Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
Sorted by date Results 201 - 225 of 263
OLYMPIA - The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) will host meetings in June to discuss plans to survey public and private beaches around south Puget Sound for forage fish habitat. The surveys are designed to determine where and when forage fish, such as surf smelt and Pacific sand lance, spawn in southern Puget Sound, said Phillip Dionne, WDFW research scientist. "Forage fish play a critical role in the food web, providing nutrients for marine mammals, seabirds, salmon and even...
OLYMPIA – With summer approaching, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is reminding recreational boaters to give killer whales and other marine mammals a wide berth. State and federal law requires boaters to stay at least 200 yards away from southern resident orcas and to avoid positioning their vessels in the path of oncoming whales. Boaters who inadvertently find themselves in violation of the 200 yard proximity are required to stop immediately and allow the whale to pass. These regulations apply to a variety of small w... Full story
Action: Closes Heart Lake to fishing by the public. Effective dates: 12:01 a.m. June 4 through 11:59 p.m. June 7, 2014. The lake is open for anglers participating in the Kids Fishing event June 7 from 6 a.m. through 12 p.m. Species affected: All game fish. Location: Heart Lake, located within the city limits of Anacortes in Skagit Co. Reasons for action: This rule change is necessary to assure a successful Kids Fishing event. The fish will be planted in the lake two days prior to the event to be...
OLYMPIA – Clam diggers will have one last chance to dig razor clams this season during a final opening set to begin May 27. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) approved the digs after marine toxin tests showed the clams are safe to eat. No digging will be allowed at any beach after noon. “These last digs will wrap up an excellent razor clam season during which diggers have been getting their limits with lots of big clams,” said Dan Ayres, WDFW shellfish manager. “These dates w...
Actions: Open salmon fishing on the Icicle River (Chelan Co.). Daily limit: Daily limit two adipose fin clipped spring chinook (adult or jack), minimum size 12 inches. Species affected: Hatchery adipose fin clipped spring chinook salmon. Location: Icicle River, from the closure signs located 800 feet upstream of the mouth to 500 feet downstream of the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery Barrier Dam. Effective dates: May 23, 2014 through July 31, 2014. Reason for action: In-season run analysis...
OLYMPIA – Spring chinook salmon fisheries on two sections of the Snake River will close for the season after four more days of fishing in each area. Fishing for spring chinook in the Clarkston area continues today (May 22) and will close an hour past sunset on Sunday (May 25). Below Lower Granite Dam, fishing for spring chinook will be open from Saturday (May 24) until an hour past sunset on Tuesday (May 27). By then, the catch of spring chinook salmon is expected to reach the harvest a...
OLYMPIA - From now through July 20, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is offering current freshwater or saltwater fishing license holders the opportunity to upgrade to a combination license for under $27. The upgrade will give those anglers all the fishing privileges of a combination license at the cost they would have paid if they had purchased one in the first place, said Bill Joplin, WDFW licensing manager. Freshwater fishing license holders can purchase an upgrade to a...
OLYMPIA - The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) today announced summer crab-fishing seasons for Puget Sound, starting June 1 with an early opening in Marine Area 13 south of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Most other areas of the Sound will open for recreational crab fishing July 1, although two areas around the San Juan Islands open later in summer to protect molting crab. Seasons for the upcoming fishery are posted on WDFW's website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/shellfish/crab/ . Ri...
VANCOUVER – Children with disabilities will have a chance to reel in some big trout during a special fishing event July 12 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 16th annual Merwin Special Kids Day, sponsored by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), Pacific Power, GoPAW and PacifiCorp Energy. Sponsors ask that participants be pre-registered by June 30, by calling 1... Full story
OLYMPIA - Each year, thousands of Washingtonians go fishing - legally - without a license. How? By taking advantage of 'Free Fishing Weekend,' scheduled for June 7-8. During those two days, no license will be required to fish or gather shellfish in any waters open to fishing in Washington state. Also, no vehicle access pass or Discover Pass will be required during Free Fishing Weekend to park at any of the nearly 700 water-access sites maintained by the Washington Department of Fish and...
OLYMPIA - Starting Saturday, May 31, anglers will get two more weeks to catch hatchery-reared spring chinook salmon and steelhead in waters of the Columbia River stretching more than 160 miles upriver from Bonneville Dam. Recreational fishing closed in that area May 9, but fishery managers from Washington and Oregon approved an extension through June 15 after transferring a portion of the upriver spring chinook allocation from the ongoing fishery below Bonneville Dam. That reallocation of 750...
