill the average angler with unbridled excitement, nor instill an overpowering desire to pull out the fishing gear. However, hardcore bass fishermen know better. The waters above BC’s Kootenay Lake hold

some very sizable largemouth that like to lay in wait in the weedbeds lining the banks. In addition to bass, a number of other panfish inhabit this section of the river. However, access can be a little difficult in places, due to private property and a very marshy shoreline. If you are not opposed to a little hiking, there are several trails that can lead to some better spots to fish. When the river enters Kootenay Lake, it creates another distinct fishery. The lake’s southern end can really be considered part of the river, what with its rainbow, bull and brook trout, along with a small number of cutthroat beginning to reappear in respectable numbers, as well as white sturgeon, burbot, largemouth, perch, whitefish and kokanee.

As the Kootenai lazily loops back toward Canada, it may not look too interesting to fish, but “hardcore bass fishermen know better” as these waters hold some “very sizable largemouth that like to lay in wait in the weedbeds lining the banks.” Access can be found at Bonners Ferry, Deep Creek and Copeland. (MIKE WRIGHT) 126 Northwest Sportsman

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The lake is considered by many to be one of the very best stillwaters to fish in all of BC. This reputation is due, in no small part, to the Gerrard strain of rainbow trout, often considered to be the world’s largest rainbow stock. Some of the biggest ever caught have come from Kootenay, a number of which weighed in at over 40 pounds. The lake also holds some very large bull trout, which can reach up to 20 pounds. Approximately halfway up the west side of the lake is a depression in the surrounding terrain. Into it water flows from the lake, forming the West Kootenay River. This west arm region is especially well known for its kokanee fishing. In the 1970s, the landlocked sockeye population here experienced a major crash,

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FISHING so provincial biologists instituted a nutrient enrichment program to increase their numbers. It was successful in slowly bringing them up, but a catch-and-release policy was implemented to aid recovery, and it is still in place. In addition to kokes, there are also sizeable numbers of rainbow trout, bull trout and whitefish that inhabit this area.

THE NARROWS AROUND the town of

Massive Kootenay Lake is known best as home to Gerrard-strain rainbow trout, which grow big in its waters, but also for kokanee, though the latter species is catch and release only. (A. ERNYES, WIKIMEDIA)

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Balfour has become a haven for dry fly fishing from June well into the fall. Parachute Adams, Purple Haze, Mosquitoes, Humpies and various emerger patterns can all produce. Productive wet flies include such patterns as Muddler Minows, Woolly Buggers, Carey Specials and small nymphs like Pheasant Tails and Princes. The narrows is a rather shallow area and as is the case in many lakes or even large rivers, the best method for hooking into large fish is by

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FISHING trolling, usually in deeper water. Just downstream from the narrows is Sunshine Bay, where the water depth increases rapidly from 20 to 60 feet. The depth remains near that level all the way to Nelson. In this section trolling, again, is the best strategy for hooking into the larger trout, usually found in the range from 30 to 100 feet. Baitfish-imitating streamer patterns can produce nice catches of smaller trout, but to get the bigger specimens usually requires trolling deeper with lures such as Lyman, Tomic and J plugs, as well as Wabler and Gader spoons. Slow trolling for kokanee in the 16- to 80-foot range is also popular in this section of the river.

Before it joins the Columbia, the West Kootenay provides both trolling and fly fishing for trout in the lake and river. There arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t as many cutthroat as elsewhere in the system, but they tend to be nice ones. (MIKE WRIGHT)

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THE KOOTENAY BETWEEN Nelson and Castlegar, where it joins the Columbia, also offers some outstanding fishing. One of the most popular spots is the Slocan Pool, where the Slocan River

