FINALLY, THE RIVERS are cooperating and the steelhead are biting.
And these steelies, this time are year, are the big ’uns.
Fishing has been awful the past few weeks because of all the snow, then the rain and the flooding rivers and the whatnot, but the weather is finally settling down and so are the rivers.
“A lot of the guys are going out to the Sol Duc [River] right now,” Brian Menkal of Brian’s Sporting Good and More (360-683-1950) in Sequim said.
“I haven’t heard back from too many people yet but a guy went out Tuesday to the Sol Duc and picked up two fish, a hatchery and a wild.”
With the rivers running high the past two weeks, anglers have been watching and waiting for the water level to go down.
“You’re waiting for green color, and you pay attention to the dropping of the water,” Menkal said.
It’s supposed to stay dry through the weekend, so expect the rivers on the West End to remain fishable, especially the Sol Duc — which is expected to attract the bulk of the anglers.
“The best place for steelhead is the Sol Duc but there are a couple of fish in the Bogachiel,” Menkal said.
Steelhead fishing is pretty much the name of the game right now even though Menkal knows of a few anglers hitting Lake Leland for trout.
“A couple of guys were out at Lake Leland but most guys are leaving the trout and going for the steelhead,” Menkal said.
Bob Gooding of Olympic Sporting Goods (360-374-6330) in Forks is a little more direct about what to fish for.
“This time of year, you’re chasing steelhead or you ain’t fishing,” Gooding said.
And you’re chasing big steelies right now, according to both Gooding and Menkal.
“The natives average 15 to 20 pounds, and there are a lot of 20-plus pound fish, and also the hatchery fish, too,” Menkal said.
The wild steelhead is catch-and-release but the hatchery fish can be kept.
Soon, though, wild steelies can be kept.(See later in the story for more on this).
“This time of year it is starting to run to bigger native fish, in February and March,” Gooding said.
Now’s the time to hit the Sol Duc, Gooding agreed.
“My golly, steelhead fishing has been great and the rivers are in pretty good shape,” Gooding said.
“The Sol Duc is the one you would want to try if you know how to row it.”
The Sol Duc is a little tricky for those who have not rowed it before, Gooding added.
Late winter and early spring, yeah — that’s right around the soggy corner — is the best time for steelhead, Menkal added.
“All the way into March and the beginning of April is a great time for steelhead fishing,” Menkal said.
Not too far down the line, though, is the blackmouth opener Feb. 16.
Fishing for wild ones
Beginning Feb. 16, anglers can catch and keep a wild steelhead on one of eight rivers on the North Olympic Peninsula.
The Sol Duc, Bogachiel, Calawah, Clearwater, Dickey, Hoh, Quillayute and Quinault rivers are the only rivers in Washington where wild steelhead may be retained.
Clamming up
An evening dig for razor clams is tentatively scheduled Feb. 18-19 at Long Beach, Twin Harbors and Mocrocks beaches.
The state Department of Fish and Wildlife will announce the final word on that dig once marine toxin tests are completed about a week ahead of time.
Putting on the squids
This is prime time to jig for squid in Puget Sound.
Good spots include the Elliot Bay Pier in Seattle, the Edmonds Pier, the Point Defiance Park Pier in Tacoma and the Indianola Pier in Kitsap County.
Hunter education
As reported in the Thursday Outdoors column, hunter education clases start next week.
The North Olympic Peninsula Hunter Education program will be holding five classes this year.
They are set to start Tuesday and also are scheduled for March 6, May 1, June 5 and Aug. 7.
All courses will take place on Tuesdays.
In addition, all classes start at 5:30 p.m. at Port Angeles Veterans Center, 216 S. Francis St., Port Angeles.
All enrollment is online this year at http://tinyurl.com/23p4b5o.
Sponsored by the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, the classes offer one or more instructors offering detailed classroom instruction, practical exercises and live-firing activities to prepare successful students.
The classes focus on three broad topical areas, including firearms and outdoor safety, wildlife management and hunter responsibility.
The average class includes four to six sessions, spanning 16-plus hours.
Successful students must pass a written test, demonstrate safe firearms handling skills and a positive attitude.
All hunters born after Jan. 1, 1972 are required to show proof of hunter education course completion or a previous Washington hunting license before purchasing a new hunting license.
Increasingly, states require proof of hunter education training prior to purchase of an initial hunting license.
There’s also a week-long class set for Jefferson County.
