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HOT NEW PRODUCT Boaters Night Vision Cap-5 LED red & White Light

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We are excited to announce our new Pilot Series POWERCAP™ Night Vision Cap. The Pilot Series Night Vision Caps have (2) red LEDs and (3) white LEDs on separate circuits. The buttons are labeled under the cap brim (R = red and W = white.) (2) red LEDs have an on/off button. Three position switch options provide for improved functionality (high beam only, low beam only or both on simultaneously for (3) white LEDs.

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Puget Sound Fishery Showing Signs Of Stress

By admin at Wed, 2006-11-15 22:04 | | Washington Fishing News

You can now watch an underwater video showing troubling conditions on Puget Sound’s Hood Canal during a recent low-oxygen event.

Watch the streaming video at: http://wdfw.wa.gov/hab/hood_canal_oxygen.htm.

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WDFW reinstitutes fishing restrictions to discourage snagging on Cowlitz River

By admin at Mon, 2006-11-06 11:24 | | Washington Fishing News

Olympia, Washington - To reduce illegal snagging of Cowlitz River coho salmon, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is reinstituting two fishing regulations that expired for a fishery below the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery.

From Nov. 6 through Dec. 31, a non-buoyant lure restriction and night closure will be in effect on the section of the Cowlitz River between 100 feet and 400 feet downstream from the barrier dam below the hatchery.

The department recently opened those waters to anglers to expand fishing opportunities for large numbers of coho salmon returning to the hatchery. Since then, WDFW enforcement officers have reported an increase in snagging activity below the dam where migrating coho salmon are now congregating, said Craig Burley, WDFW regional fish manager.

"These regulations are being reinstituted to promote an orderly fishery," Burley said. "We encourage anglers to take advantage of the large return of hatchery coho to the Cowlitz River, but it's important that everyone plays by the rules."

Under statewide fishing rules, it is illegal to fish using techniques where the fish does not voluntarily take the hook in its mouth.

WDFW estimates that 50,000 to 60,000 adult coho will return to the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery this fall, and similarly large returns are anticipated at other southwest Washington hatcheries.

Besides opening the fishery below the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery, the department recently increased the daily limit on adult coho from two to four fish per day for anglers fishing from the Cowlitz River mouth to Mayfield Dam through Dec. 31. It also arranged with Tacoma Power, which owns the Cowlitz hatchery, to recycle some coho presently in hatchery ponds to Riffe Lake to provide additional recreational fishing opportunities.

The large coho return is due primarily to new recreational and commercial fishing constraints implemented for the first time in the lower Columbia River to protect naturally produced coho recently listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act.

Burley noted that a new management plan for fisheries and hatcheries on the Cowlitz River also includes provisions for boosting naturally spawning coho populations in the upper Cowlitz River. Parties involved in developing the new management plan for the Cowlitz River include WDFW, the Washington Department of Ecology, Tacoma Power, the Yakama Nation, NOAA-Fisheries, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and American Rivers/Trout Unlimited.

One provision of that plan calls for moving from a policy of passing 10 hatchery coho to every one naturally produced coho upriver to a goal of passing one hatchery coho for every naturally produced coho moved upstream. Naturally produced coho are the offspring of fish that spawned in the upper river.

However, Burley said recent analysis of out-migration data indicates that the fish-collection facility below Cowlitz Dam does not currently capture enough naturally produced juvenile coho to support moving to a one-to-one ratio this year.

As a result, parties to the management plan recently agreed that this year's goal should be to move approximately 35,000 coho upriver, including a combination of naturally produced and hatchery-reared fish. That represents a ratio of approximately five adult hatchery coho for every natural coho passed upstream, Burley said.

"While we support the goal of being more selective with the fish passed upriver, it's critical that we move enough fish into the upper river to support the long-term sustainability of the run," Burley said. "Once the trapping efficiency of the collection facility is improved, we can begin moving toward the one-to-one ratio referenced in the plan."

Media Contact:
Craig Burley
(360) 906-6711

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King County's Beaver Lake to receive 3,000 large hatchery rainbow trout

By admin at Fri, 2006-11-03 12:39 | | Washington Fishing News

Olympia, Washington - Anglers will soon have an opportunity to catch lunker trout in Beaver Lake near Issaquah, thanks to the release of about 3,000 hatchery rainbows that average approximately three pounds each.

The release by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is scheduled for the week of Nov. 13. The trout were part of an educational display at WDFW's Issaquah Hatchery.

Beaver Lake is best fished by small boat, although anglers can also be successful fishing from shore, said Chad Jackson, district fish biologist for WDFW.

