PERHAPS THE TERM “camping” needs a little clarity.
For it seems our pluralist society has somehow altered its definition in recent years.
The fact that someone would dare call their trailer a “camper” says it all.
Anyone who considers parking a smaller version of their home near the great outdoors to be “camping” has obviously been misinformed.
To really pass the “camping” test, I’d argue one must, A) erect their own sleeping quarters, B) sleep on the ground and C) do so miles away from civilization.
In other words, if you can watch the latest “American Idol” episode while lying on a queen-sized bed and cooking something in your fully stocked (albeit smaller) kitchen, you are not camping.
Let’s face it, you’re barely even breaking with routine.
Of course, that argument can be taken to another extreme.
For at what point do the tools and amenities we bring to the campsite become too convenient?
Is a Duraflame log, for example, considered too much of a luxury for the true mountain man? A sleeping bag and pad too comfortable and cozy?
Does carrying in your own food negate the true “man versus nature” experience?
Some might consider these legitimate questions, and ones worth pondering as summer camping season nears.
So I’ll put it to you, my dear Peninsulites, to answer the question: What is camping?
Send me (matt.schubert@peninsuladailynews.com) your answer in 200 words or less.
I need to know. And so, too, does the rest of the Peninsula.
Now, on to the rest of the column.
Coastal salmon
Get prepared for a Canadian invasion.
Word has it chinook are amassing at the U.S.-Canada border. And they’re hungrier than a dormitory full of college freshmen.
That would be great news for a coastal selective chinook fishery that has seen little in the way of action.
As the numbers (see fish count on Page B4) attest, there weren’t many fish biting during the first few weeks of the season.
But that might be starting to change, according to Joey Lawrence of Big Salmon Resort (360-645-2374) in Neah Bay.
“It’s picked up out at Blue Dot,” Lawrence said, referencing an Area 4 (Neah Bay) fishing hole near the border.
“The guys that like to make that long run for salmon, there are a lot of big kings [over 20 pounds] out there . . . maybe two miles north of Blue Dot.
“There’s a lot of feed and a lot of kings.”
Randy Lato of All-Ways (360-374-2052) in LaPush didn’t quite have the same luck fishing the same waters on Thursday.
He’d heard of a developing bite up north as well and decided to make a run for the border.
Forty-plus miles and a few gallons of gas later, he came away with nary a keeper to speak of.
“We made the effort, that’s for damn sure,” Lato said. “There were birds and there was bait and lots of silvers.
“We caught and released a dozen silvers or so [which can’t be retained until July 1], but we never did have a king on.
“Everybody was struggling today. It was just one of them days.”
Area 3 (LaPush) and 4 (Neah Bay) do have at least one saving grace: its bountiful bottomfish.
“That’s the only thing that’s been keeping us alive until a couple of days ago when we got word about the salmon,” Lawrence said, adding that lingcod and sea bass catches have been steady all season.
The salmon seasons in both areas change July 1, with each opening Tuesdays through Saturdays only for wild chinook and hatchery coho retention.
Until then, anglers might just be best served to head as far north as they can.
“One of these days they are just going to be there,” Lato said of the chinook. “I think we’re going to have to travel for [the coho], too, [once that opens].
“The people who have been fishing around the Rock Pile and around LaPush haven’t been doing [squat].”
Salmon opener
Hopefully, we can avoid the same slow start in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
The way Bob Aunspach of Swain’s General Store (360-452-2357) in Port Angeles sees it, next Thursday’s salmon opener in Areas 5 (Sekiu) and 6 (eastern Strait) should start off with a bang.
“I plan on putting two fish in the boat that morning,” said Aunspach, an almost religious Freshwater Bay fisherman.
“There’s been a lot of herring around . . . even during halibut season. It was all six-inch herring, too. So there’s definitely bait out there.”
Most of the action will likely come west of Ediz Hook, which is the boundary for selective chinook fishing inside the Strait.
“Freshwater Bay will definitely be a place of interest along with [Ediz] Hook and the Winter Hole,” Aunspach said.
“Traditionally, your bigger fish are going to come out of Freshwater, even though there’s some good fish to come out of here in PA.
“You’re going to fish the same water you fish for the spring fishery as you do for the summer fishery.
“With your summer chinook you need to maybe slow things down a little more than what you were doing in the spring, but other than that, the depths are the same.”
Area 5 anglers will likely hit up the Caves, the mouth of Sekiu River and out east toward Pillar Point once the season begins.
The latter is supposedly an exceptional fishery when things are just right, but it also requires a long ride.
Coho, which don’t normally show up en masse until late July, tend to bite out near the shipping lanes.
