Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
Sorted by date Results 176 - 200 of 288
Action: Change size restrictions and daily bag limits on rainbow trout; add increased limit on brook trout. Effective dates: July 18, 2015, until further notice. Species affected: Rainbow trout and brook trout. Location: Ross Lake (Whatcom County) Size and daily limits: Rainbow trout, one fish per day, minimum size 16 inches. Brook trout, five fish per day, no minimum size. Reasons for action: Recruitment of rainbow trout has been poor in recent years. Rainbows are growing faster than in the... Full story
OLYMPIA – The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) will close sturgeon fishing on portions of the Columbia and Snake rivers under temporary rules to reduce stress on the fish caused by low, warm water conditions. The closure takes effect Saturday, July 18, and applies from Bonneville Dam upstream in the Columbia River, the lower Snake River, and adjacent tributaries. All sturgeon fishing, including catch-and-release, will be prohibited in those waters until further notice. In a meet... Full story
OLYMPIA – State fishery managers are closing or restricting fishing on more than 30 rivers throughout Washington to help protect fish in areas where drought conditions have reduced flows and increased water temperatures. The closures and restrictions take effect Saturday (July 18) at 12:01 a.m. The changes will remain in effect until further notice. Fishing will be closed in some waters, and limited in others each day to the hours between midnight and 2 p.m. These “hoot-owl” restrictions will... Full story
Action: Close the northern nearshore recreational halibut fishery in Marine Area 2 (Westport-Ocean Shores) at the end of the day, Sunday, July 19. The nearshore area extends from the Queets River (47º31.70’N. latitude) south to (46º58.00’N. latitude) and east of a line approximating the 30 fathom depth contour as defined by the following coordinates. 47 º 31.70 N. lat, 124 º 37.03 W. long 47 º 25.67 N. lat, 124 º 34.79 W. long 47 º 12.82 N. lat, 124 º 29.12 W. long 46 º 58.00 N. lat, 124 º 2... Full story
VANCOUVER, Wash. – The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) will host a public meeting July 30 to discuss salmon-management policies on the Kalama and Washougal rivers. The meeting is scheduled 6-8 p.m. at WDFW’s Region 5 Office, 2108 Grand Blvd., in Vancouver. Cindy LeFleur, WDFW regional fish manager, said fishery managers want to talk with anglers and others who attend the meeting about ways to implement hatchery reform actions designed to support the recovery of wild salmon and... Full story
SPOKANE – The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) public access site on the southwest end of Sprague Lake in Adams County will be closed to all entry July 27-Sept. 7 for a construction project to improve boat-launching and parking facilities. During the closure, a contractor will install a floating dock for loading and unloading boats in the launch area, and make improvements to the parking lot consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act, said Josh Harmon, WDFW n... Full story
OLYMPIA – State fishery managers will host four public meetings in late July to discuss plans to treat several lakes and a stream in eastern Washington with rotenone, a naturally occurring pesticide commonly used to remove undesirable and illegally stocked fish species from lakes and streams. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is proposing to treat No Name Lake in Pend Oreille County; Williams and Badger lakes in Spokane County; and Green and Lower (Little) Green lakes, Rat La... Full story
OLYMPIA – Beginning Friday, July 24, anglers fishing ocean waters off La Push and Neah Bay will be restricted to one chinook per day as part of their daily limit of two salmon to increase the likelihood of providing a season-long fishery. Anglers fishing those waters have been allowed to retain two chinook per day since June 13. High catch rates for chinook off the northern coast have prompted this change, said Doug Milward, ocean salmon manager for the Washington Department of Fish and W... Full story
OLYMPIA – The recreational chinook salmon fishery in Marine Area 9 (Admiralty Inlet) will close at the end of the day, Sunday, July 26, when state fishery managers expect the catch quota to be met. Fishing for coho and pink salmon in Marine Area 9 will remain open but all chinook must be released. The daily limit for the area will be two salmon plus two additional pink salmon. Anglers fishing from the Edmonds Fishing Pier can still retain chinook. “Anglers have been doing well since the fis... Full story
OLYMPIA – The early arrival of coho salmon in the lower Columbia River has prompted state fishery managers to clarify a fishing regulation issued earlier this month. A new rule issued today specifically states that anglers must release any coho caught in waters currently open to salmon fishing from the Astoria-Megler Bridge to a point nearly 300 miles upstream on the Columbia River. The new rule takes effect immediately and will expire Aug. 1, when the fall fishing season gets under way, said R... Full story
Action: White Salmon River anglers will be allowed to fish for hatchery spring chinook from the county bridge below the former power house upstream to the Northwestern Road Bridge beginning May 23. Species affected: Chinook Effective dates: May 23 through July 31, 2015 Location: (Big) White Salmon River (Skamania/Klickitat Co.) from the county road bridge located below the former power house upstream to the Northwestern Road Bridge. Daily limits: Through June 30, the daily limit is two hatchery... Full story
Action: Closes Kress Lake to fishing by the public for two days. Effective Dates: May 22 - 12:01 a.m.: Entire lake closed to public fishing May 23: Lake closed to public fishing until 6 p.m., but open for juvenile anglers participating in the Safety Day Event from 10 a.m. through 3 p.m. Location: Kress Lake is located near Kalama, Washington in Cowlitz County. Kress Lake is owned by The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Reason for action: Closing the lake to public fishing is... Full story