The lake's access site is most easily reached by way of East Beaver Lake Drive Southeast, off Southeast 24th Street in the city of Sammamish. Parking for vehicles and boat trailers is limited, and a valid WDFW vehicle access permit (http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/vup/) must be easily visible in or on vehicles parked at the access site.

Beaver Lake is one of several westside lowland lakes open to fishing year-round. Internal combustion boat engines are prohibited on the lake. All anglers 15 years of age and older are required to have a valid fishing license. The daily bag limit is five fish, and bait anglers must keep the first five trout they catch.

Anglers are advised to check the 2006/2007 Fishing in Washington (http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regs/fishregs.htm) sport fishing rules pamphlet for complete details.

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Razor clam dig starts Friday on three ocean beaches

By admin at Wed, 2006-11-01 11:18 | | Washington Fishing News

Olympia, Washington ? Clam diggers today got the green light to proceed with the second razor clam dig of the fall season, starting Friday, Nov. 3, on evening tides at three of Washington's ocean beaches.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) approved the digs at Long Beach, Twin Harbors, and Mocrocks beaches after a series of marine toxin tests confirmed that the clams there are safe to eat.

The beaches will be open Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 3-5. One beach ? Twin Harbors ? will also be open for a fourth evening of digging Monday, Nov. 6.

Digging will be restricted to the hours between noon and midnight each day at the three beaches. Two other beaches ? Copalis Beach and Kalaloch Beach ? will remain closed to clam digging in November.

The beach at Copalis will be closed due to the low number of clams in the total allowable catch, said Dan Ayres, WDFW coastal shellfish manager. Kalaloch Beach, which is located within Olympic National Park, will also be closed to razor clam digging in November, which coincides with the opening of elk hunting season.

Considerable hunting occurs along the park's boundary, requiring increased ranger patrols to prevent illegal hunting within Olympic National Park and to protect park visitors who may be sightseeing or hiking close to the boundary, said Olympic National Park Superintendent Bill Laitner.

At the other three beaches, Ayres recommends that diggers start digging at least one hour before low tide for best results. Low tides for the upcoming openings are:

? Friday, Nov. 3 (4:32 p.m. -0.3) Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks ? Saturday, Nov. 4 (5:23 p.m. -1.1) Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks ? Sunday, Nov. 5 (6:11 p.m. -1.6) Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks ? Monday, Nov. 6 (6:59 p.m. -1.7) Twin Harbors only Under WDFW rules, harvesters may take no more than 15 razor clams and must keep the first 15 taken, regardless of size or condition. Each digger's limit must be kept in a separate container.

In addition to the early November opening, WDFW and Olympic National Park also have tentatively scheduled two more evening digs at Washington beaches through the end of the year.

The first will be held Dec. 2-3 at Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks and Kalaloch beaches if a new series of marine toxin tests shows the clams at those beaches are still safe to eat. Twin Harbors would be open one additional day, Dec. 4. Copalis Beach will again remain closed to digging those days due to the low number of clams in the total allowable catch.

Another opening is also scheduled over the New Year?s holiday, with evening digs tentatively scheduled Dec. 31 at all five ocean beaches ? including Copalis ? and continuing Jan. 1 at Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks and Kalaloch. One beach, Twin Harbors, would also remain open for an evening dig Jan. 2.

Dates and evening low tides for those digs, still pending the results of future marine toxin tests, are as follows:

? Saturday, Dec. 2 (4:16 p.m. -0.4) Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks, Kalaloch ? Sunday, Dec. 3 (5:07 p.m. -1.0) Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks, Kalaloch ? Monday, Dec. 4 (5:56 p.m. -1.3) Twin Harbors only ? Sunday, Dec. 31 (4:00 p.m. -0.0) all beaches, including Copalis ? Monday, Jan. 1, (4:53 p.m. -0.3) Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks and Kalaloch ? Tuesday, Jan. 2, (5:43 p.m. -0.5) Twin Harbors only Locations of the razor-clam digging beaches are:

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Anglers, food banks to benefit from coho returning to Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery

By admin at Wed, 2006-10-25 12:25 | | Washington Fishing News

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is working to maximize recreational fishing opportunity on a large adult hatchery coho return to the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery, as well as providing fish to Northwest food banks.

An estimated 50,000 to 60,000 adult coho are expected to return to the hatchery this fall, and similarly large returns are anticipated at other southwest Washington hatcheries. The large return is due primarily to new recreational and commercial fishing constraints implemented for the first time in the lower Columbia River to protect naturally spawning coho newly listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act.

The large numbers of coho making their way back into the Cowlitz River present WDFW with a unique opportunity to maximize angler opportunity on returning fish. Thus far WDFW has:

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