SALMON FISHING gets a hand from Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group volunteer Ed Boucher, checking a chum caught in a Union River fish trap to measure returns.

Fishing for salmon on Hood Canal and Puget Sound is increasingly a game of chance. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife predicts that conservation needs will be reflected in this year’s limits.

However, there are still fish to be found. Here are the season dates and catch limits for Mason County salmon spots. Coordinates refer to the map on page 51 of this guide.

Hood Canal (Marine Area 12)

About 75 percent of Hood Canal is in Mason County. There are several dates and limits to keep in mind depending on what month it is and what part of the canal you’re at.

The area south of Ayock Point opens July 1 with a four-fish daily limit, only two of which may be chinook (minimum 22 inches). North of Ayock Beach (between Lilliwaup and Eldon), canal waters are closed until September 1. There’s a four-fish limit, and it’s coho only.

October 16-December 31, all Hood Canal waters in Mason County are open. The limit remains at four salmon but only one may be a chinook, minimum 22 inches.

After a closure in January and the first half of February, the canal opens briefly from February 16 to April 10, 2008, with a one fish per day limit. Chinook must be at least 22 inches.

Within the canal, the Hoodsport Hatchery Area (E-3) waters are closed 100 feet from the hatchery weir. But the nearby area is open July 1 through December 31 with a four-fish daily limit. Two can be chinook 24 inches or longer. Release chum July 1-October 16. Waters are closed to fishing at night.

South Puget Sound (Marine Area 13)

The sound opens May 1 with a two-fish daily limit – chinook must be at least 22 inches. Wild chinook must be released through September 30. From July through October, all wild coho must be released. Barbless hooks are required.

In November and December, the two-fish daily limit remains but only one may be a chinook, of at least 22 inches.

In January there is a one-fish daily limit, and chinook must measure at least 22 inches.

February’s closed. In March and April, it’s one fish per day (chinook 22-inch minimum).

Freshwater Salmon Fishing

Salmon streams in Mason County include:

• Dewatto River (F-2,3) mouth to Dewatto-Holly Road Bridge, catch and release all species June 1-October 31; 2 coho may be kept September 16-October 31.

• Kennedy Creek (E-8), mouth to northbound bridge, October-November, minimum size 12 inches, daily limit six, but only two adult fish may be kept. Release wild coho.

• Satsop River (B-8), below bridge at Schafer State Park, October-January, minimum size 12 inches, limit six, two adults may be kept. Release adult chinook, wild adult coho, and chum.

• Skokomish River (E-5): mouth to Highway 101 bridge, August-September, minimum size 12 inches, limit one, release chum. October 1-December 15, limit six, up to four adults may be kept, release chum to October 15, release all chinook. Observe tribal restrictions (north side of the river is Skokomish Reservation).

Among standard freshwater rules:

Lines, lures and single-point barbless hooks are required. Fish may not be gaffed, clubbed or netted except while landing legal fish taken by legal gear. • Night closures apply. • Some creeks and streams may be closed for fishery enhancement.

NOTE: These and other streams and rivers are open to trout fishing in summer. Check the current state fishing regulations booklet for specific rules for each stream.

Have fishing licenses, and observe the rules

Be sure you have a current fishing license. Call the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife at (360) 902-2700 or go online to http://wdfw.wa.gov to purchase yours before you try your luck with salmon.

Day and season passes are available, and state residents always get a discount. The Web site also provides up-to-date information on salmon fishing regulations and requirements, as well as emergency notices.

Hunting seasons, limits set

Hunters thinking ahead to late summer and fall can anticipate seasons for birds and big game in Mason County.

Timber-producing land where clearcuts are the rule provides excellent forage for deer, usually plentiful in most areas of the county. The west end around Matlock and the Tahuya Peninsula are especially popular with hunters. Early deer season for archers is set by game management unit. General buck season opens October 13, with closing date yet to be set when this guide went to press. A late buck season runs November 15-18.

Elk season runs November 3-12 in Western Washington, with an early season for archers September 8-21. Olympic foothills and the county’s west end are prime for elk.

Bear hunting this year, August 1 to November 15, is limited to the Skokomish Game Management Unit in Mason County. Reports are mandatory now for hunters of deer, elk, black bear and turkey, the latter legal to hunt in spring.

Grouse season starts September 1 and runs through December 31 for blue, ruffed and spruce grouse. Grouse hunting gets good locally when frosts and thaws turn the wild crabapples and berries slightly alcoholic, and the grouse that feed on them get tipsy. There’s a limited pheasant season. Duck and goose seasons will be established this summer and announced in early fall.

Hunters should use caution at all times. Remember that the uplands networks of roads and trails in the backwoods cross and intersect, and other hunters or mushroom-pickers may be just on the other side of the thickets you’re aiming into.

Licenses are required for all hunting, and hunting rules are complex. Information is available at most sporting-goods stores in the county and from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife; the current Migratory Waterfowl and Upland Game Seasons booklet can be downloaded from the department’s Web site at http://wdfw.wa.gov.