Reel in your sweetheart on Valentine's Day: Go fishing

I have to admit it was my husband's idea, but I went along with it after a little consideration: We went fishing on Valentine's Day.

We were looking for something different from the usual dinner out. Dinner or a show on Valentine's Day not only feels cliché, it also requires advance planning, fortitude and a healthy wallet.

Fishing is an unusual way to celebrate a couple's love, but, well, we're that kind of couple. We'd wanted to try spey-rod fly-fishing for a while, and a recent Valentine's Day happened to fall just before the steelhead run on the Sauk River became off-limits for the spring.

We hired a guide, Ryan Smith of Arch Anglers (www.archanglers.com), who told us to meet him early in the morning at a cafe along Highway 20. The day dawned drizzly and cold as we drove to the put-in spot where Smith unloaded his boat and we pulled waders over our woolen leggings and thick socks.

Rain never really materialized. Instead, diaphanous clouds lay low, almost touching the surface of the green river water. Rocky shores glistened in the pale light, and eagles perched on trees above us. Once, a beaver splashed a warning when we bumbled too close for its comfort.

We didn't catch any steelhead, though we got a couple nibbles, a lot of much-needed casting practice and hours of quality time away from the bustle of the city. And except for us, the river was empty, even though it was a weekend. That's the beauty of fishing on the one day most men promise not to head for the river.

The day was extraordinarily beautiful, and Ryan's alfresco camp-stove cuisine tasted better than anything we'd have gotten at a four-star restaurant. Our verdict: Best Valentine's Day Ever.

Living in a place with year-round outdoor opportunities means you don't have to stick with the options available to most people in mid-February. Bonus: Outdoor activities also work for single folks or groups of friends, giving the unpaired something better to do than stay home in front of the TV or drown sorrows over a silly holiday.

Steve Thiesfeld, Puget Sound salmon manager for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, suggests blackmouth salmon fishing at this time of year. One romantic spot: Roche Harbor, in the San Juan Islands. One of the best things about the Northwest is how easy it is to play outside and relax in luxury on the same day. You can catch your dinner in the morning, eat it that night, shop or go for a drink, then head back to a warm bed — all in the same spot. "I don't know too many places in the Lower forty-eight where people can have that kind of experience," he said.

You can also catch your own romantic dinner in other ways, maybe by digging for clams at a romantic location on the coast. To find out what's in season, call state hotlines at 360-902-2500 (fish) or 866-880-5431 (shellfish) or check at http://wdfw.wa.gov. The next coastal razor-clam dig is tentatively set for Feb. 17-19, the weekend after Valentine's Day.

It's not always a good idea to try to teach your significant other a new activity, so consider hiring a professional instructor if your skills aren't comparable. Guides will be happy to help.

Other ideas

What better way to enjoy the outdoors than to get outside and do something purely fun? If there's enough snow, regional Sno-Parks are set up for all kinds of noncommercial, nonmotorized, low-cost winter activities. There's no need to stick with grown-up pursuits like cross-country skiing: Opt for sledding instead. Bring snacks and a hot beverage and arrive early to make sure you get a parking spot. For information, go to the Washington State Parks website at http://parks.wa.gov/winter/trails. There's also a snow-play area at Paradise on Mount Rainier; see www.nps.gov/mora and click on "winter recreation."

Snowshoeing and wildlife watching are easy yet rewarding. Thiesfeld says the Methow Valley is often flush with deer at this time of year, and a few eagles may be lingering in riparian areas around the region. Like skiing, snowshoeing or lower-elevation hiking can be a day trip or combined with a romantic evening at a rented cabin or hotel; often, resorts of all kinds will lend equipment. Or rent from REI; see www.rei.com/stores/rentals.html#washington.

Couples could cozy up in unconventional accommodation — a yurt, say. These rounded tentlike structures are available for rent in some state parks (such as Cape Disappointment; see www.parks.wa.gov/yurtsandcabins) and a number of private resorts, and are sometimes accessible via snowshoeing or cross-country skiing trails. Forest Service cabins or lookouts are also possibilities; go to www.recreation.gov to check availability. The very hardy might consider winter backcountry camping, where snuggling together might be a matter of life or death. The Washington Trails Association (WTA) has a list of winter-camping tips at www.wta.org/hiking-info/basics/snow-camping.

Consider making Valentine's Day about something bigger than yourselves by volunteering to spend a day clearing away invasive plants and clearing walking paths. One of our friends gave her husband a Discovery Park "Adopt-an-Area" as a Christmas gift, and they spend happy hours together tending their plot — and except for the original donation, it costs nothing. For information, see www.seattle.gov/parks/environment/discovparkvolunteer.htm.

Vigorous trail work could help work through any underlying relationship tension. It's also about as far from annoying kissy-face romantic couples as you're likely to get. The WTA hosts trail-work parties all year. "We do give out chocolate at every work party," said Lace Thornberg, editor of the group's Washington Trails magazine.

Seattle-based freelancer Christy Karras married in September and went on a fly-fishing honeymoon.