Sports

<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Report scores and results to 425-339-3470 or 1-866-6-SCORES (Call after 4:30 p.m.) E-mail information including items for Tuesday's Communities Sports Roundup and Thursday's Outdoor Calendar, to sports@heraldnet.com Kevin Brown, Sports Editor kbrown@heraldnet.com   Published: Thursday, October 2, 2008 Time again to dig for razor clams By Wayne Kruse Special to The Herald Generally speaking there are two distinct types of razor clam diggers: the spring and summer folks who prefer laid-back, daylight digs with warmer temperatures, better weather and lower surf, and the fall-winter people who like edgier action, crashing surf, and the ambiance of nighttime digging with headlamps or lanterns. If you fall into the latter category, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has laid out your tentative October-December beach-bumming schedule. Assuming satisfactory marine toxin tests, the first dig of the fall season is scheduled for three evenings at Twin Harbors, Copalis and Mocrocks beaches, Oct. 16-18, and at Long Beach for two evenings, Oct. 17-18. Biologist Dan Ayers in the state's Montesano office said clam populations are in good shape. Diggers looking for larger clams, he said, might concentrate on the north beaches, such as Mocrocks, or the north end of the Long Beach Peninsula. The latter receives less digging pressure than many of the other beaches, he said. Populations are excellent at Twin Harbors, but the majority of the clams there are medium-sized for the fall dig, and Kalaloch, while apparently starting to come back from an as yet unknown problem which kept it closed last year, probably won't open until at least this spring. Any 2008 annual shellfish license or combination fishing license is still valid. Another option is a razor-clam-only license, available in annual or three-day versions. Descriptions of the licensing options, and prices, are available on the state's Web site, fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov. Ayers said diggers are no longer required to display licenses on outer clothing. The October dig could make a nice combination trip with a shot at coho in the Westport boat basin. You cast off the docks or the fishing pier for these fish, which are returning to a net pen arrangement, so no boat is needed. Coho showed up a little early this year, but there should still be fish around by the 16th. Opening-dig tides are as follows: Oct. 16, minus 1.5 feet at 8:30 p.m.; Oct. 17, minus 1.5 feet at 9:17 p.m.; and Oct. 18, minus 1.2 feet at 10:08 p.m. Coming up in November will be three days of digging , Nov. 14-16, at Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis and Mocrocks, plus an additional day, Nov. 13, at Copalis and Mocrocks only. Tides are: Nov. 13, minus 1.6 feet at 6:27 p.m.; Nov. 14, minus 1.8 feet at 7:15 p.m.; Nov. 15, minus 1.6 feet at 8:04 p.m.; and Nov. 16, minus 1.2 feet at 8:54 p.m. And in December, the same setup has Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis, and Mocrocks scheduled for three days, Dec. 12-14, and Copalis and Mocrocks with an additional day, Dec. 11. Tides are: Dec. 11, minus 1.1 feet at 5:23 p.m.; Dec. 12, minus 1.5 feet at 6:13 p.m.; Dec. 13, minus 1.6 feet at 7:02 p.m.; and Dec. 14, minus 1.4 feet at 7:50 p.m. COHO: Although salmon fishing in Marine Areas 8-1 and 8-2 closed Wednesday, a section new this year remains open to coho and chum, hatchery or wild, in the southern portion of Area 8-2. Through the month of October you can catch silvers and dogs south of a line running between the Navy pier in Everett and Randall Point, just north of the Clinton ferry terminal on the east shore of Whidbey Island. Granted, fishing has been slow for coho in local waters so far this year, but it's at least an opportunity for some close to home time on the water. All Star Charters owner Gary Krein, in Everett (425-252-4188), said fishermen were marking a lot of coho in the area, but finding few biters. He suggests trolling a standard coho rig of flasher/squid (darker green, now that there's less daylight), bucktail fly, or Coyote spoon. The problem with the spoon, Krein said, is that small coho and blackmouth are more a bother than with hoochies or flies. Fish chums in much the same water and with the same gear, except at a slower trolling speed and with light green or chartreuse lures, Krein said. The Sekiu area closed Wednesday, but the season there ended with some big fish coming through. "The Lions' Derby (on Saturday, out of Sekiu) was won by a 15-pound coho," said Chris Mohr at Van Riper's Resort (360-963-2334), "but I personally saw fish of 19, 22 and 23 pounds the last couple of weeks of the season, and Olson's reported a huge fish of 25-plus-pounds which would have been a new state saltwater record, except that the guy apparently