The Eagle Outdoors

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 it applies to spring chinook on the Columbia River; however, for those of you who haven’t, this from the Washington Department of Natural Resources –

The 2025 forecast for upriver spring Chinook is 122,500 fish, which is more than the 116,332 that returned to the Columbia River in 2024, but lower than the 10-year average of 139,676.“With an upriver run size similar to recent years, we’re able to provide some quality mainstem fishing opportunities,” said Ryan Lothrop, Columbia River fisheries manager with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). “We also have an obligation to protect upriver stocks listed under the Endangered Species Act, which requires careful management to ensure the long-term stability of these fisheries.”

Salmon and steelhead fishing is open daily through March 31 from the mouth of the Columbia River to the Interstate 5 bridge under permanent regulations. However, spring Chinook typically don’t arrive in large numbers until late March or April. The Columbia River will be open for the following dates and locations in 2025.

March 1 through April 6 – Buoy 10 line upstream to Beacon Rock, plus only the Oregon and Washington banks by hand-cast from Beacon Rock upstream to the Bonneville Dam deadline. For salmon and steelhead, the daily limit is six, including no more than two adults, of which no more than one may be an adult Chinook. All wild steelhead and salmon other than hatchery Chinook must be released. Salmon must be at least 12 inches to keep. Shad retention is permitted, with no size minimum or daily limit.

Sad face, once again, as the WDFW announced there will be no smelt harvest allowed either on Wednesday, Feb. 26, or Saturday, March 1, due, basically, to there being no smelt in the mainstem Columbia; this according to no fish being landed, i.e. brought to shore, by the commercial fishers upon whom the agency depends to assist with monitoring the fishery.

Now, maybe there’s a glimmer of hope, albeit somewhat dim, for you smelt hopefuls. I spent time in the Grays River Valley on Saturday, Feb. 22, pretending in vain to play the part of a goose hunter. And during that time, I saw more seagulls and common mergansers working the Lower Grays than I’ve seen all winter. No seals or sea lions to speak of at this point, but the birds are, to me, a sign, perhaps, of smelt to come. I did have a chance to speak briefly to two WDFW survey folks pulling their survey boat out of the Elochoman Marina on Friday morning. The young lady said that while they didn’t find any smelt, they did see more seals and sea lions than in previous trips. Again, fingers crossed that the next possible dates, March 5 and 8, will see fish in the river.

Razor clam aficionados will have their chance to dig the evenings of Friday, Feb. 28 (-0.6 / 6:39 p.m.) and Saturday, March 1 (-0.1 / 7:15 p.m.), the last opportunities for harvest before the next series of dates from March 8 through March 14 (tentative dates as of this writing). Three more ‘night’ digs follow on March 26 through 28 before clam harvest switches over to ‘morning tides’ on Saturday, March 29. Just a heads up that March 31, along with April 1 and 2, are -1.2, -1.3, and -1.0 lows respectively, which should make for excellent digging.

Fishing Information

You know, I was thinking this morning of an earlier column, one in which I cajoled y’all to please take a kid fishing; however, I didn’t think about the fact that not all of you have 55 years of fishing experience. Maybe you’d like to take 13-year-old Timmy or Tammy fishing, but don’t know where to go or what you might need.

We can address this in a couple of ways. One, if we were to get enough folks to show an interest and we were able to sweet-talk Cathlamet Fire Department Battalion Chief Will Lutz into letting us use the DeBrie Meeting Room, I’d be happy to present a “Here’s how to take your kid fishing” seminar. In fact, I bet I could round up a couple of young, enthusiastic anglers to assist with that presentation.

In the meantime, some notes to get you started.

Fishing license – Remember, kids 14 and under don’t need a fishing license. They do need catch record cards, or ‘punch cards,’ for salmon, steelhead, sturgeon, and halibut, but not for bass, bluegills, and the like. Is your son/daughter 15? Take them to Bob’s Sporting Goods in Longview and tell the young lady behind the license counter that you want to purchase a Youth Fishing License.

Fishing tackle – One word – PIGYS (Puget Island Garage and Yard Sales). Three or four years ago, Julie and I were driving ‘round Puget Island on the opening day of PIGYS. Mid-morning, we stopped at a house on the Big Island where a gentleman had a huge shop in back. Up against said shop were a couple dozen fishing poles, along with tackle boxes, requisite ‘Old Guy’ Folgers coffee cans, and Walmart bags all full of fishing gear. A cardboard sign read, “$20.” I needed nothing, but I have a problem when it comes to fishing gear, so I asked the gentlemen, “Sir, I don’t want to offend or be ‘that’ guy, but you’re asking $20 per fish pole, right?” He looked at me, smiled, and said “Son, if you take all that stuff, you can have it all for $20.” Well, that right there is like telling Girth Brooks that Saturday night is free night at Golden Corral.

My point is look around; it’s out there. You need a lightweight spincasting or spinning rod and reel? Tell the man you need a ‘trout rod,’ and he’ll know what you’re wanting. Some #6 snelled hooks. A one-inch red ‘n white bobber. A Snoopy bobber. Spongebob. Doesn’t matter. Some split shot weights. Go to TEMU and search “complete fishing kit.” I found a dozen starter kits for under $12. As I mentioned earlier, fishing doesn’t have to be expensive. It’s expensive for me because I insist on buying multiple truckloads of fishing tackle for $20 a pop.

Where to go – Don’t know where to fish? One of your very best resources is here - https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/locations - the WDFW’s answer to “where do I go fishing?” This interactive section of the agency’s website takes you from Idaho to the Pacific and from Canada to the Columbia, both mapping and detailing hundreds upon hundreds of fishing possibilities. True, you’re not going to find 1,001 entries for Wahkiakum County. In fact, you’ll find almost none. Howevef, there are plenty of places to wet a line here, including the Elochoman Marina, Steamboat Slough, and Brooks Slough. A short drive and there are the Radar Lakes (Naselle); Coal Creek Slough (Longview); Lake Sacajawea (Longview); Kress Lake (Kalama); Horseshoe Lake (Woodland); Battle Ground and Lacamas lakes (Battle Ground); and one of my personal favorites, Cowlitz County’s Silver Lake.

Next week, we’ll take a look at ‘the hunter as an observer.’ Some of y’all don’t understand what I do as a hunter and consumptive user of our natural resources, and some don’t wish to understand. I get that, too. To each their own. Rather than change your way of thinking, what I’d like to do is list those things, primarily birds, I saw during a recent goose hunt in the Grays River Valley. Relax, the list doesn’t include geese.