OUTDOORS: A busy weekend on Peninsula for outdoors activities

THIS WILL BE an active weekend with lots and lots to do in the outdoors.

And inside, too, with at least one area gun show on tap.

“It’s a busy time,” Brian Menkal of Brian’s Sporting Goods and More (360-683-1950) in Sequim said.

“There’s lots going on.”

If you can’t find something to interest you this weekend, well, you’re just not looking hard enough.

The rivers on the West End are fishable for steelhead and spring chinook — believe it or not — anglers are still catching blackmouth salmon in the salt water, the Discovery Bay Salmon Derby is this weekend, the beaches — including Kalaloch — are open for razor clams and the Northwest Cup downhill mountain-bike races are scheduled for Dry Hill in the Port Angeles this weekend.

And don’t forget about that gun show in the Sequim area.

Oh, and coming up in less than a month is the halibut opener — which most anglers are waiting for in high anticipation — and then there’s the official lake-opener for trout coming up in a couple of weeks.

Read below about a halibut seminar that Swain’s General Store (360-452-2357) is putting on just before the season hits.

Let’s start with those sought-after steelies and springers in the West End rivers, which a lot of anglers assume are blown out right now because of a lot of rain, and a little bit of snow, in the Forks area this past week.

Not so, at least about the blown-out Quillayute-system rivers, said our expert out west, Bob Gooding of Olympic Sporting Goods (360-374-6330) in Forks.

“We’re doing OK,” Gooding said between customers Thursday afternoon.

“The rivers are in pretty good shape, the color is good, but they are kind of on the high side.”

As long as heavy rains stay away, the rivers should remain fishable.

The forecast is for clouds and a few showers through the weekend, but not the heavy, at times monsoon-like rains earlier in the week.

Most anglers are catching steelhead this week, Gooding said.

“The springers are pretty skimpy right now,” Gooding said. “I have heard of only two or three being caught recently.”

Menkal has heard the same thing — that spring chinook are in low numbers right now but that anglers are catching steelhead out west.

“I have heard of just a few springers being caught on the Sol Duc,” Menkal said.

Salmon derby

Blackmouth fishing still is going strong, and that’s good news for anyone planning to fish the Discovery Bay Volunteer Firefighters Salmon Derby on Saturday and Sunday.

“Tickets are still available, and they cost $30 for one or both days,” Menkal said.

Tickets are available in Port Townsend at West Side Marine and the Four Corners Store; in Port Hadlock at Hadlock Building Supply; in Discovery Bay at Fat Smitty’s Restaurant and the Discovery Bay Store; in Sequim at Brian’s Sporting Goods and More; and in Port Angeles at Swain’s General Store.

Cash prizes for the top clipped-fin salmon caught are $3,000 for first place, $l,200 for second, $750 for third and $500 for fourth.

Derby boundaries are Tala Point north to Hein Bank and Dungeness Spit. Check official derby map for details.

Weigh stations are at the Port of Port Townsend, the Gardiner boat ramp on Discovery Bay and John Wayne Marina on Sequim Bay.

Derby hours are sunrise to 3 p.m. on Saturday and sunrise to 2 p.m. on Sunday.

Only hatchery (clipped-fin) fish may be entered.

The derby is a fundraiser to purchase equipment and supplies for the volunteers at Jefferson County Fire District 5 in Discovery Bay.

The awards ceremony takes place at 3:30 p.m. Sunday at Discovery Bay Store, which is derby headquarters.

Blackmouth fishing

Saltwater salmon fishing still is going great guns, both Menkal and Bob Aunspach of Swain’s General Store (360-452-2357) in Port Angeles said.

“Freshwater Bay, up and down [Editz] Hook, Winter Hole and all the traditional places are doing well,” Aunspach said.

Still, blackmouth fishing still is slow in the Port Townsend area, Menkal said.

The good fishing means there has been some movement on the monthly Port Angeles Salmon Derby board.

But first, the top March anglers.

Bill Cargo’s 20.01-pound monster held up for first place while Ron Morgan was runner-up with one 17.02 pounds, Carl Nyberg was third at 15.15 and Gary Kettel held on for fourth at 15.12.

Interesting, though, there already has been much movement for the April board even though that derby is less than a week old.

“The board completely changed [Wednesday], and I heard that some fish have already been caught today,” Aunspach said Thursday morning.

Sitting in top for April is Bill Davis with a 15.10-pound fish while Randy Johnson is second right now at 15.01, Willy McClure third at 13.14 and Mark Ahrndt fourth at 13.04.

If you want to join the action for April, you need to be quick because this month’s derby ends April 10, which is when winter salmon season ends.

Kalaloch opens

Five beaches, including the closest to the Peninsula, Kalaloch, are open to morning razor clam digs starting Saturday.

Some beaches are open limited days.

Three beaches — Long Beach, Twin Harbors and Kalaloch — will be open for clam digging all three days.

