HEY MIDWEST, COULD you spare a little snow?
We here on the North Olympic Peninsula wouldn’t mind a little of our own.
It’s not that we want our roads closed down and inoperable like yours (OK, maybe some of us do). We’d just like a little fresh powder gracing our mountains.
We’ve been sitting on the same snowpack for weeks now, with only the occasional dusting giving us brief reprieve (like last Sunday).
Thus, we find ourselves in early February without an operating Poma lift on the north side of Hurricane Ridge.
Pondering the Poma
It’s enough to make one wonder whether we’re headed for another winter like the one we had in 2008-09.
That year we went the whole season without ever getting enough snow to get the Poma lift going.
Until things change, and change in a big way, the immediate future doesn’t look promising.
As it stood Thursday afternoon, temperatures were actually hovering around the upper 30s. Not exactly what one would want if snowfall were on the wish list.
“Until we get snow there’s nothing to push,” mountain manager Craig Hofer said. “I’d break the [snowcat] in half if I even tried [because the snowpack is iced down].
“Once we get another three feet of snow or so I’ll charge back into it. All we can do is hope for the best.”
The lifts will remain open an extra day (Feb. 21) during Presidents Day Weekend. So perhaps that would be a good time for that extra powder to come along.
Regardless, the bunny and intermediate rope tows will almost assuredly be up and running this weekend and the remainder of the season.
For information on lift rates and the ski school, visit hurricaneridge.com.
Skis are available for rental on the bottom level of the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center.
Snowboards can be rented from North by Northwest Surf Co., 902 S. Lincoln St., in Port Angeles.
Road status and current conditions for Hurricane Ridge Road are available by phoning the park’s recorded information line at 360-565-3131 or by visiting www.nps.gov/olym.
Steelhead stirring
The story of steelhead season so far has been the Sol Duc.
Since the New Year arrived a month ago, fishing in that river has been absolutely bonkers when the water is right.
And from all reports coming out of the Quillayute System tributary Thursday, this happens to be one of those times.
“The Sol Duc looks beautiful,” Bob Gooding at Olympic Sporting Goods (360-374-6330) in Forks said. “I looked at it and it really looked nice.
“I think it’s running about six boards, which is a little bit skinny for some, but quite honestly, that’s when it fishes well.”
Added Brian Menkal of Brian’s Sporting Goods and More (360-683-1950) in Sequim, “With the conditions the way they are, anytime this week is going to be the time to get out there.”
As is the case this time of year — when the hatchery run butts up against the wild fishery — there’s plenty of fish to be had on the Sol Duc and Hoh rivers.
Reports of a few straggling Snider Creek broodstock fish were still circulating around the Duc. There should be loads of natives stacking up as well.
The latter included a couple of 20-pounders and several in the teens, according to Gooding.
“The Snider Creek fish have been pretty decent,” he said. “I’ve seen some pretty nice ones.
“Some days are better than others, but actually the size has been pretty decent.”
Unfortunately, the Sol Duc might be one of the few games in town this weekend.
The Hoh River had been teetering on the brink of high and dirty the past couple of days. Thursday’s rain may very well be enough to put it out for a day or two at least.
Anglers can also fish the Lyre or Hoko rivers, two of just a few Strait of Juan de Fuca drainages still open to fishing after last week’s early closures.
Blackmouth
Those in the know seem to be hooking blackmouth in Marine Area 9 (Admiralty Inlet).
From what Bob Aunspach of Swain’s General Store (360-452-2357) heard in Port Angeles, many of the popular holes are producing fish.
“I talked to a gentleman from down there and he said they’d actually had a real good fishery so far,” Aunspach said. “Eastern Bank, Mid Channel, all the different places they fish down there in Area 9 have been putting out fish.”
That fishery has been open since mid-January, with reports fluctuating from so-so to good during that time.
Area 12 (Hood Canal) opened to blackmouth fishing Tuesday, while Areas 5 (Sekiu) and 6 (eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca) open Feb. 16.
One angler was already scouring Area 6 for bait last week, according to Menkal, perhaps hoping to get a jump on the competition for the Olympic Peninsula Salmon Derby.
The event, scheduled for Presidents Day Weekend on Feb. 19-21, will cover 500 square miles of Peninsula saltwater fisheries.
That includes a portion of Area 6 from Tongue Point all the way east toward Marrowstone Island near Port Townsend.
The top fish in the ladder will take home prizes of $10,000 and $5,000 with a $1,000 “mystery fish prize” also up for grabs for any submitted fish.
For more information on the event, visit gardinersalmonderby.org.
