AS MANY OF you know by now, I’m used to rejection.
From sourpuss sources to unwilling women, I tend to get turned down with great frequency.
I’d be lying if I said it didn’t hurt, that I didn’t take it as further confirmation that I am, in fact, a mediocre man.
That was certainly this case at last weekend’s Talking Rain men’s basketball tournament in Port Angeles, when I got rejected in perhaps the worst way possible.
For there are few things more emasculating that getting turned away at the rim, especially for someone whose entire offensive repertoire revolves around occasionally making layups.
Yes, former Peninsula College and Sequim High School standout Brady Marunde made me look like a child, nay, a zygote, when he rejected my layup attempt last weekend.
If the gym hadn’t come equipped with load-bearing walls, the ball likely would have landed somewhere in Port Angeles Harbor.
The rejection demeaned not just me, but everybody on my team. After all, they were my willing associates.
Needless to say, the next time I drove to the basket on Marunde  — a 6-foot-4 athletic freak, not that I’m making excuses — I decided to pass the ball off to a teammate.
Of course, he knew exactly what I was going to do and moved into the passing lane right as I was about to dish it, forcing me to counter with the sort of running layup attempt that gets you laughed out of elementary school pickup games.
The dozens in attendance certainly got a chuckle out of it. I joined in the laughter as well.
It was all I could do to keep from crying.
Let it rain
The North Olympic Peninsula has enough moisture as it is.
Mother Nature has taken a toll on rivers throughout the area.
So whatever streams were in shape on Thursday were surely punched after this recent spat of rain.
With more precipitation predicted to fall this weekend, that isn’t likely to change in the near future either.
“Everything is on the rise but the Sol Duc,” Randy Lato of All-Ways Fishing (360-374-2052) in Forks said. “I’m sure it’s going to be, too, because it is just flat coming down.”
Too bad, because there’s all sorts of coho to be had in the rivers.
The Dungeness Hatchery continues to see fish reaching its traps, while the Sol Duc Hatchery had a recent return of more than 3,000 fall coho.
There’s also been a few whispers of early returning winter steelhead in the Quillayute and Bogachiel rivers.
I guess what I’m trying to say is, once things get back into shape, it might be a good idea to go fishing.
“[The Sol Duc] is where I’ve been spending most of my time. All the way through it’s been good,” Lato said. “But I talked to the guys who fished in other stretches, and they have fared just as well.”
Added Bob Aunspach of Swain’s General Store (360-452-2357) in Port Angeles, “There is a chance that when these rivers go up and come back down that there could be some early winter fish.”
Jefferson fish
The Marine Area 9 (Admiralty Inlet) blackmouth fishery has been productive when the weather cooperates.
It opened to rave reviews on Sunday, with anglers pulling a fair amount of juvenile kings out of the water.
“We went out on the opener and caught a number of fish,” Wayne Bibbins of Down Home Charters (360-643-1960) in Port Townsend said.
“We went out another day this week and we’re catching nice winter kings real steadily. It seems as though there’s an abundance of winter kings, but it’s dependent upon if you can target the bait. It’s important to follow the bait, not necessarily the location.”
One could always head down to Hood Canal as well.
We’re in the prime of the Hoodsport Hatchery chum run, with more than 2,000 fish showing up in the last week.
Minus Tuesdays and Thursdays, when tribal fishers are netting, things have been pretty productive for anglers, according to Gary Florek at G & M Hardware (360-877-9834) in Hoodsport.
“There’s been a pretty nice run up here,” he said. “Last week was pretty darn heavy . . . guys have been catching quite a few.”
Blow your horn
Hunters are more than happy with the current weather conditions on the Peninsula.
All those gusts are sure to bring elk out into the open this weekend, not to mention blow in a few birds from the saltwater.
That’s just in time for the modern firearm elk season, open from Saturday to Nov. 17 in the Hoko, Dickey, Pysht, Sol Duc, Goodman, Clearwater, Matheny and Coyle (except for elk area 6071) Game Management Units.
“Weather plays a big part in what they do now,” Aunspach said. “I know it’s windy and stormy out there right now. Those elk will sometimes have a tendency to get out on those clear cuts [when that happens]. There they don’t have limbs snapping and stuff like that.”
Now that elk are out of the rut, there’s a good chance many of the prize bulls will be out on their own.
The allure of baby-making no longer keeps them with the herd, and they have little interest in joining back up. So bugling is out of the question at this point.
“It could do you more harm than good,” Aunspach said.
Ducks and geese are sure to be a bit bothered by the bluster as well.
Such weather usually causes flocks to head for beaver ponds and other inland wetlands. Set up a few decoys in one of those areas, and you just might bag some birds.
Goose hunting opens Saturday and will remain open through Dec. 31. Duck season is currently open and ends after Jan. 31.
Linked in
You’ll have to forgive me, but I have neglected the Peninsula’s fly fishing Yoda, Ron “the Missing” Link.
