HER AIM WAS true once again as Port Angeles precision shooter Cheyenne Maggard came home with hardware from a pair of marksmanship competitions around the country.
Maggard, representing the Port Angeles High School Navy JROTC program, placed 14th in the country in the Precision event at the Navy JROTC Air Rifle National Championship hosted by the Civilian Marksmanship Program in Chandler, Ariz.
Maggard was there alongside fellow members of the Sabertooth Shooting Team — made up of Oak Harbor High School Precision Team members Lauren Crossley, James Hart, Alexis Kunze and Coen Duda.
The Oak Harbor team finished second at the competition.
The Sabertooth Shooting Team just returned from the national smallbore and air rifle championships hosted by the Army Marksmanship Unit and placed 18th in the three-day combined event.
Earlier, the Sabertooth Shooting Team earned a state title and received invitations to a regional tournament in Sandy, Utah, and a national meet at Camp Perry, Ohio, this summer.
Both the Oak Harbor and the Sabertooth Shooting Team are coached by Dave “Zip” Goodman, who was unable to attend the match in Chandler.
Next round of razor clam digs
Approval came in a bit late ahead of a four-day razor clam dig that gets underway tonight.
The approved dig is for the following beaches, dates and low tides:
• Today: 4:54 p.m. 0.0 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
• Friday: 5:35 p.m. -0.1 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
• Saturday: 6:11 p.m. -0.2 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
• Sunday: 6:44 p.m. -0.1 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
No digging is allowed before noon for allowed digs, when low tide occurs in the evening.
“Diggers who brave the elements are being rewarded with quiet beaches and abundant clams,” said Dan Ayres, state coastal shellfish manager. “Spring is on the horizon, but late winter can be a great time to avoid the crowds and take advantage of ongoing razor clam opportunities along the Washington coast.”
And take care at Mocrocks.
Diggers should be aware that the state Department of Health has closed a small section of Mocrocks Beach due to a nearby sewage spill.
This area will remain closed until the end of February and will not be open during the approved razor clam digs through Sunday.
Diggers can still access Mocrocks Beach north and south of the 1,500-feet shoreline closure.
For a list of proposed razor clam digs on ocean beaches through April, visit www.wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/shellfishing-regulations/razor-clams.
Limits change
Anglers on 77 lakes, as well as rivers, streams and beaver ponds across the state are allowed to keep more bass, walleye and channel catfish as part of their daily limit under new permanent rules approved by the Fish and Wildlife Commission late last year.
The new rules went into effect Monday.
The rules, approved at the Commission’s December meeting in Bellingham, were the result of legislation passed in 2019 by the Washington State Legislature, and intended to help aid the endangered Southern Resident Killer Whale population by reducing the risk of predation on salmon smolts by these warmwater species.
Lakes affected on the North Olympic Peninsula include Lake Pleasant, Dickey Lake and Thunder Lake in Clallam County and Gibbs Lake in Jefferson.
The following changes to size and daily limits went into effect Monday:
Largemouth bass: Change from 5 to a 10-fish daily limit; anglers must release fish between 12 and 17 inches and only one fish may be over 17 inches.
Smallmouth bass: Change from 10 to a 15-fish daily limit; only one fish may be over 14 inches.
Channel catfish: Change from 5 to a 10-fish daily limit. No minimum size.
Walleye: Change from 8 to a 16-fish daily limit; only one fish may be over 22 inches.
Additionally, all size restrictions and daily limits for these species are lifted in rivers, streams and and beaver ponds statewide.
The full list of lakes is available at www.tinyurl.com/PDN-LakeList20.
Anglers dinner
The North Olympic Peninsula chapter of Puget Sound Anglers will host the group’s annual Kids Fishing Day fundraiser at Sunland Golf and Country Club in Sequim on Saturday.
The fundraiser supports all club initiatives including Kids Fishing Day and Kids Fall Fishing at Carrie Blake Community Park, scholarships to local students, Dungeness Fish Hatchery, Crab Fest Grab-a-Crab-Derby and Salmon in the Classroom in conjunction with the Dungeness River Audubon Center.
Doors open at 4:30 p.m. with a silent auction. Dinner is served starting at 5:30 p.m. and the main event, a live auction featuring auctioneer John Beath, begins at 7 p.m.
Auction items include saltwater or freshwater fishing trips. The buffet dinner features spaghetti with red meat sauce or Alfredo clam sauce, Caesar salad, garlic bread and dessert.
Tickets are $25 and are limited to 180.
For tickets or more information contact Sherry Anderson at sherryandangus@olypen.com or 360-681-4768.
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
