Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
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Apparently, the Cowlitz River wasn’t good enough for this year’s run of Columbia River smelt, otherwise known as eulachon. Instead, the little silver fish bypassed their traditional tributary here in southwest Washington and continued up the main stem into Oregon’s Sandy River. On Tuesday, March 25, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) announced a surprise one-day smelt season along a specific section of the Sandy River to be held on Thursday, March 27, from noon until 7 p.m. Dippers were under the same rules as they were in Washi...
I often hear people say that the problem with young people today is this, or that, or something else. Following the announcement, I'll be informed of said problem; perhaps, more than one. However, what I don't hear is the solution. Problem, solution? No, sir. Problem, problem. Well, I ain't that guy. Do you want to know what the problem with young people is? No old men. Simple as that. The solution? Old guys. That's right. Get yourself an old guy. Problem solved. How, pray tell, is that a...
It seems there’s always a lot going on in the great outdoors, and this week is no exception. Smelt… again An editor of mine for whom weekly ‘smelt updates’ are a necessary evil wrote me recently saying how happy he’ll be when smelt season is over, and the weekly updates are a thing of the past. This got me thinking that perhaps you folks grow weary of my weekly updates de eulachon, eh? If that’s the case, we have but this one and the season will be done. The Washington Department of Fish and Wil...
Smelt dipping is a go! For the first time since announcing their ‘tentative dates’ process for the 2025 smelt season, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has approved and/or confirmed the dates of Wednesday, March 12, and Saturday, March 15. It’s a go, so haul out those waders, find that Spongebob Squarepants bucket, mend the hole(s) in your smelt net, dust off your propeller beanie, and take your St. John’s Wort because it’s going to be a good old fashioned hootenanny down on the Cowlitz River on Saturday morning. As has be...
Before I get started this week, I'd just like to once again thank the folks who have come up and said how much they enjoy the new column. Not that my 'journalistic ego' needs stroking, but it is nice to know that (1) people are reading the pieces and (2) for some of them, it's apparently dredging up some fond memories from back in the day. A time when things were simpler; not necessarily easier, but simpler. Before Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Al Gore's Internet, and the time, as Merle Haggard...
Welcome to this week’s rendition of The Eagle Outdoors. A lot to cover this week, but first, I want to thank all of you who have commented on the column and how much they enjoy it. The feedback is taken to heart, greatly appreciated and helps on several fronts, the least of which isn’t to make The Eagles Outdoors. I tip my hat to y’all for taking the time to read, reply and, at least to this point, not toilet papering my home in response to something I’ve said. Outdoor News By now, many of you avid anglers will already have heard the news as...
Ah, smelt. Despite the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (WDFW) best intentions to provide us with smelt dipping opportunities, the first two days were not approved. Fishery managers evaluate weekly commercial test fishery landings, or catch reports, to determine if the smelt run size is large enough to support a recreational harvest. This week’s catch reports did not provide enough information to confirm whether the run is large enough to open a recreational fishery in the Cowlitz Ri...
The big news, if you haven’t already read the news release from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife for February 2025, is the implementation by the agency of some brand new regulations surrounding the traditional smelt fishery on the Cowlitz River. Biologists determined that populations of Columbia River smelt, or eulachon as they’re technically known, began to decline in the mid-1990s. In 2001, the Washington-Oregon Eulachon Management Plan was drafted; nine years later in 2010, Col...
I reckon at this point it’s officially Spring. Or least it would appear so based on the lilacs, Italian plums, peaches, apricots, daffodils, and on and on in bloom here at the house. The jetty sparrows – y’all know them simply as song sparrows – have started nesting, the ‘little’ geese (the Cackling geese, Aleutians, and Lesser Canadas) have, with a handful of exceptions, gone home to The Great White North, and I expect to see yellow balls of fluff, i.e. Canada goose goslings, on local farm pond...
There's been a lot of water under the proverbial bridge for 26-year-old Jason Lewis: from Maricopa, Arizona, to Cathlamet, to South Korea, and to the Long Beach Peninsula. A 2016 graduate of Wahkiakum High School, Lewis is currently enrolled in the Washington State Fire Academy, along with 24 of his fellow cadets, including Hannah Mendez and Leanne Campbell, both with the Cathlamet Fire Department. Recently, The Eagle had a chance to slow Lewis down for a few minutes. Get his thoughts on 'life...
Some people go to the ballpark for the nachos. That's me. Some go to the county fair for the Italian sausage sandwiches and elephant ears. Again, me. Y'all starting to see a common denominator here? Some go to the Cowlitz River in southwest Washington during the month of February-at least hopefully, they're going to the Cowlitz in February-for the social aspect and carnival atmosphere that is smelt dipping. And that's precisely why I love, and I mean absolutely love, smelt dipping. It's not for...
On Saturday, Feb. 10, personnel from all four Wahkiakum County fire districts, including Puget Island, District 4, Skamokawa, and Grays River, along with firefighters and emergency medical staff from the Town of Cathlamet, attended a half-day 'live fire' training event at Clatsop Community College (CCC) near Astoria. The training was held at the college's Marine and Environmental Research and Training Station, or MERTS, which offers a variety of educational scenarios, such as maritime science,...
