A LOT OF anglers like to wait until after Thanksgiving to start targeting winter steelhead. That doesn’t mean you have to.
There are years when the weeks leading up to Turkey Day can see a healthy dose of steelhead action.
Could this be one of those years?
Well, there have been reports of a few steelies ending up on the end of sport anglers’ lines in recent days.
And a couple of hatcheries to the south have already reported a handful of fish returning to their traps during the past week.
So, I’ll go ahead and give you a definite maybe, and also recommend bringing along some steelhead gear when you head out west for salmon.
“Last year they came in early, it could happen again. We just don’t know,” Brian Menkal of Brian’s Sporting Goods and More (360-683-1950) in Sequim.
“I wouldn’t be too surprised.”
Salmon scene
Even if you come away skunked on the steelhead front, there are still enough salmon around to make things interesting.
The Sol Duc coho run has been a bit disappointing so far this fall, but anglers have been cleaning up otherwise on the West End, especially whenever the Hoh has been in shape.
“Most every place has got [salmon],” Bob Gooding of Olympic Sporting Goods (360-374-6330) in Forks said.
“Sol Duc, there are certainly fish in it, but there should be a lot more. They came kind of early and some of them might have got by.
“But the Bogachiel has been fishing OK [and] the Hoh has been fishing OK.”
The Dungeness River continues to see fish returning to its waters as well.
This past week, another 267 coho showed up at the hatchery, making it 2,233 adults this fall.
“Guys are still getting some fairly bright fish,” Menkal said. “They are working for them, but they are still getting fish.
“That river actually will get fish all the way into December. They dribble in late. The big push is already here, but they keep coming in a little at a time.”
Those really hurting for a red-hot salmon scene might consider heading south to Hood Canal, which is open to salmon retention of any kind.
Most notably, the fjord’s famed chum run has officially taken over, with 1,261 chum returning to the Hoodsport Hatchery in the last week.
While that fishery is well known for its yokels, it can also be quite productive when hit at just the right time.
Just don’t expect that to happen on Tuesdays or Thursdays. That’s when tribal anglers do their beach seine fishery in front of the hatchery.
A couple of other saltwater salmon fishing options are also available.
Marine Area 5 (Sekiu) and 9 (Admiralty Inlet) are now open to blackmouth fishing. During the fur-centric month of November, however, neither tends to see much pressure.
Bugle boy
Elk season returns to the Peninsula this weekend, with the modern firearm opener this Saturday.
Now that the rut is done and gone, this might be the time to set your standards like it’s 2 a.m. at your local drinking establishment.
In other words, lower them considerably.
“The big mature breeding bulls that come in out of the park have already left the herd,” Bob Aunspach of Swain’s General Store (360-452-2357) in Port Angeles said.
“If you find them, they are going to be by themselves.”
As hard as that is to do, it might be best to go with the tried-and-true method of pinning down the herd and picking out the one you like best. (Assuming, of course, you can actually find one.)
The West End — which has the most robust elk populations in the area — is almost assuredly the best bet for that.
The Clearwater Game Management Unit has been the most productive spot on the Peninsula during the past 11 years.
Hunters have harvested an average of 42.5 elk a year in that GMU since the year 2000.
Just behind it are the Dickey (31.6) and Sol Duc (30.2).
More hunting
The late fall the Peninsula has enjoyed may be pretty on the eyes, but it has yet to inspire loads of action for bird hunters.
This weekend might be a good time to bag a few birds, however, if the weather turns for the worse as predicted.
“The weather has been a little on the nice side, so it really hasn’t pushed those ducks down from the north yet,” Aunspach said.
“It’s just going to gradually get better as the fall goes on.
“If the weather is nasty and blowing, it will stir them up.”
Duck season runs through Jan. 29.
There is also pheasant hunting at Dungeness Recreation Area on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays through Nov. 30.
Also . . .
■ Diggers fared well during a pair of razor clam harvest dates at four state beaches last weekend.
A total of 12,100 digger trips were counted at Mocrocks, Copalis, Long Beach and Twin Harbors. The average catch was 13.9 clams per digger.
The next set of digs are tentatively scheduled for Nov. 11 and 12 at Long Beach, Twin Harbors and Mocrocks.
■ Stewart Pugh will discuss winterizing outboard motors at the Puget Sound Anglers-East Jefferson Chapter monthly meeting Tuesday night in Port Townsend.
The meeting is set to begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Marina Room at Hudson Point Marina, 375 Hudson St.
■ Area mushroom guru Lee Whitford will lead a fungus foray at Dungeness River Audubon Center this Saturday at 10 a.m.
Whitford will discuss features used for mushroom identification, collection and eating and share resources for further study.
Pre-registration is required and can be done by calling the River Center at 360-681-4076.
■ Admiralty Audubon’s Ken Wilson will lead a 90-minute bird identification class this Saturday in Port Townsend.
The class is set for 7 p.m. at the Quimper Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Building, 2333 San Juan Ave.
To register for the event, email Rod Mitchell at rodm90@cablespeed.com.
■ Phil Hager will discuss “reading the water” at the Olympic Peninsula Fly Fishers monthly meeting Monday.
The well-known fly fishing teacher will focus on giving anglers a better idea of where the fish are, why they are there and what to look for.
The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at Campfire USA Club House, 619 E. Fourth St., in Port Angeles.
■ Fish and Wildlife biologist Kent Mayer will discus the effects of the dam removal on Elwha River salmon populations this Tuesday night at the Olympic National Park Visitor Center, 3002 Mt. Angeles Road, in Port Angeles.
Part of the Olympic National Park’s “perspectives” series, the free lecture will examine the new floating fish weir in the river and how it helps gauge the effects of the dam removal.
The lecture is set for 7 p.m. Refreshments will be provided by co-sponsor Friends of Olympic National Park.
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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; email matt.schubert
@peninsuladailynews.com.
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Matt Schubert is the outdoors columnist for the Peninsula Daily News. His column appears on Thursdays and Fridays.