THE RAINS CAME, the rivers rose and the fish followed. But anglers seeking access to much of the Quillayute River system are still sidelined — with a perfect fall forecast upcoming.
And that forecast — with temperatures projected to reach nearly 70 degrees at the Quillayute Airport today through Saturday — could deplete those gains in river flows and keep rivers shuttered.
Now, not all of the Quillayute River system is closed, as the waters of the Quillayute River inside Olympic National Park were opened last Saturday by Olympic National Park.
The Dickey River also re-opened within park boundaries last Saturday.
Further south, Fish and Wildlife saw fit to open the Hoh and the South Fork Hoh River outside of Olympic National Park, while the park opened its stretch of the Hoh at its mouth.
But the Sol Duc, with thousands of taxpayer-funded hatchery coho on the move upstream to spawn, remains closed.
“Well, we definitely got the water we needed,” Robert Warner of Forks Outfitters (360-374-6161) said. “I was up at the [Sol Duc] hatchery on Monday and there were so many fish in there it was crazy. I don’t know what the holdup is with the state.
“I know business here sure has slowed down.”
Biologists with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife did not return messages left Wednesday.
Warner is worried the warm fall weather could roll back the gains rivers received during the first large rainfall of the fall.
“The word is going around, maybe they’ll reopen them Monday, Nov. 6,” Warner said. “But if the weather’s going to be nice and the rivers are going to drop again, I’m almost thinking we might be in the same situation again with low flows.”
State closures
A reminder of the in-season changes Fish and Wildlife made effective Oct. 16:
• Quillayute River: Closed to all fishing.
•Sol Duc River: Closed to all fishing.
• Dickey River: Closed to all fishing.
• Bogachiel River, downstream of Wilson’s boat launch and upstream of the Highway 101 bridge: Closed to all fishing.
• Bogachiel River, between Highway 101 and Wilson’s boat ramp: Closed to salmon retention but remains open to fishing for trout and hatchery summer steelhead.
• Calawah River, upstream of the Highway 101 bridge: Closed to all fishing.
• Calawah River, downstream of the Highway 101 bridge: Closed to salmon retention but remains open to fishing for trout and hatchery summer steelhead.
With the lower Hoh reopened, Warner said anglers have moved south putting a strain on an already fragile river struggling to meet escapement goals.
“A lot of our guides have been going down to the Hoh,” Warner said. “It’s almost like piling on. Having everybody down there at once creates its own set of problems.”
Fish and Wildlife planned a meeting in Forks last night to discuss guide management.
Considering the fact that guides can’t guide on closed rivers, I bet they received an earful of comments.
Advisory group
Fish and Wildlife is seeking volunteers to serve on its Puget Sound sportfishing advisory group.
People interested in serving on the advisory group have through Oct. 31 to apply.
About 10 qualified individuals will be chosen to serve on the advisory group for 2018-19.
Those selected will provide guidance to the department on issues affecting recreational fisheries in Puget Sound for salmon, rockfish and other marine fish species.
The advisory group meets five or six times a year, with most meetings scheduled February through April during the salmon season-setting process, known as North of Falcon.
Members also are expected to communicate fishery information and policy decisions to sportfishing groups in their areas, said Ryan Lothrop, a WDFW fishery manager.
“Advisors are an important link between the department and the sportfishing community,” Lothrop said.
“We’re looking for people who have first-hand knowledge of marine and freshwater recreational fisheries and the ability to communicate their ideas to fishery managers and fellow anglers.”
Appointments become effective in January. Advisors do not receive direct compensation for their work.
Interested individuals do not have to be affiliated with an organized group, and current members of the advisory group may be reappointed. Any group or individual also can nominate a candidate.
Letters of interest or nominations must include the following information:
• Name, address, telephone number and email address of the person to be considered.
• Relevant experience and reasons for wanting to serve as a member of the advisory group.
• Effectiveness in communication.
• Name and contact information for any individual or organization submitting a nomination.
Applications must be received by Oct. 31, and may be submitted to PugetSoundRecFishingGroup@dfw.wa.gov or Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Attn: Ryan Lothrop, P.O. Box 43150, Olympia WA, 98504-3150.
For more information, contact Lothrop at 360-902-2808.
