The Eagle Outdoors

Is it just me, or is fall coming fast? I don't know where muzzleloader deer season went, but here we are in the midst of muzzleloader elk season. Waterfowl and rifle deer seasons open on Saturday, Oct. 11. The first run of clam tides opened on Oct. 6 and continue through Sunday, Oct. 12. To top it off, we're three weeks away from the best holiday of the year: Halloween. Not so sure on that ranking? When else can I dress like the March Hare from "Alice in Wonderland," roam the streets of Cathlamet without raising an eyebrow, and coerce people into giving me candy for free? Okay, maybe I could do that on any given Tuesday here and not get a visit from Sheriff Mason. That's what I love about this place.

October is a busy month in the outdoors for both humans and Mother Nature. The bees are busy. The rut (i.e. the breeding season for blacktails and whitetail deer alike) is fast approaching. A variety of waterfowl will soon be moving onto winter holding waters like Skagit Bay, the Columbia Basin, Sauvie Island, and points south. Everything, it seems, is on the move, including ourselves.

Still salmon

As of the morning of Monday, Oct. 6, a friend reports that folks are still catching silver salmon on the Lower Columbia from shore, roughly from the newly-remodeled Dismal Nitch rest area upstream to the old Knappton Cannery on the curve. Bait, I would imagine, is a thing of the past unless you, like us, have a bag or two of salted anchovies in the freezer. Lacking those, it's going to be spinners (Mepps Flying C/pink with a silver blade) and spoons (e.g. Little Cleos, Mepps Little Wolf and, my favorite, a Mepps Syclops spoon in a 'rainbow trout' pattern). The same friend tells me these are still nice bright fish, with only a handful that are turning. So, if you're looking for something to chase that doesn't sport fur or feathers, there are still plenty of fins swimming upriver.

Federal shutdown and access

Just a word of advice to anyone who might be considering hunting on federal land (e.g. the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge) - or who currently holds a special permit/tag to do so for deer, elk, or waterfowl on such lands. For that matter, anybody walking, birding, or generally engaging in any activity on property managed by such agencies as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) or Bureau of Land Management (BLM), due to the on-going government shutdown, it might be wise to check with the refuge manager prior to getting to the gate and finding it unattended and/or locked. As of this writing on Oct. 7, I've not heard any news or change of status regarding access to the local Julia Butler Hansen refuge; however, given the fluid administrative climate in Washington, that could change at a moment's notice. Best to call beforehand.

WDFW '25 trout derby, NPM bounty end soon

This year's Northern Pikeminnow (NPM) Sport-Reward Program, or as it's commonly known, "the bounty," has been extended from its traditional Sept. 30 closing date to Sunday, Oct. 12, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). Locally - that is, per numbers recorded at the Cathlamet catch station at the Elochoman Marina - the fishing appears to be red-hot at the moment. For the week of Sept. 21-28, anglers checked 1,157 fish measuring over the required nine inches, for an average of 13.1 fish per angler. Since the beginning of the season (Cathlamet) on May 4, over 18,040 legal fish have been checked. How much money is that? Even using the $8/fish low end of the scale (note the first 25 fish are worth $8 each, fish 26 through 200 are $9, and any over 200 nets the angler $10/fish), that's $144,344. My advice? Get out there.

The wildly popular WDFW trout derby will continue through Halloween this year, with much of 2025's $54,000 worth of sponsored prizes for those catching and reporting orange-tagged fish still available. For a complete list of derby rules and lakes, visit wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/contests/trout-derby.

Deer season and driving

Another heads up here. Modern rifle deer season begins on Saturday, Oct. 11. As mentioned earlier, the annual breeding season/rut should be starting very soon. This all means deer - both bucks and does - will be on the move more so than usual. This is either as a result of Mother Nature's timetable (The Rut) or the increased orange-clad human activity in the fields surrounding Cathlamet.

The moral of the story, at least for drivers, is to be more vigilant while on the road, especially during the peak deer movement hours of dawn and dusk. Drive defensively, look ahead, and scan the shoulders. Some encounters are going to be unavoidable; however, an elevated level of caution behind the wheel during these next two weeks can help prevent a call to your insurance agent, or worse, a trip to the ER. If you are involved in a deer-motor vehicle accident, contact the Wahkiakum County sheriff's office at 360-795-3242. Keep yourself safe. Do not worry about the animal. Law enforcement will tend to that. If operable, turn your headlights and hazard lights on, and always remain off the travelled portion of the roadway.