RISING WATER TEMPERATURES mean it’s only a matter of time before Lake Leland starts producing for anglers.

“Lake Leland has been waking up with the warmer weather as the water temperature at the fishing pier has gone from 37 degrees to 40 degrees by last Wednesday,” Ward Norden, owner of Snapper Tackle Company and a former fishery biologist who lives in Quilcene, said.

“That 40-degree mark is when the trout start waking up from their winter slumber.

“One angler last week caught a very handsome rainbow [that weighed] about 2 pounds on a very slow trolled flatfish.”

However, Norden said that recent cold nights likely “slowed the warming, in spite of the sunny days, but a couple 50-degree rainstorms should reverse that.”

Lake Leland received a plant of 150 cutthroat late last month.

The Jefferson County lake, which is north of Quilcene, traditionally also receives a large trout plant, prior to the lowland lakes opener in late April.

“The most popular fishing method and most successful will remain Power Bait floated about a foot above the bottom,” Norden said.

State meeting moved

The state Department of Fish and Wildlife has changed the location of next Tuesday’s salmon forecast meeting.

The meeting is still in Olympia, but now it will be held in the auditorium of the General Administration Building at 210 11th St. SW.

It will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The change was announced earlier this week in a news release sent out by the state.

The meeting was initially slated for the Natural Resources Building.

However, parking will be available in the visitor lot of the Natural Resources Building, 1111 Washington St. SE, which is a short walk to the General Administration Building.

At the meeting, the state will provide a preview of this year’s salmon returns and potential fishing seasons.

Those who attend the meeting will have a chance to talk to fishery managers about the salmon forecast as well as participate in work sessions that focus on conservation issues and possible fisheries.

The state has scheduled additional public meetings focused on regional salmon issues as part of the North of Falcon process.

That includes the Puget Sound Recreational Fisheries Discussion in Sequim on Thursday, March 17.

That meeting will run from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m at Trinity Methodist Church, located at 100 South Black Ave.

The state said these North of Falcon meetings include representatives from federal, state and tribal governments and from recreational and commercial fishing industries.

More information about these meetings and the salmon season-setting process can be found on the state’s website at www.tinyurl.com/PDN-NorthFalcon.

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Sports Editor Lee Horton is filling in for outdoors columnist Michael Carman, who has the week off.