Purple Herring - Halibut Season

We have "Purple" sized Puget Sound vacuum packaged herring in stock for the upcoming halibut season. We have a limited supply this year, so when it's gone it's gone. Make sure to put some away while we still have it.

Don't Forget To Renew Your Licenses - Return Your Catch Record Cards

April 1st is tomorrow and the new licence year is upon us again. So just a reminder to all of you to renew your fishing licenses for the new year as well as turn in your old catch record cards. Every year there are folks that just forget to renew their licenses before venturing out and unfortunately get a citation by the friendly Warden. Just think of all the additional tackle that you could have purchased with the dollars you paid the state for the citation!

Methow Steelhead - Last of Season

Here's a nice "Wild" steelhead that Drew landed this past weekend on the Methow River. The fish was landed on a center pin outfit fishing a float and jig combo. This fishery is winding down quickly with Thursday being the last day for the season!

Gillnetters Fish Columbia - Tuesday March 29 7:30 PM - 11:30 PM

Just recieved the notice that the gillnetters will get to fish the Columbia Tuesday March 29 from 7:30 PM - 11:30 PM (Four Hours). This fishery will take place in Zones 1-4 upstream to Kelly Point.

Hawgs & Dogs Derby - Columbia River

Didn't get a lot of information from the Hawgs & Dogs Derby held this past weekend on the Columbia but I'll give you what I have so far. There were 95 teams fishing with 27 fish checked in, 9 sturgeon and 18 hatchery salmon. There were more wild salmon that were caught but were released as per regulations. I will add more once I receive additional information.

Spring Chinook - Columbia River

Here's a real nice springer caught by Dave Castellanos fishing with NW Pro Buzz Ramsey. This 26 pound chinnok was one of three that they boated on Friday fishing just above I-5. The fish was caught on a downstream troll fishing a Fish Flash and herring combination fishing tight on the bottom. Nice Fish!

Anacortes Salmon Derby Results

The popular Anacortes Salmon Derby poduced some really nice sized chinook this past weekend. There were a total of 101 fish weighed in with 78 on Saturday and 23 on Sunday with a total weight of 1,081 pounds and a 10.7 pound average! Here's a run down on the winners! 1st Mike Campion - 18.96 pounds - $15,000.00 2nd Patrick Barton - 18.74 pounds - $ 5,000.00 3rd Brett Engholm - 18.44 pounds - $ 2,500.00 4th Shane George - 18.91 pounds - Yahaha EF1000IS Invereter 5th Lester Cole - 18.91 pounds - Lowance HDS5 6th Barry Northcutt - 16.86 pounds - Ace Line Hauler 7th Eric Pedersen - 16.68 pounds - FM3000 VHF Marine Radio 8th Jay Pederson - 16.48 pounds - Scotty Electric Downrigger 9th Kyle Butterfield - 16.44 pounds - Cannon Downrigger 10th Patrick Monroe - 16.42 pounds - Drill Set For more Derby Information and pictures take a look at their website: www.anacortessalmonderby.com

Lower Columbia Spring Chinook

Today we have had some better reports coming out of the lower Columbia River. Though the river has a "Little" more visibility it is far from ideal conditions. With some fish being caught it must be an indication that there are better numbers of fish migrating through the river and with that we should see some better fishing this next week throughout the river.

Barrier Dam Spring Chinook

We had one of the guys give us a call this AM and said that there were a few Chinook caught at the Barrier Dam on the Cowlitz. All were caught on eggs free drifted. Though not anything "Red Hot" at least there are some fish to be caught.

Pass Lake & Lone Lake

The reports from both of these lakes have been fairly good this week. Pass has been putting out some fair fly fishing with smallish 9 - 10 inch fish making the bulk of the catch with enough fish in the 16 - 18 inch range with an odd fish pushing the 20+ mark to make things interesting. Small chromie chrinomids and leech patterns have been fishing the best. Lone has been putting out the average better sized fish with most in the 14 - 18 inch range with an odd fish also pushing th 20 inch range. As with Pass Lake the small chromie chrinominds and leech patterns have been the ticket. Lots of swallows working the water telling of the hatches coming off! With this warmer spring weather we should see some good fishing this next month.

