OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Fishery managers from Washington and Oregon are allowing a three-day extension of the spring Chinook salmon season on the lower Columbia River this Friday through Sunday.

Anglers can catch and keep Chinook on part of the river. Fisheries managers say there may be one more opportunity to fish the lower Columbia this spring.

More than 2,300 fish are still available for harvest under the current catch guidelines.

Fishing is allowed Friday through Sunday from the Tongue Point/Rocky Point line upriver to Beacon Rock for boat anglers, with bank fishing allowed up to the deadline below the dam.

Anglers are limited to one adult hatchery chinook salmon as part of their daily limit of two adult fish.
 

Fishing can be interesting and fun for the entire family, and the Codorus Creek Chapter of Trout Unlimited is planning an event to show just how much fun can be had.
 
Family Fishing Fun Day will be held June 11 in Codorus State Park. Events will run 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will be centered at the park headquarters off the Blooming Grove Road, Route 216.
 
Designed to provide instruction on various types of fishing, the event will also give insight into the importance of conservation.
 
Participants will be able to receive hands-on fishing instruction from members of the Outcast Bass Club. Rods and lures will be provided.
 
Rebecca Holler, education specialist for National Trout Unlimited, will be assisted by members of the Codorus TU chapter in providing a tutorial on fly fishing and provide a look at the stream insects that trout feed on.
 
Dr. Jessica Nolan, associate professor at York College, will conduct an informational session on turtles that may be found in the state park.
 
A stream restoration clinic will be conducted by Gary Peacock, watershed specialist for the York County Conservation District and the York Bird Rehab will offer close look at raptors.
 
Local vendors B&B Lures and Tackle and F&S Yamaha and Marine will set up exhibits.
 
Public feedback
 
The Pennsylvania Fish Commission is asking anglers for feedback on issues pertaining to the agency via the use of a new public comment website at www.fishandboat.com.
 
“The Fishing Hole” invites anglers and the public to share thoughts, questions and concerns about the PFBC, fishing and boating and Pennsylvania’s aquatic resources.
 
Bike route maps 
 
Pennsylvania state agencies joined in launching a new interactive mapping tool for BicyclePA routes.
 
Used to kick off “Bike to Work Week, which started Monday, the Bike Route Map uses layers to show the user detailed bike routes, traffic volumes and speed limits. Included are DCNR trails, state parks and state forests. The map is located on the “Ride A Bike” page under “Travel in PA” at www.penndot.gov.
 
State agencies involved on developing the map include: the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Department of Health and the Department of Labor and Industry.
 

 
Wildlife by boat
 
Visitors to the Codorus State Park will soon be able to take a wildlife tour of the park by boat on Lake Marburg.
 
The “Wildlife Watchers on the Water” program will be held 6 to 7:30 p.m. May 28 and at 8 a.m. Sunday, May 29.
 
Pre-registration is required. A fee of $15 per person must be prepaid at the park office or be phone. Participants are asked to arrive 15 minutes early. Sunscreen and water are suggested. Binoculars and PFD are provided.
 
Experience guides and operators are certified DCNR conservation volunteers. The “Great Blue” pontoon boat will depart from the park marina Dock A.
 
Block shoot 
 
The McSherrystown Fish and Game Association, Fish and Game Road, New Oxford, will hold an all-money block shoot Sunday. Registration opens at noon. The shoot starts at 1 p.m. Entry fee is $40. Refreshments available.
 
Bob Marchio is outdoor writer for The (Hanover) Evening Sun. He may be reached at” bmarchio@embarqmail.com.
 
 

HANSEN • In May, while other streams still run high and murky, upper Rock Creek offers something uncommon in south-central Idaho: an early opportunity for chasing trout in a mountain stream.
 
“Rock Creek, you’ll notice the water is clearing up,” fish culturist Dan Anta said May 12, driving an Idaho Department of Fish and Game truck toward his first Rock Creek stocking run of the year. “The water is ready sooner.”
 
It doesn’t hurt that tree-lined Rock Creek Road is peppered with campsites, picnic tables and vault toilets as it rises into the South Hills south of Hansen. The spring landscape is still lush and green. And the whole thing is close to home for valley dwellers.
 
