OUTDOORS: Matt Schubert’s five best bets for this weekend

• Hoko steelhead — If you absolutely must go steelhead fishing during the holiday season, you might as well go to a stream like this one.

The Hoko will see perhaps its final run of hatchery steelhead this winter. Methinks a few of those should be trickling in right now.

• Crab craziness — Crabbers are down to one last week to bring home the Dungies.

While there’s no more days left to wade through the eel grass, you can still soak a pot or two for some Christmas crustaceans.

• Ski season — Fresh powder is currently falling upon Hurricane Ridge.

With the rope tows expected to be up and running Sunday and Monday, that should make for some good shredding.

• Snowshoe walks — Nothing says “family fun” quite like walking over snow on tennis rackets.

Olympic National Park offers free ranger-led snowshoe walks today and Sunday at 2 p.m. (a $5 donation is suggested). The one-mile walks last 90 minutes and take hikers through alpine meadows along the Ridge.

• Bowling gutter balls — The Washington Huskies are 14-point underdogs against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in Thursday’s Holiday Bowl.

Just like when these two teams met in September, this promises to be no holiday for the Huskies.

The Huskers should cover by the end of the third quarter.

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