Columbia River Spring Chinook

The reports that we have been receiving from the Columbia River have not been exactly exciting by any means. Had one of the customers stop by this afternoon having fished the river yesterday with one of the better guides. They fished the I-5 to Willamette stretch and did not have a single take down on the boat and did not hear of a single fish landed amongst the rest of the fleet. It has been very slow fishing so far and when there has been a bite it has been on and off, with nothing consistent. With just 101 Spring Chinook through Bonneville as of yesterday for the year it appears that returns have been very scant to say the least. We only have a couple of weekends left as we get shut down on April 4th. It's very hard to judge if we have fish coming in the lower river as it has been virtually unfishable most of the season below the Willamette and the slough, as both have been pumping in lots of color! If fishing does not improve will we get more time after the 4th? Your guess is as good as mine!

Had one of the other customers in just a while ago who spent the past three days fishing down in the mud off the Lewis. They fished on anchor with Kwick Fish with sardine wraps and additional scent and managed to hook 3 - 4 fish a day, however did not have much luck at landing them and ended up with just a single fish for the three days. They said that there were a few fish landed around them, though there was not much fishing pressure and they had the place much to themselves. At least there seems to be a few fish in that section of the river.

Cowlitz River - Steelhead & Springers

The Cowlitz River has finally started to show some good spring steelhead fishing as well as some Chinook! Shawn spoke with a number of guides who were off the river early yesterday with limits of steelhead for their clients. Overall, the steelhead fishing for the latter returning B run fish has been very lackluster with a few fish here and a few fish there. But with the fishing that they had yesterday it finally looks as if things are starting to turn around. Shawn also heard that there was a hand full of Chinook that were caught at the barrier dam yesterday. Hopefully, we will see better fishing with each and every day.

Eastside Steelheading Winding Down

Though steelheading on the Eastside of the state is winding down at the end of the month, there is still some good fishing to be had. Jeff Witkowski emailed this picture of Andy Byrd and a nice Wells steelhead caught float fishing from the bank with a Worden's Calypso Jig tipped with shrimp. Both Andy and Jeff guide for Darrell & Dad's Family Guide Service when they are not fishing themselves. If you are interested in any of the fisheries in this part of the state give Anton Jones a call and you can sample the outstanding fishing that this part of the state can produce.

Darrell & Dad's Family Guide Service
Anton Jones
1-866-360-1523

New Berkley Powerbait Items

Berkley has introduced a few "New" Powerbait items for this upcoming trout fishing season. Amongst the "New" items are three "Garlic" flavored baits, three "Salmon Egg" flavored baits, a "Hatchery Pellet" and a "Green Pumpkin" flavored bait. Here's a little rundown on the new items:

Rainbow Glitter - Garlic
Yellow Glitter - Garlic
Chartreuse Glitter - Garlic

Salmon Peach Glitter - Salmon Egg
Salmon Egg Red Glitter - Salmon Egg
Rainbow Glitter - Salmon Egg

Hatchery Pellet

Green Pumpkin

New License Year Coming Up - Make Sure To Renew

April 1st is just around the corner and with it the new license year! Make sure to renew your licenses before you venture out! You can either stop by and get your new one or you can go on the WDFW website and renew them on line. Remember that if you need catch record cards that it will take you a few weeks to receive them if you get your licenses on line. With your new licenses make sure that you return your old catch record cards or report them on line. In either case make sure to get that new license and return those cards!

