Fishing for chum salmon seems to be getting the most attention from anglers right now. For steelhead, the Olympic Peninsula is the best option. Fishing in area lakes has been very slow because of the cold weather and few people heading out.
RIVERS
Humptulips: The river is still producing some coho, an occasional chinook and some steelhead. Jigs fished under floats seem to be the most effective setups.
Kennedy: There still are plenty of people trying for chum, and they are catching some.
Minter: Fish still are there in large numbers, as are the anglers, but it’s getting more and more difficult to find bright fish. But if you want the chance to easily catch a chum, this is the spot.
Nisqually: Reports have been mixed, but most seem to indicate that chum fishing has picked up in recent days.
Olympic Coast: Fishing has been good for steelhead and some coho. Flows on the Hoh are below normal for this time of year, so the fish will be wary of large gear or flies. The Bogachiel and Calawah rivers have been producing fish.
Satsop: There still are some coho being caught, said Walt Harvey at Verle’s Sports Center.
Willapa: The river was producing some nice catches of coho earlier this week, some of the fish topping 12 pounds.
Yakima: Look for pools where the water is moving at walking speed, said a staff member at Red’s Fly Shop. Early in the day fish a sculpin pattern on a sink-tip line, using a slow presentation. If you find fish at the surface, try small black WD-40s, zebra midges, brassies or chironomid patterns.
LAKES
Cady: There have been some rainbows. Start with white leeches fished slowly.
Rufus Woods: While the number of triploid rainbows being caught is down, the average size of the fish is bigger, said Anton Jones of Darrell and Dad’s Family Guide Service. Try trolling small blade flies just under the surface or cast quarter-ounce black Roostertails around the lower three net pens. Use green or red Pautzke’s Fire Bait off the bottom with a slip-sinker rig.
SALT WATER
Fly-fishing: The Tacoma Narrows has been very good for catching resident coho. Chartreuse and white Shock and Awes fished on an intermediate-sink line are working well, said Anil Srivastava at Puget Sound Fly Co.
Hoodsport: The action seems to have slowed.
North Sound: Results from the 2011 Resurrection Derby, held earlier this month, shows the San Juans are the place to fish. Walt and Tommy Vanwingerden of Bellingham won the $10,000 first prize with a 22.34-pound chinook. More than 200 anglers brought in 96 fish during the two-day event. Look for the fish feeding on candlefish on the bottom.
Tacoma: Lots of bait is being seen in the area, but only a few small chinook are being caught, said Tom Pollack of Sportco. The best action in recent days has been in the Redondo area and around Three Tree Point. Crabbing has been very good from Three Tree Point to Redondo and Dumas Bay, he said, as well as around the mouth of the Puyallup River and Quartermaster Harbor. Squidding remains good in the Tacoma area and up to Port Orchard.
Jeffrey P. Mayor: 253-597-8640 jeff.mayor@thenewstribune.com blog.thenewstribune.com/adventure
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