Northwest Fishing Reports

Was out with the family today checking out our favorite mushroom area outside of North Bend. The cooler weather has definitely brought out the Chanterelles and we managed to collect a few pounds in a short amount of time. Spent the rest of the time checking out the new clear cuts for potential deer hunting spots. Did also see Matsutake and lots of coral mushrooms as well, but left those alone as we prefer the Chanterelles. With the rain we had the past 2 days this upcoming weekend will be prime time for picking. So you had better get out and pick your favorite patch before someone else beats you to it!

Geez man! Chantrelles are my favorite mushroom by far. I really thought that they didn't appear until like late Oct.
Can you at least let us know, what type of areas to look for? Like under certain types of trees... or on downward slopes, or whatever..

I went a few years ago up near Monte Cristo shrooming, and I came back with a bag full of stuff. I went to the Northwest Micological Society's annual function. They told that most of the stuff I had could poss. kill me. Being that I am Red/Green color blind, I decided that Mushroomin' is maybe not for me. but I dang no fo sure what a Chantrelle looks like:cheers:

yum!

Quadradomus,

Areas in which I find Chanterelles usually have at least 30 year old evergreen trees and have had the slash burned after the trees had been harvested. Another thing I look for is an open area in the woods with either Oregon Grape and or Salal as ground cover. I have this sixth sense when it comes to Chanterelles, they call to me as I drive or hike by. I have found them as early as the beginning of September all the way through December while fishing in the snow on the peninsula.

G-man,, I sent you a PM regarding Lake Wa. cutts. I assume it got to you??

G-man....nice work on the mushrooms. I posted a thread about Morels in the spring, and got no responses. In my neck of the woods, the King Boletes have been GREAT this year, found 12 already, nice and large. No Chanterelle's yet, but this rain will really make them POP!! I thought you only caught salmon....
Ps. what elevation did you find the chanterelles at...???... were they white chanterelles?? (Cantharellus subalbidus)

RWR,

We were at about 1400' of elevation but I know that they are popping out all over the place. My buddy was scouting for elk down near Elma last weekend and found some in the lowlands. I've only encountered white chanterelles in one area of our state, near Seabeck but would love to find some closer to home. With the salmon fishing being so slow this year, I have to do something else to get my outdoor fix!

Rollin with Rolland wrote: G-man....nice work on the mushrooms. I posted a thread about Morels in the spring, and got no responses. In my neck of the woods, the King Boletes have been GREAT this year, found 12 already, nice and large. No Chanterelle's yet, but this rain will really make them POP!! I thought you only caught salmon....
Ps. what elevation did you find the chanterelles at...???... were they white chanterelles?? (Cantharellus subalbidus)

Morels are the only mushroom that I will touch, I love those things. I haven't been picking for a few years now but I need to get back out this spring if I have free time.=p~

Just thought I'd revive this post with some more up to date info. Today was our first venture out this year for mushrooms, a bit later than normal, yet proved fruitful. Typically, if the coho are being caught the rivers, the chanterells are popping in the hills. Conditions were perfect and we ended up bringing home 10 gallons of firm, dry and clean mushrooms. If you have a patch, better go and check it out before someone else does!

I 'pick' mine with the lawnmower, AFTER I squish them with my foot. [img=http://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/ima ... s/puke.gif]t[/img]

did you know there is a limit on those ?

'OL GREY DOG wrote:did you know there is a limit on those ?

Yes I do, and we were within ours. In the event you don't belive Dog and I, here is a link to our State's rules:

http://www.psms.org/MushroomRules.pdf

Give it a few more years and you'll need to purchase a Washington State "Mushroom Enhancement" permit to harvest.

Thanks for reviving this post.
Can you clarify what is meant in the regs. link when under the Snoqualmie Nat. Forest area, it says, "Season" is 2 weeks or something..?? Then there was a number 8 in the colum, and it never said dates for any of it. I can barely follow river fishing regs as it is.

Love it! Morels are very high up on the favorite mushroom list too. In fact I prefer morels with alder-cooked steak and a light red wine. But chantes are way up there too!:cheers: :cyclops: :chef:

The Quadfather wrote:Thanks for reviving this post.
Can you clarify what is meant in the regs. link when under the Snoqualmie Nat. Forest area, it says, "Season" is 2 weeks or something..?? Then there was a number 8 in the colum, and it never said dates for any of it. I can barely follow river fishing regs as it is.

(8) Limit may be divided between more than one 2 week permit, 1 gallon per day does not require permit

First, if you are going to collect in the Snoqualmie district of the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest you will need a permit if you are going to collect more than 1 gallon of mushrooms per day. If you intend to collect more than a gallon per day, you need to apply for a free permit and the permit is good for 2 weeks. You may apply for another permit after your first permit expires. However, regardless of whether you opt to collect 1 gallon per day or opt for the the permit method, your entire annual limit for this area is 5 gallons per household.

The key is identifying where you are collecting your mushrooms. If you know the location and have any questions, just contact the nearest/appropriate ranger station and ask.

Thanks for the clarification.

I was going to post this as a secret lake report but thought better of it:

I had been waiting for my wife’s hip to get better before heading out to our favorite spot to bag the elusive chanterelle. Alas, her hip is still on the mend and she did not feel like risking injury so it was just the kid and I. Due to the lack of rain, this is about as late a start to the chanterelle season that I can remember. We left the house mid-morning not knowing what to expect once we reached our destination. The conditions were very pleasant at the 1800’ elevation mark, with temps in the upper 50’s and the area was quite dry. Initially we had a difficult time finding our quarry, but after bagging a few we got the pattern down and managed to bring home a respectable number of high quality early season specimens. Unfortunately this will probably be the last season for quite some time that we will be able to harvest at this site as it is scheduled to be clearcut this fall/winter. If you have a favorite spot, I’d check on it as soon as possible, the current conditions are perfect for prime clean, dry and firm mushrooms. attached are a few pics, see if you can spot the shroom!