Outdoor News

Bonneville Dam

. By then, more fish should be exiting the estuary and heading upriver.

From Sept. 1-16, anglers fishing that area may retain two adult salmon--only one of which may be a chinook--as part of their six-salmon daily limit. An exception is the eight-mile fall chinook sanctuary area near the mouth of the Lewis River, where all chinook salmon must be released. That area is defined on page 79 of the Fishing in Washington rules pamphlet.

Above Bonneville Dam, chinook salmon are already appearing on an increasing number of stringers in the Bonneville Pool and in Columbia River tributaries currently open to chinook retention. At

Drano Lake

, those chinook salmon helped to make up for a slowdown in the fishery for hatchery steelhead amid low water conditions. But hatchery steelhead still account for most of the catch in area waters, including the Bonneville Pool where anglers averaged three steelhead for every four rods (counting fish released) in a creel survey ending Aug. 17. Bank anglers were also catching a combination of chinook and hatchery steelhead near the mouth of the White Salmon River.

Anglers are reminded that new fishing rules were adopted earlier this year during the North of Falcon season-setting process to conserve chinook salmon in those and several other area tributaries, including the Wind and White Salmon rivers, plus Drano Lake, where anglers may retain any adult chinook salmon, but must release any wild, unmarked chinook jacks they encounter.

Hunting:

Early archery seasons are set to begin in select Game Management Units in Southwest Washington and the rest of the state. The early deer season runs Sept. 1-30, while the elk season runs Sept. 8-21, as outlined in WDFW's Big Game Hunting pamphlet (wdfw.wa.gov). Also opening Sept. 1 are the statewide forest grouse and dove hunting seasons. Before heading out, hunters should check and the Waterfowl and Upland Game pamphlet for details.

Seasons for bear and cougar continue statewide, although cougar-hunting rules will change significantly Sept. 9 in

Klickitat County

, where the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission recently approved a new pilot cougar hunt with the aid of dogs. To accommodate the new pilot hunt--set for Dec. 1 through March 31--the existing general hunt had to be restructured mid-season, said Donny Martorello, Department of Fish and Wildlife carnivore specialist.

Under the new rules, the general-season cougar hunt will be restricted to hunters using muzzleloaders and archery equipment from Sept. 9 through Oct. 10. The same will be true for the period from Nov. 20-30. The only remaining period when hunters can use any type of weapon--including modern firearms--to hunt cougars during the general season is Oct. 11 through Nov. 19.

Those regulations are consistent with those in effect in the other five counties where hunting cougar with the use of dogs has been approved. Included in that list are Chelan, Okanogan, Ferry, Stevens and Pend Oreille counties. "The measure approved by the commission effectively moves the hunt from one set of regulations to another," Martorello said. "We want to make sure hunters are aware of those new rules, especially since the general season is already under way." General hunting seasons in other counties are not affected by the changes in the Klickitat County hunt.

Wildlife Viewing:

Salmon and steelhead are on the move, a fact that is readily apparent by looking through the fish-viewing windows at Bonneville Dam. Since Aug. 15, more than 1,000 fall chinook--and nearly 5,000 steelhead--have been counted passing up the fish ladder each day on the Washington side of the river. But those proportions are expected to change soon.

Last year, the chinook count jumped to more than 6,000 fish per day by the end of August, while the steelhead run began to taper off. To watch this year's returns first-hand, take State Route 14 east to Milepost 40 (about 5 miles from Stevenson) and turn into the Bonneville Dam visitor center. The visitor center is the glass building at the end of the powerhouse.