Eastside Steelheading

The winter steelhead season is winding down at the end of this month on most of the eastside steelhead waters. We have been getting some fairly good reports coming off the Methow, Okanogon and the Columbia. Though the fish are fairly colored up, it's still fun to go and play with them. The picture above is an 11.8 pound hatchery fish caught by Dale Reece fishing with Jeff Witkowski. With the warming weather and water it has brought a lot of fish from the warmer Columbia River into the tributaries. Make sure that you read your regulations before you head out!

Really Nice Lake Trout - Lake Chelan

Here's a really nice 16.9 pound lake trout caught by 81 year old John Morrey a few days ago fishing with guide Jeff Witkowski of Darrell & Dad's Family Guide Service. The fish was caught on a Worden's U-20 purple glow flatfish. With things being a little in between things at this time of year you might just want to chase lakers with Jeff. You can book a trip with Darrell & Dad's by calling 1-866-360-5342.

Oregon Coast - Steelhead

While many anglers are chasing Spring Chinook on the Columbia at the present time, there is in fact some good winter steelheading going on Oregon's coastal streams. Here's a photo of a nice native steelhead that Buzz Ramsey caught on the Trask River last Friday. This was one of four that Buzz managed to land that day! This fish came from a drifted red corky!

Everett Derby Results

This past Saturday's Everett Blackmouth Derby had lots of participants, had fairly good weather though a little choppy but the results were a tad bit on the lackluster side. There were a total of 14 blackmouth weighed in ranging in size from 17.53 pounds for the first place fish down to 3.3 for the fourteenth. Here's a little run down on the results:
1st place - 17.53 pounds - Troy Moe
2nd place - 13.42 pounds - Trevor Gautreaux
3rd place - 12.78 pounds - Hans Aahus
4th place - 11.80 pounds - James Lee
5th place - 10.61 pounds - Ralph Thomas
6th place - 10.38 pounds - Geoff Aldcroft
7th place - 9.50 pounds - Dennis Knudson
8th place - 9.11 pounds - Jerry Petzel
9th place - 8.11 pounds - Frank Crawford
10th place - 7.27 pounds - Warren Anderson
11th place - 6.30 pounds - Jason Williams
12th place - 4.01 pounds - Rolan Jeans
13th place - 3.65 pounds - Chuck Fehring
14th place - 3.30 pounds - Tyler Yee

Lake Chelan Lakers

Here's Sue and Mark Robinson with a two day catch of lakers on Lake Chelan fishing with Jeff Witkowski who guides for Anton Jones of Darrell & Dad'd Family Guide Service. We have heard that the fishing has been quite good lately, so if you're looking for something a little different to do this just might be it!

Give Anton a call and he can set you up for a day or two on the lake or fishing Rufus Woods.

1-866-360-1523
www.darrellanddads .com

He still has a winter special going on through the end of the month.

Stanwood Eagles 24th Annual Blackmouth Derby - Saturday & Sunday April 16th & 17th

The Stanwood Eagles will hold their 24th Annual Blackmouth Derby on Saturday and Sunday, April 16th & 17th. Cost will be $50.00/person and covers both days of the derby. Here's a little run down:

Fishing allowed in Area 8-1 & 8-2 only

PUBLIC AND ALL AGES WELCOME

1st 45% of total entry fee

2nd 20% of total entry fee

3rd 15% of total entry fee

4th 10% of total entry fee

5th 5%of total entry fee

Plus Lots of Donated Prizes

5% will be donated to Eagles Charities

$100.00 prize to be drawn at 4:30 Saturday for all entered in derby (Must be Present to Win)

Weigh-In is 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.(firm) Saturday and 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.(firm by my watch) Sunday at the Stanwood Eagles, 6419 Pioneer Hwy. Stanwood. Prizes will be given Sunday at completion of weigh in Sunday, April 17th.

Derby sigh up deadline until 2 p.m. at sponsors April 15th, or till closing April 15th at Stanwood Eagles.

