Outdoor Briefs

Sports fishermen must release sturgeon they hook in the Columbia River between the Bonneville and The Dalles dam, the State Fish and Wildlife Department said.

The agency implemented emergency catch-and-release regulations because biologists believe 1,350 sturgeon have been caught. Oregon and Washington set the guideline of 1,350 fish as the maximum allowable catch.

However, unusally heavy fishing this year resulted in record sturgeon catches, especially in the Bonneville Reservoir.The department also decided to require anglers who catch sturgeon between The Dalles and McNary dams to start releasing the fish on June 1.

Dynamite event

Contestants will get a lot of bangs for their bucks at a day-long shoot Saturday at Blanchard, Idaho.

J.R. Shepard of Sportsmen of the Northwest, sponsor of the “Blanchard Blast,” said contestants will fire their rifles and pistols at 12-ounce pop cans loaded with dynamite.

When a can is hit, the dynamite explodes, creating a loud blast and a smoke plume.

The event will be off Highway 41 at mile post 26. Gates will open at 9 a.m. Shooting hours will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Contestants, paying $5 for the first three shots and $1 each thereafter, will start shooting at 350 yards. As contestants are eliminated, targets will be moved out.

For more information, call 1-208-667-1043.

Trout ready

Saturday is the opening day of the fishing season for many state lakes and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has planted millions of trout.

The plants include 1.6 million catchable trout in the last few weeks.

There is no size limit for trout caught in

lakes and angler may catch five trout per day unless special rules apply. Rules from the 1994-95 Game Fish Pamphlet apply until the new Sport Fishing Rules pamphlet becomes available Monday.

To fish for trout, Washington residents ages 15-69 must purchase a $17 game-fish license and residents age 70 and up must purchase a $3 senior license, while children under 15 do not need a license.

The boat ramp at Amber Lake in Spokane County is closed for safety reasons.

Fly fishers meeting

Spokane Fly Fishers members will discuss where and when to fish some local areas at the Thursday meeting (6 p.m.) at the Spokane Federal Credit Union Building, W106 Nora.

Sprague Lake will be discussed by Clay Finlay, McDowell Lake by John Propp and the Spokane River by Jan Sadlo.

Bill Smith will discuss pre-fishing and stocking results and offer recommendations for the One Fly Contest.