I had the chance to fish Sunday in the Anacortes Salmon Derby. I joined John Keizer and Ron Endsley aboard Keizer’s Salt Patrol boat.

Although we came back to the dock empty-handed, I still had a good time.

Jeffrey P. Mayor/The News Tribune Some of the biggest salmon, including the winning fish at the bottom, are displayed after the Anacortes Salmon Derby Sunday.

Brian Darling of Anacortes took him the $12,000 first prize with a salmon weighing 18.62 pounds. Jamie Morrow of Mount Vernon won $4,000 for his 17.86-pound fish. Bill

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From the Associated Press:

Extreme skier Shane McConkey was killed jumping off a cliff with a parachute while filming a movie in Italy. He was 39.

His sponsor Red Bull confirmed his death Thursday.

McConkey was in Corvara, Italy, on a ski-BASE jump when he had a mid-air malfunction, Red Bull said in a statement.

Italian emergency responders arrived within minutes and pronounced him dead at the scene, according to the sponsor.

"Shane loved life and innovated both sport worlds he touched, skiing and B.A.S.E. Jumping," Red Bull spokesman Patrice Radden said in a

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Sunday we are going to take a look at Movie’s filmed in Washington’s outdoors. While Washington’s outdoor makes a glorious set for Hollywood flicks. We’ll look at 12 places you can recreate where movies were filmed on Sunday.

Until then here are 15 other movies that are at least partially filmed in Washington.

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There must have been a collective sigh of relief this afternoon from recreational sportsmen and their advocates

The House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources chose not to move Senate Bill 5127 to the full House for a vote.

This should put an end to the bill, the brainchild of Sen. Ken Jacobsen, who hoped to gut the state Fish and Wildlife Commission.

The proposal would have reduced the size of the commission from nine to seven members, and return the power to appoint a director of the Department of Fish and Wildlife to the governor. The

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Even though there are more than 165 inches of snow on the ground at Paradise, Mount Rainier National Park staff is preparing for the transition to spring operations.

SNOWPLAY AND SNOWSHOE WALKS

The public snow play area at Paradise will close for the season on April 5. The area will be staffed through Sunday, and will remain open but unstaffed Monday through April 5. Beginning April 6, inner tubing runs will no longer be available because the equipment will be moved to other areas of the park to assist in spring opening.

The ranger-led snow shoe walks

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The House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources is to meet today at 1:30 p.m. to discuss the merits of Senate Bill 5127.

Recreational sportsmen should hope this is a short discussion because this bill has no merit.

The bill, the brainchild of Sen. Ken Jacobsen, is designed to gut the state Fish and Wildlife Commission.

It would reduce the size of the commission from nine to seven members, and return the power to appoint a director of the Department of Fish and Wildlife to the governor.

The current bill would reverse the current set up,

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Here’s how the end of ski season is shaping up (Get up there and hit the slopes while the skiing is good – and it is very, very good right now.):

SPRING SCHEDULE

CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN

Open through April 19. Could extend season or reopen in May if skier numbers are up.

SUMMIT AT SNOQUALMIE

Night skiing at Summit Central ends Saturday. Summit West and Summit East are closed for the season. Summit Central and Alpental will remain open as long as conditions permit.

WHITE PASS

Open daily until April 12 then Saturdays

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In 2005 I spent a day skiing at Alpine Meadows on Lake Tahoe. While the skiing was good – very good in fact – and the lift tickets were cheap (a great combo), I was most interested in the stories I heard from the locals.

Whether I was hanging out in the lodge with ski instructor Vinny Distefano or riding the chairlift with Jim Cochrane, a 70-year-old former Oregon State University football player, it seemed everybody wanted to share the same piece of history about the ski area.

On March 31, 1982,

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