Pat Neal

PAT NEAL: Dreamer, bureaucrat and scammer: That’s me

WHILE IT IS true that in describing the dissolution of the Hoh River Trust in my May 31 column, “Lack Of Faith In Hoh River… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: A lack of faith in Hoh River Trust

IT WAS ANOTHER tough week in the news for those of us who love the Hoh River. The Hoh River Trust decided to give 7,000… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: In the sky: a bird, a plane, the sun!

THERE WAS A mysterious bright object seen out on the West End the other day. Some of the locals panicked and called me wondering if… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: Outfoxed by crafty birds

ALL I WANTED was a quiet place at the end of the road where I could write my memoirs. About the years of struggling it… Continue reading

A fishing boat was stranded at the mouth of the Elwha River last weekend during fishing season for halibut and cod.

PAT NEAL: Dangerous halibut date defies logic

IT WAS DAYLIGHT on the water. It seemed like we were in the middle of the world’s largest washing machine. That’s the feeling you can… Continue reading

A fishing boat was stranded at the mouth of the Elwha River last weekend during fishing season for halibut and cod.

PAT NEAL: Green crab Dungeness’ newest tormenter

IT WAS ANOTHER tough week in the news for our environment. The recent discovery of “invasive” European green crabs (“European Green Crab Found In Dungeness… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: Real science too scary to deal with

HALLOWEEN USED TO be the scariest holiday of the year with ghosts, goblins and the zombie apocalypse threatening to knock on your door when you… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: There’s ‘gold’ in them thar ditches

THEY SAY AMERICA is a country divided and exploited by plundering gangs of panty-grabbing politicians eternally enthroned by an apathetic population of unregistered voters who… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: In loving memory: Goin’s gone fishing

SEEN ANY GOOD movies lately? I did. It’s a love story where boy meets girl and then boy goes fishing. “The Memory of Fish” tells… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: The best April Fools’ joke ever

APRIL FOOLS’ DAY must be my favorite holiday. It’s on April 1, which makes it easy to remember. As we get ready for the big… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: Wheels spin on replenishing our salmon

IT WAS ANOTHER tough week in the news for the Pacific Coastal Salmon Fund. It’s a federal grant program that funds what is known as… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: Biologists are OK after all

I THOUGHT IT would be fun to attend a meeting of some fisheries biologists with fishing folks at the Puget Sound Anglers Club in the… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: Oh, for the good old days on the Elwha River

IT’S ALWAYS SAD to read about the loss of an old friend. I prefer to remember the good times. Picture a little campfire along a… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: By chance, spared the savage sea

SOME SAY THERE is no such thing as a coincidence. They say it’s luck, fate or God working in some mysterious way. Coincidence becomes legend… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: The seeds of our fishless halibut fishery

IT WAS ANOTHER tough week in the news for the diminishing breed of fishing-license buyers who insist on fishing in Washington. Oregon has a halibut… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: Will the Sasquatch ascend the cryptid throne?

IT MUST HAVE been a slow day at the Legislature. Somebody cracked open the Oxford English Dictionary and found the word “cryptid.” According to the… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: Don’t get suckered in by sunshine

IT WAS DAYLIGHT on the river. Something had gone terribly wrong. Maybe it was just the old guide instincts kicking in, but it seemed like… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: Cabin fever cure, the alternative

IT’S OFFICIAL. THE cabin-fever season has officially attacked the North Olympic Peninsula in a vise-like grip that shows no sign of weakening in the foreseeable… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: A saga of mice and me

I CONSIDER MYSELF a humane person. I brake for crows. I swerve to miss squirrels who employ the practice of using automobiles to crush spruce… Continue reading

PAT NEAL: Steelhead fishing’s last bastion gasping

I KNEW IT was the end when a low-holing, fly-flogging fishing guide floated past on the river and said, “We’re going to get rid of… Continue reading