Downstream, the drifting hunter will find an island that "always has good numbers of ducks and geese."

Below that, there's another seven-mile stretch of river that can produce good duck hunting. Because the Yakima is a navigable river, you can hunt the islands and shorelines up to the high-water mark.

For information about guides and outfitters, other recreation opportunities and lodging along the lower river, contact the Tri-Cities Visitor and Convention Bureau at www.VisitTtri-Cities.com, or call them at 1-800-254-5824. Or check out Franklin's Web site, www.pacific-wings.net.

Skagit River
Interstate 5 crosses the Skagit River north of the city of Mount Vernon. Here, the river takes a couple of sweeping bends to the south and straightens out at Skagit City to break into the North and South Forks and a series of sloughs before it empties into Skagit Bay.

Mallards make good use of the Skagit for much of its length, but for the waterfowler, the midriver and lower reaches are the most important.

Roads parallel most of the lower river and its forks. There are two launches on the South Skagit Highway, east of Sedro Woolley. On the north side of the river, there is a launch at Burlington. A launch at the end of Penn Road on the west bank provides quick access to the North Fork or South Fork. There are ramps on both forks and on Fir Island.

John Koenig of the Rockport-based John's Guide Service spends a lot of time each fall with clients on cast-and-blast trips for silver salmon and mallards. And there are a lot of birds.

Koenig recommends the lower river for duck hunters who left their fishing rods at home. "If I'm headed after silver salmon and want to hunt ducks at the same time, I head upriver," he said.

Koenig, who hunts and fishes out of a 22-foot Bolton sled, focuses on the river from Sedro Woolley upstream. "Windy days and foggy days are best," he said. "The weather keeps the birds flying low."

Blake's RV Park and Marina is located on Fir Island, about a mile and a half from the mouth of the North Fork. Manager Bob Gee sees many of the same people year after year, returning to hunt ducks in the river and sloughs.

Gee said the best bet is to bring a 15- to 20-foot flatbottom boat and outboard motor to negotiate in this tide-influenced section of the river and in the bay.

For Skagit hunting information, you can reach Koenig via the Web site, www.johns-guide-service.com, and Gee at www.blakesRVpark.com.

Chehalis River
From the air, it's easy to see why the Chehalis is important to waterfowl. This is Grays Harbor County's largest river, and it is collects the water of close to 1,400 rivers and creeks on its way to Grays Harbor and the sea.

Prone to flooding, the Chehalis has left on private land a number of sloughs and potholes that hold ducks throughout the season. These birds move back and forth from the river to the standing water.

Roads provide easy access to most of the Chehalis. Plenty of boat launches make put-in and take-out easy. Some ramps are bank skids, and others are more modern.

In the Oakville Reach, the river is characterized by riffles and pools. Downstream from Elma, the river is subject to tides.

Some of the better-known launches are at Cedarville, Porter, Fuller, South Montesano at the Highway 107 bridge, Cosmpopolis and at the Highway 101 bridge at Aberdeen.