Out and About: Youth pheasant hunts scheduled for September

Youth hunters will get the first crack at planted pheasants this season at the Shillapoo Wildlife Area and Vancouver Lake on September 21 and 22. The youth hunts are organized by the Vancouver Wildlife League, and will be held at two locations: La Frambois Rd (new pavilion) and the Caterpillar Boat Launch.

The league is looking for experienced bird hunters, with dogs or without, to volunteer to mentor the youngsters as they hunt. Please contact Bill Fields if you are interested: 360-560-6104

Sign up begins at 7 a.m., and hunting will begin at 8 a.m.. There will be a safety session before the hunt. There will be coffee and doughnuts for hunters and volunteers, and there will be hot dogs and chips served for lunch.

Youth hunters must possess a hunter education card, wear 400 square inches of blaze orange, and only non-toxic shot is allowed.

Long Beach to open for three razor clam digs

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has approved three days of razor clamming on the Long Beach Peninsula this month. Clammers can hit the beach from Friday, Sept. 27 through Sunday, Sept. 29.

The digs will be finalized after the department tests for bio toxins to see if the clams are safe to eat.

The upcoming digs are proposed for the following dates with morning low tides:

o Sept. 27, Friday, 5:52 a.m. -0.9, Long Beach only

o Sept. 28, Saturday, 6:36 a.m. -0.8, Long Beach only

o Sept. 29, Sunday, 7:19 am -0.6, Long Beach only

No digging would be allowed after noon.

“We know people have been looking forward to digging razor clams at Long Beach, and we’re pleased to say we believe based on our surveys that the beach is going to enter the line-up more frequently this fall and winter,” said Dan Ayres, WDFW coastal shellfish manager in a news release.

All diggers age 15 or older must have an applicable 2019-20 fishing license to harvest razor clams on any beach. Licenses are available on WDFW’s website at: https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov and from license vendors around the state.

WDFW is also assessing possible digs for Twin Harbors, Copalis and Mocrocks in October.

Under state law, diggers can take 15 razor clams per day and are required to keep the first 15 they dig. Each digger’s clams must be kept in a separate container.

Anglers get two days of sturgeon retention in Columbia

Oregon and Washington fisheries managers have agreed to allow two days of sturgeon retention later this month on the Columbia River.

The mainstem Columbia River from the Wauna powerlines upstream to the Bonneville Dam will be open for the retention of white sturgeon on Saturday, Sept. 21 and Saturday, Sept. 28.

The Cowlitz River will also be open for retention on those days.

“This is a popular fishery, and these openings allow us to provide opportunity while continuing to closely monitor the conservation issues we’re facing in this area,” said Laura Heironimus, sturgeon unit lead with the WDFW, in a news release.

Anglers may retain white sturgeon only, and they must measure 44 to 50 inches from the tip of their nose to the fork in their tale (“fork length”). Catch limits are one legal-size white sturgeon per day and two legal-size fish per year. Only one single-point, barbless hook and bait is allowed when fishing for sturgeon.

For more information, see the fishing rule change at https://fortress.wa.gov/dfw/erules/efishrules/erule.jsp?id=2399.