Roads closed to protect wintering wildlife on state Department of Fish and Wildlife wildlife areas in the south central area of the state will re-open at 6 a.m. Friday or as otherwise posted.

Here is the rest of the release:

Two exceptions are the Joe Watt Canyon and Robinson View roads west of Ellensburg in Kittitas County on the L.T. Murray Wildlife Area.

Roads re-opening include Robinson Canyon Road on the L.T. Murray Wildlife Area and the Mellotte Road on the Wenas Wildlife Area.

Roads closed to motorized vehicles on the Whiskey Dick and a portion of the Quilomene wildlife areas in Kittitas County will re-open in the area north of the Vantage Highway, south of Quilomene Ridge Road, east of the Wild Horse Wind Farm, and west of the Columbia River.

The Oak Creek (U.S. Forest Service 1400) and Bethel Ridge roads, and the Sanford Pasture / Mud Lake road system in the Oak Creek Wildlife Area southwest of Naches in Yakima County, will re-open May 1 at 6 a.m. The 6 a.m. opening is a change from previous years when midnight marked the end of the closures.

The Joe Watt Canyon Road will remain closed to all motorized vehicles two miles in from the entrance gate to the wildlife area due to persistent snow banks and soft, wet road conditions, said Ted Clausing, WDFW south central regional wildlife program manager.

"We need to protect against habitat damage that occurs if vehicle traffic is allowed too early on that road," Clausing said. "The road will be opened once conditions improve and the road firms up."

The Joe Watt Road Canyon closure is in cooperation with the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR), which also manages land in the area.

The Robinson View Road, which drops south off the Robinson Canyon Road, will remain closed to protect sensitive nesting wildlife.

I was out of town early this week, so this is the first opportunity I've had to post this release from the state:

An improved average catch rate and some bigger fish made cool, windy weather tolerable for thousands of anglers during the April 25 Washington lowland lake fishing season opener.

"The blustery weather kept some people hunkered down, so the boat ramps were not as busy for this opener," said Jon Anderson, a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) fish biologist, who compiled results from creel checks across the state. "But there were some pretty good catch rates and nice-sized fish caught."

WDFW staff and volunteers reported checking 5,410 anglers with 12,497 trout from 121 lakes statewide. Anglers checked statewide averaged 2.3 trout per fisherman at lakes with a five-trout daily catch limit.

The top 10 lakes for angler success were: Spokane County's Williams and Badger lakes; Horseshoe and Island lakes in Kitsap County; Okanogan County's Pearrygin Lake; Skagit County's Erie Lake; Steel Lake in King County; Snohomish County's Howard Lake; Silver Lake in Whatcom County; and Cedar Lake in Stevens County.

In a few areas, persistent wintery conditions kept WDFW fish hatchery crews from stocking some lakes before the opener. However, hatchery stocking will continue, Anderson said. "With the season on most opening-day waters running through September or October, there will be plenty of fish to catch," he said.

Here are the area lakes that were checked, including the number of anglers, the number of trout kept and the average number of trout kept by anglers.

Pierce County
Bay Lake 71 210 2.96
Clear Lake 89 206 2.31
Ohop Lake 84 182 2.17
Rapjohn Lake 33 106 3.21
Silver Lake 75 58 0.77
Spanaway Lake 31 34 1.10
Tanwax Lake 54 92 1.70

Thurston County
Clear Lake 61 61 1.00
Deep Lake 27 47 1.74
Hicks Lake 53 84 1.58
Long Lake 41 82 2.00
McIntosh Lake 113 101 0.89
Munn Lake 25 78 3.12
Pattison Lake 27 47 1.74
Summit Lake 80 159 1.99
Ward Lake 47 118 2.5

Kitsap County
Buck Lake 21 19 0.90
Horseshoe Lake 24 117 4.88
Island Lake 10 45 4.50
Kitsap Lake 9 3 0.33
Mission Lake 39 138 3.54
Panther Lake 42 99 2.36
Wildcat Lake 36 126 3.50
Wye Lake 35 51 1.46

King County
Cottage Lake 55 66 1.20
Geneva Lake 35 70 2.00
Langlois Lake 49 129 2.63
Margaret Lake 74 208 2.81
North Lake 31 108 3.48
Pine Lake 98 269 2.74
Rattlesnake Lake 48 103 2.15
Steel Lake 31 140 4.52
Walker Lake 36 103 2.86
Wilderness Lake 121 339 2.80

Yes, senior citizens are the primary volksmarchers in this area but if you are looking for cheap recreation or something to keep you motivated to walk or bike volkssporting might be for you too.

Take a look at the following three volkssport club websites for a list of their year round volksmarches. You can do these any time. Just go to the start area, look for the walk box, sign in and a grab a map.

- The Evergreen Wanderers
- The Over the Hill Gang
- The Daffodil Valley Volkssport Club

Click below for details on local year round volksmarches.

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