Why haven’t you packed your pole and your picnic cooler already?
 
Growing up in Gooding, Anta spent days at a time camping along Rock Creek and fishing with his dad. Now he drives the truck that delivers the summer’s monthly loads of triploid rainbow trout from the state’s Hagerman Fish Hatchery to campsites along Rock Creek, which is open for fishing year-round.
 
On May 12, he drove “the little guy” — the smallest truck in the Hagerman hatchery’s lineup — carrying 475 rainbow trout for Rock Creek. Given the fish-per-pound data of his load, he figured, these trout were just over 10 inches long.
 
At Schipper Campground, the day’s first stop, Anta dropped a thermometer on a string into the creek: 45 degrees, within the proper range for trout release.
 
“I’m not going to cause any shock or anything like that,” Anta said.
 
He climbed onto the back of the truck, dipped his net into the tank and lifted out about 30 trout at a time. He climbed down to dump each scoop — wriggling wildly and dripping foam — into the creek. Soon some of the trout reappeared, facing upstream and resting together in a pool of slower current beside the bank.
 
This creek, Anta pointed out, has a lot of natural holes for fish — and, therefore, for anglers. Schipper Campground is a green and shady spot, and it’s just above a beaver dam where you’re likely to find some of these trout.
 
“This is just the start,” Anta said. “As we go up it, it gets prettier.”
 
Whenever Anta unloads fish, he also checks that the tank’s water-cycling system is still running and that the fish have sufficient oxygen supply. Too much oxygen is a danger too; it could blow out their gills.
 
“They wouldn’t last too long in the stream,” he said. “They’d be raccoon bait.”
 
At Anta’s second stop, an unnamed dispersed campsite, he pointed out ripples and submerged fallen trees that create natural resting areas for trout.
 
“There’s a lot of habitat for them,” he said. Aquatic insects flying near the water’s surface suggested they’d be feeding here, too — good conditions for fly fishers.
 
Farther upstream at Steer Basin Campground, David and Rosie Torrez of Rupert emerged from a camp trailer displaying a big American flag out front, followed by at least three little dogs. Anta asked permission to pass between the other camp trailers in the Torrezes’ party, and David readily agreed.
 
“Then I’ll just come right behind you,” David said, and both men laughed. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
 
Anta lingered for a minute to chat about fishing spots in the creek, then headed back to the truck to unload Steer Basin’s allotment.
 
“Don’t hold back, buddy, don’t hold back. Put them all in there,” David said, slapping Anta’s shoulder. “I’m going to get my fishing pole ready.”
 
As Anta carried each net full of fish to the creek — at a run now, because he had farther to go — Rosie watched from the bank.
 
“Now we got some fish for dinner,” she said. Rosie and her husband have fished Rock Creek for about 40 years. “We’ve been to every one of these campsites.”
 
His work there finished, Anta lingered again to talk about fishing destinations, other recent stocking and the state’s new record book for catch-and-release anglers.
 
“I’m always the good guy, so it’s pretty neat,” Anta said, back behind the wheel.
 
On his June stocking run, Anta will go upstream to the Fourth Fork. But on the May run, he turned around at Steer Basin and headed down to Harrington Fork Campground, his last stop.
 
When Anta, now 29, was growing up in Gooding, the trails linking the Harrington Fork campsites were freshly paved, and he’d bring his in-line skates on family camping trips here. And his fishing pole, of course.
 
“We’d have a hoot of a time,” he said, showing off a campsite and its picnic table among the trees.
 
The asphalt is cracked now — too rough for skating — but a welcoming stack of firewood waited beside the fire pit.
 
On a bridge over the creek, Anta attached a metal pipe to the bottom of his tank, backed his truck to the edge and pulled a lever to release his load. As trout and about 400 gallons of water poured into the creek, he used a soft-bristled broom to ensure the last few fish made it out of the tank with the last of the water.
 
At the state’s Hagerman Fish Hatchery, Anta rears sturgeon, rainbow trout and tiger muskie and monitors fish health. But in spring, he begins to log the 12,000 miles he drives each year on stocking runs around south-central Idaho and beyond.
 
