HOOK AND FUR By Bob Brown
Fishing results have been mixed this past week throughout western Washington. In our area, local lakes have been producing some nice strings of trout with best bites being had during early-morning and late-afternoon hours. Standard baits are being used in all waters. Fishing on the Cowlitz hasn't been that good with the barrier dam area producing most of the action. Samplings last week showed 16 boat anglers kept one spring chinook and one steelhead. Sixty-three bank anglers kept eight spring chinook and one jack plus one steelhead. At the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery, 183 spring chinook, 42 jacks, 11 mini-jacks and 127 summer steelhead were recovered during the same period. The Nisqually River opens to fishing for salmon, steelhead and trout July 1 from the mouth to 400 feet below Alder Reservoir. It would be prudent for anglers to review the rules and regulations listed in the 2013-14 Washington Sport Fishing Rules pamphlet prior to fishing the river. The Deschutes River also opens to fishing for salmon July 1. The minimum size is 12 inches. Coho and trout must be released. The opening of the Puyallup River is still to be determined. Negotiations are continuing over harvest allocations between the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and tribes. WDFW fish samplers in the lower Columbia checked 432 anglers (including 67 boats) with 42 adult chinook, six jacks, four sockeye and seven steelhead opening day of the summer chinook season (June 16). Anglers can forget sturgeon fishing in the lower Columbia for the time being. All sturgeon caught from the mouth of the Columbia up to The Dalles Dam must be released. Because of recent high catch rates, Oregon and Washington fish managers agreed June 18 to close retention of white sturgeon from Buoy 10 to The Dalles Dam. They also agreed to end sturgeon retention in Bonneville Pool. This action also applies to rivers flowing into those sections of the Columbia, said Ron Roler, Columbia River policy coordinator. The Dalles and John Day pools remain open to sturgeon retention. The Bonneville Power Administration's pikeminnow reward fishery continues to be a high catch fishery. According to the June 10-16 weekly field activity report 24 anglers at Lyon's Ferry located on the Snake River caught 1,102 pikeminnows and at Columbia Point 160 anglers caught 1,070 pikes and recovered two tagged fish worth $500.00 each. Fishing was equally good at The Dalles where 251 anglers caught, 2,116 pikeminnow and three tagged fish. To date, a total of 49,015 pikeminniws have been caught, plus 54 tagged fish this season.
WDFW wants your advice -á WDFW is seeking nominations to citizen advisory groups that advise the department on wildlife management issues affecting game and non-game species. Phil Anderson, WDFW director, will appoint 25 members to the Game Management Advisory Council (GMAC) that advises the department on issues such as hunter access, resource allocation and research projects. Anderson will also appoint 17 members to the Wildlife Diversity Advisory Council (WDAC), which makes management recommendations on non-game species ranging from frogs to killer whales. The GMAC holds at least three one-day meetings each year, and the WDAC holds a least two meetings per year.-áSpecial meetings may be called when special issues or topics arise. Council members are eligible to be reimbursed for travel expenses to attend meetings. For more information, contact Dave Ware, WDFW Game Division manager, at (360) 902-2509. -á Eat a bug?
The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization is encouraging people to eat bugs, especially grasshoppers and ants. Hoping to limit greenhouse gasses and shrink the footprint of livestock farming, a 200-page UN report points to insect farming as one of the many ways to address food security. Insects are everywhere, and they reproduce quickly and are an excellent source of protein, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, zinc and fiber. An interesting report, but I guess I will not be the only one to take a raincheck on that one.
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