The Eagle Outdoors

First rattle out of the proverbial box, I'd like to thank everyone for two things. One, for a fantastic Bald Eagle Days. The crowd was great. The parade was excellent, and I got plenty of candy. The breakfast burritos from Patty Cakes were top-notch. And the weather? Outstanding. All in all, a most wonderful day. And two, thank you all for keeping Fire Districts 1 through 4, along with the Cathlamet FD, inactive throughout the whole of the weekend. No one, to the best of my knowledge, set the fields or forests of Wahkiakum County ablaze with a fire to which we volunteer firefighters and emergency medical personnel would have to respond. Ordinarily, I'm not really big on boredom; however, in this case, I'll make an exception. Thank you for playing nice, folks.

Give surf perch a try!

It's true. Summer steelhead fishing is beginning to wind down for the season. There are still fish to be caught; but, from what I'm hearing from anglers I know and trust, the fishing is starting to really slow down. As for fall kings and silvers, there's not much on the radar yet. They're coming; just be patient.

So does that mean there's nothing to fish for here locally? Absolutely not. There's plenty of angling opportunities around the Cathlamet area; if, that is, you're willing to chase something a little different. For bass anglers, there's the Elochoman Slough, which I've seen hold good numbers of pound-plus largemouth. Lately, I've noticed quite a few what I call "Go Fast Boats" (i.e. bass specific boats) working the shores of the Coal Creek Slough between, say, Stella and the truck route cut-off. I've been told by the warmwater fisheries lead biologist for the WDFW, Stacey Kelsey, that Coal Creek is an excellent choice for those partial to so-called spiny ray species such as largemouth bass, crappie, yellow perch, and bluegill. Bullhead catfish, too.

If saltwater is a little more your speed, why not spend the day down on the Long Beach Peninsula in search of red-tailed surf perch? These ocean-going crappie, as I call them, are strong in number, typically eager biters, and, when filleted and dressed in 'Pride of the West' breading before being deep-fried, are mighty good on the table.

Red-tails can be found the entire length of the Peninsula from Beard's Hollow north of Leadbetter Point; however, I've had my best luck a mile or so either side of the Ocean Park beach approach. Keep your gear simple. For example, a 9-foot casting or spinning rod, #30 braid, one- or two-hook (#6) bottom rig, and a two- to three-ounce bank sinker. Clam necks or Berkley GULP 2 inch Sandworms for bait, though traditional nightcrawlers can often work well, too. Keep your casts short and into the rollers, don't be shy about relocating when the action slows, and, above all, watch the ocean. Never take your eyes off the water. It only takes a heartbeat to lose your footing and be swept out toward Hawaii.

If it's a drive you're looking for, Tokeland offers some pretty good surf perch fishing options. Try the little short jetty at a place the locals call 'Hidden Beach' just south of Wash-a-Way Beach. The jetty behind the old Harbor Resort in the Westport Boat Basin is another good place, both for red-tails and their attractive blue-hued cousin, the striped surf perch. Seek, and ye shall find when it comes to salt perch, and always be safe.

Northern Pikeminnow update

Tariffs got you down? A little short on folding paper money? Well, there's plenty of "Benjamins" swimming in the Lower Columbia in the form of northern pikeminnow.

Most of you are familiar with the bounty program sponsored by Bonneville Power in conjunction with the WDFW. Anglers register daily and, for every northern pikeminnow (NPM) caught over nine inches, y'all get paid anywhere from $8 to $10 per fish, depending on how many you catch and turn in. Need more incentive? As of July 18 2025, the leading NPM angler, who I'm guessing fishes up toward the Tri-Cities, has already made $67,110, and this with the best two months of fishing to go. There's a registration station down at the Elochoman Marina

Locally - meaning fish returned to the Cathlamet Marina station - as of July 7, anglers have caught some 860 NPM for an average of 7.0 fish per angler. Even if you catch just the average, or seven fish at $8 per fish, that comes out to $56, or enough to pay for your freshwater fishing license for the year. Or a pizza and a 12-pack of Blue Ribbon. Something. Anything. For more information on the program, visit pikeminnow.org.

Bear hunter sentenced

An editor of mine wrote a great article on a Battle Ground man who was caught chasing bears with hounds, a big "no-no" since 1996 here in Wahkiakum County. The complete story can be seen at nwsportsmanmag.com. A tip of the 'ole hunting cap to WDFW law enforcement and local Legal Eagles for their work in closing this case.