flows into the Kootenay. Early in the 20th century this pool was famous for great salmon fishing, but the last one recorded caught here was in 1935. That may change, though, if efforts to begin reintroducing ocean-going salmon above Washington’s Grand Coulee Dam pay off. Until then, it produces good catches of both walleye and rainbow trout up to 5 pounds. The fish tend to get larger the closer you get to the confluence of the Columbia. Another very popular fishing hot spot is the section of the river right below the Brilliant Dam near Castlegar. This section of the West Kootenay is the site of several dams, constructed for power generation. This has been very beneficial for the residents and industrial businesses in the area but has not been all that helpful for the fish population. But like the old Timex commercial once stated, the West Kootenay can “take a licking and keeps on ticking.” When driving through this is region, a Gordon Lightfoot fan might be reminded of the refrain from his “Canadian Railroad Trilogy:” There was a time in this fair land when the railroad did not run When the wild majestic mountains stood alone against the sun Long before the white man and long before the wheel When the green dark forest was too silent to be real. Although Lightfoot, was singing about the railroad, the same analogy might be made about the river. Even though the fishing is very good, it would be nice to experience what it was like before dam building and other environmental changes occurred. However, even though the Kootenay/i is not what it once was, there are a number of dedicated individuals and organizations who are working very hard to keep the river a high-quality fishery, from top to middle to bottom, and across international and state lines. NS nwsportsmanmag.com | JULY 2019

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As Salmon Near, Scout For Big Game W

ith salmon arriving on each incoming tide and even a popular South Sound river opening up with SOUTH SOUND a few early Chinook, it is easy to spend the By Jason Brooks lazy days of July into August out fishing. Whether you choose to cast lures from the beaches or troll along the kelp lines and breakwaters for passing pinks and coho, or head to the Nisqually for those early kings, you have plenty of options this time of year.

But for me it offers so much more, including heading to the mountains. In fact, it was about this time last year that we did a family hike to Franklin Falls, an easy one up on Snoqualmie Pass, and that rainy day set off my internal hunting clock. I had to get back up into the hills, away from people and out scouting.

WITH THE PAGES of this issue filled with various articles and columns highlighting the various angling opportunities I turn to hiking and scouting for the upcoming hunting season. In fact, this “idea” started last year when I was at Buoy 10 and cohosted The

Outdoor Line on Seattle’s 710 ESPN radio. We were talking with the new director of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Kelly Susewind, about his thoughts on taking over. I asked a simple question about having nonconsumptive outdoor enthusiasts help fund the agency that is tasked with managing everything from Chinook and elk to bullfrogs and sage grouse. Hiking is one of those other activities and my family and I have started going on more of them, but with a fishing and hunting purpose. Late July is when winter’s snowpack finally melts to the point where you can cross north-facing ridges and not have

Midsummer finds South Sound sportsman Jason Brooks heading for the hills to scout for elk, bear and deer in the mountainous bowls and berryfields of the Cascades. (JASON BROOKS)

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COLUMN

Along with breaking in new gear and testing his optics, one item the author is sure to bring to backcountry lakes is his fishing rod and a small selection of lures. Many alpine waters are stocked occassionally with various species of trout. (JASON BROOKS) to posthole through drifts. Creeks start to drop and crossing them is a refreshing versus harrowing event. Combining my love for hunting and the backcountry, heading up past the parking lots and paved trails is where I would rather be. Each summer I pick a new spot to go explore and scout. Most of the time I learn that it is not what I expected and can then cross the area off my “where to go” list and put it on the “no need to return in October” side of the ledger.

ONE SUCH SCOUTING mission happened two years ago when my son and I headed up to Rampart Lakes near the summit of Snoqualmie Pass. Taking a route that was deemed “difficult” on a local hiking web134 Northwest Sportsman

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site we climbed up and finally made the top ridge where we found open slopes of wildflowers and lush huckleberry plants. Thinking this would be a great place to return in August for bear hunting we got our hopes up. Then we crossed the ridge and came to the lakes, where it seemed like a revival of Woodstock or some other outdoor venue was going on. Tents were everywhere and apparently each tree was a bathroom. We pitched our tent and quickly realized that the area was overused, as the main trail coming from Rachel Lake was the equivalent of nearby I-90. This is why it is important to explore in July and early August. This past May the snow had melted

enough that we were able to once again climb into a basin that I had found on a map. Elk sign was everywhere and as the weeks went on we were to return to see if the elk stayed, with an overnighter planned for July in which we’ll also put up a few trail cameras. By mid-August we will have a good idea of the animal activity in this newfound area, as well as how many humans visit it. There is a saying, “If it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all.” Well, the first time we explored this basin it was my bad luck that landed us there. As we made our way, the whole I was thinking it was a different ridge. When we got to the top I checked my GPS and sure enough we’d missed the

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COLUMN turn and ended up in a completely different area. But we found a route through a rocky outcropping and sat on a ridge that overlooked a far basin which is obscured from the main trail that we missed.

