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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 5, 2015)
NED HICKSON , SPORTS EDITOR ❘ 541-902-3523 ❘ SPORTS @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM SATURDAY EDITION ❘ DECEMBER 5, 2015 ❘ SECTION B Siuslaw News Sports & Recreation S PORTS O REGON COAST TO BE ‘S PEAKING W HALE ’ Calendar Dec. 5 • MHS GIRLS BB MID COAST LAKES • SHS BOYS BB P HOENIX 2 P . M . • SHS BOYS BB AT P HOENIX 3:30 P . M . Dec. 8 • SHS GIRLS BB HOST COURTESY PHOTO N EWPORT 6:30 P . M . The tail of a migrating gray whale appears off the coast near Cape Perpetua. Annual winter gray whale migration will draw thousands to the coast. • SHS BOYS BB HOST N EWPORT 6:30 P . M . F or the holiday season, share the gift of whale watching on the Oregon coast. From Dec. 27 through 31, Winter Whale Watch Week is one of the best times of the year to spot gray whales off the stormy Oregon coastal shores. Approximately 18,000 whales will travel 12,000 miles south to Mexico, where they will give birth to their calves. There are nearly 40 different vol- unteer staffed locations where you can spot gray whales on the Oregon Coast, including the 10th floor of the prestigious Inn at Spanish Head in Lincoln City. From the top floor, visitors can spot these creatures nearly every hour in late December as they make their journey. For a more up-close and personal view, Dockside Charters in Depoe Bay offers daily whale watching excursions starting in mid-December. Just 8 miles south of Lincoln City, Depoe Bay is considered the “Whale Watching Capital of the Oregon Coast” and is also home to the Oregon State Parks Whale Watching Center. “We offer 90-minute whale watch- ing excursions for the winter,” says Loren Goddard, one of the owners of Dockside Charters. “Typically our excursions are an hour long, but T IDE T ABLE Entrance Siuslaw River High Tide Low Tide Dec. 5 7:33am / 6.9 8:07pm / 5.3 12:59am / 2.2 2:21pm / 2.0 Dec. 6 8:14pm / 7.2 9:08pm / 5.5 1:52am / 2.5 3:09pm / 1.4 Dec. 7 8:53am / 7.4 10:01pm/ 5.8 2:41am / 2.7 3:51pm/ 0.9 FISHING REPORT FOR www.dfw.state.or.us/RR B ROOKINGS 2:30 P . M . AT WEEKLY THE LOCAL REGION B ROOKINGS 1 P . M . • MHS BOYS BB HOST A Dec. 8 9:30pm / 7.7 3:26am / 2.9 10:47pm / 6.0 4:29pm / 0.4 Dec. 9 10:06am / 7.9 4:08am / 3.0 11:29pm/ 6.2 5:06pm/ 0.0 Last year, U of O student Job Chen and his wife, Manchi Chor, spent Chen’s 29th birthday whalewatching. visitors spot the mighty mam- mals. Its “Whale Watching Spoken Here” signs identify the volun- teers. They will point out spe- cial behaviors such as spy hop- ping, breaching, and spouting, as well as discuss whale feed- ing, courtship and migration patterns. Just a few years ago, the NED HICKSON/SIUSLAW NEWS whale population dipped to 1,800 making them “commer- because the whales are moving fast to Mexico, we have to accommodate for cially extinct.” Today, under the protection of the that. We recommend that visitors make reservations early because the winter Mexican and US governments, the population has grown to more than excursions are very popular.” Goddard says what makes the trips 20,000 whales. Gray whales can grow up to 45 feet so popular is that "Visitors are curious about whales on the coast. And the in length (13.7 meters) — longer than whales are just as curious about us as a city bus — and weigh more than 45 we are of them,” Goddard explains. tons (41,000 kg). To schedule a whale-watching trip, “The best part is when they come right up to the boat. Seeing these mammals contact Dockside Charters at 541-765- up-close is a very special experience.” 