Purchase new license before wetting a line

This is a big weekend in the outdoor world. Read on.

In case you didn’t notice, your fishing license expired on Thursday, March 31. A current fishing license needs to be purchased to be legal on April 1 and until March 31, 2017. All anglers age 15 and older need a fishing license.

Youth turkey season next weekend

The youth turkey hunting season will begin tomorrow, April 2, and continue through Sunday, April 3. This season is open statewide. Each youth hunter must be accompanied by an adult who is not hunting.

Standard hunting methods and all other turkey hunting regulations apply to the youth season. The bag limit is two turkeys with a visible beard.

This is a great opportunity for our young hunters. If you have a youth hunter in your life, take advantage of this hunt.

April 1 opener is here

Weather is forecast to be great. Take advantage of the lakes opening today. Read on.

Dozens of Columbia Basin lakes open to fishing April 1, most in Adams and Grant. All are expected to fish well on the opener, according to Fish and Wildlife.

These include lakes on the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge in the Pillar-Widgeon Chain (Pillar, Snipe, Cattail, Gadwall, Poacher, Shoveler, Lemna, Hourglass, Sago, and Widgeon lakes), and Upper and Lower Hampton lakes, along with North and South Teal lakes.

Sago, Hourglass, Widgeon, and Upper and Lower Hampton were rehabilitated in 2014, re-stocked during the spring of 2015, and should provide good fishing for yearling rainbow trout ranging in size from 11-13 inches. Larger carryover trout will be available in those waters next year.

Often some of the best fishing on the April 1 opener is at Dry Falls Lake. This is a selective gear rule fishery with an internal combustion motor prohibition and a one fish daily catch limit, so there’s a lot of catch-and-release fishing. Rainbows in the 14- to 16-inch range are common, but there are also some nice brown and tiger trout.

For anglers interested in warmwater species fishing, Hutchinson and Shiner lakes on the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge in Adams County is also open on April 1. Both have lots of nice sized largemouth bass and are best fished from a small boat, canoe, or float tube/pontoon boat. Internal combustion motors are prohibited.

No bass, walleye and channel cat limits on Columbia

This is an angler’s dream come true. No limits on bass, walleye and channel cats. Read on.

Since March 3, anglers have been able to fish for bass, walleye and channel catfish without daily catch or size limits from the mouth of the Columbia River 545 miles upstream to Chief Joseph Dam.

The main goal of deregulating the fisheries for bass, walleye and channel catfish is to increase the harvest of those non-native species. All three species are abundant and prey on juvenile salmon and steelhead that are listed for protection under the federal Endangered Species Act.

Turkey hunting clinics offered

Free turkey hunting clinics will be offered around the state before the April 15 spring turkey season opener. These clinics provide basic instruction and key information on how to be successful when hunting turkey. They are a helpful starting point for new turkey hunters or for those interested in refining their skills.

The turkey hunting clinics are scheduled for the following dates and locations in eastern Washington: March 30, Spokane, Fish and Wildlife Regional Office, 2315 N Discovery Place. Another clinic is scheduled on April 2, East Wenatchee, Sportsman’s Warehouse, 611 Valley Mall Pkwy.

Clinics will last about four hours. For more information or to enroll in a clinic, visit http://wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/huntered/clinics. To register for the Spokane clinic on March 30, please contact the Region 1 office at (509) 892-1001.

Attention cougar hunters

Many of us don’t think about hunting cougar when we are hunting turkey in the spring, but this is certainly possible.

The cougar season now continues through April 30. Those of us hunting turkey may come across a cougar. Imagine being in the blind calling turkey when a big tom comes into view.

So I will take along my .45 Colt or .40 Glock in a shoulder holster on the first 15 days of the spring turkey season. Plus, I will also have a new hunting license and cougar tag, as required. Read on.