EVEN IF YOU don’t plan on using July and August hiking trips as a way to scout for hunting season, they are a great way to get the family outside. An easy hike such as Franklin Falls keeps everyone happy and you can use these shorter strolls to break in new gear. Wearing boots fresh out of the box often leads to blisters on an extensive early-season hike, but going on a few shorter ones breaks them in with ease. Same with a water filter, GPS, backpack or any other new gear you want to test before really putting your trust in them during hunting season. Summer hikes are more than just getting outside if you utilize this time to do research and become familiar with gear. Then there are the “conditioning hikes.” For me, every hike is a workout, even the

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When the humpies arrive, Dash Point near Tacoma will be a great place to fish from shore or a boat. Taiga Sarnecky, then 4 years old, holds one caught there several years ago on a pink jig. (YO-ZURI PHOTO CONTEST)

“easy ones” where I fill some water jugs to add weight to my pack. Those who are truly into conditioning hikes will put themselves to the test to see if they are ready for fall. Personally, I don’t like to push myself to a breaking point and I want to enjoy the hike, which is why I use water jugs. I can dump them out if it becomes too much or I want to go further and explore that next ridge or basin. To research a new area, most turn to online resources such as Google Earth or other mapping programs, but don’t overlook hiking forums. There are several out there and the best part is that they give up-to-date trail conditions and trip reports from hikers who just went to where you want to go. You can also get a sense of how popular a place is by the number of reports and if they mention how crowded the trailhead was. I often look for places that have few, if any, reports. This means there is a trail but it’s rarely used. Other things to look for are reports of wilderness conditions such

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as huckleberry fields, alpine meadows, creeks or other water sources, and even animal sightings. You would be surprised how many people mention seeing a bear on their hike, which for a bruin hunter is basically a scouting report.

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arriving soon, and while this year’s droves will be smaller, the fish will still cause a flurry at every outdoor retailer in the Puget Sound region as anglers seek out pink lures. In the South Sound, best bet is to hit a beach such as Dash Point or Browns Point to intercept the fish as they make their way towards the Puyallup and Nisqually Rivers. Luckily, coho are expected to have a much stronger run than in previous years. While some will start to arrive around the same time as the pinks, they tend to stay out in the salt a bit longer, giving those with boats a better chance at landing a few before the action moves to the rivers, where anglers stand shoulder to shoulder. Chinook are caught from early July through late fall, but in Marine Area 11 the season will be kept under close scrutiny with the 2,800-fish allotment. Fishing from a boat is limited to just five days a week, with Thursdays and Fridays being closed to extend the season a bit longer. The pinks and coho will benefit, as will river anglers awaiting their turn.

LIKE I SAID at the beginning of this col-

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umn, South Sound sportsmen have many options in midsummer as salmon arrive. But there is one other fishery that really gets going this month. Combining a scouting trip with an alpine lakes fishing trip is the ultimate hike. With hundreds of lakes to choose from it is time to grab that new gear and pack it up with some of your hunting optics, tents, food and fishing rods. This has been a family tradition for us since I was a kid and back then we didn’t even know that we were scouting for fall deer seasons. Now it seems every trip into a backcountry lake is a research trip for the High Hunt or October’s general season. Whether you stay low for salmon or head high to the mountains, or both, don’t let the lazy days of summer go by without getting outside. NS

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COLUMN

New scopes always need to be adjusted after they are mounted. A typical scope will adjust point of impact a quarter of an inch at 100 yards with each click on the adjustment knobs. (DAVE WORKMAN)

‘Quick Zero,’ And A Quick Reminder About Semiautos W

hether you like it or not, if you own a semiautomatic rifle, whether it’s a rimfire or a classic such as ON TARGET the Remington 7400, By Dave Workman Winchester Model 100 or Browning BAR, as of July 1 it falls within the state of Washington’s definition of a “semiautomatic assault rifle.” That’s only one of the dirty little surprises way too many gun owners didn’t understand when Initiative 1639 was on the

ballot last November. From now on, unless a federal lawsuit challenging some provisions of the gun control measure is successful, even your Ruger 10/22 and Marlin Model 60, and similar popular .22-caliber small game rifles, are all “assault rifles.” Parts of the initiative are being challenged in U.S. District Court in Tacoma, but a ruling may be a long time off, and whichever side loses will likely appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court in San Francisco. As defined on Page 27 of the initiative – you did read it and vote last November, right? – this is a new class of firearm that, according to Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie

Knezovich, never before existed. “‘Semiautomatic assault rifle’ means any rifle which utilizes a portion of the energy of a firing cartridge to extract the fired cartridge case and chamber the next round, and which requires a separate pull of the trigger to fire each cartridge,” the initiative states. And more recently the Brady gun control group is raising money to – you guessed it – ban assault weapons.

