GET THOSE BAG-holding hands ready.
Start practicing those half-hearted nods, weak smiles and parallel-parking skills.
Thanks to all the rain that fell on the North Olympic Peninsula IN the past few days, you’re not getting out of holiday shopping this weekend.
The steelhead will have to wait . . . at least for a few days.
“It’s going to be pretty testy,” Bob Gooding of Olympic Sporting Goods (360-374-6330) in Forks said Wednesday afternoon.
“[Rivers] were pretty high and dirty [Tuesday], and I went and looked this morning and they were higher and dirtier.
“If it rains anymore at all [today], it looks pretty grim through the weekend. You’re going to be able to go plunking, but as far as good fishing, it’s going pretty tough.”
Yes, the traditional start of the winter steelhead season — Thanksgiving — appears to be a bit of a non-starter.
Just about every river on the Peninsula is punched and likely to stay that way if the wetness persists.
Perhaps one might be able to sneak away to a smaller stream like the Hoko or Lyre and pick off a few steelies. But even that seems like a longshot.
“There’s going to be no fishing. It’s mud lake,” Wally Butler of Swain’s General Store (360-452-2357) in Port Angeles said on Wednesday.
“I went over Morse Creek this morning, and it was just rolling hot chocolate. It doesn’t look good.
“The one thing a guy might be able to do is go plunking down by the Rayonier bridge down on the Bogachiel.”
Make sure to have the pole on the ready, however.
Before things got damp, anglers were hooking a fair amount of steelhead on the Bogachiel River.
Expect a whole bunch more fish to be there when the rivers start dropping.
The winter hatchery steelhead run always picks up steam in late November — and typically runs strong all the way into January.
“When the water starts to drop, move and move fast,” Brian Menkal of Brian’s Sporting Goods and More (360-683-1950) in Sequim said.
“The next couple of weeks ought to be the best time for the Bogachiel Hatchery run.”
Snowy owl invasion
Birders might should keep a lookout for snowy owls.
According to Dungeness River Audubon Center Director Bob Boekelheide, this may very well be an irruption year for the rare raptors.
A small number have already been spotted around Dungeness Valley recently, he said.
“They usually hang out near the Strait, like at Dungeness Spit and Ediz Hook, but they may also show up in towns, usually sitting on some high perch like a housetop or telephone pole,” Boekelheide wrote in an email.
There have been just seven irruption years for snowy owls since 1977.
Of course, one of the reasons we know that is because of the information gathered at events like the Christmas Bird Count.
The River Center will hold a warmup for the annual event Sunday, Dec. 10, at Railroad Bridge Park. The warmup runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Admiralty Audubon will have a count on the Quimper Peninsula on Saturday, Dec. 17, while the Sequim-Dungeness Christmas Count will be held Monday, Dec. 19.
A Port Angeles area count is set for Dec. 31.
For information on those counts, visit http://tinyurl.com/2akvmdl.
Hunting notes
The late buck hunt came and went with little in the way of results.
Now all that’s left on the big game front is the late archery and muzzleloader seasons for deer and elk in select Game Management Units (GMUs).
“They got a few bucks, but nothing like they normally do,” Butler said of the late buck hunt.
“We actually didn’t get any big three-points in [Swain’s antler contest] at all.”
Cooler weather and high elevation snow might turn things around during the last couple weeks of big game season.
Late muzzleloader deer season is open in the Pysht GMU through Dec. 15, while late archery deer runs through Dec. 15 in the Hoko, Sol Duc, Goodman, Clearwater and Matheny GMUs.
Late muzzleloader elk goes until Dec. 15 in the Hoko and Matheny, and late archery elk lasts until Dec. 15 in the Pysht, Goodman and Clearwater.
“If there’s snow up high it will help,” Butler said. “It drives them down out of the high country.
“The pressure seems to back off on the elk [in the late seasons] and they’ve got to get out and feed because of the less hours.
That will help the elk hunters quite a bit.”
Ridge roundup
It wasn’t quite a full house at Winterfest last week, but close enough.
A total of 265 tickets were sold, and numerous items were auctioned off at the annual winter sports fundraiser.
Hurricane Ridge Winter Sports Education Foundation Treasurer Eric Flodstrom estimated approximately $31,000 was raised.
Now all that’s left to do is get the rope towns and Poma lift operating atop Hurricane Ridge.
This week’s wintry weather certainly didn’t hurt on that front, with a few feet falling on the mountain the last few days.
The initial start date for organized winter sports at Hurricane Ridge is set for the weekend of Dec. 17.
That being said, it’s a rarity that the lifts are up and running by that time.
Check here for future updates.
Also . . .
■ Those willing to shell out extra gas money can dig up a few razor clams at state beaches down south today and Saturday.
Afternoon digs will be held both days at Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis and Mocrocks.
A minus 1.9-foot low tide hits beaches at 6:27 p.m. tonight, while a minus 1.9-footer is expected to come at 7:14 p.m. on Saturday.
■ Those looking to wade out into the darkness in search of crab will have a prime set of evening low tides tonight through Sunday.
The best place to visit would probably be Dungeness Bay, but crab can be grabbed from places like Oak Bay, Hollywood Beach and Pillar Point.
For a listing of tides, visit http://tinyurl.com/5lw4d.
■ The Coastal Conservation Association-North Olympic Peninsula Chapter monthly meeting will be held Monday, Dec. 12, in Port Angeles.
The meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. at Wine on the Waterfront, 115 E. Railroad Ave.
The results of the latest state chapter meeting will be discussed. There will also be an update on the Pacific Aquaculture Salmon Farm proposal.
■ Waters West Fly Fishing Outfitters hosts a spey casting class on the Sol Duc River next Saturday, Dec. 3, starting at 9 a.m.
The full-day class will take place on the water.
Students will learn the essential concepts of spey casting, which involves a two-handed rod often used to fish for steelhead and salmon.
The cost is $95.
To sign up, call Waters West at 360-417-0937.
■ Washington Trails Association will hold a volunteer appreciation party in Quilcene on Saturday, Dec. 3.
The party will run from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Quilcene Community Center off U.S. Highway 101.
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; email 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.