For more information call:

Stanwood Eagles (360) 629-3224

Ed Keller (425) 308-9437

Tickets Can Be Purchased At

Hook Line & Sinker

Holiday Sports

John's Sporting Goods

Camano Marine

Elger Bay Store

Stanwood Eagles

Big Island - Kayak Sailfish

Tim sent me this photo of his AM catch off the leeward side of the Big Island. This is a "Great" catch for the Island. Not only is it fantastic to land one from a kayak, a sailfish is a really odd duck in the islands and not commonly caught. Nice catch Tim!

Columbia River - Spring Chinook

The past couple of days we have been getting better reports coming from the Columbia. The I-5 to 205 stretch has been quite productive and we have been hearing of quite a few fish. The Willamette River has been putting in alot of color and the Columbia below where it enters has been very off color, especially on the Oregon side. By the time you get down to where Mulnomah Channel enters into the river there has been so much mixing that the Columbia is not fishable. If you are going to partake of this season spring chinnok fishery I would have to say that it is time to head down, as April 4th is the last day. We have three weekends to fish! Make sure that you get to the ramps early to get in the water as with the number of fishermen wanting to fish it just might take you 2 - 3 hours to get in the water if you are not early!

We have lots of green and red herring in stock!

Lake Lenice - Grant County

The reports that we received from this premiere Eastern Washington quality water was nothing short of outstanding yesterday. Stephen spoke with his brother yesterday after he got off the water and said he had a very good day having hooked around 25 fish and landing the better part of them. Most of the fish were in the 14 - 17 inch range with a handful pushing the 20 inch mark. All the fish he had were rainbows and were in outstanding shape. Chironomids were the ticket to the good catches.

Halibut Seasons For 2011

We have finally received the information on this years halibut seasons.

Columbia River (Ilwaco): Marine Area 1 will open may 5, three days a week, Thursday through Saturday until 70 percent of the quota is reached, or until July 17. The fishery will then reopen on Aug. 5 and continue three days a week (Friday through Sunday) until the remaining quota is reached, or Sept. 30, whichever occurs first. The 2011 catch quota is 15,418 pounds.

South Coast (Westport/Ocean Shores): Marine Area 2 will open May 1, two days a week, Sundays and Tuesdays. During the fourth week in May the fishery will be open Sunday only (May 22). Beginning the following week the fishery will resume the Sunday, Tuesday structure until the quota is reached. The northern near shore area will be open seven days per week, until the quota is reached. The 2011 catch quota is 43,500 pounds.

North Coast (La Push/Neah Bay): Marine areas 3 & 4 will open May 12, two days per week, Thursdays and Saturdays, through May 21. If sufficient quota remains, the fishery will reopen the week of June 2. If sufficient quota remains after that opener, the fishery will reopen starting June 16. The 2011 catch quota is 108,792 pounds.

Strait of Juan de Fuca/Puget Sound: Marine areas 6 through 10 (Strait, Port Angeles, Admirality Inlet and Everett) will be open May 5 through May 29. Marine Area 5 (Sekiu) will be open May 26 through June 18. These fisheries will be open three days a week, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday closed Sunday through Wednesday except for Memorial Day weekend when they will be open Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The 2011 combined catch quota for these areas if 58,155 pounds.

All areas open to fishing have a one-fish daily catch limit, with no minimum size, a possession limit of one fish while on the vessel, and a possession limit of two fish in any form once the angler is on the shore.

Razor Clam Dig OK'd

The razor clam dig is a go for this weekend. The WDFW has finished testing for the marine bio toxins and has found that is within the guidelines to have a dig. So get your gear together and head to the beaches. Take a look on the 3/1/2011 blog for all the particulars. Good Digging!

Everett Derby Tickets - Few Left

For those of you that have thought about fishing next Saturdays 5th Annual Blackmouth Derby you had better not wait too much longer as tickets are just about sold out! We have just two tickets left as of today. Remember, tickets are $100.00 for the boat with a maximum of four anglers. For more information look on our Blog page dated February26th or go to the derby website www.everttblackmouthderby.com .