GETTING ON TARGET That little housekeeping business out of the way, let’s get on with something far

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COLUMN

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Say your initial hits through a new scope are low and left at 25 yards. Click up 16 clicks to move the point of impact 1 inch at 25 yards, either vertically or horizontally. (DAVE WORKMAN) more pleasant. We’ve talked about scopes and optics in recent editions, now let’s do a quick refresher course on how to zero a new rifle or a new scope on your favorite old rifle. After mounting your scope and getting the crosshairs as level horizontally and true vertically as is possible, head for the range with a supply of ammunition – the same loads you will be using this fall – a couple of sandbags and a spotting scope or binoculars. Place two targets, one at 25 yards and the other at 100 yards, making certain there’s a good backstop behind them. We’ll presume you’ve run an oily patch down the bore, so your first shot through a cold barrel will be the fouling shot. Take aim at the 25-yard target, holding on center, and squeeze one off. Wherever that pill punches a hole, take a long look at it. This will allow the barrel to cool off a bit and if you need to reposition the rifle, take care of it. For the second shot, zero on the same 142 Northwest Sportsman

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down, with each click of the appropriate knob for windage or elevation. That means four clicks to adjust 1 inch at 100 yards. However, at 25 yards, you’ve got to crank that knob four times to adjust for a quarter of an inch and 16 clicks to move a full inch. Got that? Let’s say your bullets struck an inch low and 2 inches to the left at 25 yards. Turn your elevation knob 16 clicks up and the windage knob 32 clicks to the right. Now fire that third shot. If you’re in the bull’s-eye – and you should be, or at least pretty darned close – it’s time to shift to the 100-yard target unless a fourth shot is necessary to fine-tune at close range. At 100 yards off a sandbag rest with a bag under the forend and another one under the buttstock for a firm base, once the rifle barrel is cooled, zero on the bull’seye and fire. Odds are you will be a bit high but in the bull or close to it. Now’s the time to remember you will shift your point of impact a quarter of an inch with each click of your adjustment knob. I zero my rifles about 2.5 inches high at 100 yards. With my loads, that lands them on the mark at 200 to 225 yards. Last fall, I shot a three-by-two mule deer in Central Washington’s Moses Coulee on a pal’s property. The buck was about 125 yards away and unbeknownst to me, the bullet knocked it flat but didn’t terminate. When I got to the buck to field dress it, the animal got up and I had to finish it off with a head shot from my .41 Magnum revolver.

HANDGUN PRACTICE

The next shots after adjusting your crosshairs should look like this. Then shift to a 100-yard target and fine-tune. (DAVE WORKMAN) point of aim as the first round, presumably the X-ring in the middle of your target. Fire that shot. If the second bullet hits the same spot as the first, now it’s time to do some quick math. A typical rifle scope adjusts a quarter of an inch at 100 yards right or left, up or

That brings us around to an important detail. If you carry a handgun while hunting, make sure you can hit something with it. If you pack a .22-caliber pistol for grouse or rabbits, make sure you can accurately hit a target at 25 yards. Normally shots on small game will be closer than that. I’ve got a Ruger MK IV semiauto with a bull barrel and adjustable sights. It is very accurate with 40-grain lead bullets, and that didn’t happen until I went through about half a box of cartridges. Now, my .41 Magnum is another

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COLUMN

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If you carry a handgun while hunting, spend time at the range to make sure you can hit what you’re shooting at. (DAVE WORKMAN)

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matter. This particular specimen has a 4-inch barrel. It’s a Smith & Wesson Model 57, and I keep it stoked with handloads consisting of 210-grain Nosler JHPs ahead of 20 grains of H110 powder over either a CCI large magnum primer or a Winchester large primer. Last month at the annual Elmer Keith Memorial long range handgun match outside of Spokane, I repeatedly hit a target at 120 yards with that gun and load combination, so bonking that buck at about 15 to 20 yards wasn’t much of a challenge. (There were witnesses.) I’ve killed two deer intentionally with handguns over the years, and last fall’s was something of a fluke. The rifle bullet, a 165-grainer out of a Savage bolt-action in .308 Winchester, sledged the critter but it turned zombie on me and essentially refused to croak. Don’t carry a gun that you can’t accurately shoot. NS

