Jordan Nailon
It unfolds almost imperceptibly at first. A slow dance of vernation. A casual head nod seems to exude confidence but instead conceals deep seeded insecurities.
The sun triggers a natural rhythm in the soil that tickles tendril roots. Cake batter mud dries and cracks like tile and chips like bricks. Morning dew trickles through snaking fissures and then evaporates again as shadows spin softly on a center pivot. Worms writhe and ants march to see the riffraff at the surface following a long winter waiting underground.
Skunk cabbage has been popping up in marshy bogs for weeks now. Easily overlooked in the rush of spring, the bulbous yellow bursts mark the time of first arrivals and the last departures. Now, among the greening blades of the pasture, the soft teeth of dandelions mirror their smiles back at the sky god while heavy headed daffodils bend their necks and bow. They want to look back where they came from even as they continue ascending toward the heavens.
Bees begin to shake the cold and adventure away from their huddled masses. A few pioneers are sent out to scout the land and soon return with directions to pollen and nectar that they dictate through an animated series of wiggles, struts, and turnabouts. The “Waggle Dance” is intrinsically understood by everyone inside the hexagonal hive. However, it is merely admired by those wallflowers in their protective hoods and suits as they lovingly tend the hives, smokers belching in hand.
Out beyond the snow-fed creek and into the pungent sponge of the evergreen thicket mushrooms are cracking through the forest floor. Hens of the woods sprout in a brainy mass while old artist’s conks sit stoically on the trunks of regal timbers. Oyster mushrooms are awash in a shower of pearls while the king boletus rises strong and confident like the manifest temple of Smurfs. Even where fire has wrought death and destruction upon the landscape there is regeneration in the works. Heat activated spores have bedded into charred soils and now sprout forth in the form of coral reef morels.
Rains are not gone for good, they are only now beginning to make themselves scarce. A midnight fog holds watch over the land and keeps one final frost at bay. Chimneys still billow clouds of smoke in the morning and the breath of startled raccoons stands frozen above the ground as they break for cover.
Beneath a mottled woodland, the last leaves of fall continue to disappear even as green chutes bulge up, through, and around them. Among those swollen tufts that burst from the turf one is bound to bloom more resplendent than all the others. Its leaves are bound tight and circinate to its fragile trunk and it holds its true identity cloistered in secret until the moment when all worldly facets, both obvious and imperceptible, have fallen perfectly into place.
It is in that moment when the grandfather clock of spring strikes twelve and the chorus of cuckoos begin to chime. The blazing shafts shine perfectly through the canopy like sunrise at Stonehenge while worker bees and ants are all happily toiling away in selfless bliss.
That’s when the three reciprocating teardrop leaves of the trillium feel confident that they have finished the slog of preseason preparation and finally unfurl in biblical unison. Spring blooms for itself and dances like nobody is watching. But, that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t need to be noticed.
FISHIN’
Steelhead fishing on the Cowlitz River has been hot enough recently to pique regional interest. At the same time, it’s been inconsistent enough to send plenty of anglers home frustrated.
Late last month the WDFW interviewed 21 bank rods below the I-5 Bridge and found five keeper steelhead to go along with five Chinook jacks that were released. Between the I-5 Bridge and the Barrier Dam, another eight bank rods had nine keeper steelhead to show while 81 rods on 24 boats kept 44 steelhead and released three more.
Returns to the Cowlitz salmon hatchery separator prove that plenty of steelhead have been on the move. Last week crews recovered 196 winter-run steelhead and three spring Chinook adults. Crews then released 36 steelhead into the Tilton River at Gust Backstrom Park in Morton, along with 23 steelhead and one springer into Lake Scanewa in Randle. The rest of the recovered fish were retained for hatchery broodstock operations. On April 1 river flow below Mayfield Dam was reported at 5,080 cubic feet per second with visibility of 10 feet and a water temperature of 45.7 degrees. By Wednesday flow had dropped to just 3,840 cfps, but Tacoma Power noted that discharge from the dam should hover around 5,000 cfps through the weekend.
The Cowlitz and Lewis rivers are currently closed to salmon retention. Late last month on the Lewis River eight bank anglers had no catch to show.
Elsewhere, the Kalama River is open to salmon fishing but steelhead retention was closed on the lower river on April 1. That change was made in order to help hatchery operators attain broodstock requirements. Late last month the WDFW counted 19 bank anglers with one released steelhead while 16 rods on seven boats kept one steely and released four others.
“Fishing has been steady the last couple weeks with (anglers) hooking 2-4 fish a day. Just here in the last week numbers have increased by two (per) day for the average. Hoping it gets better in the days to come but should be over by April 20. Plunkers in the lower Cowlitz are also catching steelhead on a daily basis.” wrote Andy Coleman in an email to the Fishrap command center. Coleman is a guide who focuses primarily on the Cowlitz and Columbia rivers.
