Snohomish River Fishing

• Kevin Clark / The Herald

  Bob Heirman Wildlife keep at Thomas' Eddy 3 miles south of Snohomish offers an amazing place for watching wildlife, walking, picnicking and fishing.

• Photo by Martha Jordan

  The playground is essential habitat for swans. A great time to view all of them is morning, if they leave their particular roosts.

• Kevin Clark / The Herald

  The park is termed for Bob Heirman, 83, of Snohomish, which pressed to end gravel mining in the area.

• Kevin Clark / The Herald

  In 2002, extra land had been included, bringing the full total location to 430 miles.

• Kevin Clark / The Herald

  The playground is an excellent location for kiddies to learn about the environmental surroundings, Snohomish County Parks and Recreation staffers state.

• Kevin Clark / The Herald

  The floodplain in the park offers downstream places some respite from flooding during high water.

Just a few minutes off Highway 9, tucked away nearby the Snohomish River, is a county playground that's simple to miss. Bob Heirman Wildlife protect at Thomas' Eddy is on a winding country roadway that, to start with, appears to get no place.

The playground, in a peaceful fold of this lake about 3½ kilometers south of Snohomish, provides 3 kilometers of trails, birdwatching, fishing, an extensive beach and a peaceful place to enjoy nature. For households, the tracks tend to be enjoyable to explore with kids. Eventually, the trail diverges into a number of paths causing a broad bar across the lake — ideal for picnics, rock skipping and, in the summer, swimming.

The park area ended up being as soon as employed for gravel mining. Bob Heirman, for whom the playground was called, hated to start to see the damage to the prime fishing habitat of Thomas' Eddy. He fought for decades for obtain the mining ended.

“It was a monumental battle to truly save Thomas' Eddy, ” Heirman said.

Ultimately, he decided to go to the Tulalip Tribes for help.The tribes hired legal counsel and were able to end the mining.

“The Tulalip Tribes had been truly saviors of Thomas' Eddy, ” he stated. “They truly deserve lots of recognition for that.”

Heirman, 83, of Snohomish, devoted his life to habitat preservation, far beyond his attempts at Thomas' Eddy. Their company card states he's a “poet, historian, naturalist, sportsman, musician, tenor and guide.”

The land was also useful for farming and in the 1980s it absolutely was going to be offered for housing. The county obtained the land in 1992 additionally the park ended up being dedicated in 1994. In 2002, extra land was included, bringing the full total area to 430 acres.

“Bob Heirman park remains a jewel, right up truth be told there at the top of crucial habitat for swans and other waterfowl, ” stated Martha Jordan, professional manager for Northwest Swan Conservation Association.

Jordan features spent decades learning swans. Regarding evening of Jan. 22, she counted 163 swans within the park.

“Shadow Lake is definitely a safe sanctuary for swans and a secure haven for ducks, ” she said.

Which is because it's in a sheltered area and searching is forbidden. The pond additionally doesn't have an issue with lead shot, which could kill swans.

Jordan has actually spent considerable time at playground. She is seen ducks caught by bald eagles and, once, a peregrine falcon.

“If that you are there on right time, you can view really amazing things, ” she said.

The location is also popular with fishermen.

Heirman said that, in salmon season, it's the most popular freshwater fishing place into the county since it provides effortless flow access.

Wayne Kruse, in the open air columnist when it comes to Herald, emphasized the worthiness regarding the bank access, that he claims is among the better for salmon fishing over the entire Snohomish River.

“That's very valuable nowadays, ” he stated. “Bank access is limited and plenty of people don't have a boat.”

Kruse stated your area is mainly useful for fishing for pinks or chum salmon and, less usually, coho salmon. Periodically steelhead can be caught indeed there and.

John Tucker, senior park ranger for Snohomish County Parks and Recreation, stated that, as well as the fishing, the playground is a valuable resource for the community. It really is outstanding place for kids to review the environment, he said.

The floodplain on playground also provides downstream places some relief from flooding during high water.

Sharon Swan, Snohomish County principal park planner, stated the playground's location so close to cities is fortunate.

“You could possibly get out of the city so quickly, ” she stated.

Once I went to the park with Swan, we heard a sizable splash even as we wandered toward the lake. A few momemts later on, a harbor seal popped around take a good look at us.

We speculated about what it absolutely was performing this far upstream.

Maybe it just wanted to browse the park Bob Heirman worked so very hard to preserve.

A couple of days later, when I took my daughter and a group of buddies to own a picnic from the coastline, we remembered what Heirman had explained.

“I've worked very difficult to leave some thing for somebody else, ” he stated.

I was grateful that, as a result of those attempts, I could sit on the side of the lake with pals, while our youngsters scampered around us.

Bob Heirman Wildlife Protect

What: A protected all-natural area over the Snohomish River.

Why see: Birdwatching, fishing, hiking, picnicking, cycling and wading during the summer.

Where: From Highway 9, head south 3 miles from Snohomish towards intersection with Lowell-Larimer Road/Broadway. Change left (east) onto Broadway. After slightly below a mile, veer left on Connelly Road. The playground is on the left.

Swans: if you want to understand swans, Martha Jordan, professional director the Northwest Swan Conservation Association, implies showing up early in the early morning to view when they leave their roost. It's a remarkable picture. Or, before dusk, you can watch the swans land on Shadow Lake, the greatest pond when you look at the park, below the parking location. (keep in mind the gate closes in the evening.)

What things to know: No dogs. The park is open from 7 a.m. to dusk. Trails can get muddy and there are a few dropped trees to scramble over in the dike trail. During floods, trails can be underwater.

Keep no trace: Pack out your trash. Anglers must be careful with fishing range, which if left out can kill wildlife.