2545. To learn more about the winter During the winter and spring and spring whale-watching seasons, months, Oregon State Parks posts contact the Depoe Bay Whale trained volunteers at prime viewing Watching Center at 800-551-6949. points along the Oregon Coast to help The coho salmon fish- eries in Siltcoos and Tahkenitch lakes are just getting going. With some recent rain and big tide series fresh coho should be migrating into the lakes. Look to fish near the lake outlet and by the major tributaries that enter the lakes. Casting or trolling spin- ners or various plugs can be effective. Fishing for the various warmwater fish species is fair to good. There are numerous lakes in the Florence area that can pro- vide good opportunity and have both boat and bank access. SIUSLAW RIVER: Chinook, cutthroat trout Fall Chinook fishing is producing fair results with a lot of fish moving to the upper tide water reaches and above. Trolling her- ring, spinners or bobber fishing can all be produc- tive. The wild coho fishery is closed for the season. ALSEA RIVER: Chinook, cutthroat trout The fall Chinook fishery is producing fair to good results for both bank and boat anglers. Recent rains have helped to move a lot of chinook into the good river bank access sections. Casting lures or bobber fishing is producing depending on the section and conditions. The wild coho fishery is closed for the season. SALMON RIVER: Chinook, cutthroat trout The fall Chinook fishery See FISHING 3B Dec. 10 10:42am / 8.1 4:48am / 3.0 5:42pm / 8.1 New regulations, licenses available for 2016 outdoor season Dec. 11 12:09am / 6.4 5:28am / 3.1 11:17pm/ 8.2 6:18pm/ -0.7 SALEM — Oregon’s 2016 hunting and fishing licenses are on sale now and make great holiday gifts, espe- cially a new youth license for kids that permits fishing, hunting and shellfish- ing all year for just $10. The new 2016 Sport Fishing and Big Game Regulations will also be in stores this week. Hunters and anglers will notice a new look to the regula- tions this year. “We’ve heard from sportsmen that the regulations can be confusing,” said Rick Hargrave, ODFW Information and Education Administrator. “We’ve made an effort S IUSLAW N EWS 148 Maple St. Florence 541-997-3441 & SHEET METAL, INC. “Your Local Independent Trane Dealer” Florence’s Oldest & Largest Heating Contractor CCB#64 to simplify them and hope they are easier to understand.” The effort included contracting with a different publisher, J.F. Griffin, to produce the regulations. A new searchable web version of the regula- tions will be available next week at ODFW’s regulations webpages online at www.dfw.state.or.us/ resources/licenses_regs. In the mean- time, PDF copies of 2016 regulations are posted at the hunting and fishing regulations web page. Prices for adult licenses and tags increase for 2016, the first fee increase since 2010. However, ODFW will continue to charge lower prices for youth to keep fishing and hunting affordable for families. The popular Juvenile Sports Pac is still just $55 in 2016 and prices will be lower than in 2015 for some youth sportsmen. A new combination youth license means all kids age 12-17 (nonresi- dents, too) can fish, hunt, crab and clam all year long for $10. This license includes the Columbia River Endorsement; add a Youth Combined Angling Tag for just $5. (Previously, costs for youth were: hunting license $14.50, fishing license $9 or $18.75 with Columbia River Endorsement for ages 14-17, com- bined angling tag $8.50 for ages 14- 17, shellfish license $7 for ages 14 and over.) New license types are also avail- able, including Premium Hunts. These are Oregon’s new two or three month any-weapon deer, elk and pronghorn hunts. Premium Hunts are similar to the auction and raffle tags people pay thousands for, but they cost the same as a regular tag and are an additional See OUTDOOR 3B • Heating Systems • Heat Pumps • Sales / Service • Ductless Heat Pumps 1645 Kingwood ~ Florence (541) 997-2422 www.trane.com Bill Easton, Teahna Wilkins, Steve Wolford & Krystal Wolford CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK HOST On the Bite