Have a "Great" time on the water and "Good Luck".

Blackmans Lake - Snohomish

If you are wanting to do a little late winter local trout fishing you just might want to give Blackmans Lake a try in Snohomish. I was privy to a little information the other day and heard that the Snohomish Sportsman's Club had a plant in the lake late last week. Great place to take the kids for a few hours on a nice day with the chance of catching a few fish. This lake has some fair access to the water for bank anglers as well as fairly decent launch for small boaters.

Lake Lenice - Grant County

We have had some fairly good reports coming from this popular quality fly fishing lake in Grant County. The fish are in good shape with many of them pushing the 16 -20 inch range. Chrinomids or small leech patterns have been the key patterns to focus your attention on. We'll try to get you a few photos in the near future. Though the reports came from Lenice, I am sure that Nunnely turned out some good fishing also.

John's Jigs for Upcoming Pink Salmon Season

We have some "New" additions to the John's Jigs selection designed for the upcoming pink salmon season. We have these in three sizes 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2 ounce to meet all conditions. We have them in plain and tailed models. Look for the following selections:

Pearl White Head / White
Pearl White Head / White / White Tail
Pearl White Head / White / Pink Tail
Hot Pink Head / Pink
Hot Pink Head / Pink / Pink Tail
Hot Pink Head / Pink / White Tail

Plain Models - $2.39ea
Tailed Models - $2.49ea

"New" Qcove Flasher Colors

We have the "New" Qcove flasher colors in stock. We have the 11" Killer Crush (Just like the 950 UV Jelly Crush Hot Spot that has been so popular the past couple of seasons) This undoubtedly will be one of the most popular colors. Also "New" is the Polar Orange, Blue Ice, Ice Tiger, Ice Green Tiger and Orange Ice Tiger. Stop by and take a look! I'll try and post some pictures shortly!

Columbia River Spring Chinook

Here's a nice Spring Chinook that Buzz Ramsey caught with his good friend and guide Eric Linde yesterday fishing the Columbia River near I-5. Mitch Dreisback also hooked another nice salmon only to loose it to a sea lion. Both fish were caught on a Chartreuse Fish Flash and plug cut herring combination trolling downstream.

The reports that we have received from the Columbia have not been outstanding in any way recently, but as you see if you do put in some time there are at least a few fish to be caught.

Though Eric is generally booked up you might give him a call and see if he just happpens to have an opening - (360) 607-6421. Eric has the reputation as being one of the better guides on the river!

"New" Dick Nite Kokanee Dodgers

Dick Figgins owner of Dick Nite Lures has come out with a series of Kokanee Dodgers to compliment his series of Kokanee Dick Nite spoons. He has started with six color offerings, of which all are UV coated for additional visibility. The color selections are as follows:

50/50 - Nickel/Brass
Clown
Pink Splatter
Watermelon
Purple Hot Head Scaled
Chartreuse Hot Head Scaled

These "New" additions to the "Dick Nite" line of products should prove to be extremely popular with Northwest Kokanee anglers this Spring & Summer.

Price $7.79ea

We'll be more than happy to ship them to you, just give us a call! (425) 743-9505

Port Angeles Salmon Club's 11th Annual Halibut Derby - Saturday May 28th and Sunday May 29th

The Port Angeles Salmon Club will be putting on its 11th Annual Halibut Derby on Saturday, May 28th and Sunday May 29th. This is Memorial Day weekend! Last year there were 688 anglers participating in the derby. Ken Kirkman of Port Angeles took the top prize of $5,000.00 for his 88 pound halibut. There is $20,000.00 in cash prizes for the top 30 fish. Here's a run down on the prizes:
1st place - $5,000.00
2nd place - $2,500.00
3rd place - $1,500.00
4th place - $1,200.00
5th place - $1,100.00
6th place - $1,000.00
7th place - $ 800.00
8th place - $ 700.00
9th place - $ 600.00
10th place - $ 500.00
11th place through 30th place rages from $450.00 down to $135.00

Tickets are $40.00/person for the two days and are available at Swain's General Store in Port Angeles. For additional information and buying tickets on line visit www.swainsinc.com or call (360) 452-2357.