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COLUMN By training your dog this summer to deal with obstacles they may encounter on water retrieves, they’ll be better prepared to handle situations like this, where a wood duck drifted under some branches of a submerged log during duck hunting season. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

Next-level Water Training M

idsummer m e a n s sunshine, hot days and the perfect time to raise the bar when it comes to water training your GUN DOGGIN’ 101 dog in preparation for By Scott Haugen the hunting season. In prior columns I’ve addressed ways to introduce your pup to water, as well as basic water entry and training techniques. So this time, with hunting season fast approaching, we’ll take a look at stepping up your training game to make sure your dog is ready for water retrieves.

ONCE YOUR DOG is comfortable retrieving bumpers in calm water, increase the challenges. Prior to hunting season you

want your dog to be able to confidently navigate a range of conditions and situations, and in order to do this, it’s best to practice. A good starting point is in tall grass, especially with a pup that will be hunting for the first time this season. Grass that’s growing in water can tangle in a dog’s feet and feel uncomfortable at first. By tossing the bumper onto the edge of the tall grass, the dog can get a feeling for what it’s going to be like swimming through floating grass. Then, as the dog gets comfortable with the sparse grass on the edge, toss the bumper into thicker grass. Sometimes grass grows several feet tall, meaning the dog won’t be able to touch the bottom. Conversely, thick grass close to shore may be sprouting from a muddy bottom, even firm ground. Being

able to subject the dog to retrieving in grassy conditions with varied bottoms will help it get used to what it’s going to potentially encounter on the hunt.

IF RIVERS AND deep lakes will be on your waterfowl hunting itinerary, practice retrieves in these settings. Tossing a bumper into deep water will get your dog swimming strong, and in shape. But if you’ll be hunting in rivers where there’s a current, slowly introduce your dog to this. River flows can be dangerous, and do claim the lives of dogs every year. When it comes time to introducing your dog to retrieving in currents, start in mildflowing creeks, canals or small streams. Using a neoprene dog vest you’ll be hunting with is a good idea because it gets the dog used to the feel of it and adds buoyancy.

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COLUMN Don’t start in currents that swiftly sweep the bumper away and carry the dog 50 yards downstream before it can make the retrieve. Instead, toss the bumper into a gentle current, one where the dog can easily mark the moving bumper and hear your voice commands. As the dog grows comfortable with simple retrieves in moving water, progress to bigger currents. Here, the dog may rely on hand signals from you to help guide it to a bumper it loses sight of. Waves in river rapids and windy days on a lake can cover a bumper or a bird. It’s easy for you to see a bumper or duck while standing on shore, but remember, a dog’s eyes are only a couple inches above the water, and they may need help marking.

ANOTHER GOOD PRACTICE session is training on shorelines laden with sticks, logs and debris. Oftentimes on waterfowl hunts we find ourselves on banks that are thick with debris that have been blown in. These are good places to introduce your

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When bumper training in water, broaden summer training sessions to include retrieves in grass, reeds, rushes, and among sticks and logs. (SCOTT HAUGEN) dog to prior to the hunt, as the obstacles can loom large to them. Start simple and be sure to keep it safe. If your dog is struggling, you may need to get in with it and be playful and make it fun. Don’t force it, for your dog’s safety is the number one priority. Tossing a bumper into brush growing

at water’s edge is also a good idea. When hunting wood ducks or mallards in the timber, cripples can quickly escape into thick shoreline cover. Teaching your dog how to negotiate and plow through such obstacles is essential. Finally, if you have two dogs you plan on hunting with at the same time, train

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COLUMN If you plan on hunting with two dogs this fall, train and prepare them for that now to avoid dominance issues later. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

them together. Even if you have a dog and your hunting partner has a dog that you intend to hunt together, practice together and get your commands lined out. The dogs should get to know one another and establish a relationship. I’ve seen a number of hunts turn bad when one dog suddenly tries to establish dominance over another. Driven dogs can be very possessive when it comes to not only retrieving birds but also pleasing their master.