“Things have been dead elsewhere in the area and spring kings (being) closed have cut boat numbers down. The Columbia, on the other hand, is heating up this week and solid numbers are being caught by the guys that are in the game,” added Coleman, of Andy’s Angling Adventures, last week.
Currently, salmon fishing is closed on the mainstem Columbia River below Warrior Rock in order to protect stocks returning to the Cowlitz and Lewis rivers. However, there are options from Warrior Rock up to the deadline below Bonneville Dam.
A count conducted by the WDFW late last month showed that there were 434 boats targeting salmon and steelhead on the lower Columbia River last week along with 70 bank rods on the Washington side. Creel samples collected through the end of March show that the bite has taken its sweet time to come around this year.
“The catch to date has been fairly consistent with the preseason forecast, which was the lowest on record since 2007,” said Ryan Lothrop, WDFW Columbia River fishery coordinator, in a prospect report. “But spring chinook returns can pick up suddenly, so we’ll have to assess the situation as the initial fishing period draws to a close.”
What’s more, the WDFW recently announced a reduction in the number of upriver salmon that will be available for harvest in the lower stretches of the Columbia. If current projections hold anglers will be limited to just 4,548 upriver origin fish compared to 9,052 last year.
“Anglers will still find some good fishing opportunities in the Columbia River Basin this spring, but conservation has to be our first concern,” Lothrop added.
In other conservation-minded actions, the John Day Pool is now closed to sturgeon fishing. That change was made on Wednesday, April 3 after estimates indicated that the quota of 105 legal-size white sturgeon had been harvested.
Next month anglers will be allowed to catch-and-keep sturgeon on the lower Columbia River from Bonneville Dam on down. That fishery is slated to run on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays from May 13 through June 5.
In the meantime, the Bonneville Pool is the only option left for anglers to harvest sturgeon on the west side of the state. Late last month 16 bank anglers reported catching two legal sturgeon and releasing nine that were too small. Another 27 anglers on 10 boats kept seven legal sturgeon, released 86 for being too small, and released another for being too big.
Walleye and bass have also been biting at Bonneville. Late last month eight rods on three boats released a dozen walleye while seven rods on five boats released 16 bass.
If steelhead are still what you’re after then you can still hit the Chehalis system or head out toward the coast. According to WDFW fish biologist Mike Gross, it’s imperative to keep an eye on river flows when trying to bump into elusive steelhead. A prospect report noted that “Recent low flows have slowed the fisheries, but that can change quickly this time of year.”
The mainstem Chehalis River and the Skookumchuck are both solid options for hooking late winter steelhead. Bass are also beginning to bite in the Chehalis system. On Wednesday flow on the Wynoochee River was reported at 433 cfps above Black Creek and 227 cfps at Grisdale.
Out in the old Salish Sea salmon, anglers will have until April 15 to fish in marine areas 6 and 9. In marine areas, 5, 11, and 12 salmon retention will be allowed through April 30, and fishing in Marine Area 13 (South Puget Sound) is open all year round. Anglers in South Puget Sound can keep hatchery coho or hatchery Chinook as part of their two-salmon daily limit.
If you’re more keen to stay inland there are warm-water fish and trout waiting to be lured in. At Silver Lake, there is a 10-fish daily limit for crappie with a nine-inch minimum. Meanwhile, panfish prospects are most promising at places like Kress Lake.
With the official lowland lake opener set for April 27, the WDFW continues to work on stocking several hundred lakes with hatchery trout. That “opener” is a bit of a misnomer since most lakes are open year-round in this region but the late April date marks a time when fair-weather anglers tend to start dusting off their reels. Some lakes that will open for “reel” on April 27 include Mineral Lake, Fort Borst Park Pond, Plummer Lake, and Carlisle Lake (Ol’ Mill Pond). The Swift Power Canal in Cowlitz County is also slated to be stocked prior to the opener and kokanee have been biting at both the Merwin and Yale reservoirs.
Three lakes in Cowlitz County were recently planted with hatchery rainbows. Those waters include Lake Sacajawea, Kress Lake, and Horseshoe Lake. South Lewis County Park Pond is on the docket next and on March 21 Swofford Pond was planted with 5,800 rainbow trout weighing just over a third of a pound each.
In Thurston County, there were 4,550 rainbow trout weighing just under a half pound each planted into Black Lake on March 20. In Grays Harbor, 100 rainbows weighing more than three pounds each were planted at Duck Lake and that lake received another 750 rainbow trout weighing just under a half pound each on March 27.
In just a couple weeks Failor Lake in Grays Harbor County will be open for juvenile anglers to try their luck. A one-day derby will be held on April 20 from 8 a.m. until 11 a.m. That opening event, sponsored by the Grays Harbor Poggie Club, will be open to youths age 14 and younger. Following that one-day derby Failor Lake will again be closed until April 27.