“March through October,” he said, “I’m pretty busy just stocking.”
 

Yes, it is starting to sound like a broken record. But the stakes are too high to not talk about cobia before an incredibly important meeting Tuesday at the Virginia Marine Resources Commission in Newport News.
 
The commission that afternoon will decide whether or not it will comply with federally ordered rules that will shut down cobia fishing along the East Coast on June 20.
 
North Carolina’s fisheries managers meet today and Friday to decide whether that state will go non-compliant. Should Carolina do so, the feds most likely would make the coastal closing date earlier.
 
The thing is, cobia in the two states are almost exclusively caught in state waters inside three miles. In the past, state agencies usually have adopted federal water rules in fear of suffering paybacks from the feds. But not always.
 
It’s been shown that the choice by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council to shut down the season when fish arrived in Virginia broke several federal fisheries laws, and that’s the stand anglers, captains and other groups are taking when urging non-compliance by their respective state agencies.
 
And in the future, the species will be turned over to another management agency and strategies that are more equitable to every state will come into play in the next couple of years.
 
So why can’t Virginia and North Carolina anglers continue to catch a few cobia in the meantime? Hopefully, the two states will make the just choice and let that happen. A closed season will be a huge economic setback for the angling community.
 
Cobia action has been red hot along the Outer Banks and a few fish have been caught in Virginia, including one from the Ocean View Fishing Pier.
 

Red drum,  Illustration courtesy of Duane Raver

 
SOUTHEASTERN VIRGINIA
 
Drum fishing is the hottest thing on the menu right now, with both black and red drum being taken in good numbers along the barrier island breakers of the Eastern Shore, and from most shoals leading into and around the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.
 
As is typical this time of year, anglers are concentrating their efforts around buoys 10, 13 and 15 for black drum. When the conditions are right, sight-casters have been intercepting some reds along the coast.
 
Drum anglers also have been encountering the season’s first sheepshead – a species that has become hugely popular the past few years.
 
The season’s first spadefish have been seen by a limited number of spearfishermen working around offshore structure such as the Chesapeake Light Tower. It’s too early for them to take hook-and-line offerings.
 
Flounder action continues to be good, especially in the barrier island backwaters of the Eastern Shore. A few keeper-sized flatties are being taken from both Rudee and Lynnhaven inlets.
 
There are some speckled trout available in the three southside inlets, but don’t expect much. Rudee has been productive for anglers targeting bluefish.
 
Croaker and sea mullet numbers have improved on area piers, and Cary Jarvis at Ocean View said he’s never seen a better start to the crabbing season.
 
Sea bass now can be kept, and fishing for them at coastal wrecks and along the Norfolk Canyon has been productive. Bottom-bouncers also are finding good numbers of tilefish and a few grouper.
 
Tuna should soon start to show for bluewater trollers, who are having to travel far to the southeast to get action.
 

Dolphin fish, Illustration courtesy of Duane Raver

 
NORTHEASTERN NORTH CAROLINA
 
Cobia fishing is at its finest, with fish up to 100 pounds showing along the coast.
 
Sight-casting is the most productive and exciting way to get in on the action.
 
This is the time of year when dolphin move to the forefront for bluewater trollers, and so far things haven’t disappointed.
 
Marinas report good numbers of mahi, with more and more large fish (gaffers) in the mix.
 
Yellowfin tuna and wahoo will be in the mix. Blackfin tuna action has been outstanding, especially for larger, award-winning-sized fish.
 
A few billfish have shown and those numbers will only increase as the summer approaches.
 
Puppy drum, speckled trout, bluefish, small black drum, blow toads, sea mullet and some croaker are being taken along the beaches and from piers. Pier anglers also will hook into their share of red drum and cobia.
 

Largemouth bass, Illustration courtesy of Duane Raver

 
FRESHWATER
 
Largemouth catches have been boosted by recent rains, which keep the water cooler and wash from the shore a buffet of grubs, insects and frogs. Concentrate on creek mouths after the rain.
 
While some crappie should still be available around cover in 10- to 15-feet of water, most panfishermen are focusing on increasing numbers of bluegill and shellcracker moving to the shallows – especially in the Suffolk Lakes. Bottom-bouncing red wigglers or pieces of nightcrawler in waters 5- to 10-feet deep will produce some good action.
 