Commission meeting
This weekend’s Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting could have a significant impact on the Peninsula outdoors scene.
Set for today and Saturday in Olympia, the meeting will address a number of issues pertaining to outdoor activities in the area.
Among the items up for consideration are closures associated with the removal of two dams on Elwha River (including Lake Sutherland), Puget Sound crab seasons and management alternatives for fisheries in Marine Area 4B (Strait of Juan de Fuca west of Sekiu River).
The commission will convene at 8:30 a.m. both days in Room 175 on the first floor of the Natural Resources Building, 1111 Washington St. S.E.
A complete meeting agenda is available on the commission’s website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/commission/meetings.html.
Also . . .
• Marine Area 3 (LaPush) will open to lingcod fishing a week earlier than listed in the state’s 2010/2011 sport fishing rules pamphlet.
The season is now set to begin March 12 in order to conform to federal rules. The fishing season in those areas will run through Oct. 15 as previously planned.
• The state announced a reduction in the aggregate bottomfish limit in Area 3 and part of Area 4 (Neah Bay west of Bonilla-Tatoosh line) from 15 to 12.
The 12 fish in the aggregate limit may include no more than two cabezon per person per day in addition to current daily sub-limits for rockfish (10) and lingcod (2).
• The East Jefferson chapter of Puget Sound Anglers meets Wednesday in Port Townsend for its monthly meeting.
The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the Marina Room at Point Hudson Marina, 103 Hudson St. Detail about the feature presentation were not available.
• Greywolf Fly Fishing Club will meet Wednesday in Gardiner for its monthly meeting.
The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the Gardiner Community Center, 980 Old Gardiner Road. Detail about the feature presentation were not available.
• Hatchery reform will be discussed during the Coastal Conservation Association-North Olympic Peninsula chapter monthly meeting Feb. 17 in Sequim.
Jaques White of the Hatchery Scientific Review Group will examine reforms his group recommends. His presentation begins at 7 p.m. at the Trinity United Methodist Church, 100 S. Blake Ave.
• Admiralty Audubon’s David Beatty will lead a birding trip through Kah Tai to Chinese Gardens in Port Townsend from 9 a.m. to noon on Feb. 12.
A group will meet at the Kah Tai parking lot by the rest rooms at 9 a.m. To register for the trip, contact Beatty at djb38@olypen.com.
• Dane Burk will discuss his 50-day, 250-mile, solo journey through the Olympic Mountains during a presentation in Port Angeles on Feb. 12.
The 25-year-old Seattle resident visited locations seen by humans only a handful of times. He will share pictures and stories of his trip during the presentation, set for 7 p.m. at BarN9ne, 229 West First St.
Admission is $5 at the door, with proceeds benefitting the Hurricane Ridge Winter Sports Club.
• Hunter Education courses — required for any new hunter born after Jan. 1, 1972 — are scheduled at sites across the Peninsula in the coming months.
Students in the Port Angeles area must register for classes online at http://wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/huntered/classes/basic.php.
Those looking to register for the Port Townsend course — set for late February and early March — must contact Just Ask Rental (360-344-3443) in Port Hadlock.
• Waters West Fly Fishing Outfitters will host a free fly-tying/fishing seminar Saturday, Feb. 12 at 10 a.m. in its Port Angeles shop, 140 W. Front St.
The seminar will focus on trout fishing on West End rivers, featuring flies and techniques for native cutthroat trout.
• The Port Ludlow Fly Fishers will host three presentations during the next three months on a variety of topics.
The first talk, set for Feb. 15 at 7 p.m. in Port Ludlow, will feature four club members discussing their knowledge of local waters, equipment and techniques.
Presentations are also scheduled for March 15 and April 19 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. All three will be held at Port Ludlow Bay Club, 190 Spinnaker Place.
• Washington Trails Association will gather an all-day work party at Mount Walker Trail in Jefferson County on Feb. 13.
Volunteers will work on improving the tread of the short, steep trail located just west of Hood Canal. Volunteers must pre-register 48 hours in advance.
To pre-register, contact Washington Trails at 206-625-1367 or visit www.wta.org.
Send photos, stories
Want your event listed in the outdoors column?
Have a fishing or hunting report, an anecdote about an outdoors experience or a tip on gear or technique, why not share it with our readers?
Send it to me, Matt Schubert, Sports Department, Peninsula Daily News, P.O. Box 1330, Port Angeles, WA 98362; phone, 360-417-3526; fax, 360-417-3521; e-mail matt.schubert @peninsuladailynews.com.
__________
Matt Schubert is the outdoors columnist for the Peninsula Daily News. His column appears on Thursdays and Fridays.