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Nice Weather and More Trout on Opening Day
Good weather and big trout helped to boost catch rates on opening day of trout season last weekend. WDFW planted bigger trout this year on average the statewide catch rate soared to an average of 3.99 trout per person the opener. The top three producers in the state were Ellen Lake in Ferry County where anglers averaged 5 trout apiece, Warden Lake in Grant County with 5 trout apiece, and Panther Lake in Kitsap County with 4.6 trout apiece. The department expects good trout fishing to continue on many of the planted lakes until well into June.
Puget Sound Lings on the Bite
Nick Kester from All Star Charters (425-252-4188) said it took him longer to catch bait this week than it did to catch his limit of lingcod every day. He and partner Gary Krein have been fishing Possession Bar and getting limits of Puget Sound ling cod every day using live sand dabs.
Cowlitz Springers Slow
Todd Daniels from Tall Tails Guide Service (206-437-8766) has been picking up a few spring Chinook on the Cowlitz, but overall he reports that springer fishing has been noticeably slow. Todd thinks the fishing will improve if and when the river drops down to 5500 to 6500 cfs again. The springers he’s caught so far this season have fallen to either a Cowlitz cocktail or wrapped Kwikfish.
Last Razor Clam Dig of the Season
Twin Harbors beach between Gray’s Harbor and Willapa Bay is open Saturday, Sunday, and Monday for the last razor clam dig of the season. The tides for the digs are all morning tides and check the WDFW regulations for more information about the open digging area.
Cougar Killed in Seattle Neighborhood
The Seattle Times reported that a cougar that recently wandered into the Kennewick neighborhood of Seattle had to be killed Wednesday when it ended up in a tree in someone’s back yard. Officials from WDFW said the cat weighed about 110 pounds and appeared to be a young male that had wandered into the neighborhood during the night looking for food. Since the area was surrounded by houses and an apartment complex the state had no choice but to kill the animal.
Ruger and Cabela’s Report Big Profits
Not every sector of the American economy is on the fritz. Sturm, Ruger and Co. reported profits for the first quarter of this year that were nearly double last year’s profits. Following suit was Cabela’s who reported that its first quarter profit soared 62 percent as strong retail sales of outdoor gear and sporting goods offset a decline in online and catalog sales.
Rob Endsley
The Outdoor Line
710 ESPN Seattle
www.theoutdoorline.com