Link has one more class available (Fishing Hot Spots) this fall for those looking for some piscatorial propaganda. The class will meet Mondays and Saturdays on Nov. 9-28.
Students will learn some of the Peninsula’s more popular fishing holes, including beaches, estuaries, rivers, high lakes, lowland lakes and open salt water.
There will also be information on the tackle used and fishing techniques.
There are three classroom sessions each Monday from 6-8 p.m., beginning next Monday, with three Saturday field trips to areas throughout the Peninsula.
Students must provide their own gear and transportation. The class fee is $160.
For more information, or to register, visit http://tinyurl.com/ybur429.
Also . . .
• Long Beach and Twin Harbors open to evening digging for razor clams today and Saturday.
Kalaloch is set to open for one day of digging on Nov. 16, pending marine toxin testing. For more information, visit http://wdfw.wa.gov/.
• Clint Muns will speak on the “Harm’s Way” project at the Puget Sound Anglers-East Jefferson chapter’s monthly meeting on Tuesday in Port Townsend.
The presentation begins at 7 p.m. in the Marina Room of Point Hudson Marina.
• The winter schedule for Olympic National Park is set to begin Nov. 20.
Hurricane Ridge Road will be open from 9 a.m. to dusk, Fridays through Sundays, until March 28.
The road will be closed Monday through Thursday during the winter season, except for Monday holidays and an extended period during the Christmas-New Year’s holiday.
• The Peninsula Rifle and Pistol Club, located at 2600 W. 18th St. in Port Angeles, will hold its monthly light rifle match Saturday at 10 a.m.
The match fee is $10, with a cash prize going to the top shooter. The course is 20 shots fired while standing in 20 minutes.
The monthly event is open to members and non-members. For more information, contact Ed Phillips at 360-461-2510.
• The Grey Wolf Fly Fishing Club will present the movie “Chum Sampling,” providing local stream restoration updates, at its monthly meeting at the Gardiner Community Center, 980 Old Gardiner Road, next Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Members will also provide a show-and-tell workshop about their favorite reels at the meeting, with all members of the public invited.
• Beginning birders can learn the ropes with Dave Jackson during a field trip through the Dungeness Valley on Saturday, Nov. 14.
The group will meet at Carrie Blake Park, 202 N Blake Ave. in Sequim, at 9:30 a.m. Birders will learn the common birds of the Valley’s parks and neighborhoods while getting familiarized with birding techniques.
For more information, visit www.dungenessrivercenter.org.
• Washington Trails Association will gather a couple of all-day volunteer work parties next week on the Peninsula.
A group will gather to work on the Lower Dungeness Trail on Tuesday, with another work party set to meet at Peabody Creek Trail on Thursday.
Volunteers must pre-register 48 hours in advance. To pre-register, contact Washington Trails at 206-625-1367 or visit www.wta.org.
• The Olympic Peninsula Ski Club will hold its first organizational meeting next Tuesday at the Sequim Library Meeting Room, 630 N. Sequim Ave., from 7-8 p.m.
The new club is open to adult snow fans who “would like to join others in the enjoyment of snow activities on and off the Peninsula.”
For more information, call Margaret Low at 360-417-5503.
• Flotilla 42, Coast Guard Auxiliary will hold boater education courses at Forks City Council Chambers on Nov. 13-14 and the Coast Guard Station on Ediz Hook on Nov. 20-21.
The Forks class will meet from 6-9 p.m. on Nov. 13, and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Nov. 14. Port Angeles class times mirror those of the Forks sessions.
Students are eligible to receive a boater’s education card — required for anyone 30 years old or younger as of Jan. 1, 2010 — upon completion of the course.
Pre-registration is required and can be done by contacting Richard Fleck at 360-809-3393.
• The Hurricane Ridge Winter Sports Club will hold its annual Winterfest fundraiser the weekend of Nov. 20-21 at the Vern Burton Community Center in Port Angeles.
There will be a dinner followed by a showing of the Warren Miller movie “Dynasty” on Nov. 20.
Advance tickets for the event cost $40 per person, and can be bought at Brown’s Outdoor, Necessities and Temptations, Port Book and News and Swain’s General Store in Port Angeles.
A ski swap is set for Nov. 21 from noon to 3:30 p.m. with an encore movie presentation held later in the day at 7 p.m.
For more information, visit www.hurricaneridge.com.
• Fish and Wildlife will hold a series of public meetings discussing a new draft conservation plan for Puget Sound rockfish.
The lone meeting on the Peninsula will be held today in the Raven Room at Skookum Inc., 385 Benedict St., in Port Townsend from 4-6 p.m.
Public comment is open through Nov. 19, with comment also welcome at the public meetings. The draft conservation plan is available at http://tinyurl.com/yjs8d7o.
Comments can be submitted by e-mail to SEPAdesk2@dfw.wa.gov or by U.S. Mail to WDFW SEPA Desk, 600 Capitol Way N. Olympia, WA 98501-1091.
Stories welcome
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.