The Washington Outdoors Report

PALOUSE COUNTRY CATFISH – Channel catfish are not highly sought after in the Pacific Northwest but they should be.  As anyone from the South or Midwest will tell you, they can get big, fight well and taste great!  Spring is prime time to fish for them on the Lower Palouse River near the confluence of the Snake River at Lyons Ferry.

Craig Dowdy, owner of YJ Guide Service, takes clients out onto the river every spring for Channel Cats.  Dowdy says from mid-April through May is when the catfish come into this area.  The catfish average 4 to 5 pounds and a really big one will go 25 pounds.  As for bait, try fresh cut bait like rainbow trout.  Dowdy says no scent is needed, just fresh bait.

Boat anglers do best here but you can fish from shore with success by hiking out along a jetty trail at Lyons Ferry State Park.  If you are looking for a place to launch your boat you can do so at Lyons Ferry State Park or at the Lyons Ferry KOA right across the Snake River from there where camping is also available.  If you are looking for a guided catfishing trip, go to www.yjguideservice.com

SPRING TURKEY – The spring turkey hunting season kicks off Friday the 15th and the best place to go is Northeast Washington where more gobblers are harvested than anywhere else.  If you are looking for public lands to hunt on biologists with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife suggest trying the LeClerc Creek and Rustlers Gulch Wildlife Areas.  Other places with good turkey populations are near the Blue Mountains of Southeast Washington where the W.T. Wooten, Asotin Creek and Chief Joseph Wildlife Areas could be good hunting destinations.  And then there’s Klickitat County.  This is an overlooked destination by many but locals do quite well around here.  You’ll find Klickitat gobblers on private timberlands around the Simcoe Mountains but you’ll want to contact those timber companies and find out what the process is to access them.  If that’s too much bother the Klickitat Wildlife Area offers a decent public land opportunity.   

The spring turkey season runs through May 31st.  Only turkeys with a visible beard may be harvested.  Three turkeys per season may be harvested but only two turkeys can be harvested in Eastern Washington or Klickitat County.  Three turkeys can be taken in Spokane County.


HELP WANTED – Looking for a summer job in a beautiful part of Alaska?  Consider applying for a position at Sportsman’s Cove Lodge.  Located on Prince of Wales Island in Southeast Alaska, I’ve been lucky enough to fish here three times and the experience is second to none.  The fishing for salmon, halibut and cod is very good.  Wildlife from whales to eagles to bears is abundant, the scenery is beautiful, and the setting remote.  You’ll be working out of a lodge that hosts 30 guests at a time from early June through the middle of September.  A hard work ethic and excellent customer service skills are necessary to succeed here but the chance to work in a place like this and the money you’ll earn will likely have you coming back for multiple seasons.  There’s a reason they call this “Alaska’s Best Lodge”.  It’s not just because of the excellent fishing and scenery, it’s also because of the great staff and the wonderful food and hospitality they provide on a daily basis.

Current openings include:

• An experienced, charter captain or guide with a US Coast Guard Masters license of at least 25 tons and a Near Coastal endorsementA bookkeeper
• Hospitality team members
• Maintenance team members

To find out more and apply, go to here.

BEVERLY BRIDGE DEDICATION – Washington State Parks dedicated the newly refurbished Beverly Bridge over the Columbia River south of Vantage on April 8th.  The railway bridge is part of the 285-mile-long Palouse to Cascades Trail that follows an abandoned rail line across a good portion of the state from Cedar Falls in Western Washington to the border of Idaho.  Until now, bicyclists and hikers could not cross the railroad trestle but thanks to a 5.5-million-dollar appropriation during the 2019 – 2021 state budget cycle, the bridge was made safe and repurposed for use by trail users on foot, bicycle or horseback.  In addition to being part of the Palouse to Cascades Trail, the Beverly Bridge is also part of the Great American Rail Trail, an effort to open a transcontinental rail trail for the 21st century.  Find out more about the Palouse to Cascades Trail at here.

John Kruse – www.northwesternoutdoors.com and www.americaoutdoorsradio.com