Rivers and streams are the best option right now. The Satsop has been productive in recent days, and Minter Creek continues to attract lots of people eager to hook a chum salmon. Lake fishing for trout has been hit and miss, in large part because of the cold weather.
RIVERS
Columbia: Few people have been on the river and even fewer fish are being caught, including sturgeon.
Cowlitz: There have been reports of good steelhead fishing in the Blue Creek area. Boat anglers are side drifting or running divers with eggs, coon shrimp or sand shrimp, Bank anglers are using corky and yarn, jig and bobber, small beads with sand shrimp or spinners, said Marshall Borsom at Fish Country. A few B run coho are still being caught all the way up to Barrier Dam. Last week Tacoma Power.
Green: The fishing has been slowed by low and clear water conditions.
Kalama: Anglers are catching some coho and steelhead, said a state report.
Lewis: The action for steelhead has improved, especially around the salmon hatchery, said a state report. Colvin Creek, upstream to the overhead powerlines below Merwin Dam, opens for chinook, hatchery coho and hatchery steelhead fishing on Friday.
Minter: The fish are dark, but still plentiful. That also means crowds of anglers.
Nisqually: People are starting to catch some more chum salmon, but the action is far from great.
Olympic Coast: The Bogachiel has been producing good catches of steelhead. People are using pink corkies and eggs, or jigs tipped with sand shrimp. The river is low and clear, so try to get on the river during low light.
Puyallup: A few chum salmon are being caught near the treatment plant, but no one is hooking any steelhead at this time. Try using a pink jig under a float.
Satsop: There are some online reports of good action for coho and some steelhead. Eggs fished under a bobber seem to be a good way to start.
Tilton: During last week 474 coho adults, 25 jacks, 48 fall chinook adults, four jacks and three cutthroat trout were released into the river at Gust Backstrom Park in Morton.
SALTWATER
Tacoma: The salmon fishing has been so so, said Art Tachell at Point Defiance Boathouse. Most of the fish are on the small side, but some fish are topping 10 pounds.
LAKES
Chelan: Trolling Ace Hi flies in the Trench has been producing good catches of lake trout, said Joe Heinlen of Lake Chelan Adventures.
Mayfield: The action for trout is picking up. Try near Mayfield Lake Resort and Ike Kinsawa State Park, Borsom said.
Riffe: Some people are catching a few silvers now, but they are pretty small.
Jeffrey P. Mayor, Staff writer Jeffrey P. Mayor: 253-597-8640 jeff.mayor @thenewstribune.com
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