HUNTIN’
On April 5 and 6 the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission participated in a set of meetings in Olympia that will help to set a hunting season for 2019-20.
• Changing rules requiring elk hunters to leave hooves in place for elk hoof disease prevention.
• Removing minimum arrow weight restrictions.
• Elimination of antlerless white-tailed deer hunts to conserve deer populations in northeast Washington.
• Letting turkey hunters forgo hunter orange requirements when hunting outside of modern firearm and elk seasons.
Out of the boardroom and into the field, a general spring turkey hunt will run from April 15 through May 31 in all areas of Washington. According to a WDFW prospect report, turkey hunters found success about 52 percent of the time during the 2016 hunt.
When March came to a close so too did trapping seasons for beaver, badger, weasel, marten, mink, muskrat and river otters. That leaves cougars as the only species currently open to general season pursuits. Hunters should be sure to check with the WDFW before heading out in order to make sure a particular area is still open. In areas where the take remains below the quota, cougar hunting will continue through April 30.
However, devil dogs are unregulated by the WDFW. That means that coyotes remain fair hunting fodder all year long.
With better weather in the air along with new fawns, calves, and other baby critters hitting the ground, motorists should be sure to beware of animals darting across lanes of traffic. If, and when, the grisly inevitable occurs, Washington state law allows for the harvest of most deer and elk with the use of an emergency permit provided by the WDFW. However, deer are not eligible for salvage in Clark, Cowlitz or Wahkiakum counties. Permits are available online and must be obtained within 24-hours of any deer or elk salvage. Permits can be found at wdfw.wa.gov/licensing/game_salvaging/application.html.
As spring hunting seasons round into view, the WDFW is reminding new hunters that they are required to take an education course prior to purchasing their license. A press release noted that classes tend to fill up quickly in advance of popular hunting seasons.
“For that reason, we encourage new hunters to enroll in hunter education courses well ahead of their first hunting trip,” noted Dave Whipple, WDFW hunter education manager. “The hunter education program teaches firearm safety, wildlife conservation, hunting ethics, basic first aid, and survival… This is critical information for a safe and positive hunting experience, and we do not want any new hunter to miss this opportunity.”
{{tncms-inline content="<p>Additional information can be found online at wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/requirements/education.</p>" id="b820fe12-3f3c-440e-8916-e57423b98fcc" style-type="info" title="More Information" type="relcontent"}}
CLAMMIN’
Razor clam digs tentatively scheduled for the month of April include the following dates, tides and beaches:
April 20, Saturday, 7:58 a.m.; -1.1 feet; Long Beach (during the Long Beach Razor Clam Festival), Twin Harbors, Copalis
April 21, Sunday, 8:42 a.m.; -1.2 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
April 22, Monday, 9:25 a.m.; -1.0 feet; Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
The Long Beach Razor Clam Festival will feature clam digging lessons, a clam chowder cook-off, a clam fritter cookout, and other salty favorites.
As always the WDFW’s coastal shellfish manager, Dan Ayres, reminds folks to hit the beach about one or two hours prior to low tide for the best digging results.
State law allows diggers to harvest up to 15 clams per person, per day, but no high-grading is allowed. All diggers age 15 and up are required to possess a fishing license and diggers must both dig and carry their own harvest.
VIEWIN’
If you’re more into watching wildlife than picking it up and bopping it on the head, then springtime has many spectacles to offer up.
Sandhill cranes are in the throes of their annual mating ritual and are beginning to congregate in large numbers in the Vancouver lowlands. Thousands of the birds, with wingspans reaching up to seven feet, visit southwest Washington each spring. The Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge is one of their favorite places to feed and mingle. Other fine feathered friends making stops in the area this time of year include egrets, tundra swans, and belted kingfishers.
The Nisqually Wildlife Refuge on the north end of Olympia where the Nisqually River meets Puget Sound is another prime place to view birds making their way along the Pacific Flyway. Bald eagle chicks will begin to hatch there later this month and guided programs are offered on weekends in April. Weekly bird walks also happen on Wednesdays.
If you’d rather head toward the coast then the Grays Harbor Shorebird and Nature Festival might be more up your alley. That gathering of avian enthusiasts will be held on from May 3-5 in Hoquiam. That event will be hosted in conjunction by the Grays Harbor Audubon Society, Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge, and the City of Hoquiam. The festival will include field trips, informative lectures, and kid-friendly fun.
{{tncms-inline content="<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><em>Jordan Nailon covers the outdoors for The Reflector&rsquo;s sister paper in Lewis County, The Chronicle.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span></em></span></p>" id="3fa515a3-506a-475d-b86c-aa107dc27304" style-type="bio" title="Bio Box" type="relcontent"}}
