If your opportunity to catch a winter steelhead has dropped below “slim” and is falling steadily toward “nil,” it might be time to look for an alternative. One such is the fishery on Lake Sammamish for nice-sized cutthroat.
Granted, it’s not like hooking a 10-pound snow-belly on the Cracker Bar, but the increasingly popular winter fishery has its points. The cutts are fat, firm, beautiful trout, and some will be in the very respectable 17- to 18-inch range. It’s a relatively easy fishery, with a good, convenient launch ramp and a minimal outlay for equipment.
Trolling is the name of the game, according to Mike Chamberlain at Ted’s Sport Center in Lynnwood, and the right depth recently has been from the surface down to 20 or 25 feet. Downriggers work best, but if you don’t have ‘riggers, you can substitute sinkers of various weights.
Spoons probably take the bulk of Sammamish winter cutthroat, Chamberlain said: Needlefish, number 2 or 3, in fire tiger or rainbow trout; or Dick Nite number 2 in nickel/red head or 50-50 brass/nickel. A Wedding Ring spinner will take fish, with or without a worm, as will a small Rapala plug in perch or silver/black. “They’re feeding on small perch, rainbow and stickleback,” Chamberlain said. “Look for cormorant and/or merganser activity, because the birds are probably feeding on the same stuff.”
There’s a good ramp at the state park on the south (Issaquah) end of the lake, and apparently no particular hot spots to aim for. Cover a lot of water, inshore and farther out, until you hit a fish, then work that area over.
One important caveat: kokanee must be released unharmed.
Razor clams
A coastal beach which hasn’t been dug for four years will open to razor clam harvesters Sunday and Monday, according to Dan Ayres, coastal shellfish manager for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Kalaloch Beach, just north of the northern edge of the Quinault Reservation in Olympic National Park, has been closed to razor clam digging since 2012 because of a low clam population.
The beach is located from South Beach Campground to Brown’s Point, just south of Beach Trail 3.
“Diggers can expect to see smaller clams at Kalaloch as compared to other beaches, but we expect most folks will be pleased to have a chance to dig there,” Ayres said. “We anticipate announcing additional digs at Kalaloch in the coming months.”
Tides for the two days are as follows: Jan. 8, 3:11 p.m., plus 0.4 feet; Jan 9, 4:08 p..m., minus 0.4 feet.
State and park officials warned that diggers should be prepared for Kalaloch’s remote location
“Kalaloch is considerably more isolated than the other clamming beaches, and visitors should be prepared for primitive conditions,” said park superintendent Sarah Creachbaum.
All diggers 15 or older must have an applicable 2016-17 fishing license to harvest razor clams. Licenses, ranging from a three-day razor clam license to an annual combination fishing license, are available on the WDFW website at https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov, and from license vendors around the state.
River closure
Portions of the Skykomish and Wallace rivers closed Friday to all fishing because the return of winter steelhead broodstock is well below required numbers. State steelhead managers said the closures are necessary to protect adult hatchery fish holding near hatchery facilities until they can be trapped to meet broodstock needs.
The closure is scheduled to last through Feb. 15, but nothing was said about re-opening the two rivers if broodstock needs are met before that date.
The closed portion of the Skykomish is from 1,500 feet upstream to 1,000 feet downstream of the Reiter Ponds outlet. The Wallace closure is from the railroad trestle below the Highway 2 bridge to 200 feet upstream of the water intake at the Wallace hatchery.
Steelhead checks by WDFW personnel Dec. 23-25 tallied two wild fish released and eight hatchery fish kept for 19 anglers on the Bogachiel. Some six fishermen on the Calawah had four hatchery fish. There were no surveys on the Sol Duc or Hoh.
Steelhead plates
The steelhead specialty vehicle license plate went on sale Tuesday, with revenue from plate sales earmarked by WDFW to support conservation of native steelhead.
More than 4,000 people expressed interest in buying a steelhead plate last year when WDFW collected the signatures required to seek legislative approval to offer a new plate. The 2016 Legislature gave its OK to proceed with license sales.
The initial price of wildlife-themed plates ranges from $54 to $72, depending on the vehicle, in addition to the regular license fees. More information on how to purchase a steelhead plate is available on the WDFW website, http://www.dol.wa.gov/vehicleregistration/specialdesign.html. A high resolution image of the steelhead plate can be found at http://wdfw.wa.gov/license_plates/wildlife.html.
Wild steelhead in much of the state are listed under the federal Endangered Species Act. The WDFW is taking several actions to restore those populations to sustainable levels, including measures that guide fisheries management, hatchery operations, monitoring and habitat-restoration programs.
Waterfowl
Cold weather forces ducks and geese off the big water to feed more often, making January a prime time month for waterfowl hunters. The waterfowl season runs through Jan. 29.
Don’t forget WDFW’s programs to help hunters find sites to hunt. One is the Waterfowl Quality Hunt Program, including properties in Whatcom, Skagit and north Snohomish counties, while other hunting opportunities, including reservation-only hunts, are also available through the WDFW private lands access webpage.
In the Columbia Basin the northern ducks have shown up. With the sand dunes portion of Potholes Reservoir frozen over, the alternatives are either field hunts or moving water in Frenchman or Winchester wasteways.
Guided goose and duck hunts are available through MarDon Resort, 509-346-2651.
Blackmouth
The Port Angeles area is where all the blackmouth action has been. State checks over the weekend showed 11 anglers contacted at Ediz Hook with nine chinook one day and next day, 14 with eight chinook.
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