THIS SUMMER, TAKE advantage of the nice weather and get your dog some intense water training. It will be time well spent, your dog will be in better shape, and ultimately it will gain valued experience that will prepare it for hunting season. NS Editor’s note: To see some of Scott Haugen’s puppy training video tips, visit scotthaugen. com. Follow Scott on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

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HUNTING

With waterfowler numbers declining but high numbers of birds still available, author MD Johnson (left) has taken it upon himself to take prospective hunters under his wing, whether they be youngsters like his grandson Tristan, or older ones without relatives or friends to introduce them to the fields and marshes. (JULIA JOHNSON)

Mentoring Young ’Fowlers, Part I

In a call to action, one longtime Northwest duck and goose hunter shares how he’s working to recruit newbies into the sport to stem declining numbers. By MD Johnson

ust like many of you reading this, I too had a mentor. A flesh ’n bones instructor in all things waterfowl. Not a book, though there were those too. Not a YouTube video, DVD or, heaven forbid, a VHS tape, though – again – there were those too, and

some in abundance. No, I had a teacher. My father. Back then – 1972 – the thought never entered my mind that someone else might fill those shoes. And even further from my consciousness – and I’m not sure if an 8-year-old even has a consciousness, other than dinner and play, dinner and play –

was the concept of not having an instructor at all. But, and as you all know, things are different today. The folks don’t hunt, and it’s pretty much a sure bet the kids won’t either. Single dad. Single mom. Both working hard to pay the bills, so not only is time at a premium, but money’s tight too. nwsportsmanmag.com | JULY 2019

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HUNTING

Not everyone has access to gear manufacturers like the author, who was able to score license money, shells and loaner shotguns from friends in the industry for his project, but community members, clubs and businesses might just be willing to chip in to outfit mentored hunters. (JULIA JOHNSON)

Or maybe it’s Grandma and Grandpa pulling the duty as mother, father, and grandparents all. It is, indeed, a different world. Fewer people hunt in part because fewer people have teachers, folks possessing both

the knowledge and the willingness to train these future outdoorsmen and -women. And nowhere, it seems, is this decline in the hunting population more noticeable in recent years as it

While the “downward spiral” may not be reversible, what those like Johnson can do is “work to get new folks, especially young people who, hopefully, will invest 20 to 40 years into the sport.” He himself has better than four and a half decades into it. (TRAVIS SMITH, INSTAGRAM: @WICKED_WINGZ)

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is in the world of the waterfowler. According to a document prepared by Delta Waterfowl, “fewer people hunted ducks (in 2015) than in any year since 1962. That year, the number of active duck hunters in the United States dipped below one million for only the second time in the past 78 years. The 2015 tally of 998,600 active duck hunters in the United States is less than half of the 2.03 million (recorded) in 1970.” What makes this particular information interesting is not only the decline in hunter numbers, but the fact that in 2015, the Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey projected the duck population at a record high 49.5 million birds. A record high – and it was also the sixth straight year populations were estimated in excess of 45 million birds. And still, hunter numbers continued to drop. More birds. Fewer hunters. And fewer hunters teaching up-andcomers. Alarming variables in an even more concerning equation.

Keeping waterfowler numbers up ensures hunter dollars and government efforts are targeted towards improving habitat and managing for ducks and geese, providing bounteous harvests in perpetuity. (JULIA JOHNSON)

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reasons and/or theories behind the decline. We’ll save that for another time. However, let it suffice to say that these three factors – access, age and money – all play a significant role, if not the top three roles in the decline. Gaining access to waterfowl hunting property is a challenge to many, impossible to some. Public lands are crowded. Then there’s age. Attrition. I know at 55, I’m doing a lot less duck hunting than I did even five years ago. What’s it going to look like in another five? Another 10? And let’s face it, duck hunting is expensive, especially for someone new to the game. It reminds of the young man, a junior in high school, who expressed an interest in waterfowl hunting, and then asked, How much? When I told him it would cost roughly $100 when everything was said and done, he sheepishly bowed and said, “I just can’t afford that. And my dad probably won’t go for it either, not knowing whether I’m going to like it or not.”

