Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
Sorted by date Results 126 - 150 of 288
OLYMPIA – State shellfish managers closed the recreational crab fisheries inside Willapa Bay effective immediately due to elevated marine toxin levels. The rest of Washington’s coastal areas, including Grays Harbor, remain open for sport crab fishing, said Dan Ayres, coastal shellfish manager for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). “Test results indicate crabs elsewhere on the coast are safe to eat,” Ayres said. “We’ll continue monitoring for marine toxins in Willapa Bay... Full story
OLYMPIA – The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is offering anglers opportunities for tight lines rather than long lines on the day after Thanksgiving. The “holiday specials” include thousands of large trout averaging 15 to 16 inches in length and weighing 1-1/4 pounds. The Department is currently preparing to stock lakes in southwest and western Washington in time for Black Friday, Nov. 27. In eastern Washington, thousands of smaller trout stocked in lakes last year should have... Full story
OLYMPIA – With some 125,000 trout scheduled for stocking in western Washington lakes, area anglers should have an excellent chance at phenomenal fishing this fall and through the holiday season. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) will stock 44 western Washington lakes with catchable-size trout this fall. “Fishing at lakes throughout the region should be great over the next few months,” said Larry Phillips, WDFW’s inland fish program manager. “Most of the trout are 11 to 13... Full story
OLYMPIA—The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) will offer a hunter education class for women and girls Nov. 1 in Black Diamond. The class, the first of its kind offered by WDFW specifically for females, is a field skills evaluation for those who have previously completed the online hunter education course. The field skills class will take place Nov. 1, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Black Diamond Gun Club, 34862 Enumclaw-Black Diamond Rd, in Black Diamond. “We are seeing more women par... Full story
OLYMPIA – Salmon fishing in Grays Harbor and its tributaries will close Monday, Oct. 26, to help protect wild coho salmon, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced today. The early closures include sport and commercial salmon fisheries within Grays Harbor and recreational salmon fishing in all tributaries of the harbor. Recreational salmon fishing was scheduled to run through Jan. 31 in most of the affected fisheries. Catch data suggests the return of coho is s... Full story
OLYMPIA - The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission today voted to reject a petition by several environmental organizations to rescind a decision made earlier this year to increase harvest levels for cougars in areas of the state with confirmed wolf packs. Commissioners voted 7-1 to reject an immediate revocation of the new harvest guidelines, but made a commitment to revisit the issue next spring before setting hunting seasons for 2016 and 2017. The commission is a citizen panel appointed by... Full story
OLYMPIA - The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is seeking nominations through Sept. 15 for membership on its advisory group for salmon management in Willapa Bay. The advisory group consists of up to 12 members. The group advises WDFW on policy issues associated with conservation and management of salmon stocks in the Willapa Bay watershed. While the advisory group will primarily discuss salmon management, it will also advise the department on issues associated with steelhead... Full story
OLYMPIA - Anglers fishing in ocean waters off Neah Bay will be allowed to keep one chinook daily beginning Friday, Aug. 21, state fishery managers announced today. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) closed Marine Area 4 (Neah Bay) to chinook retention earlier this summer when the catch of chinook salmon was expected to reach the harvest guideline for the area. But catch rates dropped in the final days, allowing WDFW to reopen the area to chinook retention Aug. 14 and 15, said... Full story
Actions: Close the Columbia River to sockeye retention from Rocky Reach Dam to Chief Joseph Dam. Effective date: One hour after official sunset on July 26, 2015. Species affected: Sockeye salmon Location: From Rocky Reach Dam upstream to Chief Joseph Dam. Reason for action: Elevated water temperatures in the Columbia River have resulted in higher-than-expected mortalities of sockeye salmon returning to the Okanogan River. Fish destined to return to the Okanogan River are staging in the Columbia... Full story
OLYMPIA – State fishery managers are working to minimize the effects of drought on fish at hatcheries across Washington state. More than a dozen of the 83 fish hatcheries operated by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) are experiencing low water levels or high water temperatures as a result of this year’s drought. Those conditions increase the likelihood of disease and can be fatal for fish. “We’ve lost about 1.5 million juvenile fish this year due to drought conditions at our... Full story
Action: Close chinook retention in the Tulalip Bubble fishery. Effective Date: 12:01 a.m. July 31, 2015, until further notice. Species affected: Chinook. Location: Waters west of Tulalip Bay and within 2,000 feet of shore from the pilings at Old Bower's Resort, to a fishing boundary marker approximately 1.4 miles northwest of Hermosa Point. Reason for action: Chinook brood stock collection efforts at the Tulalip and Wallace River Hatchery are well behind the goal. The closure of the chinook... Full story
OLYMPIA—Hunters may need to consider alternative locations for their traditional hunts this year because of drought- and fire-related access restrictions on Washington’s public and private lands. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) officials say hunters should confirm before heading into the field that they will have access to their preferred locations for hunting big and small game, including bear, deer and upland birds. The fall black bear season opens Aug. 1 or 15 in some gam... Full story
