Outdoors notebook: Anglers set state records

One of the most crowning achievements for an angler is setting a state sportfishing record.

On Sept. 22, Angus Kerr of Wenatchee caught a 3.91-pound golden trout from an unnamed alpine lake in Okanogan County. That topped the old record of 3.81 pounds, set in 1991 by Mark Morris of Cashmere for a catch from a small, unnamed alpine lake in Chelan County.

Norm Butler of Okanogan landed a record-breaking 29.6-pound rainbow trout on Nov. 11 in Rufus Woods Reservoir. That broke the state rainbow trout record of 25.71 pounds, set by Dick Hill of Twisp for a catch in January 2002, also from Rufus Woods.

Records also have been established for three species- tench, tiger trout and white catfish- that were not previously recorded.

Tench (Tinca tinca), a popular food and sport-fish species in its native Europe, is found in a few state lakes and reservoirs, as well as the Columbia and Spokane river systems. The species was planted by the U.S. Fish Commission in several Eastern Washington lakes in the 1890s, and in Lake Washington in the early 1900s.

The United States all-tackle record, as listed by the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame, and the Washington record as well, is a 5-pound, 3-ounce tench caught June 10 in Sprague Lake by James E. Moore of Orofino, Idaho.

Tiger trout, a hybrid of female brown trout and male brook trout, are primarily a hatchery product, but occasionally occur in the wild where the two species co-exist.

Neither parent species is native to Washington, the brown trout being a European import, the brook trout coming from the eastern United States. They have been stocked on an experimental basis in a few Eastern Washington lakes, primarily in Okanogan and Grant counties. Survival has been poor in most cases, so stocking may be discontinued in the future.

A state record was established by John E. Moore of Mount Vernon, who caught a 1.22-pound tiger trout Sept. 23 from Washburn Lake in Okanogan County. If Moore's name looks familiar to record followers, it may be because he also holds state records for black bullhead catfish, bridgelip sucker and westslope cutthroat.

White catfish are close relatives of more common black, brown and yellow bullhead catfish, but generally run larger. They have probably been in Eastern Washington for many years, in limited numbers and locations. They may have been introduced by the U.S. Fish Commission in the late 19th century.

A state record was established April 17 for a 19.85-pound white catfish taken from the Walla Walla River by Donald W. Huffman of Wenatchee. Huffman's catfish was larger than the existing world record listed by the International Game Fish Association. Huffman's was at least the third verified white catfish caught in Washington; two others are in the possession of the University of Washington School of Fisheries.

For a list of other Washington record fish, go to the state Fish and Wildlife's Web site at www.wa.gov/wdfw/outreach/fishing/bigfish.htm.

Northwest climbing news

Dan Howitt of Portland was recently accepted to compete in the ultra-extreme Khan Tengri speed-climbing race in Kazakstan in August. Howitt would be the third U.S. citizen to compete in this race, which includes mountaineering experts Alex Lowe and Konrad Anker.

In October, Howitt set a speed record on Mount Rainier. He trekked from Paradise to Columbia Crest — the Cape Disappointment Cleaver route — and back in 3 hours, 56 minutes, 17 seconds. The old record set by Chad Kellogg was 5 hours, 6 minutes.

Notes

• The recreational crab fishery in Marine Area 10 (Central Puget Sound) will close Jan. 2 until further notice.

Areas 8-1, 8-2 and a portion of Area 9 north of a line from Foulweather Bluff to Olele Point is closed to crab fishing until further notice.

All other areas including the portion of Area 9 south of a line from Foulweather Bluff to Olele Point are open daily with a six-crab daily limit.

Details: 866-880-5431 or www.wa.gov/wdfw.

The Lake Washington Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation is meeting every Monday in January to prepare for the annual banquet and auction on Feb. 23, at the Embassy Suites in Bellevue. Meetings are held at Bellevue Fire Station Number 9, at 7 p.m. Details: 425-413-3807.

The Skagit River Bald Eagle Interpretative Center is open 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Fridays to Sundays, and holidays (closed on Christmas Day) through Feb. 17. On weekends, the center offers talks at 11 a.m., and guided walks at 1:30 p.m.

