Bundle up, visit state parks open in offseason

Outdoor activities such as camping can be a fun year-round opportunity in Washington, and in the offseason many sites are less crowded.

More than 100 state parks will remain open in fall and winter, and at most of them, campers may park their RVs or pitch tents on a first-come, first-served basis.

Comfortable cabins are also available at historic Cama Beach State Park on Camano Island, which opened this summer.

Cama Beach, on 433 acres of waterfront against a forested backdrop, offers visitors a chance to step back in time to a 1930s-era Puget Sound fishing resort complete with waterfront cedar cabins and bungalows. These have been refurbished, with modern conveniences added, and are available year-round.

Cama Beach activities include boating (boat rentals at the Center for Wooden Boats), beachcombing, fishing and bird and wildlife viewing, plus two horseshoe pits and an unsheltered fire circle.

Cama Beach is connected by a milelong trail to Camano Island State Park, a 134-acre camping park that is also open for day use or overnight stays year-round.

Other cabins are available at Kitsap Memorial and Wallace Falls state parks. Try a yurt at Cape Disappointment, Grayland Beach or Seaquest. Vacation houses are available at Millersylvania, Fort Flagler, Fort Worden and Moran state parks. These can be reserved year-round.

State parks that accept year-round camping reservations are Cape Disappointment, Deception Pass, Dosewallips, Grayland Beach, Kitsap Memorial, Ocean City, Pacific Beach and Steamboat Rock.

Tolmie State Park will be open Wednesdays through Sundays through April 2.

Reservations may be made online at parks.wa.gov or call 1-888-CAMPOUT.

Word on Alaska charter halibut limit

The Alaska charter fleet will propose a new charter halibut management alternative at the North Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting this week in Anchorage.

The NPFMC will propose a plan to reduce the daily catch limit to one halibut (compared to the current two-fish daily limit) in southeast Alaska immediately and in south central Alaska in the very near future.

Under the proposals, charter operators would have the option to pay an additional fee to commercial fishermen if they want to buy halibut to allow charter anglers the opportunity to catch additional fish.

"The reduction could put a huge dent in our business, and will definitely have a ripple effect on the small towns all over southeast Alaska that are dependent on fishermen coming into those areas," said Rob Endsley, owner of Prince of Wales Sportfishing in Craig, Alaska.

The sport charter fleets' proposal to be presented at the meeting has many advantages, including addressing conservation and increasing safety for anglers by offering no penalty for choosing a guided-fishing option. The proposal is also easy to understand and to enforce.

"The National Marine Fisheries Service estimates a change to a one-halibut daily limit could result in up to a 30 percent reduction in angler demand, meaning 27,000 fewer people flying into southeast Alaska this year," according to a news release from the Alaska Charter Halibut Task Force.

The task force said charter fishing is a big factor in Alaska tourism and is the state's second-largest industry. Of the 502,000 sport fishing licenses Alaska sells annually, 315,000 go to nonresident anglers.

"Certainly, it would be neither environmentally responsible nor good for our businesses if the charter industry was seeking a two-fish limit when the resource was in danger. Regulatory officials repeatedly stated this is not the case. In fact, in our area, the biomass is projected to increase over the next 10 years," Scott Van Valin, owner of El Capitan Lodge and co-founder of the Charter Halibut Task Force, said in a recent e-mail.

Notes

• The Northwest Fly Anglers Club is offering a five-week beginning fly-tying class starting 7 p.m. Oct. 7 at Swiftwater Sports, 17703 15th Ave. N.E. in Seattle. Cost is $35. Details: 206-547-3377.

The Northwest Fly Anglers Club meets on the third Thursday of each month 7 p.m. at the Haller Lake Community Center. Next meeting is Oct. 16. Guest speaker is Ray Gould, a book author and bamboo rod-maker. Details: 425-990-8800.

• The Fall Orvis Days are Oct. 4-12 at the Orvis Bellevue Store, 10223 N.E. 10th St. in Bellevue. Events: Oct. 4, free Grande Ronde summer steelhead seminar featuring Mac Huff; Oct. 5, John Olson, FFF certified casting instructor, is offering a free beginning casting instruction; Oct. 11, Larry Peterson and Dwight Lyons will display antique Orvis and Hardy reels, rods, flies and more, plus a fly-tying competition; and Oct. 12, Don Simonson, FFF casting board governor, will discuss fly-casting mechanics for intermediate and advanced casters. Details: 425-452-9138.

• State Fish and Wildlife is offering a public workshop at 9 a.m. Oct. 1 to discuss how seasons are set for recreational salmon fisheries at the Lacey Community Center, 6729 Pacific Ave. in Lacey. Each year, fishery managers gather to plan the salmon fisheries from late February through early April. Details: wdfw.wa.gov/fish/northfalcon.

• The Northwest Knife Collectors Show is Oct. 4-5 at the Best Western Tacoma Dome Hotel, 2611 East E St. Cost is $5. Hours: Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Details: 253-473-6967 or www.nwkc.org.

• The Tri-Cities Salmon Derby is Oct. 4-5 on the Columbia and Yakima rivers. Largest fish caught wins $1,000. Cost is $25, and $10 for kids 12 and under. Details: 509-554-9202 or www.kc3307.org/derby.htm.

• The Washington Butterfly Association meeting is 7 p.m. Oct. 1 at the Center for Urban Horticulture, 3501 NE 41st St. in Seattle. The meeting's free program is "Rearing Lep-kids: Getting kids interested in butterflies," with Martha Robinson. Details: 206-364-4935 or www.naba.org/Chapters/nabaws.

• The Bellevue-Issaquah Trout Unlimited Lake Sammamish Redd Party is 7 p.m. Oct. 8 at the Issaquah Brewhouse, 35 Sunset Way, next door to the hatchery. Beer tasting, fishing reports, kokanee conservation, plus food and music. Details: 425-557-1911 or www.tu-bi.org.

Mark Yuasa: 206-464-8780 or myuasa@seattletimes.com