The Eagle Outdoors

Despite what I wrote a couple of weeks back about February (and March) being slow months in the outdoors, it seems there's quite a bit going on outside the front door as February winds down and we segue into March.

I spoke with Britton Ransford, the communications manager for the WDFW's Region 5 (Ridgefield) office on Friday, Feb. 20. This was just two days after the agency's first-of-the-season morning smelt dip on the Cowlitz. To paraphrase, Ransford told me that as of the evening of Tuesday, Feb. 17, WDFW test-netters were coming up empty on the Cowlitz. Zilch. Nothing. However, there were enough smelt in the mainstem Columbia to allow a short harvest the next day. Sometime, Ransford explained, in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, eulachon/smelt moved into the Cowlitz and it was game on!

According to a memo released post-dip by the WDFW, "preliminary estimates from the Wednesday, Feb. 18 season opener indicate 2,800 dip-netters harvested 14,675 pounds of smelt during the five-hour fishery." Not too bad of a showing, given that 12 hours earlier, there wasn't a smelt to be found in the Cowlitz.

There was a second dip planned for the morning of Saturday, Feb. 21. Again, this was on the Cowlitz and, again, roughly from Gearhart Gardens / Highway 432 Bridge in Kelso upriver to the Al Helenberg Memorial Boat Ramp in Castle Rock. It was the same 10-per-person limit, which the WDFW is watching rather closely, as they should. Same valid fishing license requirement for all participants age 16 and older. Same safety message regarding cold water, waders, current, slippery logs, and personal flotation devices. A tentative dip is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 28. The key word here is tentative, although the WDFW should have decided 'yes or no' regarding Feb. 28.

In other WDFW news, which I'm assuming very well might be old news for the area's salmon enthusiasts, fishery managers from both sides of the Columbia River approved the 2026 recreational spring chinook season during a joint meeting on Thursday, Feb. 19. This year's forecast, should you be into numbers, is 147,300 fish, slightly less than the 154,703, but, at the same time, higher than the 10-year average of 126,248.

Under permanent regulations, salmon and steelhead fishing is open daily through Tuesday, March 31, from the mouth of the Columbia to the Interstate 5 Bridge; however, the Columbia will be open for the following in 2026: Sunday, March 1, to Wednesday, April 8, from Buoy 10 upstream to Beacon Rock, plus the Oregon and Washington banks from Beacon Rock to the Bonneville Dam deadline marker. Daily limit is one adult hatchery chinook; release all wild steelhead. Interesting to me is the note regarding that bank anglers in Washington may fish for springers via "hand-cast only." No drones dropping plunking gear? No tiny gas-powered motorboats? I need to look into this a little more in-depth.

Yes, since you're wondering, there are more clam digs on the schedule. The next round will be evening tides Thursday, Feb. 26 through Wednesday, March 4. Upcoming tentative digs include Tuesday, March 17 through Tuesday, March 24, and Wednesday, April 1 through Tuesday, April 7. Please note that Friday, March 20, marks the switch from evening tides to morning tides, with the March 20 dig slated for an 8 a.m. low of -0.1. This weekend, incidentally, coincides with the 18th Annual Ocean Shore Razor Clam Festival. For more information on that event, visit tourismoceanshores.com/razor-clam-and-seafood-festival. By the way, if you haven't been to a razor clam festival (e.g. the Long Beach RCF), they're an absolute hoot, especially if you, like me, are partial to food.

Yes, sir. It might be just a little bit early to be thinking about planter trout fishing; however - and after a little digging - I did find that WDFW fisheries / hatchery personnel dumped some 2,000 rainbow trout into Horseshoe Lake in Woodland on Monday, Jan 26. These are gorgeous little fish weighing roughly one-half pound each. Before you turn your nose up at them because they're mushy, fishy, or any of 1,001 different reasons not to eat them, note they're not Omega-3 rich spring chinook. They're not cold water crappie, but they're awful darn good, especially now before the water warms. Just remove the gills and innards, wash thoroughly, salt/pepper inside and out, slip a couple of lemon wedges and a bit of butter into the cavity, wrap in fat bacon, and put under the broiler. Better yet, wrap them in tinfoil and grill them. It might just change your mind.

Until next week, take a minute to look, listen, marvel, ask, and wonder. One of the greatest things about Wahkiakum County is the wealth of knowledge we have at our disposal here. Hunters, anglers, birders, photographers, hikers, bikers, master gardeners, musicians, artists, authors, craftsmen, historians, renaissance people, and, thanks to wonderful people like Sharon Casapulla, folks who can make a damn good Dutch apple pie. It's a neat place, this home of ours. Take advantage of what's here, but do it kindly.