A RAINY SEPTEMBER has produced prime fungi-growing conditions on the West End and in eastern Jefferson County areas of Olympic National Forest.
I’ve got a week’s vacation beginning Saturday, so I’m tempted to join the hunt.
Having never been too far south on the Dungeness River, I’ve got plans to head up the Upper Dungeness River Trail and see what I can discover while surrounded by stands of old-growth Douglar fir.
I’ve been told of a mossy grove just past the river crossing at the 2.6-mile mark which sounds perfect for an easy amble on the trail.
And maybe I’ll come home with some chanterelles or some lobster mushrooms.
And if I strike out? A walk in the woods is always a worthy reward.
Save the date for the Kitsap Mycological Society’s annual Wild Mushroom Show on Sunday, Oct. 29.
The show will run from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the President’s Hall at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds.
Try the white squid
Recent chatter amongst members of the North Olympic chapter of Puget Sound Anglers has centered around the small (5 inch) White Mini Fat Squid lure used in a hoochie presentation.
The lure, available at fatsquids.com, comes with “fish-attracting chemical light sticks” that light up the lure to attract more fish.
The idea behind the lure is that predator fish will attack a squid lure harder in a bid to kill their prey quickly. No half-hearted mouthing of your setup, anglers will get the full bite and can reel in the reward.
Sequim’s Dave Croonquist took Bob Keck out Tuesday to fish off Port Angeles.
“We marked a lot of fish, but they weren’t biting very fast,” Croonquist wrote. “Ended up with a 5 pound and an 11-pound coho. Both came on the mini-Fat Squid (white) at around 100 feet on the [downrigger] wire. [We] had a number of shakers, mostly clipped and mostly chinook. The ebb current was running hard.”
Their trip started north of the Pilot Circle around 8 a.m. and the pair found themselves south of the Canadian (yellow) buoy by 11 a.m.
“Ran back upstream about a mile east of the Port Angeles buoy and stayed between the buoy and the Canadian line for the rest of trip,” Croonquist wrote. “A couple of other chapter boats were out. One had two fish and the other had one fish. Didn’t see a lot of nets flying today and the radio traffic indicated that fishing was slow for most everyone.”
Keep still and watch
Some good advice follows in an anecdote from Quilcene’s Ward Norden, a former fisheries biologist and owner of Snapper Tackle Co.
He and his wife Holly were coho fishing in their kayaks earlier this week, enjoying some beautiful early fall weather.
“It was absolutely flat calm and no coho were in evidence, but shortly we noticed a small group of harbor propoises on the horizon headed our way,” Norden said. “They were obviously on the hunt, so we kept still and watched. I was very close to the beach below the old growth forested cliff and they kept getting closer and closer. Soon they were only 50 feet away.
“It was two moms and two babies barely 3 feet long in water less than 5 feet deep. [The] moms were teaching their babies to hunt sculpin and flounder. I kept still just to be a part of things. It doesn’t get better than this on the Olympic Peninsula. Just keep still and watch. You never know what will happen.”
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Sports reporter/columnist Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