Action: Open the closed waters section on Rufus Woods Lake to recreational fishing. Effective Date: April 15, 2014 until further notice. Species affected: All species Location: From Grand Coulee Dam downstream to the State Route 155 Bridge. Reason for action: Following the events of Sept. 11, 2001, this section of Rufus Woods Lake was closed to public access and recreational fishing for security purposes. Public access has recently been restored, and recreational fishing will now be permitted. T... Full story
OLYMPIA - Washington's remarkable razor clam season continues as state shellfish managers plan to add digs in late-April and early May. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced a tentative schedule of new digs in light of updated harvest estimates that show a sufficient number of clams to support the additional openings. "This has been a great year for razor clams," said Dan Ayres, WDFW shellfish manager. "Clams this year have been bigger than average and abundant enough t... Full story
OLYMPIA - The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced today it has reached an agreement with the Wild Fish Conservancy that will stop litigation against the department over its Puget Sound hatchery programs for 2½ years and permit the release of hatchery steelhead this spring into the Skykomish River. No early winter steelhead will be released into other Puget Sound rivers in 2014. The agreement is reflected in a federal court consent decree signed by WDFW Director Phil Anderson and Conservancy Executive Director Kurt... Full story
WASHINGTON, D. C., April 28, 2014 –Employees from across all sectors of the U.S. recreational boating industry are gathering on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on May 5-7, 2014 during the annual American Boating Congress (ABC) to advocate on behalf of the industry’s 338,000 workers and 88 million boaters. With the unofficial start to boating season about a month away on Memorial Day weekend, ABC gives members of the U.S. recreational boating industry a timely platform to meet with leg... Full story
OLYMPIA - Anglers and hunters can check out the latest regulations for fishing and big game hunting in new pamphlets arriving now in sporting goods stores throughout the state. The pamphlets, compiled by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, detail state rules for upcoming fishing and hunting seasons for species ranging from steelhead trout to Roosevelt elk. Both pamphlets already are available on WDFW's website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/ . State fishery managers are extending the fishing... Full story
Trout fishing is off and running at hundreds of lakes across the state, as spring chinook salmon continue to push into fishing areas higher and higher up the Columbia River Basin. In marine waters, fishing seasons for spot shrimp and halibut are set to open on various dates this month, when more razor-clam digs will be scheduled on coastal beaches. With new fishing opportunities opening throughout the state, May is a great time to go fishing, said Joe Hymer, a fish biologist for the Washington...
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congress is moving forward quickly to revise the federal act that governs our nation’s marine resources. The sportfishing and boating industries, along with recreational saltwater anglers, are stepping up efforts to ensure that their economic, social and conservation priorities are well represented. As the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act reauthorization advances on Capitol Hill, Bass Pro Shops Founder Johnny Morris and Maverick Boats President Sco... Full story
OLYMPIA - The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission will consider adopting proposed changes to state hunting rules for deer, elk, moose and other game species during a public meeting April 11-12 in Olympia. The commission, which sets policy for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), will convene at 8:30 a.m. each day in Room 172 of the Natural Resources Building on the state capitol campus at 1111 Washington St. S.E. An agenda for the meeting is available on the commission's we... Full story
For many anglers, "opening day" is synonymous with the start of the lowland lakes trout-fishing season, which gets under way April 26 this year. Hundreds of thousands of Washingtonians typically descend on trout-stocked lakes to kick off the state's biggest outdoor event. To prepare for the upcoming season, hatchery crews from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) have been working since last year to stock more than 16 million fish in hundreds of lakes throughout the state.... Full story
The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP) is seeking a talented and passionate individual, who is committed to fish and wildlife conservation, to join our Western team as the TRCP Arizona Field Representative. The successful applicant will participate as a member of the “TRCP Center for Western Lands” field team. TRCP’s Center for Western Lands primarily focuses on wildlife conservation policy and land use policy on public lands throughout the Western U.S. Field repre... Full story
While the National Park Service is being forced to turn visitors away due to a government shutdown, Maricopa County’s regional park system is welcoming individuals seeking recreational experiences in the Sonoran Desert. “While the folks in Washington remain at odds, we’re doing our jobs and will continue to remain open to the public. Not only are we here to provide services to our regular visitors, we’re also here to serve visitors who have been displaced by the shutdown of the National Park Se... Full story
OLYMPIA - To help ensure spawning goals and management objectives are met for wild chinook salmon, anglers will be required to release all chinook beginning Sept. 22 in Grays Harbor Area 2-2 (east of the buoy 13 line) where the fishery will close for nearly a week the following day (Sept. 23). The salmon fishery will reopen Sept. 29 with a daily limit of three salmon, but anglers will be required to release all chinook. Ron Warren, regional fish program manager for the Washington Department of... Full story
OLYMPIA - The fall fishing season for white sturgeon set to begin Oct. 19 on a portion of the lower Columbia River has been cancelled, due to the large number of sturgeon caught in that area earlier this year. That fishery was originally scheduled to re-open three days per week from the Wauna power lines upriver to Bonneville Dam under rules adopted by Washington and Oregon. However, both states agreed to cancel the fishery based on catch data showing that anglers caught 1,942 legal-size... Full story
OLYMPIA - Most marine areas of Puget Sound will reopen for recreational crab fishing Oct. 1, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced today. The openings were approved by fishery managers after summer catch assessments by WDFW indicated more crab are available for harvest, said Rich Childers, shellfish manager for the department. Waters reopening to sport crabbing Oct. 1 at 8 a.m. include marine areas 4 (Neah Bay), 5 (Sekiu), 6 (eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca), 7 (San... Full story
