For the second year in a row, I've had the opportunity to fish the Marine Area 8 & 9 opener to "scout" or pre-fish the opening event of the Northwest Salmon Derby Series, the Bayside Marine Derby. Usually, there are a few "easy" fish available on opening day and you get a good read on…
OLYMPIA – Clam diggers today got a green light to proceed with a two-day razor clam dig Nov. 11-12 at three ocean beaches. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) approved the dig after marine toxin tests showed that the clams on the three beaches are safe to eat. Beaches scheduled to open for…
Throughout all this talk of budget cuts, ocean survival and La Nina the fact remains that the hatchery steelhead are on their way! Here's why I'm looking at this year's hatchery runs more positively that the last couple years: Look at the "bumper crop" of pinks & coho we've seen this year! There couldn't be…
I was talking to guide Phil Stephens of Mystical Legends Guide Service last week about how the fishing had been recently on the Humptulips River and he exclaimed, "There's plenty of kings and silvers in there but you can't get past the infestation of chums to get to them!" Eeek…tough duty Phil! I'm still chuckling…
WASHINGTON – One-thousand groups and businesses have joined in urging Congress to consider the economic impacts of the great outdoors and historic preservation as it makes critical decisions concerning America's fiscal health, the recently formed national coalition "America's Voice for Conservation, Recreation and Preservation" announced today. At a press conference held at the National Press…
I spent five days hunting whitetails and mule deer in Eastern Washington last week in what can only be described as sun bathing weather. Not exactly the type of conditions that produce great deer hunting. I saw plenty of deer, including 9 bucks, but there were no shooters in the bunch. Lots of marching, climbing,…
I seriously considered issuing a warning before posting this blog, something like: "Warning! Fish guts ahead" for example. So, consider yourself cautioned. The best way to learn how to consistently catch actively feeding fish is to find out what they are eating and mimic the "menu" by tailoring your presentation to represent the feed of…
Ray's bobber went down for the umpty-umph time that morning and he reeled hard into a chrome king salmon that quickly headed for the tangled mess of lumber immediately downstream of where we were anchored. After some finaggling and coaxing Ray co-erced the chrome king salmon boatside and I slid the basket of my Frabill…
BY NICK HARTMAN. Picking a Trail Camera is never a black and white decision. There are dozens of trail camera manufacturers, each one with many different models to choose from. So how do you know which camera will work for you? The single most important consideration is how you plan on using your new trail…
It's been a while since we've seen a coho season around here with "legs" like this one. What am I talking about? Well, when a spawning run of salmon in these parts provides action and opportunity for three solid months… it has "legs" or the ability to run a long distance. I guess after 2010's "coho…