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Friday,  July 26 , 2024

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Photo of Terry Otto

Stories by Terry Otto

Columbian freelance outdoors writer

Brandon Powers nets a Buoy Ten Chinook last year for a client. Prospects are good for this year&rsquo;s fishery, with over 550,00 Chinook expected back to the Columbia River.

Forecasts call for good fall Chinook returns at Buoy 10

Brandon Powers nets a Buoy Ten Chinook last year for a client. Prospects are good for this year&rsquo;s fishery, with over 550,00 Chinook expected back to the Columbia River.

July 26, 2024, 6:08pm Outdoors

The largest and most exciting salmon fishery in the lower 48 states, the Buoy 10 fishery at the mouth of the Columbia River, will start August 1. Prospects for a good season are fair to high, with a forecast of over 500,000 adult fall Chinook expected to return to the… Read story

Bluegill ready to be filleted. Countless lakes in Washington&rsquo;s Region 5 offer very good panfishing.

Panfish plentiful in local waters

Bluegill ready to be filleted. Countless lakes in Washington&rsquo;s Region 5 offer very good panfishing.

July 20, 2024, 5:55am Outdoors

It’s panfish season across Southwest Washington right now. With a summer sun warming the water, and the long days providing excellent insect production, the smallish but plentiful fish are feeding heavily. Read story

Kress Lake offers scenic views, good fishing, and four ADA fishing platforms. The access is level and very easy from the parking lot to the platforms.

Casting away barriers: Disabled anglers have many options in SW Washington

Kress Lake offers scenic views, good fishing, and four ADA fishing platforms. The access is level and very easy from the parking lot to the platforms.

June 22, 2024, 6:05am Latest News

Disabled anglers across Washington’s Region 5 have a number of ADA access fishing sites to choose from, and there are more such sites being planned. Read story

Diggers hunt for razor clams on the Clatsop Beaches of Oregon in late May of this year. All recreational clamming and harvesting of mussels along the coasts of Washington and Oregon have been closed due to dangerous levels of biotoxins.

Shellfish harvest shut down

Diggers hunt for razor clams on the Clatsop Beaches of Oregon in late May of this year. All recreational clamming and harvesting of mussels along the coasts of Washington and Oregon have been closed due to dangerous levels of biotoxins.

June 15, 2024, 6:10am Outdoors

The Washington Department of Health issued a biotoxin notice Tuesday closing all recreational bivalve harvesting along the Washington coast. Read story

Another limit of Drano Lake springers via Cody Luft. Drano Lake should fish well into June, but the lake closes to sport fishing every Wednesday.

Spring Chinook head down to Drano

Another limit of Drano Lake springers via Cody Luft. Drano Lake should fish well into June, but the lake closes to sport fishing every Wednesday.

May 4, 2024, 5:55am Outdoors

Spring Chinook passage over Bonneville Dam has increased during the last week, and the fishing at Drano Lake and the Wind River has picked up. Read story

On the Nahcotta Tidelands site there is an interpretative gondola that explains the ecology of the Willapa Bay. The site overlooks about 10 acres of mud flat where oysters are available for harvest.

Head to Willapa Bay fresh for oysters

On the Nahcotta Tidelands site there is an interpretative gondola that explains the ecology of the Willapa Bay. The site overlooks about 10 acres of mud flat where oysters are available for harvest.

April 6, 2024, 6:08am Clark County Life

Washington’s Willapa Bay is tucked behind Long Beach, and the shallow bay is a well-known producer of oysters. Read story

Guide Austin Moser, (left), and Buzz Ramsey with a nice lower Columbia River spring Chinook. The season for spring Chinook retention on the Columbia will close after April 5.

Slow spring picks up steam for Chinook

Guide Austin Moser, (left), and Buzz Ramsey with a nice lower Columbia River spring Chinook. The season for spring Chinook retention on the Columbia will close after April 5.

March 30, 2024, 6:01am Editor's Choice

Spring Chinook fishing on the Columbia River will close after Friday, April 5, and although fishing has been very slow, there are signs that it will improve during the last days of the fishery. Read story

The Mount St. Helens elk herd has the highest prevalence of Treponema-Associated Hoof Disease of any other herd in the west.

Getting a foothold on elk hoof disease

The Mount St. Helens elk herd has the highest prevalence of Treponema-Associated Hoof Disease of any other herd in the west.

March 16, 2024, 6:02am Latest News

Scientists that have been researching Treponema-Associated Hoof Disease (TAHD) in elk have not found any magic pill to eliminate it, although there are some promising signs emerging from the data. Read story

Fishing guide Chris Turvey with a spring Chinook taken in Drano Lake last year.

Lower spring Chinook limits on Columbia River tributaries upset anglers

Fishing guide Chris Turvey with a spring Chinook taken in Drano Lake last year.

March 9, 2024, 3:16pm Editor's Choice

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has reduced the daily limits for 2024 spring Chinook fisheries in some Region 5 Columbia River tributaries and many anglers are not happy. Read story

Mindi Eleazer, the wife of fishing guide Matt Eleazer, with a fine spring Chinook salmon she took from the Columbia River.

Shorter Spring Chinook season off and running

Mindi Eleazer, the wife of fishing guide Matt Eleazer, with a fine spring Chinook salmon she took from the Columbia River.

February 24, 2024, 6:03am Editor's Choice

Oregon and Washington state fisheries managers have finalized and announced the recreational spring Chinook salmon season on the Columbia River for 2024. Anglers will get to fish the big river for these highly prized fish through April 5. Read story