Mocrocks will be open for two days, Saturday and Sunday, while Copalis will be open Saturday for one day only.

No digging will be allowed any day after noon at any of those beaches.

Most diggers will need a valid 2012-13 fishing license to participate in the upcoming opening, since all 2011-12 licenses expired at the end of the day Saturday.

The exception is children younger than age 15, who may fish for free.

“We strongly advise diggers to obtain a new license before they leave home,” said Dan Ayres, coastal shellfish manager for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).

“It can be very frustrating to be stuck in line waiting to buy a license at low tide.”

Licensing options range from a three-day razor clam license to an annual combination fishing license.

Under state law, diggers can take 15 razor clams per day, and are required to keep the first 15 they dig.

Each digger’s clams must be kept in a separate container.

Ayres noted that Copalis was added to the line-up for the upcoming dig because fewer clams were harvested on that beach than expected in late March.

In addition, Kalaloch Beach inside Olympic National Park will open for digging for the first time this season.

The beach has been closed to digging since October due to a low abundance of clams, but park officials say the razor clam population is robust enough to sustain three days of digging.

“We are pleased to be able to provide this opportunity for park visitors from both near and far,” said Olympic National Park Acting Superintendent Todd Suess.

“Spring is a great time to visit the park’s beaches, whether you’re clamming or simply enjoying the shoreline and scenic beauty.”

Morning low tides and beach openings for the upcoming dig are:

■■ Saturday (7:36 a.m., -1.2 ft.): Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis, Mocrocks, Kalaloch

■■ Sunday (8:23 a.m., -1.5 ft.): Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks, Kalaloch

■■ Monday (9:11 a.m., -1.5 ft.): Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Kalaloch

Dry Hill biking

The first of a six-race series in the Northwest Cup Series downhill mountain-bike racing is set for today through Sunday at Dry Hill, just west of Port Angeles.

At least 300 riders are expected in Port Angeles this weekend for the event, including four World Cup-caliber competitors.

See Thursday’s editions for more information on this event, and directions to the track.

Gun Show

A gun show, sponsored by Pacific Northwest Shooting Park Association, is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday at Sequim Prairie Grange/MacLeay Hall in Agnew, 290 MacLeay Road.

Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Cost is $5 for adults and $7 for families.

Those big boys

May is right around the corner, and the season that almost everyone is waiting for will be upon us.

And we’re not talking about May flowers.

We’re talking about the biggest saltwater fish that can be caught off the Peninsula, and that’s the monster halibut, which probably would be confused for the Loch Ness monster if it hung around Scotland.

Well, except for the fact that, like any typical bottom fish, it is flat (as flat as a 100-pound fish can be), it has both its eyes on the same side of its head, and man, is it ugly.

“Everybody has halibut in the back of their minds,” Aunspach said.

Anglers have been in Swain’s buying up halibut gear, Aunspach added.

And just in time, Swain’s General Store in Port Angeles will be holding a halibut seminar to give tips on what kind of gear to buy, what bait to use and other good ideas on how to catch one of the monsters.

The seminar is set for 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. April 27 at Swain’s. Call 360-452-2357 for more information.

Menkal advises anglers to get their halibut gear ready before the season starts.

“It’s something to do while you’re waiting out the weather [for blackmouth or river fishing],” Menkal said.

It’s a good time to tie leaders, do maintenance on the fishing gear and on the boat and boat trailer, he added.

Lakes opener

Anglers preparing for opening day of the 2012 lowland lakes season on April 28 can expect to reel in trout that are one-third bigger this year.

With opening day fast approaching, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is releasing 3 million hatchery-reared trout averaging 11-13 inches – two to three inches longer than last year.

Those fish will join millions of other trout that were stocked last year and have grown to catchable size in lakes around the state.

Many of those lakes have also been stocked with triploid and jumbo trout weighing 1½ to 11 pounds apiece.

“We have made some changes in our trout hatchery rearing programs in response to the feedback we heard from anglers who really enjoy catching larger fish,” said WDFW Director Phil Anderson.

“With these fish, our state’s biggest fishing day of the year just got better.”

At least 300,000 anglers typically turn out for the first day of the lowland lakes season, which remains open into the fall.

Although many state waters are open year-round, the April opening marks the start of the state’s most popular fishery.

To participate, anglers must have a current Washington freshwater fishing license valid through March 31, 2013.

Freshwater fishing licenses cost $27.50 for resident adults 16 to 69 years old.

Fifteen-years-old anglers and persons with disabilities can buy a license for $8.25, and seniors 70 and older can buy an annual fishing license for $5.50.

Children 14 years of age and younger do not need a fishing license.

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 Sports Department, Peninsula Daily News, P.O. Box 1330, Port Angeles WA 98362; phone, 360-417-3525; fax, 360-417-3521; email sports@

peninsuladailynews.com.

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The outdoors column appears on Thursdays and Fridays each week.

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