The Eagle Outdoors

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 Wildlife (WDFW) did approve dips on the final two days of the 2025 season, those being Wednesday, March 19, and Saturday, March 22. As you read this, the March 19 slot has come and gone; however, I’m going to gaze deep into the omnipotent crystal orb I keep on my desk and predict success for those choosing to dip the Lower Cowlitz on Saturday, March 22. The smelt, I’m hearing, have been taking their time coming up the mainstem of the Columbia, and last word has them schooled at the mouth of the Cowlitz waiting for something of which biologists aren’t entirely sure. Gearhart Gardens near Swanson’s off Route 432 is, I’m guessing, going to be the place to dip on Saturday. The Carnival Market (Kelso) may be too far upriver. If that’s the case, so, too would Lexington, Camelot, and Castle Rock. The key word here is “guessing.” Who knows? My suggestion for Saturday is to start at Gearhart but be prepared to drive up the Old Westside Highway until you see the seagulls and eagles. Remember not only your fishing license but that the daily limit is 10 pounds. Also, remember to have patience and to help people.

Salmon 2025 ocean options

The following is from the WDFW press room regarding proposals/options for the 2025 ocean salmon seasons. Note I have just included Ilwaco (Marine Area 1) and Westport/Ocean Shores (Marine Area 2) here, as they’re our closest options. For a complete list and the full press release, visit the WDFW Newsroom at https://wdfw.wa.gov/newsroom.

Fishery managers have developed options for Washington’s ocean salmon fisheries. These options reflect higher numbers than 2024 for hatchery Chinook and coho forecasted to return to the Columbia River, while also considering conservation needs for natural-origin stocks.

The options for 2025, including the coho quotas and Chinook guidelines for recreational fisheries off the Washington coast are as follows:

Option one: 122,500 Chinook and 120,000 marked coho. Westport-Ocean Shores (Marine Area 2): Open seven days per week from June 21, either through Sept. 30, or 37,300 marked coho subarea quota is met with a subarea guideline of 23,940 Chinook. Ilwaco (Marine Area 1): Open seven days per week from June 21, either through Sept. 30, or 50,400 marked coho subarea quota is met with a subarea guideline of 18,330 Chinook. All option one seasons include a short period of coho non-retention in June.

Option two: 112,500 Chinook and 115,000 marked coho. Westport-Ocean Shores (Marine Area 2): Open seven days per week from June 28 either through Aug. 2, or 35,740 marked coho subarea quota is met with a subarea guideline of 22,320 Chinook. Beginning Aug. 3 through Sept. 28, open five days per week (Sunday-Thursday) or until the quotas and guidelines are met. Ilwaco (Marine Area 1): Open seven days per week from June 25, either through Sept. 30, or 48,300 marked coho subarea quota is met with a subarea guideline of 17,090 Chinook.

Option three: 92,500 Chinook and 85,000 marked coho. Westport-Ocean Shores (Marine Area 2): Open five days per week (Sunday-Thursday) from June 29, either through July 24, or 26,420 marked coho subarea quota is met with a subarea guideline of 18,770 Chinook. Beginning July 25 through Sept. 21, open seven days per week or until the quotas and guidelines are met. Ilwaco (Marine Area 1): Open seven days per week from June 28, either through Sept. 15, or 35,700 marked coho subarea quota is met with a subarea guideline of 14,370 Chinook. Buoy 10 (located near the mouth of the Lower Columbia River): The expected landed catch of marked coho ranges from 20,000 to 30,000 under these options.

Salmon derby

The Wahkiakum Chamber of Commerce’s ‘Hook the Hawg’ salmon derby will be held from March 27-29, 2025, at the Elochoman Marina (500 2nd St.). Weigh-in will be from 2 to 5 p.m. each day, with an after-party at River Mile 38 / Salt & Tomato (515 2nd St.) on Saturday evening. Registration is $30 for adults and $15 for youth, and can be completed either at the event or the chamber office in downtown Cathlamet (102 Main St.), or by visiting the chamber’s website at Wahkiakum.us. According to the flyer, cash prizes will be awarded at the close of each day, with amounts dependent upon the number of participants in each division. So get those ‘green label’ herring brined, those mooching rigs tied, and those secret weapon Spin-Fish tuned up because it’s going to be a fantastic three days on the water.

Willapa Hills Audubon ‘Snowy Plover’ program

If you dig razor clams on Long Beach up toward Leadbetter Point above Oysterville, I’m sure you’re familiar with the signs saying to ‘Stay Away from the Dunes,’ due to any possible disturbance to nesting snowy plovers. The snowy plover is a tiny little thing, visually not unlike the larger and much more common killdeer. Unlike the killdeer, the plover is listed as endangered and as threatened here in Washington, according to the federal Endangered Species Act. For more information on the snowy plover and its current population status, visit https://wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/species/anarynchus-nivosus.

I mention this one because it’s important and to make you aware of a program to be held on Friday, March 28, at 7 p.m. in conjunction with the Willapa Hills Audubon Society’s (WHAS) annual meeting and banquet. Allison Anholt, lead conservation biologist for the WDFW, will present ‘Snowy Plover in the Pacific Northwest: On the road to recovery.” Anholt holds a PhD from Rutgers where she studied piping plovers. Her work has taken her across the country and beyond, helping conserve at-risk coastal birds from New Jersey to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in Mississippi, and from the Everglades to Alaska’s Aleutian Islands.

Birders, newcomers and veterans alike will find Anholt’s presentation fascinating, as it – and the snowy plover – relate to a fragile part of Mother Nature right here and, pardon the cliché, in our own backyards. While you’re at it, give thought to joining the WHAS and taking part in their myriad ‘bird walks,’ events, and conservation projects, all of which benefit not only birds, but the Wild World in general. Details about the WHAS, including membership options, are posted at https://willapahillsaudubon.org/.