A CHANCE TO get out of the rain and enjoy some fishing discussions will be offered Wednesday in Sequim by the North Olympic chapter of Puget Sound Anglers.
The Anglers have invited Tom Burlingame, the owner/operator of Excel Charters in Neah Bay, to discuss his charter operations, some techniques he uses to put his clients on salmon, halibut, lingcod, rockfish and more.
The talk will be held at the Sequim Elks Lodge, 143 Port Williams Road. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with the talk starting at 7 p.m.
Burlingame also will discuss upcoming fishing opportunities out of Neah Bay and Sekiu. Blackmouth season begins March 1 off of Sekiu in Marine Area 5. Halibut is expected to begin May 4 off Neah Bay and La Push and April 6 for Sekiu, Port Angeles and the rest of Puget Sound.
A short business meeting, fishing reports and raffle drawings for chapter members also are planned. Raffles are for members only — with membership available on site for $25 a person and $35 for a family. Membership also includes a monthly subscription to The Reel News.
Brant hunt approved
Continued stable winter counts of brant have allowed for scheduled hunting opportunities in Clallam and Whatcom counties on Jan. 21, 25 and 28.
Brant are a migratory species of goose with a sleek black head, white necklace and distinct brown and black body feathers with striking white flank feathers. They winter in coastal bays, estuaries and lagoons, where they eat eelgrass, sea lettuce and other aquatic vegetation.
Hunters in Clallam County are advised to consult the closed zones of Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge at www.fws.gov/refuge/dungeness/map.
Bad weather for maples
Quilcene’s Ward Norden enjoys tapping big-leaf maples to make his own maple syrup, but he says the weather hasn’t cooperated of late.
“By my count here in our yard, we have only had two days since Christmas with cool enough mornings followed by warming sun on the treetops to cause the sap to flow up the trees,” Norden said. “I have not even bothered to tap our maples yet, and the 10-day weather forecast only seems to have one day next week that might move sap from roots up the trees.
“Hopefully sometime soon we will get three days in a row of maple sugaring opportunity.”
Slow on the lake
Norden said cool water temperatures have made trout biting a rarity.
“The water temperature at Lake Leland is still in the low 30s [Fahrenheit], making bites from all the trout in the lake few and far between,” Norden said. “At these low temperatures, getting more than two bites a day makes you a ‘high liner’. The best technique is to float a bait motionless a few inches above the bottom and have a lot of patience. It is best not to set the hook at the first sign of a bite.”
Predator calling
January is prime time for predator calling around the Peninsula, Norden said.
“The snow we had has laid the grass and bushes down so it is easier to see the predators coming to the call. It is hungry time for the predators as well, so they will be more aggressive coming to the call.
“In other parts of the West, pelts of coyotes are at their prime this month, but here on the Peninsula, it is rare to find a coyote without mange disease so, sadly, most pelts are worthless.
“One interesting tidbit is that the cougars on the east flank of the Olympics are having a particularly hard time this winter due to their overpopulation decimating the deer herds. This winter, it will be easier to call in the big cats before their population collapses. The cougars that I have been seeing on my backyard trail cams are really looking skinny compared to previous years.”
Free day in parks
Monday is a free entrance day into Olympic National Park, U.S. Forest Service lands and Washington State Parks, Department of Fish and Wildlife and Department of Natural Resources access site in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
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Sports reporter/columnist Michael Carman can be contacted at mcarman@ peninsuladailynews.com.