Late Season Hatchery Steelhead

Shawn sent this photo of this really nice hatchery steelhead that they caught this afternoon - unfortunately without any details at all! We should find out a little latter today or tomorrow of the details. - Shawn's fish weighed 15 pounds 11 ounces dressed! Not Bad! They floated the Cowlitz from Barrier Dam to Blue Creek launch. They hooked 5 and landed 3, the others were 11 and 6 pounds. The steelheading was quite good amongst the other anglers they spoke with. Though there should have been an odd spring Chinook landed, Shawn mentioned that he did not see or hear of any that day.

Kid's Fishing Events

There are a number of "Kids Fishing Events" coming up in the next few months. Here is a run down of those in the next few months:

April 13th, 2011

KIDS TROUT FISHING CLASS

Silver Hall

Thornton A Sullivan Park

at Silver Lake, Everett

Everett Parks Registration

425-257-8300 ext.2

May 7th, 2011

KIDS FISHING EVENT

Jennings Park, Marysville

8 am - 11am, Ages 5-12 years old

Food Donations Accepted For

Local Food Bank

May 14th, 2011

SILVER LAKE KIDS FISH-IN

Thorton A Sullivan Park

at Silver Lake Everett

Everett Parks Registration

425-257-8300 ext.2

May 21st, 2011

KIDS FISHING EVENT

Twin Lakes County Park

(Gissberg Twin Lakes)

Smokey Point, Arlington

8am - 2 pm, Ages 5-14 years old

For more information http://www.esscwa.com/

This event is hosted by The Everett Steelhead & Salmon Club

and other State & Local Organizations

Vac Packed "Green" Puget Sound Herring

Are you looking for vac packed "Green" Puget Sound herring for your upcoming Columbia River spring Chinook trip? We have around 150 cases in cold storage at the present time, so there is little chance that we will run out before the season ends. These are nice starved Fall baits caught at the end of the season and are in great shape.

Area 9 Salmon Reports

Overall the reports that we have been receiving out of Marine Area 9 over the past ten days or so have been quite bleak to say the least. The weather has been perhaps the largest contributing factor to getting on the water, with bad weather being generally the rule recently. I spoke with Pete, one of the WDFW test fishers yesterday and he confirmed the fact the fishing has been tough even when they are able to get on the water. He did mention that Toby Black (another of the WDFW test fishers) had a blackmouth in the 15 pound range earlier in the week from the Double Bluff area. With the weather looking decent for tomorrow perhaps a few of you will venture out and we might get a better idea of what is happening.

1/8 & 1/4 ounce Matzuo Jig Head - Back In Stock

For those of you tying your own steelhead jigs, we finally have the Matzuo heavy wire jig heads back in stock. At the present time we have them in 1/8 ounce with a #1 hook and a 1/4 ounce size with a #1/0 hook. Hopefully, we will get some 1/16 ounce with #2 hooks in the near future.

Public Round Table Discussion with WDFW Director Phil Anderson in Sedro Woolley on March 22

WDFW Director Phil Anderson and regional staff will have a round table meeting in Sedro Woolley on March 22 to discuss fish and wildlife issues with the public. This meeting will be held from 6-8 p.m. at the Sedro Woolley Senior Center, 715 Pacific St., Sedro Woolly.

This meeting will include discussion of the WDFW budget challenges and resource-management issues. WDFW staff will answer questions and take comments on fishing, hunting. wildlife viewing, habitat protection, enforcement and other fish and wildlife related issues.

This will be a "Great" time to come and share your views with the WDFD director and staff members.