Action: Close the recreational halibut fishery in Marine Area 2 (Westport-Ocean Shores), except that halibut fishing is allowed in the northern nearshore area from the Queets River (47º31.70'N. latitude) south to 46º58.00'N. latitude and east of a line approximating the 30 fathom depth contour as defined by the following coordinates until further notice. 47 º 31.70 N. lat, 124 º 37.03 W. long 47 º 25.67 N. lat, 124 º 34.79 W. long 47 º 12.82 N. lat, 124 º 29.12 W. long 46 º 58.00 N. lat, 124 º 2... Full story
Action: The hatchery steelhead daily limit will be increased to 3 fish. Up to two hatchery adult spring chinook may be kept as part of the daily limit for salmon on the upper Klickitat River. Effective dates: June 1 until further notice Species affected: Salmon and trout, including hatchery steelhead Locations: Lower Klickitat River from the mouth upstream to the Fisher Hill Bridge (located approximately 3 miles upstream from the mouth); Upper Klickitat River from 400 feet upstream from #5... Full story
OLYMPIA-Dedicated volunteers carried 35 pound backpacks with gallons of water and thousands of delicate trout fry miles up steep trails to stock mountain lakes year after year. Another group traversed Washington's marine areas and coastlines to provide scientific data and analysis on species ranging from porpoises to puffins. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) recognized the contributions of these organizations and other top volunteers and landowners during its 2015 citizen... Full story
Effective dates: 12:01 a.m. June 3 through June 6, 2015. The lake is open for anglers participating in the Kids Fishing event June 6 from 6 a.m. through 12:00 p.m. Only youth anglers will be allowed to fish after the event for the remainder of the day. Species affected: All game fish. Location: Heart Lake, located within the city limits of Anacortes in Skagit County. Reasons for action: This rule change is necessary to ensure a successful Kids Fishing event. The fish will be stocked in the lake... Full story
Effective date: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Wednesday, June 24, 2015. Species affected: All shrimp species including spot shrimp. Location: Marine Areas 8-1 and 8-2. Reason for action: In Marine areas 8-1 and 8-2 insufficient quota remains for a standard full day of fishing, so the opening has been modified to take the small amount of remaining quota. This is an experimental opening to determine if smaller amounts of quota can be targeted and harvested by the recreational fishery. Other information:... Full story
Effective dates: June 3, 2015, until further notice. Species affected: White sturgeon Location: The Columbia River and tributaries from The John Day Dam upstream to McNary (The John Day Reservoir). Reason for action: The harvest guideline of 500 fish is expected to be reached. Other information: Catch-and-release fishing for sturgeon will continue to be allowed except for no sturgeon angling is allowed in the sanctuary. The John Day Pool spawning sanctuary is in place. The area from the... Full story
OLYMPIA - Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) fish managers will release "early winter" hatchery steelhead into inland lakes again this year, now that federal fisheries officials have decided to conduct a full-scale environmental impact analysis of all Puget Sound hatchery steelhead programs. WDFW leaders announced the action after learning that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has decided to develop an environmental impact statement (EIS) to evaluate the effects of... Full story
Washington's backyard wildlife enthusiasts have long known that "snags" or dead and dying trees are valuable for lots of species, providing meals for insectivorous birds, nesting cavities for owls and squirrels, and much more. As long as a snag doesn't pose a safety hazard for people and property, it's an enviable backyard wildlife sanctuary feature, a veritable "animal inn". Over 1,200 wildlife species in North America rely on dead, dying, or hollow trees for dens, roost areas, and feeding... Full story
Some of Washington’s most popular fishing opportunities are available for anglers in the coming weeks, including trout in hundreds of rivers, crab in south Puget Sound, and chinook salmon in the Columbia River and in ocean waters along the coast. Sound like fun? Prospective anglers who are interested in fishing but don’t have a fishing license can get in on the action during Free Fishing Weekend, scheduled June 6-7. During those two days, no license will be required to fish or gather shellfish i... Full story
Actions: Implements a new salmon fishery management area in the Columbia River near the mouth of the Yakima River in the Tri-cities. Implements protective salmon daily limits in the new management area, while providing more liberal daily limits in the remainder of the Hanford Reach upstream. Effective date: June 16 through Aug. 15, 2015 Species affected: Chinook and sockeye salmon Area 1: Columbia River from Hwy. 395 Bridge at Pasco to the Interstate 182 Bridge at Richland near Columbia Point... Full story
VANCOUVER - Children with disabilities will have a chance to reel in some big trout during a special fishing event July 11 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Merwin Fish Hatchery, east of Woodland. More than 100 young people and their families are expected to turn out for the 17th annual Merwin Special Kids Day, sponsored by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), Pacific Power and GoPAW. Sponsors ask that participants be pre-registered by June 30, by calling 1-800-899-4421. Prior to... Full story
OLYMPIA – Starting Wednesday (June 3), the catch limit for spring chinook salmon will increase to two adult fish per day for Columbia River anglers fishing from the estuary to a point 300 miles upstream. With two weeks remaining in the popular fishery, resource managers from Washington and Oregon today agreed to increase the daily catch limit for hatchery adult spring chinook from one to two. The new rule will allow anglers to catch and keep up to two hatchery chinook salmon, or two hatchery s... Full story
Effective date: Immediately Species affected: Pacific halibut Location: Marine Area 1 Reason for action: The Marine Area 1 recreational halibut fishery has taken the Pacific halibut quota set aside for the all-depth fishery. There is not enough quota remaining for another day. There is sufficient quota set aside to allow fishing in the Marine Area 1 Nearshore Area until further notice. This rule conforms to federal action taken by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the... Full story