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I can’t blame the boy. For a high school junior, $100 is a bunch. But, and again, this is best a story saved for another day. A long day. Is it all doom and gloom? Yes, and no. I can’t imagine this downward spiral ever reversing. I don’t think it can happen, not with access, age and money being what they are. What we, as active duck hunters, can do is to help maintain the numbers we currently do have, and, as best we’re able, work to get new folks, especially young people who, hopefully, will invest 20 to 40 years into the sport.

HOW DO WE do the latter? During the 2018-19 season, I set as my goal the mentoring of a handful of young waterfowlers. Thirty-some-odd years an outdoor writer, I had the stuff. What I needed – what these perspective waterfowlers needed – initially was money for licenses and paperwork. I know, I know, outdoor writers make bank. Are flush. Absolutely roll around in the green folding gear. Some might; I don’t, which is why I put the touch on Matthew Cagle, the owner of Rig ’Em Right Waterfowl. I’ve known Matthew for years, and I know one of his major focuses is getting people, especially nwsportsmanmag.com | JULY 2019

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young people, into waterfowling. So I wrote to Matthew, and told him I wanted to get a couple kids papered up to hunt this fall. I explained I had the gear – clothes, waders, decoys, blinds, shotguns, ammunition – but was looking for enough to cover two kids’ licenses and stamps. Love it, he told me. Check’s in the mail. And it was. Money. Done. Hold on. I know what you’re thinking. Sure, M.D., but you have an “in” with these outdoor folk. What about those of us who don’t have contacts in the industry? Yes, I am fortunate to know people like Matthew Cagle. A bunch of people, in fact, who are more than willing to lend many different types of support. Like Jason Gilbertson at Winchester. As I did Matthew, I wrote to Jason last summer explaining my mentoring plans, and asked him if he’d be so kind as to front me a couple cases of steel shot for my young charges to shoot up. Not a problem, he said, paused, and then asked, Are they shooting Winchester shotguns? Long story short, a brief time later I was picking up two loaner – emphasis on the word loaner – Browning A5s and a Winchester SX4. I loved ’em. The kids loved ’em. And Winchester/Browning gained new followers. Win-win, I would say. But back to my earlier comment. No, you might not have a plethora of contacts in the outdoor industry, all of them chomping at the bit to toss money, guns and gear in your direction for the purposes of working with young hunters. That’s OK. There’s plenty of individuals and organizations out there, many of whom will be happy to pony up for a project such as introducing young people to the world of waterfowling. How about a local sportsmen’s club? VFW or Lions Club? Rotary? Ducks Unlimited chapter? Delta Waterfowl? Never overlook private businesses and individuals either; in fact, I often start with them first. A logging outfit. Commercial fisherman. Outfitter and/or guide. Or, you and your 158 Northwest Sportsman

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HUNTING young ’fowler offer your services, i.e. your labor, to the community or individuals, the money going into a slush fund for the necessary paperwork. Mow lawns. Buck hay. Split and stack firewood. Run errands. You know – work. The bottom line is money is out there and available.

“This is very important,” says Johnson of doing all we can to get more hunters afield, and not only that but giving them the knowledge to be successful. (JULIA JOHNSON)

NOW, GEAR. LET’S be honest. I don’t know any duck hunter over the age of 40 – OK, maybe today that’s 30 – who doesn’t have duplicates or triplicates of anything and everything. With few exceptions, having ample gear for both you and your hunter shouldn’t really be a problem. If you have enough for one, you generally have enough for two. Or three. Where you may run into issues are with items like layout blinds, waders and clothing built to fit the new hunter in question. In the case of blinds, I’d suggest borrowing until such a time as you determine a true need for multiple units. If and when that occurs, used layout blinds a’plenty can be found on the internet, many at extremely good prices. Same with waders, though I’d add to those potential sources of discovery events such as garage sales and flea markets. As for clothing, it’s important to remember that waterfowl hunting and fashion show aren’t, generally speaking, synonymous terms. Doesn’t have to be fancy. Doesn’t have to be pretty. Doesn’t have to spendy or trendy or worthy of a magazine cover. It does, however, have to be warm, if applicable, comfortable and, perhaps most significantly, keep the wearer dry. Chances are good your hunter will have under- and midlayers on hand; if not, it’s a simple and inexpensive matter to get these secondhand via garage sale, flea market or thrift store. What he or she might be missing is outerwear, i.e. rain gear, parka, head gear, suitable gloves. My guess? You have rain gear that will work in a pinch, or even something that will work perfectly. Again, nothing fancy; camouflage, preferably, though depending upon 160 Northwest Sportsman

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the situation – say, a layout blind – camouflage might be secondary to staying dry, if necessary at all.

