BEWARE THE END of March.
April Fools’ Day doesn’t only apply to playful pranks and elaborate ruses.
It also denotes those anglers who fail to purchase a new fishing license before heading out to fish April 1.
(Or, in my case, the bumbling boobs who continue to willingly throw money at the failed enterprise that is recreational fishing.)
All 2009-10 state fishing and hunting licenses are null and void as of midnight on March 31.
So if you want to drop a line in the Sol Duc, hook a hulker on the Hoh or tag a wild turkey east of Tacoma, you’d better shell out some shekels for a new license.
Licenses may be purchased online (https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov/), by phone (866-246-9453) or at authorized license sales locations.
Now, on to something a little less taxing . . . sometimes.
Salmon slide
Marine Area 5 (Sekiu) is like the art major with overalls and black-framed glasses.
Unpopular? Perhaps. Worth a second look? You bet your bottom-feeding winter blackmouth.
The out-of-the-way fishery has consistently been one of the top salmon producers this season, even if it has yet to inspire hordes to head its way.
The Sunday crowd has caught more than one salmon per boat since the season began in mid-February (44 boats, 59 chinook).
In fact, not once has a creel check come back with a ratio worse than a one-to-one for boats to salmon since Feb. 14.
In the winter blackmouth world, that’s pretty good fishing.
“They are pretty much all limiting,” Val Olson of Olson’s Resort (360-963-2311) in Sekiu said.
“We’ve had [fish] up to 18 pounds but they are probably averaging about 4 to 8 pounds . . . normal for this time of year.”
Anglers are pulling them out of all the regular spots as well (i.e. Eagle Bay and the Caves).
Considering this fishery will transform into a mobile marina by the time summer rolls around, perhaps this is the time to head for Slip Point.
Marine Area 6 (eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca) started off just as strong, but has slowed down in recent weeks.
Bob Aunspach of Swain’s General Store (360-452-2357) in Port Angeles landed a salmon off Ediz Hook in just 15 minutes on Saturday. But he was in a rather small minority.
“It sounded like it might have picked up a little bit today, but until then it had been pretty darn quiet,” Aunspach said. “It’s been pretty tough.”
Gary Dougherty of Port Angeles brought in an 18-pound, 8-ounce beauty last Friday.
Yet that’s the only fish to be entered into the Port Angeles Salmon Club’s monthly salmon derby in the last week.
“They are not getting anything really big, but they started catching fish again [Thursday],” Aunspach said, noting that most came out of Freshwater Bay.
“Maybe we’re turning the corner again with some fish.”
Little information is coming out of Areas 9 (Admiralty Inlet) and 12 (Hood Canal) these days.
That either means the fishing has been unspeakably bad, or it’s so good that it’s unspeakable.
I’ll let you be the judge.
Steelhead still
The best way to catch an early spring chinook: fish for steelhead.
As Bob Gooding of Olympic Sporting Goods (360-374-6330) in Forks tells it, that’s about the only way you’re going to hook one in late March.
“This time of year they mostly catch them by accident,” Gooding said of the springers. “There’s a few around, but ‘few’ is exactly it.”
There are still good numbers of steelhead swimming around several West End tributaries, however.
“The Hoh River, it was coming up a little [Thursday], but it’s been fishing well,” Gooding said.
“The Sol Duc is still fishing well. Even the [Bogachiel] was putting out some fish, not a ton, but it was putting out some fish. This rain [on Thursday] won’t hurt a thing [either].”
With April fast approaching, the crowds are sure to thin out in the next couple of weeks.
That’s despite the fact that some of the largest native steelhead of the season return to the Quillayute system and Hoh in April.
Since they are joined by an early rush of springers, anglers always have a chance of scoring a nice surprise.
Ridge farewell
How quickly hello turns into goodbye.
One month after re-opening to an abbreviated season, Hurricane Ridge is down to its final weekend of organized winter sports.
Talk of extending this year’s season a couple more weeks never materialized.
So the Strapless Weekend snowskate extravaganza on Saturday and Sunday — detailed in Thursday’s outdoors column — must be Peninsulites’ final farewell.
At least skiers, snowboarders and the like will all be greeted by a couple of inches of fresh powder.
All three lifts (Poma, bunny and intermediate) will be in operation.
Full-day lift rates are $10 for the bunny lift, $20 for the bunny and intermediate lifts and $25 for all three, including the Poma.
Half days cost $10 for the bunny, $18 for the bunny and intermediate and $22 for all three.
Snacks and ski rentals are available at the snack bar and gift shop inside Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center.
There will also be ranger-led snowshoe walks Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. A $5 donation is requested from participants.
Space is limited for the 90-minute walks, so participants should register at the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center information desk 30 minutes beforehand.
Hurricane Ridge Road opens Fridays through Sundays from 9 a.m. to dusk, weather permitting.
Always check road and weather conditions before your trip by phoning the park’s 24-hour road conditions hotline at 360-565-3131.
For more information on Strapless Weekend, contact Frank Crippen of North by Northwest Surf Co. at 360-452-5144.
For information on skiing and snowboarding at the Ridge, visit www.hurricaneridge.com.
Clamming up
Load up that clam gun.
A week-long set of razor clam digs come to the coast today through Thursday.
Long Beach and Twin Harbors will open to some sort of digging all seven days (the last four dates are morning harvests).
Kalaloch opens to evening digs today and Saturday, while Copalis and Mocrocks open Saturday and Sunday.
