ROILING RIVERS THE color of thick chocolate milkshakes make steelheading an uninviting prospect for even the most avid anglers.
Dangerous, too. I had sweaty palms just looking at some social media pictures of the Hoh and Quillayute rivers as they approached or crossed into flood stage Tuesday.
But good news for those who want to hit the rivers — as quickly as they overflowed earlier this week signs are they are rounding back into form — or what passes for form during the unpredictable winter season.
The Bogachiel River near Forks (to provide an idea for the Quillayute River system as a whole) had dropped from a gauge height of more than 19 feet early Tuesday to less than 10 feet Wednesday afternoon.
The height on the Hoh River near U.S. Highway 101 crested at just more than 12 feet early Tuesday and had dipped back to nearly 7 feet (still higher than normal) by Wednesday afternoon.
The Hoh was still discharging nearly 10,800 cubic feet per second, so food for thought on whether a trip south is worth it just yet.
Plunking the method
Either way, plan on plunking for the foreseeable future. Small streams entering bigger bodies of water can provide pockets of clean(ish) water if you can find a nearby bank to set up shop.
There is potential for a cold snap next week that could bring some sun and freezing temperatures. So load up on foot and hand warmers in the interim.
Avalanche class
An Avalanche Awareness Class is scheduled tonight from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Olympic National Park Visitor Center, 3002 Mount Angeles Road.
Matt Schonwald, a professional observer at the Northwest Avalanche Center, will present information on avalanche safety and winter recreation.
This program is free of charge and open to the public.
With the Olympic Mountains’ steep terrain and heavy snow, all snowboarders, skiers and snowshoers at Hurricane Ridge should be aware that they are traveling through potentially hazardous avalanche terrain.
The workshop will focus on how to prepare for traveling in avalanche terrain, including proper equipment and the skills needed for self-rescue.
Anglers meet
The blackmouth chinook fishing season will begin Feb. 1 in Marine Area 9 (Admiralty Inlet) and March 1 in Marine areas 5 (Sekiu) and 6 (East Strait of Juan de Fuca).
So what better time than the present to brush up on tactics for catching the resident chinook, which account for nearly 1/3rd of all adult chinook caught in Puget Sound?
Expert angler and club member John Beath will discuss fishing for these kings at the Thursday, Jan. 16 meeting of the North Olympic chapter of Puget Sound Anglers.
The meeting will be held at Sequim’s Trinity United Methodist Church, 100 S. Blake Ave., with viewing of raffle prizes and telling of fish stories at 6:30 p.m. Beath’s talk will begin at 7 p.m.
Beath will cover charts of our area and how to best fish nearby marine areas. He’ll discuss the best tides, depth, speed and lure combinations.
A business meeting will follow with financial and government relations reports, upcoming event discussions and fishing reports from members.
Refreshments, a raffle and a membership drawing (must be present to win) also are planned.
The public is welcome.
There is one open option for salmon anglers — Hood Canal (Marine Area 12) remains open to hatchery chinook a minimum of 22 inches in length with a daily limit of two through April 30.
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