Action: Closes the Sol Duc, Bogachiel, Calawah, and Dickey rivers and upper 475 yards of the Quillayute River to all fishing. Effective date: Aug. 1, 2015, until further notice. Species affected: All species. Location: The Dickey River, Sol Duc River, Calawah River, Bogachiel River and the Quillayute River from the confluence of the Sol Duc and Bogachiel Rivers downstream 475 yards to fluorescent orange paint on rocks. Reason for action: Low water and higher than normal water temperatures are... Full story
OLYMPIA – Anglers must release any chinook salmon they catch in ocean waters off Neah Bay beginning Sunday, Aug. 2, state fishery managers announced today. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) estimates that anglers will meet the chinook harvest guideline by the end of the day Aug. 1 in the section of Neah Bay that is west of the Bonilla-Tatoosh line. The section east of the line is already scheduled to close to chinook retention at the end of the day July 31. Last week, the d... Full story
Action: Lake Wenatchee opens for sockeye salmon fishing. Effective date: July 30, 2015 (one hour before official sunrise). Species affected: Sockeye salmon. Daily limit: The daily limit per angler is 4 sockeye, minimum size of 12 inches. Location: Lake Wenatchee (Chelan Co.). Reason for action: Based on current passage over Tumwater Dam, at least 30,000 sockeye are projected to enter into Lake Wenatchee. This provides at least 7,000 sockeye for harvest above the natural spawning escapement goal... Full story
OLYMPIA — The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission will conduct a public hearing and take action on proposed 2015-16 migratory waterfowl hunting seasons during a public meeting Aug. 7-8 in Olympia. The commission will also receive briefings on a variety of other management issues, including the implementation of the Statewide Steelhead Management Plan and a report that provides an overview of threats to steelhead populations and the management actions designed to address those threats. The c... Full story
Action: Closes the Sol Duc, Bogachiel, Calawah, and Dickey rivers and all their tributaries, and upper 475 yards of the Quillayute River to all fishing. Effective date: Aug. 1, 2015, until further notice. Species affected: All species. Location: The Dickey River, Sol Duc River, Calawah River, Bogachiel River and all tributaries. The Quillayute River from the confluence of the Sol Duc and Bogachiel Rivers downstream 475 yards to fluorescent orange paint on rocks. Reason for action: Low water and... Full story
Summer fisheries are now in full swing, providing some of the best fishing opportunities of the year. Washingtonians are reeling in salmon off the coast, pulling up pots full of crab in Puget Sound, and casting for trout in alpine lakes on both sides of the Cascades. Also this month, hunters will take to the field to hunt for black bear in the first big-game hunt of the season. Many others will also be out scouting hunting areas to prepare for deer and elk seasons beginning in September.... Full story
It doesn’t take much looking across the state this month to see huge aggregations of birds – this year’s production of many migrant species that are gathering now and will be moving south soon. Some of the most obvious are swallows, which readily collect on power and telephone lines along roads in open areas where they’re swooping after insects. Earlier this summer our Snohomish Basin area habitat biologist Jamie Bails especially noticed a particular nesting colony of cliff swallows, one of... Full story
OLYMPIA - State shellfish managers today doubled the area of Washington's coast closed to crab fishing after finding elevated levels of marine toxins in crab tested north to the Queets River. Effective immediately, recreational and commercial crab fishing is prohibited in 45 miles of coastal waters from Point Chehalis to the Queets River, expanding on a closure in effect since early June that extends 45 miles south to the Columbia River. Dan Ayres, coastal shellfish manager for the Washington... Full story
Action: Methow River closed daily to fishing from 2 p.m. to midnight. Effective date: Aug. 5, 2015, until further notice. Species affected: All species. Location: The Methow River (Okanogan County) from County Road 1535 Bridge (lower Burma Road) upstream to Weeman Bridge (8 miles upstream of Winthrop). Reason for action: Afternoon water temperatures in the Methow River are approaching the upper limit for survival of trout. The Methow River receives significant fishing pressure during the summer.... Full story
Action: Fishing for salmon is closed south and west of a line from Foulweather Bluff to Olele Point to the Hood Canal Bridge within Marine Catch Area 9 (Admiralty Inlet), except angling for salmon from shore is allowed from the Hood Canal Bridge to the northern boundary of Salsbury Point Park. Effective Date: Aug. 6 through Aug. 15, 2015. Species affected: Coho and pink salmon. Location: Waters south and west of a line from Foulweather Bluff to Olele Point to the Hood Canal Bridge in Marine... Full story
OLYMPIA – State fishery managers are seeking public comments on proposed sportfishing rules for the freshwater areas of Puget Sound and the Washington coast. As part of that effort, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has scheduled four meetings to discuss rules proposed for the 2016 season with the public. All but one of the proposals is specific to the rivers and lakes of the Puget Sound and coastal regions. The exception is a proposal for the lower Columbia River that was h... Full story
Action: Closes to all fishing the Clearwater River (Jefferson Co.) and its tributaries, and all tributaries to the Queets River, including the Salmon River outside Olympic National Park and the Quinault Indian Reservation. Effective date: Aug. 10, 2015, until further notice. Species affected: All species. Location: In west Jefferson County, the Clearwater River and its tributaries, and tributaries of the Queets River (Matheny Creek and the Salmon River outside Olympic National Park and the... Full story
Action: Closes Black River within Grays Harbor and Thurston counties. Effective Dates: Aug. 12, 2015 until further notice. Species affected: All species. Location: Black River from the mouth upstream to Black Lake. Reason for action: Low stream flows, increased water temperatures, and higher potential encounter rates subject these fish to stress, injury, or death. Information Contact: Chad Herring, Region 6 Area Biologist 360-249 -1299. Fishers must have a current Washington fishing license,... Full story