Harvesters scored on average of 14 clams per person during the final day of digging in late February at Kalaloch.
That came after a series of tsunami-inspired rollers had diggers scrambling the day before.
Surf conditions appear to be a tad more favorable for today’s dig at Kalaloch, but the tides and weather should be better Saturday. Personally, I’d take the latter combination.
It’s always best to hit the beach at least one hour before low tide. Here are the tides for each day:
• Today — +0.1 feet at 4:29 p.m.
• Saturday — -0.1 feet at 5:19 p.m.
• Sunday — 0.0 feet at 6:04 p.m.
• Monday — -0.1 feet at 6:35 a.m.
• Tuesday — -0.7 feet at 7:22 a.m.
• Wednesday — -1.0 feet at 8:07 a.m.
• Thursday — -1.0 feet at 8:52 a.m.
Another dig is tentatively scheduled on morning tides in mid-April at Long Beach, pending final marine toxin tests.
For more information, visit http://tinyurl.com/oyekj.
Official halibut
The halibut dates proposed by the state Department of Fish and Wildlife are finally official.
As was noted in this space earlier, seasons have been shortened because of reduced quotas and last year’s banner take (according to state numbers) by recreational anglers.
Here is a complete rundown of flatty fishing on the Peninsula:
• Areas 3 (La Push) and 4 (Neah Bay) — Open on May 13, two days per week (Thursdays and Saturdays) through May 22.
If enough quota remains, the fishery will reopen June 3 and 5. If there is still enough quota after that, the fishery will resume June 17.
• Areas 6 (eastern Strait) and 9 (Admiralty Inlet) — Open May 1 through May 30 three days a week (Thursday, Friday and Saturday).
The exception will be Memorial Day when both areas open Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
• Area 5 (Sekiu) — Open May 28 through June 19 three days a week (Thursday, Friday and Saturday). This fishery will also open Friday, Saturday and Sunday on Memorial Day weekend.
Also . . .
• Don Rice of Dungeness Kayaking will hold an introduction to sea kayaking class this Saturday and Sunday.
The cost of the class is $135, with Olympic Peninsula Paddlers Club members receiving a 25 percent discount.
For more information, visit www.dungenesskayaking.com, or contact Rice at 360-681-4190.
• Tribal and state biologists will discuss the Dungeness elk herd behavior modification project at a meeting this Saturday in Sequim.
The meeting, open to interested volunteers, will begin at 1 p.m. in the Guy Cole Convention Center at Carrie Blake Park, 202 N. Blake Ave.
For more information, e-mail Jesse Sandifer of the Eyes in the Woods Association at jesses@eyesinthewoods.org.
• Admiralty Audubon’s David Gluckman will lead a birding trip around Crockett Lake on Whidbey Island on Saturday.
A group will take an 8 a.m. ferry from Port Townsend to Keystone before touring the lake and Ebey National Wildlife Refuge. It will return to Port Townsend on the noon ferry.
To register for the trip, contact Gluckman at 360-379-0360 or cgluckman@aol.com.
• Wapiti Bowmen will hold its annual Safari/3D archery shoot at club headquarters, 374 E. Arnette Road, in Port Angeles on April 3-4.
Archers will shoot at 28 Safari targets and 22 full-sized 3-D animals (i.e. deer, elk and, yes, a dinosaur) at marked distances along the club’s wooded outdoor course.
Adult fees are $12 for one day, and $20 for two. Breakfast and lunch will be served at the club, with door prizes and awards also given out during the weekend.
For more information, contact Jameson Hawn at 425-478-0587 or send an e-mail to wapitibowclub@gmail.com.
• Hunters have until March 31 to enter a drawing for a 2010 multiple-season permit.
Fish and Wildlife will randomly draw 2,000 names for multi-season deer permits and 600 for multi-season elk permits.
Winners are eligible to purchase a tag to participate in all general archery, muzzleloader and modern firearm seasons for elk or deer in 2010.
Applications can be purchased ($6.50 for residents) at an authorized dealer, the Internet (http://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov/) or by calling 866-246-9453.
• The 10th annual Port Angeles Kayak Symposium comes to Hollywood Beach and City Pier the weekend of April 16-18.
The event includes on-water and off-water clinics, free demos and discounted kayak merchandise offered by a variety of vendors.
Admission is $5 to the demo beach or free with a donation to the Port Angeles food bank. For more information, visit www.raftandkayak.com.
• The fifth annual Olympic Peninsula BirdFest returns to Dungeness River Audubon Center the weekend of April 9-11.
Events include field trips, presentations, a banquet, owl prowls and many other birdy activities. For more information, visit www.olympicbirdfest.org.
• The Dungeness River Audubon Center hosts free bird walks from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. each Wednesday.
A River Center guide takes birders through Railroad Bridge Park, located at 2151 Hendrickson Road in Sequim, during the two-hour excursion.
For more information, visit www.dungenessrivercenter.org.
Send photos, stories
Want your event listed in the outdoors column?
Have a fishing or hunting report, an anecdote about an outdoors experience or a tip on gear or technique, why not share it with our readers?
Send it to me, Matt Schubert, Sports Department, Peninsula Daily News, P.O. Box 1330, Port Angeles, WA 98362; phone, 360-417-3526; fax, 360-417-3521; e-mail matt.schubert @peninsuladailynews.com.
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Matt Schubert is the outdoors columnist for the Peninsula Daily News. His column appears on Thursdays and Fridays.