Gar and bowfin are becoming more active and anglers tossing lures for bass can expect some action from both.
 
Lee Tolliver, 757-222-5844, lee.tolliver@pilotonline.com
 
Follow @LeeTolliver on Twitter.
 

John Howell holds two summer flounder that weighed more than 5.5 pounds each. (Photo: Provided)

 
Opening Day is finally here! Anglers up and down the state are ready to burst through the gates as fluke season opens on Saturday and lasts through Sept. 25, with a coastwide 5-fish limit at 18-inch minimum length, though Delaware Bay has a separate set of rules at 4-fish limit at a 17-inch minimum length.
 
Look for some excellent flounder action to transpire as hordes of flounder have been stacked in the backwaters for the last month. Even more striped bass moved into South Jersey waters this week, with quality 15- to 40-pound fish hitting the scales. Bluefishing, well, it simply hasn’t let up one bit. And adding to the excitement, black sea bass season reopens on Monday to June 19 with a 10-fish limit at 12.5-inch minimum length. This weekend should be a wild one on all fishing fronts.
 

Linda Davoli with a 72 lb. black drum caught in the Brigantine surf. (Photo: RipTide Bait and Tackle, Brigantine NJ)

 
“A wave of larger bass moved in off Brigantine beach,” said Fred Hynes, Riptide Bait and Tackle, Brigantine. “Between bunker and clams as bait, we had well over 25 stripers weighed in this week, all between 15 and 35 pounds.” Gary Hill nailed a 33.3-pound linesider using a bunker head as bait, while Joe Smitty scored a 28-pounder.
 
“The best bite was from the mid-island and south, and there were a bunch of black drum sucking down clams as well.” Linda Davoli had a monster battle with a 72-pound boomer taken off the surf at Brigantine beach. Bluefish are stacked in the backwaters, and John Wilkinson has been running to the 139 marker to load up his charters with 2- to 5-pound choppers.
 
For the start of fluke season, Hynes suggests to try out Lake’s Bay or Broad Creek to find flatties hitting spearing or mackerel strips.
 
“I would hit the 10- to 15-foot depths to start out fluke fishing,” said Pat Martin, Fin-Atics, Ocean City. “Try out Kennedy Park or Rainbow Channel to see if they are biting, though the water has been a little colder than normal.” Meantime, bluefish are still crushing plugs, poppers and bunker chunks, especially at the South End near Corson’s Inlet where a steady evening bite from 6 to 8 p.m. has occurred all week.
 

Jeremy Ridgeway with a 37" bass on his first clam. He was fishing the North part of Brigantine NJ. (Photo: RipTide Bait and Tackle, Brigantine NJ)

 
White perch fishing picked up in the rivers, as grass shrimp and bloodworms hooked plenty of perch in the Tuckahoe River this week.
 
“Striper fishing really picked up this week as it seemed the center of the island around the 20 to 60 streets had the most activity,” stated Mike Cunningham, Sea Isle Bait and Tackle, Sea Isle City. “There’s been a lot of seaweed near the inlet areas, and the center island doesn’t have as much around there, letting surf guys toss clams and bunker to land bass to the 40-inch mark.”
 
Cunningham also noted that he heard of the first handful of kingfish in the surf, while bluefish are ripping up baits at the inlet areas and are not as affected by the weed.
 
For opening day of fluke, Cunningham’s said of his best bet is to “fish either side of Ludlam’s Bay, that’s where the warmer water is at. Flat Creek and the ICW should also have fluke there, but the water has been pretty cold lately, only around the low 50’s.”
 
“I know I’m beginning to sound like a broken record but the fact is that there really are lots of big blues in the bay and surf,” said Tammy Carbohn of the Avalon Hodge Podge, Avalon. “The blues are feeding on just about anything.” Bruce Conley of Avalon used a jerk bait in the bay to fight a 12-pound slammer from his kayak.
 
There have been reports of anglers catching and releasing fluke near the 8th Street jetty area, so that’s a good bet to start focusing your opening day festivities.
 
