AS PART OF a push to grow membership numbers and reestablish some fishing traditions, the Port Angeles Salmon Club, an organization with roots dating back some 91 years, is seeking new blood.
Club president Ward Dunscomb and longtime club member Bob Beausoleil will speak to the North Olympic Peninsula chapter of Puget Sound Anglers on Wednesday night at the Sequim Elks Lodge, 143 Port Williams Road.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with the meeting beginning at 7 p.m.
The pair will jointly present a history of the Port Angeles Salmon Club, including its involvement with the Ediz Hook Boat Launch, an update on the current Ediz Hook Boat Launch restoration project and discuss club plans to bring back a Memorial Day weekend halibut derby next year.
Club members recently asked the city of Port Angeles’ Lodging Tax Advisory Committee to fund $10,000 toward derby prizes.
The clubs’ application was rated No. 22 out of 31 Marketing and Operations Requests fielded by the LTAC Committee with an average ranking of 22.1 out of 30 points on six tourism-related questions.
Committee members ranked the operations of Peninsula Adventure Sports (Big Hurt, Little Hurt, Run the Peninsula Race Series, etc…) No. 1 with other familiar organizations such as the Port Angeles Marathon Association, the Port Angeles Fine Arts Center and Feiro Marine Life Center all in the top 10.
For more information on the LTAC Committee’s rankings, visit https://tinyurl.com/PDN-LTAC25.
A short business meeting, fishing reports and then a raffle will follow the pair’s presentation to the Puget Sound Anglers.
Raffles are for members only, but visitors can join at the meeting to participate with an individual membership at $25 and a family membership is $35. Membership also includes The Reel News monthly newspaper.
Razor digs set
Razor clam digging opportunities are set for Tuesday through Nov. 23 at Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis and Mocrocks beaches, state Department of Fish and Wildlife shellfish managers confirmed.
“This next set of digs will be the last chance to get razor clams before Thanksgiving feasts,” said Bryce Blumenthal, Fish and Wildlife’s recreational razor clam manager. “Hopefully the seasonal stormy weather will stay away, and diggers can collect the ingredients they need for their holiday dinner tables.”
The following digs during later afternoon/evening (noon to midnight only) low tides will proceed as scheduled:
• Tuesday, 5:18 p.m.; 0.0 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis.
• Wednesday, 5:52 p.m.; -0.3 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks.
• Thursday, 6:25 p.m.; -0.4 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks.
• Friday, 6:59 p.m.; -0.4 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis.
• Nov. 22, 7:34 p.m.; -0.3 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis.
• Nov. 23, 8:12 p.m.; -0.1 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks.
Most successful digging occurs between one and two hours before the listed time of low tide.
On all open beaches — Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis, and Mocrocks — the daily limit is 15 clams per person. Each digger must have their clams in a separate container and must keep the first 15 clams they dig, regardless of size or condition, to prevent waste.
Diggers must have a valid 2025-26 license. You can buy your license from WDFW’s licensing website or from a license dealer near you. All diggers age 16 or older must have a license to harvest razor clams on any beach. WDFW recommends diggers buy their license before visiting coastal beach communities.
During the fall, beaches still have a lot of soft sand built up, which can make beach driving hazardous. WDFW asks that diggers carefully drive on the uppermost part of the hard-packed sand near the high tide line to avoid crushing clam beds and buried female Dungeness crabs. Be sure to obey the 25-mph speed limit and avoid parking on the beach approaches, which creates congestion leading on and off the beach.
Kalaloch Beach off the northern Olympic Peninsula coast won’t be open, as clams there remain small and low in numbers.
Pass-free days
State land management agencies have designated 12 Discover Pass free days for 2026.
On these free days, a Discover Pass is not required to park at state parks or on lands managed by the state Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Fish and Wildlife. Sno-Park permits are still required when visiting Sno-Parks.
The 2026 dates are: Thursday, Jan. 1 – New Year’s Day; Jan. 19 – Martin Luther King Jr. Day; March 9 – Billy Frank Jr.’s birthday; March 19 – State Parks’ 113th birthday; April 22 – Earth Day; June 6-7 – Free Fishing Weekend; June 19 – Juneteenth; Aug. 9 – Smokey Bear’s birthday; Sept. 26 – National Public Lands Day; Oct. 10 – World Mental Health Day; Nov. 11 – Veterans Day.
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Sports reporter/columnist Michael Carman can be contacted at sports@peninsuladaily news.com.
