A JEFFERSON COUNTY lake was stocked with 1,258 rainbow trout earlier this week, but anglers will have to find another locale for some post-Thanksgiving fishing.
Anderson Lake near Chimacum was loaded up with rainbows Monday, but the lake remains closed to fishing and recreation due to toxic algae.
The lake should open soon for some winter casting, however. The last monitoring samples taken Nov. 12 showed a moderate algae bloom and toxins declining.
A toxic algae warning exists for the light bloom of algae present on Lake Leland near Quilcene.
Initial steps are underway on a $325,000 project to renovate public access at the popular fishing, swimming and camping park.
Fully funded by a grant from the state Recreation and Conservation Office, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife will replace the fishing dock, the vault toilet, re-grade the road and parking lot and renovate the trail along the shoreline for bank fishers and provide an accessible bank-side fishing opportunity.
That trail renovation will be a bonus for lake anglers whose casts are stymied by brush and small timber near much of the lake’s shore.
The primary recreational opportunity provided by this grant is for fishing and wildlife viewing.
The planned completion date is March 2021.
Point Whitney project
A little further south of Lake Leland, an ambitious project to renovate public access at the Point Whitney water access site along Hood Canal near Brinnon is in the early stages.
Thanks to a $540,000 RCO grant, Fish and Wildlife plans to redevelop and enhance the boating facilities on a gem of a property at Point Whitney.
A new, 12-foot-wide by 134-foot-long elevated boat ramp with “articulated concrete mat shoulders” is the primary piece of this project.
Currently, those launching boats must contend with a sand-covered concrete ramp and a whole lot of discarded shells on the beach before they hit enough water to launch.
There aren’t a ton of public boat ramps along Hood Canal, so these improvements should help anglers, crabbers, hunters, bird watchers and recreational boaters enjoy Marine Area 12.
The existing parking area at the site will be graded and laden with fresh gravel, and an additional parking area will be created.
A renovation of the existing restroom will provide access for the disabled.
Construction is estimated to be complete in February of 2021.
Razor digs through Sunday
Razor clam digs are open through Sunday on the following beaches, evening low tides and days:
• Today, 6:36 p.m.; -1.1 feet; Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
• Saturday, 7:20 p.m.; -1.3 feet; Twin Harbors, Copalis, Mocrocks
• Sunday, 8:05 p.m.; -1.3 feet; Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
The best digging is typically an hour or two before low tide. Diggers will need lighting equipment and should take care to always keep an eye on the ocean and never turn their backs to the oncoming surf.
Diggers must keep the first 15 clams they dig.
In related razor clamming news, Dan Ayres, coastal shellfish manager for Fish and Wildlife, will be half of a two-part lecture planned in Forks on Thursday.
The Olympic Natural Resource Center in Forks will host the talks, which will begin at 7 p.m.
Ayers’ will discuss “The Status of Razor Clams on the Washington Coast.”
Vera Trainer of NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center will follow and discuss the “Social and Economic Impacts of the Record-Setting 2015 Harmful Algal Bloom.”
Ayres and Trainer are in Forks for an Olympic Region Harmful Algal Bloom meeting at ORNC
Refreshments will be served and attendees are encouraged to bring a potluck dessert dish.
For more information, phone Frank Hanson at 360-374-4556 or fsh2@uw.edu.
