FLY FISHING ENTHUSIAST, expert and author Skip Morris will present a fly fishing seminar to benefit the management of Teal Lake near Port Ludlow.
Hosted by the Port Ludlow Fly Fishers club, Morris describe proven techniques for fly fishing lakes gained through years of hands-on experience.
The seminar is set for the Bay Club, 120 Spinnaker Place, Port Ludlow from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 31.
Admission is $30 per person, $15 for ages 17 and younger in advance
The price for the seminar is $30 a person ($15 for ages 17 and under) in advance or $35 per person, $20 for ages 17 and under at the door.
The fee includes lunch.
Morris, has published 17 books on fly fishing and fly tying over the past 25 years like Fly Tying Made Clear and Simple, Western River Hatches and Trout Flies for Rivers.
He’s also written more than 200 magazine articles on the in’s and out’s of fly fishing and hosted instructional videos and the “Fly-Fish Television Magazine” show.
Skip and his wife, Carol, who provides much of the photography and all the illustrations in Skip’s works, live here on the North Olympic Peninsula and take advantage of our areas many freshwater and saltwater fly fishing opportunities.
Morning sessions include Fishing the Surface of a Trout Lake, which will cover the techniques, tackle, and flies that catch trout that are feeding in the top layer of a lake.
Another session, Fishing the Depths of a Trout Lake, will offer info on how to ply your line toward the bottom of lakes, where just like streams, most trout feed.
Morris will discuss fishing with sinking lines and with floating lines using weighted flies on long leaders.
After lunch, Morris will teach attendees Fly Fishing for Bass and Panfish and Tying Flies for Trout Lakes.
The Port Ludlow Fly Fishers club was founded in 1994 and is a nonprofit dedicated to the art of fly fishing and conservation.
Club members received a grant from the state Department of Fish and Wildlife and area merchants and developed and constructed Teal Lake Park, with a fishing pier with handicap access.
With help from other groups and individuals the club continues to manage and maintain the areas at Teal Lake.
The club has regular field days to maintain the park, and both the club and Fish and Wildlife make annual trout plants to make the lake a premier destination for local and visiting anglers.
All proceeds from the seminar will go to the club’s Teal Lake fund for its continued management and maintenance.
To sign up, make checks payable to PLFF Teal Lake Fund and mail them to PLFF, 81 Puget Loop, Port Ludlow, WA 98365.
For more information, phone Bill Master at 360-437-7976.
Razor clam digs
Clam diggers can ring in the New Year by filling their buckets with razor clams during an eight-day opener beginning on New Year’s Eve.
Upcoming digs are scheduled on the following dates, beaches and low tides:
■ Wednesday: 3:05 p.m., 0.6 feet — Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks and Copalis.
■ Thursday: 4:01 p.m., 0.2 feet — Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks and Copalis.
■ Friday, Jan. 2: 4:49 p.m., -0.2 feet — Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks and Copalis.
■ Saturday, Jan. 3: 5:32 p.m., -0.5 feet — Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks and Copalis.
■ Sunday, Jan. 4: 6:12 p.m., -0.5 feet — Long Beach, Twin Harbors and Mocrocks.
■ Monday, Jan. 5: 6:48 p.m., -0.5 feet — Long Beach and Twin Harbors.
■ Tuesday, Jan. 6: 7:23 p.m., -0.3 feet — Long Beach and Twin Harbors.
■ Wednesday, Jan. 7: 7:57 p.m., -0.1 feet — Long Beach and Twin Harbors.
Diggers can take 15 razor clams per day and are required to keep the first 15 they dig.
Each digger’s clams must be kept in a separate container.
All diggers age 15 or older must have an applicable 2014-15 fishing license to harvest razor clams on any beach.
Licenses can be purchased from fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov and from license vendors around the state.
State parks free day
New Year’s Day is the first of 12 “free days, when visitors are not required to display the Discover Pass to visit a state park.
The “free days” are in keeping with legislation that created the Discover Pass—a $30 annual or $10 one-day permit required on state recreation lands managed by the state Parks, Fish and Wildlife and the Department of Natural Resources.
Start the New Year fresh with a “First Day” Hike at either Fort Flagler or Fort Worden.
The Fort Flagler hike will meet at 1 p.m. in front of the park’s museum and hikers can choose a full two miles along the Bluff Trail, or a shorter, 3/4-mile walk that includes views of North Puget Sound and historic military structures.
The park museum also is open on New Year’s Day.
Hikers should meet at the park’s Memories Vault at 12:30 p.m.
The hike winds up Artillery Hill and through multiple coastal defense bunkers on the 1.5-mile distance.
Children ages 10 years and older are welcome.
Those who want to explore the bunkers are advised to take along a flashlight.
Send photos, stories
Have a photograph, a fishing or hunting report, an anecdote about an outdoors experience or a tip on gear or technique?
Send it to sports@peninsuladailynews.com or P.O. Box 1330, Port Angeles, WA 98362.
________
Outdoors columnist Michael Carman appears here Thursdays and Fridays. He can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5152 or at mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
