The Eagle Outdoors

Looking back. Looking ahead.

Let me assure you, I won’t be so “maudlin” as to say, “Well, another year in the books,” but - and with my apologies - here we are. It’ll likely be a month spent writing the wrong year atop checks and any and all paperwork requiring both signature and date. Maybe I’ll have it right by June.

It’s been a good year; a typical year. Highlights with few downturns. I enjoyed the company of an excellent class of seniors, the Class of ’25, here at Wahkiakum #200. I’m so proud of my granddaughter, Adrionna, who was crowned the 2026 Miss Clark County’s Teen. Julie and I introduced half a dozen Blue Wyandot hens to our backyard flock. I had the pleasure of watching my wife catch both steelhead and silver salmon. We finished her greenhouse which, even as we speak, holds a thriving mix of grape tomatoes, garlic, basil, and spinach.

It was a good year in the outdoors. The Elochoman Marina saw folks bringing springers back to the docks in March and April. The Street Market was a success. The grandsons, 12 and 14, caught some beautiful Donaldson’s rainbow trout, thanks to the generosity of (and access granted by) a wonderful local couple. There were also razor clams, steamer clams, crabbing with Brad and Sandra Bortner and not throwing up, a hatch of young cottontails in the backyard, and fawns across the street. It was a good year for chanterelles as well. On the homefront, Julie’s ’71 VW bus is running well, and master mechanic Jack Leavitt fixed the wipers on our ’90 F-150. Finally, the stray cat we’ve been feeding for two years now has gotten friendlier, crying loudly when Julie is but a few minutes late with his morning kibble.

There was, as there often is, some darkness throughout the year. We’ll hold that thought for now; maybe - just maybe - addressing it if and when appropriate. For now, by your leave, we’ll focus on the positive, bringing us full circle back to the fact it was, indeed, a most excellent and memorable year. I’m now curious to see what 2026 might hold for us - for all of us - across the board. Here’s just a sample of what’s coming up across the waters of the Columbia and in the outdoors of Wahkiakum County and beyond.

WDFW posts 2026 smelt forecast

Digging razor clams, dipping smelt, and hunting mushrooms; I’ll admit, those are my favorite things to do here locally. When I heard the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has released their 2026 Smelt Return Forecast, I was all kinds of giggly. Upon looking it over, however, fisheries managers, the report reads, expect a continuation of the downward trend seen the past three winters and (predict) the run will likely come in below the 10-year average of 8.1 million pounds. All the biology aside, all of which points to a less-than-stellar return this winter, the report says that “based on the forecast and preseason evaluation, limited commercial and recreational fisheries may be supported in the Columbia, Cowlitz, and Sandy (Ore.) rivers.”

The report went on to say that managers estimate 7.1 million pounds of smelt entered the Columbia last winter, down from 2022’s high mark of 18.3 million pounds, but well above 2011, 2012, 2018, and 2019, when no dipping was allowed.

As they did in ’25, the WDFW has posted a tentative smelt dipping schedule for 2026, with 14 days – Wednesdays and Saturdays in February and March – already set aside. WDFW officials will post a “go - no go” statement on the agency’s website the Friday prior to the scheduled dips. This is based on “on-the-water” run evaluations conducted by fisheries managers. For additional information, visit the WDFW “Smelt Page” on the website, wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations/smelt.

Just so you know, my nets (plural) and ‘Tidy Cat’ buckets are already stacked in the corner of the garage. Don’t forget a fishing license. As of 2025, smelt dipping requires a valid Washington fishing license of some type for all but those 15 years of age and younger.

Columbia River Salmon/Steelhead Endorsement

Like athlete’s foot, the Columbia River Salmon and Steelhead Endorsement (CRSSE) returns as of Jan. 1, 2026. Required by all anglers recreationally fishing the Columbia and many of its Washington tributaries for salmon and steelhead, the CRSSE isn’t anything new, having been in effect from 2009 through 2019.

The CRSSE is required in addition to a fishing license. The way I understand it, if you’re going to fish for steelhead or salmon in the mainstem Columbia or the listed tributaries (of which the Elochoman River is one) after Jan. 1, 2026, you will need a valid CRSSE. You will then have to purchase a new (2026) CRSSE, along with a new 2026 fishing license, beginning April 1, 2026. My suggestion is to read over the particulars on the WDFW website by visiting wdfw.wa.gov/licenses/fishing/crss-endorsement.

Now. Before you start bellyaching about the $134.62 you’re going to spend on a Combination Fishing License, annual Discover Pass, and the new/old CRSSE, consider this: the cost of that divided by the 365 days you can legally fish on that paperwork amounts to 36 cents a day; 36 cents! That so-called “value meal” you just bought at McDonald’s cost $15 and gave you terrible gas. Think about it.

Clam digs – Dec. 31 thru Jan. 6, 2026

More clam digs, folks. The WDFW approved yet another series of razor clam digs on Long Beach (and other beaches), beginning Dec. 31 and continuing through my little brother’s 60th birthday on Jan. 6, 2026. There’s some good low tides in the middle there ranging from -1.5 to -1.7 feet, so grab your gun or your grandpa’s shovel, a headlamp, and lantern, and go have some fun. Please remember to be safe, and never, ever turn your back on the Pacific, especially at night.

Until Jan. 8, enjoy Mother Nature and everything she has to offer both wisely and reverently. She deserves all that and more.