IF YOU’RE ENTERTAINING the thought of being a waterfowl mentor, I’m willing to bet you already possess all the gear needed for this person or persons. Paperwork? I’ll admit; I’m fortunate to have the contacts I have in the industry who are willing to financially support efforts such as these. If a time comes, however, when these sources aren’t available, then Julie and I will donate the money, i.e. the licenses,

ourselves. If it’s important, you’ll find a way. And this is very important. Next month in Part II of Mentoring Young ’Fowlers, we’ll take a closer look at the specifics of showing this next generation of waterfowlers the way. Sure, it might seem as easy as 1) give ’em a gun, 2) remind ’em to be safe, and 3) take ’em hunting. But there is just a little more involved than that. Believe it or not, there’s a right way and several not-so-right ways to guide these nimrods as they take their first steps into the wonderful world of the waterfowl hunter. NS

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BACK PAGE

Watching Your Honey Cast By Dennis Dauble

hen the sun sank low, Nancy grabbed her fly rod from the back porch of the cabin and headed to the river. I waited a few minutes before following, but did not bring my rod, thinking I would sit on a rock and watch instead. “Any luck?” I asked as I approached. “I’m having babies hit it,” Nancy replied. “Saw a nice one flip, though.” A critical eye and honest opinion can get you in trouble, but I kept my thoughts to myself, remembering an earlier occasion when I coached how to mend her line. As I recall, the evening went downhill from there. Nancy doesn’t like anyone telling her what to do. Blame it on how she was raised. Either that or it’s in her genes. Whatever the reason, it’s a fact. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard her say, “Don’t tell me what to do.”

(RONALD REED)

to catch me in the act of “telling.” While sitting on a comfortable rock trying to mind my own business, I noticed that she failed to set the hook when her cream-colored No. 14 PMD slipped below the surface and a trout flashed next to it. There we go, another missed strike, I thought. A trout pretty much needs to swallow the fly before some people notice. About then, Nancy hooked a chunky 8-incher, laughing as she reeled it in. “Look! There’s another trout chasing it!” she yelled.

“Anyone who wanders over to the river without a fly rod is not very smart.” I know this, but after 40-plus years of marriage I still can’t help offer advice. Like when I observe several bad casts in a row. Or when she throws to the wrong spot or the same spot too long (either approach is a waste of time). It’s not like I say “Don’t do that” or “What the heck are you thinking?” I try to be diplomatic. More like, “Have you tried the other spot?” Or, “It looks good over there.” Of course none of these ploys work to my advantage. It’s almost as if Nancy waits 164 Northwest Sportsman

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After reeling in a third small trout Nancy sensed my eagerness for a try at the rod. Admittedly, I secretly hoped to get in a cast (or 10). I’ve never been good at pretending otherwise. However, I didn’t want to “horn in” on her spot or take a fish she might otherwise catch. My patience was eventually rewarded. Nancy stepped back from the shoreline, pointed her rod my direction and asked if I wanted to have a go at it. “Sure, thanks,” I replied, trying to hide my eagerness.

That’s when she pulled the rod back and said, “Forget it. Go get your own rod if you want to fish.” You’d think I could take what I give out on a regular basis, but it’s not so easy when the shoe is on the other foot. The truth was I badly wanted to catch a fish after sitting a spell, watching trout chase Nancy’s fly, and trying to keep my mouth shut, although not always successful at the latter. “Anyone who wanders over to the river without a fly rod is not very smart,” Nancy said with a Cheshire cat grin. “You don’t need to be such a bad sport, though. I was only joking. But remember that I’m the only one who would give up my rod to let you have a try.” Fair enough, I thought. Lesson learned. I grabbed her rod before she changed her mind and worked my way upstream to the head of the pool where she had failed to place a fly. Three casts later I was fast into a 6-incher that jumped twice before it tossed the hook. NS Editor’s note: This story is an excerpt from author Dennis Dauble’s latest collection of short stories, Bury Me With My Fly Rod. The Unvarnished Truth About Fly Fishing. It’s available from KeokeeBooks.com, Amazon, and DennisDaubleBooks.com.

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