Crab news
The Peninsula’s favorite cantankerous crustaceans are back.
Crabbing season opened throughout the western Strait of Juan de Fuca (Areas 4 and 5) last Friday.
The rest of the Strait, as well as Admiralty Inlet and Hood Canal, isn’t that far behind either.
Areas 6 (eastern Strait), 9 (Admiralty Inlet) and 12 (Hood Canal) all open to crabbing Wednesdays through Saturdays starting July 1.
Expect a lot of pots to hit the water this summer.
The Dungeness crab fishery has become massively popular during the last 10 years, with participation levels consistently rising each year.
Dungeness Bay is a favorite spot for many Peninsulites, but is by no means the only place to pick up some crabs.
Much like their shellfish counterparts, shrimp and crab are greedy and insatiable eaters that will pretty much go after anything that comes their way.
Salmon heads and backbones, herring, clam meat, turkey drumsticks . . . all of it works, especially on incoming and outgoing tides.
The western Strait remains open to crabbing through Jan. 2, while the rest of the Peninsula fisheries close after Labor Day weekend for a catch assessment.
On target?
So perhaps I was a bit off the mark (OK, extremely off the mark) in last week’s outdoors column.
Just don’t expect the same sort of middling marksmanship at the Wapiti Bowmen’s club headquarters, 274 Arnette Road, in east Port Angeles this weekend.
The Bowmen will host the state championship field tournament this Saturday and Sunday, bringing in some top flight archers to let the fletches fly.
(Last Friday’s outdoors column incorrectly stated that this event was set for last weekend. In related news, I am a complete dummy.)
The tournament is open to all National Field Archery Association (NFAA) and Washington State Archery Association (WSAA) members.
It includes 42 targets on the first day (Saturday) and 28 on the second (Sunday), with a total of 238 arrows shot by each archer during the tournament.
Shooting begins at 9 a.m. on Saturday. An archery swap meet starts at 4 p.m. the same day.
There is no charge to sell, and anyone is welcome to bring in unwanted equipment.
Breakfast and lunch will be served both days. There will also be a spaghetti dinner on Saturday at 4 p.m.
Summer mantra?
Get used to the phrase “low and clear.”
With summer finally arriving, that will likely be a common condition for streams during the next few months.
Just about every river out west is running on the low side already, according to Bob Gooding of Olympic Sporting Goods (360-374-6330) in Forks.
Obviously that makes for some pretty tough angling, given that the fish can see you as easily as you can see them. (And they have a feeling you’re coming to the river with bad intentions.)
“There’s fish, but the water is low and clear, plain and simple,” he said. “There’s cutthroat, steelhead, sockeye, kings. I even saw a few early summer silvers caught.
“Folks are doing pretty decent, but it’s slowed down.”
Also . . .
• Squid jiggers might want to keep an eye on Port Angeles City Pier in the coming weeks.
The tentacled treats are known to migrate through Port Angeles Harbor from late June all the way through August.
For more information on recreational squid fishing, visit http://tinyurl.com/2c3hbwv.
• There are still open spots for the final hunter education class of the year in Port Angeles.
The five-session class, mandatory for hunters born after Jan. 1, 1972, is scheduled for Aug. 3, 5, 10, 12 and 14.
To sign up for the class, call Hi-Caliber Guns at 360-417-0300.
• Olympic Peninsula Tourism Commission is conducting an on-line survey about the Olympic Discovery Trail.
The survey takes about five minutes to complete, with all participants entered into a drawing for a stay at the Red Caboose Getaway Bed and Breakfast near Sequim Bay.
To take the survey, visit olympicdiscoverytrail.com.
• The Dungeness River Audubon Center will hold a series of summer nature camps throughout the summer.
Sessions will be held July 12-15, Aug. 2-5 and Aug. 23-26, meeting daily from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. to explore Railroad Bridge Park and do crafts, games and other adventures.
Space is limited to 20 children (ages 8-11). To sign up, contact the River Center at 360-681-4076.
• Those looking for some new hiking buddies this summer can join the Klahhane Hiking Club, the oldest year-round hiking group on the Peninsula.
Hikers must do four “get acquainted” hikes, meet a sponsor for the membership application and complete six “qualifying” hikes within six months of applying.
For more information, visit klahhaneclub.org.
• Karen Royer will discuss tying realistic flies during the Olympic Peninsula Fly Fishers’ monthly meeting July 5.
The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. in the Loomis Log Cabin in Port Angeles’ Lincoln Park.
• Washington Trails will gather a volunteer work party on the Lower Big Quilcene Trail on July 6
Volunteers must pre-register 48 hours in advance. To pre-register, contact Washington Trails at 206-625-1367 or visit www.wta.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.