Anglers get crack at Snake River

DOUG HUDDLE - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

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A burgeoning upriver bright chinook run this summer has allowed managers to open a section of the lower Snake River to sport fishing for the first time in 20 years.

Anglers will be able to keep one adult (longer than 24 inches) hatchery-origin (adipose-clipped) chinook and two adipose-clipped jack chinook (10-24 inches long) per day in this fishery, which will be governed by a maximum allowable wild chinook interaction rule.

State managers warn that although the fishery is slated to stay open until Oct. 15, it could close earlier if monitoring estimates find sport anglers reach sooner the cap put on wild chinook that are caught and released.

Recent revised limits on the number of wild fish that may be affected by fishing have made this opportunity, under a federal ESA permit, possible, say managers.

The Snake will be open from the railroad bridge below the mouth of the Tucannon River upstream to the no-fishing zone below Little Goose Dam, about eight miles. Another mile of the Snake in Lake Bryan, the Little Goose Dam reservoir, will be open from the safety zone line upstream to the south bank boat launch.

Night fishing is banned here and anglers must use barbless hooks for chinook and steelhead. All coho, wild chinook and wild steelhead must be released unharmed without being removed from the river.

COUGAR REMOVAL ENTRIES CLOSE SOON

Anyone owning feline-tracking dogs, who has a valid Washington hunting license with cougars as an option may apply for the drawing that will award permits for December public safety cougar removal hunts.

The deadline for submitting applications is Friday, Oct. 17.

Three locales, all in Western Washington, have been designated for cougar removals based on 2007 complaints made to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Managers expect up to seven cougars to be taken in these hunts, that were authorized by the 2000 Legislature. Areas are designated for removal hunts based on threshold numbers of close human encounters or livestock/pet depredation complaints that are received.

Hunting cougars with dogs was banned statewide by a 1996 citizens' initiative.

These non-scheduled hunts with the aid of dogs together with a later annual limited-entry permit hunt in five North Central Washington counties were reinstituted because of a growing concern for public safety in rural and some suburban areas as the dominant native cats have become more conspicuous.