“We’ve weighed in several bass up to 38 pounds that were caught along the North Cape May beaches,” said Matt Slobodjian, Jim’s Bait and Tackle, Cape May. “The fish are starting to move north along the beachfront, and bass are being caught at the Point as well as from the Wildwood and North Wildwood beaches.”
 

The Brigantine surf continues to produce as Al Jones shows off two nice fish he caught this week. (Photo: RipTide Bait and Tackle, Brigantine NJ)

 
Using fresh bunker has been the key to surf striper success. Bass have also been taken close to the beachfront, about a 1/4mile off, as anglers are trolling or chunking the Ferry Jetty to Reed’s Beach in Delaware Bay. Dave Spiewak from Sicklerville and his two sons Benny and Carmen bagged three bass to 20 pounds while Harold Byron of Warminster, Pa., nailed a 34 pounder from the 20-foot slough.
 
Black drum moved to the Jersey side as Tussy’s Slough coughed up 5 boomers to 50 pounds for Zach Robson and Dave Duckenfield while Arty Mansfield fished closer to the beach just inside the 20-foot slough to score two drum to 40 pounds. Watch the drum fishing really take off this weekend with the full moon sitting upon us on Saturday.
 
Reach Nick Honachefsky at beachnut33@hotmail.com
 

"You never know what you're gonna get, and that’s what keeps you coming back every time," expert fisherman Peter Miller says in response to why he loves his job. Miller is best known for his award-winning TV show Bass2Billfish, which appears weekly on NBC Sports and the World Fishing Network and will debut its eighth season tonight. The reality show follows the three-time world sailfish champion as he travels throughout Florida in search of adventure and very large fish. 
 
Since he was a kid growing up in Tappan, New York, and going on fishing trips with his dad, Miller had dreamed of having his own fishing show. That said, the now-47-year-old knew he would have to make a name for himself in the industry first. He decided to attend the University of Miami to study communications so he could fuel his fishing "addiction," as he refers to it, during his spare time.  It wasn't unusual for his classmates to watch him catch 100-pound tarpon in the campus lake. 
 
Fishing, and over the course of 20 years, the members have been called a "Dynasty Team” and the “Top Team in South Florida History” and have won millions of dollars in tournaments. When the team was just beginning, Miller supported himself by modeling, but soon enough, the sponsorships began pouring in, and eventually he snagged the deal he'd been waiting for. 
 
"The show is about making a lifelong dream come true. I started the concept in 2008, and the fact that my lifelong childhood dream has come true, I cant believe it," he says. 
 
Despite the challenges of putting a show together and the fact that fish aren't always around to be caught, Miller is proud of what his show has accomplished, particularly its broad appeal. He says he regularly gets comments from fans saying it's the only fishing show the entire family can watch, wives included. He also enjoys teaming up with Make-A-Wish to help fulfill the fishing dreams of sick children. 
 
The professional angler begins his day at 8 a.m. and often works past midnight seven days a week to ensure his show is a continued success. "The majority of people think all I do is fish and magically everything happens, and that’s the furthest thing from the truth. I used to fish all the time because I didn’t have a fishing show, but now I’m doing social media, marketing, events, contracts, responding to fans, etc."
 
What's more, he's constantly learning and perfecting his skills to stay on top of his game and keep up with new technologies and young talent. "You have to be willing to learn; you cant be old-school," Miller says.  
 
The TV host and Coral Gables resident also has a blog where he frequently writes about billfish conservation. He advocates for proper catch-and-release methods so the fish can return to the water unharmed. His advice is to release your catch on the side of the boat and avoid pulling it in for a photo because you don't want to damage the fish's internal organs. Further, he tells people to take only what they need and avoid trying to bring back enough fish for the whole neighborhood. It's also important to choose wisely when eating fish. In Florida, that means sticking to mahi-mahi, snapper, blackfin tuna, and kingfish whenever possible because they're abundant here. 
 
Miller has two children — a 17-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter — who are his priorities. But if ever he has some free time, he can be found playing the African drum the djembe, which he's been practicing for more than 15 years. 
 
Follow Valeria Nekhim on Twitter and Instagram.