Western Outdoor Times - Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!

Several fisheries are set to open in the weeks ahead, and the year’s first hunting season isn’t far behind.

With a new season of outdoor adventures about to begin, Washingtonians might want to consider purchasing 2016-17 fishing and hunting licenses before current licenses expire at midnight March 31.

The cost of fishing and hunting licenses remains the same as last year, and most annual licenses include a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) vehicle-access pass. That pass allows people to use and park at more than 700 WDFW water access sites and 33 wildlife areas throughout the state. More licensing information is available at http://wdfw.wa.gov/licensing/.

Meanwhile, several outdoor opportunities are available in the coming weeks, including:

Columbia River spring chinook: A boat angler fishing the lower Columbia River caught the first spring chinook salmon of the season in early February. Plenty more will be caught in the weeks ahead as the region’s first major salmon fishery of the year picks up speed.

Razor clams: A razor clam dig at Long Beach continues through March, and another is scheduled March 5-8 at Mocrocks. More digs also have been tentatively scheduled this month. For details, check http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/shellfish/razorclams/current.html.

Eastern Washington lakes: Fishing gets under way March 1 at several lakes east of the Cascades.

Spring turkey: The general season opens in mid-April. The season follows a special spring turkey hunt for people age 15 and younger. More details will be available soon on WDFW’s website.

For more information about outdoor activities coming up this month, see the Weekender Regional Reports athttp://wdfw.wa.gov/weekender/. These reports are updated throughout the month to provide current information about recreational opportunities around the state.