wasn't interested in having it verified." Size was outstanding, but numbers were not, as fishing over the weekend was generally slow, Mohr said. Some 220 fishermen were checked Saturday at Olson's by state personnel with 34 coho. Guide John Thomas (lamiglas@hotmail.com) said fishing on the Snohomish system over the weekend was at least decent, with coho rolling in almost every hole. He worked a party of four on the lower Skykomish on Saturday, hooked 12 fish and landed four, mostly on #1 and Wee Dick Nites, a very small Spin N Glo or Corky, or a Brad's Wiggler. Thomas said he also heard of a few chums already being taken in the lower river, "which is promising news for this early in the year." Coho are scattered throughout the Skagit, running 2 or 3 pounds up to about 12 pounds or so, according to Anthon Steen at Holiday Sports in Burlington. And it's crucial to be able to cover a lot of water to find the few biters, he said. Vibrax spinners will work, but the most popular lures are the smaller spoons, such as Wicked Willies and Dick Nites. Steen said coho are also being taken in the Samish now, along with a few late chinook. COLUMBIA KINGS: The chinook fishery on the upper Columbia, in the Brewster area, didn't develop this summer as well as usual, and the fall portion of the run isn't showing in force, either. Rod Hammons of R and R Guide Service in Brewster (randr@swift-stream.com) said the big fish are trickling in, but that there isn't much time left in the season (it closes Oct. 15). "We did get a 35-pounder last week, and I'm not saying you can't catch a few fish, but you're going to have to work for them," he said. "You should have bait-wrapped Kwikfish, and other plugs which trigger an aggressive response, in the water." The news is better from the Hanford Reach fall chinook fishery, down toward the Tri-Cities, where state creel checks have shown fishing pressure down by about 40 percent from last year, but success up by 20 percent -- largely because of a good percentage of jacks in the catch. The latest data showed one fish for each 18 hours of fishing time, or one king for every 0.8 boats. Best success came from the Vernita area, where effort was also highest. STURGEON: State biologist Joe Hymer in the agency's Vancouver office said we're coming up on what is traditionally the best time to fish sturgeon from the bank below Bonneville Dam. Recent checks showed bank anglers averaging one legal sturgeon for every 8.6 rods, just below Bonneville, but better than that when over- and under-size fish played and released were added in. Boat fishermen in the same area averaged a legal for every 4.6 rods. EASTSIDE TROUT: Heading east of the Cascades for some hunting this month? State biologist Bob Jateff of Omak said you might toss some fishing gear in the family bus, because fall trout action can be excellent. Jateff recommended Big Twin near Winthrop, Blue Lake near Sinlahekin, and Chapaka, near Loomis. Now is also the time to hit the Yakima River for big rainbow on a fly. Irrigation flow has been reduced, and the river is generally wadeable, said biologist Jim Cummins in Yakima. HEAR THE ELK: Bull elk are bugling now to establish breeding territories, and if you've never heard it, the spine-tingling sound is worth some effort. The Yakima Herd is one of the most accessible and the Raven's Roost area in the Little Naches River drainage is traditionally one of the best places to listen. That's in the far northwest corner of Yakima County, following Hwy 410 northwest from Naches. For the best opportunities, arrive just before daylight, or plan to camp in one of the many forest service campgrounds in the area, and walk the Cougar Valley trail. Bugling can be heard throughout the day, particularly early and late, and elk may be visible on the open hillsides until about 7 a.m., when they move into the timber. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

1. Fighting foreclosure: How one couple got caught in mortgage crisis 2. Easy to steal, pricey to replace 3. 155-year boys club comes to an end 4. Monroe man's family remembers a life devoted to service 5. Future Seahawk? 6. No injuries in I-5 crash 7. Woman crossing street hit by car 8. Keep on ticking after you're dead 9. Hindus pray for peace at Bothell temple 10. Many Mexican migrants are heading home broke 2 - Top 10 Stories Most Talked about 3 - Top 10 Stories Most Emailed

• Colleges brace for massive cuts • Was burglary suspect burglarized? • Food banks facing hard times • Council member resigns, heading to D.C. • Edmonds closes aid car loophole • Wildcats head to state semifinals • Thanksgiving served with an outpouring of generosity • King's takes third at 1A state tournament • School closures recommended • Stillaguamish Tribe’s Angel of the Winds Casino opens new addition Dec. ... • Building energy independence from the ground up