Pogue 4" Candlefish Salmon Plugs

We have the "Pogue" 4" Candlefish Salmon Plugs in stock in eight colors. This plug produced the winning fish in the recent Roche Harbor Derby. These are a hand built plugs of very limited production. Here's a little rundown on the color selection.

Pearl White /White Scale PW/WTS - P10/15
Pearl White/Chartreuse Back PW/CHARB - P10/20
Pearl White/Silver Back PW/SILB - P10/30
Pearl White/Black Scale PW/BKS - P10/40
Pearl White/Mother of Pearl PW/MP - P10/45
Pearl White/Green Scale PW/GNS - P10/55
Pearl White/Blue Scale PW/BLS - P10/60
Pearl White/Olive Back PWOLB - P10/65

Price: $12.49ea

We'll be glad to ship them to you! Give us a call (425) 743-9505

Murray's 29th Annual Geoduck Restaurant Salmon Derby - March 5 & 6

The Murray's 29th Annual Geoduck Restaurant Derby will be held this weekend Saturday and Sunday March 5 & 6. Tickets run $15.00 / person. For Ticket sales and information contact the following vendors.

Geoduck Restaurant - (360) 796-4430
Brinnon General Store - Brinnon
Yelvik's General Store - Brinnon
Halfway House - Brinnon
McKay's - Brinnon
Valley Tavern - Port Hadlock
Loggers Landing - Quilcene
Wholesale Sports - Silverdale
SeaBeck Pizza - SeaBeck

Derby Prizes:
1st Place - $400.00
2nd Place - $300.00
3rd Place - $200.00

Bonus $100.00 For the largest salmon caught on Saturday!

Lots of bonus draw prizes donated by local merchants.

This derby is part of the "Nothwest Salmon Derby Series"!

Have a "Great" time.

Puget Sound Salmon Forecasts

The forecasts for Puget Sound salmon returns are out. Overall, it is better than last year and should provide some fairly good fishing opportunities for us here in Puget Sound. On the better side of things are both Coho and Pinks. Coho numbers come in at 980,000 which is 367,000 over this past year! This hopefully will relate to some fairly good coho fishing come late August and September. Pinks are expected to come in at the 6,000,000 level which is considerably lower than the 2009 record return. Even at six million we should see some outstanding pink fishing opportunities both in the saltwater as well as the rivers. In addition to the Puget Sound pinks, Canada's Fraser River will receive an additional 17 million pinks. This should fair well for those fishing the Straits as well as the San Juan Islands. The projections on Puget Sound Chinook are not fairing as well with a 243,000 projected, slightly greater than last years 226,000.

The forecast on Lake Wahington Sockeye is just 34,600, unfortunately well below the 350,000 needed to consider opening a fishery.

It could be better, but it could be worse but at least we will have some fishing opprutunity.

Razor Clam Digs - Scheduled for March / April

Looks as if we have a few more razor clam digs scheduled for the ocean beaches in March and April. Here's a little run down on the dates.

Saturday, March 19, 7:04 p.m. (-0.1 ft); Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis, Mocrocks
Sunday, March 20, 7:36 a.m. (-0.5 ft); Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis, Mocrocks
Monday, March 21, 8:23 a.m. (-0.9 ft); Long Beach, Twin Harbors
Tuesday March 22, 9:12 a.m. (-1.0 ft); Long Beach, Twin Harbors

As you might have noticed the tides are switching from evening digs to morning digs on this sequence of tides.

The fifth annual Ocean Shores Razor Clam Festival, which includes a chowder cook off, is scheduled March 19. Information on the festival is available at www.2011clams.com .

Thursday, April 7, 9:37 a.m. (0.1 ft); Long Beach, Twin Harbors
Friday, April 8, 10.19 a.m. (0.2 ft); Long Beach, Twin Harbors
Saturday, April 9, 11.07 a.m. (0.4 ft); Long Beach, Twin Harbors

These are proposed dig dates and will open providing the marine toxin tests show the clams are safe to eat!

Good Digging!