AN ALL-OUT blitz on bass, walleye and channel catfish fishing has been authorized by Washington’s Fish and Wildlife Commission.
At the commission’s meeting last weekend in Bellingham, state Department of Fish and Wildlife fisheries managers presented a variety of options to liberalize limits on those species in select waters around the state.
This was in response to a requirement in House Bill 1579, passed by the state Legislature last spring.
That piece of legislation intended to increase salmon availability for endangered Southern Resident orca whales by implementing task force recommendations offered by Gov. Jay Inslee’s Southern Resident Orca Whale Recovery group.
Fish and Wildlife engaged with the public on the potential rule changes for six months, including hosting five meetings around the state.
Upon review of public feedback, Fish and Wildlife said “72 percent of comments supported a warmwater species rule change to reduce the risk of predation on salmon smolts.”
All six options presented to the commission include removing size and daily limits on rivers. The options varied in the number of affected lakes, size limits, and daily limits.
Area lakes listed
Department staff recommended “Option B” which would affect 77 lakes around the state containing bass, walleye, or channel catfish, and have public access.
The commission supported WDFW’s recommendation and adopted “Option B2”, which includes changes to size and daily limits of largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, channel catfish and walleye in 77 lakes around the state.
North Olympic Peninsula lakes listed in Option B2 include Gibbs, Horsehoe, Sandy Shore, Silent, Teal and Tarboo in Jefferson County and Beaver, Dickey, Elk and Lake Sutherland in Clallam County.
The changes are:
• Largemouth bass: Change from five to a 10-fish daily limit; only one fish may be over 17 inches.
• Smallmouth bass: Change from 10 to a 15-fish daily limit; only one fish may be over 14 inches.
• Channel catfish: Change from a five to a 10-fish daily limit.
• Walleye: Change from eight to a 16-fish daily limit; only one fish may be over 22 inches.
The resistance
Consider Quilcene’s Ward Norden, a former fisheries biologist and owner of Snapper Tackle Co., as part of the resistance to the state’s newly adopted strategy.
Norden loves to bass fish on Jefferson County’s lakes, and is aghast at potential outcomes for these warmwater species.
“In response to the WDFW Commission’s approval of the anti-warmwater fish proposal, I am officially advocating 100 percent catch-and-release of largemouth and smallmouth bass as a means of active resistance to this biologically and economically preposterous rule,” Norden said.
And he said there’s an economic component tied to the proposals, coming from a department that is millions of dollars in the hole going forward financially.
“This rule not only is biologically preposterous, it is a means to keep the sport fishing public dependent and hostage to the state bureaucracy’s extortionate fishing license fees,” Norden said. “Warmwater fish are the only game fish that do not depend on the bureaucracy’s largess for an opportunity to fish, thus a resource to be protected.”
And he offered an area example.
“In Lake Leland, for instance, those warmwater fish have been flourishing in the lake for at least 120 years and have more claim to be native fish than any of the genetically modified salmonids coming from state hatcheries or their feral progeny.”
Digs begin Monday
Razor clam diggers can return to ocean beaches for five days of digging beginning Monday and continuing through Dec. 29 with a break in the middle for the Christmas holiday.
State shellfish managers with Fish and Wildlife approved the dig on evening low tides after marine toxin tests showed the clams are safe to eat.
Coastal shellfish manager Dan Ayres got into the holiday spirit in the department’s press release.
“Five days of digging, four beach – es, three flashlights … and ext-ra batt-er-ies,” Ayres said.
“So, OK, the old holiday song doesn’t quite fit, but this is going to be fun.”
The approved dig is for the following beaches, dates and low tides:
•Monday, 4:35 pm, -0.4 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
•Thursday, 6:47 pm, -1.1 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
•Friday, 7:26 pm, -0.9 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
•Saturday, 8:05 pm, -0.6 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
•Sunday, 8:43 pm, -0.2 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
No digging is allowed before noon for allowed digs, when low tide occurs in the evening.
Coyote lecture
The Dungeness River Audubon Center’s Focus on Series centers on coyotes during a lecture set Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon at the center, 2151 W. Hendrickson Road.
The cost is $5 for members, $10 for the public.
For more information, call 360-681-4076 or email rceducation@olympus.net.
Check for Ridge status
The forecasted deluge was just getting going Thursday afternoon in Port Angeles, so the below information may be out of date for snow sports operations at Hurricane Ridge Ski and Snowboard Area.
Earlier in the week, the Ridge’s Facebook page was eyeing a Saturday opening.
“We will start the season with two rope tows and limited private lessons available,” the post said. “Tubing will come online as soon as we have enough snow, but most likely not this weekend. The POMA lift will need a couple more weeks of snow. After the weekend we will close again and then reopen after Christmas on the 26th and be open every day until Jan 1.”
Another post promoted photos with Santa on Saturday, but this is all dependent on whether Olympic National Park is able to keep the road in a manageable state with all the snowfall predicted.
Ridge experts say to arrive at the park’s Heart O’ the Hills entrance station by at least 9 a.m. on open dates, carpool if at possible and park as close as possible in the parking lot at the top to allow for more folks to get up and enjoy the scene.
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