Upcoming speakers: Dec. 22, Jim Harris, will present "The Last Stand," the history of logging in the Upper Skagit Valley, with emphasis on western red cedar trees, and will also demonstrate how cedar shingles were made with traditional tools; Dec. 28, Melanie Graham, environmental educator, will talk about the role salmon play in the Skagit River ecosystem and offer a guided walk; and Dec. 29, Graham will focus on the bald eagle and it’s connection to the Skagit River watershed, and offer a guided walk to Howard Miller Steelhead Park. Details: 360-873-2210.

Become a fully informed advocate for the Northwest’s natural resources by taking the Mountaineer’s Northwest Environmental Issues Course.

This course provides lectures and field instruction designed to provide participants with tools and awareness that they can then use to protect the natural resources of the Northwest.

Students examine the often conflicting interests of forests, water, wildlife, growth management, consumer spending, energy, and more through lectures by local environmental experts, group discussions, and other activities.

The course runs nine weeks, Feb. 5 to April 9, from 6:30 p.m.-9 p.m., at the Mountaineer’s Club House, 300 3rd Ave W, Seattle. Cost is $45 for members and $50 for non-members. $10 discounts available to students, senior citizens, and $5 each to those who sign up in pairs. Registration begins in January. Details: 206-284-6310 or email Laura Hastings at laurahastings@yahoo.com.

The SnoKing Chapter of Puget Sound Anglers meeting is Jan. 14, 7 p.m., at the Edmonds Yacht Club. Tom Nelson of Salmon University will be the guest speaker. A Scotty electric downrigger will be raffled off. New members will receive two free raffle tickets. Details: http://groups.msn.com/psasnoking.

The Edmonds Laebugten Salmon Chapter of Trout Unlimited and Edmonds Parks Dept. is sponsoring a salmon and steelhead fishing class, Jan. 7, 7 p.m., at the Deer Creek Hatchery. Runs for three consecutive Tuesdays (salmon) or Thursdays (steelhead). Details: 425-771-0230.

The Tengu Salmon Derby in Elliott Bay resumes Dec. 22. The derby also will also be held Dec. 29, and Jan. 5, 12, 19 and 26. Details: 206-324-7600.

The High Cascade Snowboard Camp is offering the ultimate snowboarding experience for women, Jan. 3-5 at the Timberline Ski Resort on Mount Hood, Ore. The camp is tailored for fine tuning riding skills, learning new tricks, capturing pro style and for those who’ve not yet tried snowboarding.

The day camp includes pro instruction, lift tickets, on-hill breakfast and lunch, video analysis, pro-rider clinics, T-shirt and demo equipment. Full camp also includes accommodation, meals, airport shuttle, and in-camp transportation as well as adult supervision for campers under 18 years of age.

Cost is $450 for day camp, and $895 for full camp. Details: 800-334-4272 or www.highcascade.com.

The Lynnwood Parks Dept. is offering a snowshoe hike, Jan. 4 to Commonwealth Basin, and Jan. 18 to Hurricane Ridge on the Olympic Peninsula. All hikes are geared toward beginners. Cost is $20 resident and $22 non-resident. Details: 425-771-4030.

The Conconully Outhouse Races in Eastern Washington is Jan. 18, noon, at the Conconully Community Hall. Teams include two pushed and one rider. Cost is $25 per sled. Details: 877-826-9050 or www.conconully.com.

The Seattle Boat Show is Jan. 17-26 at the Seahawks Exhibition Center. Details: 206-634-0911 or www.seattleboatshow.com.

New recreational licenses can be purchased over the Internet or by telephone, or from hundreds of license vendors and any state Fish and Wildlife offices statewide. Fishing and hunting licenses are valid from April 1, 2003 through March 31, 2004. To purchase a license electronically visit http://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov/. Licenses can also be purchased by calling 866-246-9453.

Mount Rainier National Park is accepting reservations for organized groups for ranger-led snowshoe walks at Paradise. The walks are offered at 10:30 a.m. daily through Jan. 5, and every weekend thereafter until early April. Groups are limited to 25. Details: 360-569-2211, ext. 3314.

Guided walks for the general public are also offered with a park ranger twice daily today through Jan. 5, and weekends from January through April 6. These walks begin at 12:30 and 2:30 p.m. Register at the Henry M. Jackson Memorial Visitor Center at Paradise one hour before the walk starts. Snowshoes are provided. Children must be 8 or older to participate.

Mark Yuasa: 206-464-8780 or e-mail: myuasa@seattletimes.com.