Jefferson County Sportsmen’s Association will host a hunter education class the week of Feb. 27 through March 3.
Each session will meet from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. during the weekdays at the association’s club at 112 Gun Club Road in Port Townsend.
The Saturday class begins at 10 a.m.
For more information, contact Riley Brazil 360-774-0429, Rick Olson at 360-765-3947 or Mark Castillo at 360-732-4402.
To enroll in the course, visit http://tinyurl.com/23p4b5o.
Kids fishing fundraiser
The Puget Sound Anglers-North Olympic Peninsula Chapter’s rescheduled fundraiser is set for Feb. 17.
The event, which provides funding for the Olympic Peninsula Kids Fishing Program in Sequim, will be at Guy Cole Convention Center at Carrie Blake Park in Sequim.
Doors will open at 4:30 p.m., with a free spaghetti dinner starting at 5:30 p.m. (Donations will be accepted.)
A silent auction will be held throughout the night, and a live auction begins after dinner.
Live auction items include fishing trips with Peninsula river guides for salmon and steelhead, and charter boat trips for salmon, halibut and bottomfish in the ocean and Strait of Juan de Fuca.
The Olympic Peninsula Kids Fishing Program includes Kids Fishing Day, which will be held Saturday, May 19, at the Sequim water reclamation pond.
The pond is stocked with 1,500 trout, some of which weigh as much as five pounds.
For more information on the events, contact Herb Prins at 360-582-0836.
Also . . .
■ Brian Menkal is sponsoring a two-part fly fishing class at Brian’s Sporting Goods and More (360-683-1950) in Sequim.
The first part is Feb. 7 — coming up on Tuesday — and the second part takes place Feb. 14, also a Tuesday.
Both sessions are from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. each night.
Register with Menkal at 360-683-1950.
■ The husband and wife team of Chuck and Darlene Whitney will talk about River Fishing in Wyoming and Montana at the February meeting of Olympic Peninsula Fly Fishers.
The meeting is slated for Monday at the Camp Fire USA clubhouse, 619 E. 4th St., Port Angeles.
A social meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. with the regular meeting following at 7 p.m.
The talk will include methods unique to fishing streams and where to go.
The area couple also will recount its recent trip in the fall of 2011 with photos of the area and native fish.
“We will be talking about why fishing there is different from the [North] Olympic Peninsula,” Chuck Whitney wrote in an email.
“We have lots of fish pictures, maps and advice for great river fishing.”
Also slated for the meeting will be Bob Coons tying the Rusty Parachute as a fine floating fly. It doubles as a spinner initation. There are a lot of variations in materials that can be used for this fly.
■ Hood Canal and south-central Puget Sound reopened Wednesday for hatchery chinook.
The Strait of Juan de Fuca from Sekiu to Port Wilson north of Port Townsend reopens for salmon Feb. 16.
Southern Puget Sound also is open for salmon. Central Puget Sound is closed for salmon.
■ Rather count birds for science?
All it takes is 15 minutes of time to contribute to the Great Backyard Bird Count, an annual survey of birds sighted throughout North America.
From Feb.17-20, birders of all levels of experience are invited to count the number of birds they see in a 15-minute period and enter their tally, by species, online at http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc.
Participants can conduct their count in their own backyards, in a neighborhood park or anywhere they choose.
■ Rather look for bigger game?
The snow cover remaining in many parts of the state, especially on Hurricane Ridge, has made it easier to spot large animals — particularly deer, elk, and moose, said WDFW wildlife biologist Woody Myers.
Well, probably don’t expect a lot of moose on the Ridge.
He suggests watching for those animals near forest cover early in the morning and late afternoon.
“Look, but keep your distance,” Myers said.
“It’s important to avoid disturbing animals that are under stress from limited food sources, cold temperatures, and snow cover.”
■ There was a rare sighting of a humpback whale in Hood Canal’s Dabob Bay last Friday, it was reported on pugetsoundblogs.com Tuesday.
Researchers Connie and JD Gallant reported seeing the whale surface while they were doing research in the area. They posted photos at pugetsoundblogs.com.
Humpback sightings are so rare on the Canal that written reports of sightings can’t be found, John Calambokidis of Cascadia Research told pugetsoundblogs.com.
Connie Gallant reported seeing one whale and shot photos of it while JD Gallant reported seeing two humpbacks.
There were no other reported sightings of the whale or whales.
Send photos, stories
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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.