The sudden influx of spring chinook and corresponding angler success means the lower Columbia River will shut down after Sunday.
Fisheries managers from Washington and Oregon made the decision Thursday after projections showed anglers will have caught almost 10,000 spring chinook salmon this week. After Sunday, managers estimate the fishery will have caught 88 percent of its early-season allocation.
With the rush of fish, managers are expecting 2,000 to 3,000 boats on the lower river this weekend.
RIVERS
Columbia: The fishing has finally reached the level many people expected, albeit right before the spring season closes. Fishing has been good off Cathlamet and near County Line Park, according to angler reports. Try a Kwikfish in chartreuse.
Olympic Coast: The Sol Duc is the best option for the weekend, as the others are kind of high and dirty, said Bob Gooding at Olympic Sporting Goods. The steelhead fishing has been OK, and there are a few spring chinook being caught.
Yakima: Fishing has been fair to good, even as river conditions have fluctuated. Nymphing has been the most effective method, said a staffer at The Evening Hatch. Try size 14 beadhead flies such as a clinger nymph or holo prince nymph.
LAKES
American: Catching a few kokanee, but no limits at this point. Try trolling a small Wedding Ring tipped with corn behind a dodger.
Lawrence: Lake was planted Tuesday with 196 rainbow trout who weighed 11/2 pounds each. That’s in addition to about 17,000 smaller rainbows planted this spring.
Offut: The fishing success has been weather-dependent, especially on days when the lake warms up, said Becky Pogue at Offut Lake Resort. People are still fishing with Power Bait and a worm on a 1- to 2-foot leader.
Potholes: People are catching rainbow trout off the dock at MarDon Resort, including fish topping 4 pounds, said MarDon’s Annie Meseberg. The resort is serving as the weigh-in site for the 34th annual Potholes Open bass fishing tournament.
Spanaway: Some nice fish are being caught, but no limits, said Bud Herlitzka at Spanaway Park Boathouse. Some brown trout are reaching 22 inches. Try trolling worms for browns or fly fishing with chironomids or trolling with a Henley Special. Some of the rainbow are weighing 3 pounds or more. Trolling is effective, as long as you keep your bait in the top 10 feet of water.
Tapps: Anglers online are reporting catching some smallmouth and largemouth bass. They were working the bottom with plugs.
SALT WATER
Beaches: What will likely be the final razor clam dig of the season opens today. Here are the openings and low tides: today (7:28 a.m., -0.3 feet) and Sunday (8:01 a.m., -0.4 feet), Long Beach and Twin Harbors only; Monday (8:35 a.m., -0.4 feet) at Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis and Mocrocks.
Hood Canal: People are catching some nice blackmouth in the Seabeck and Dabob Bay area, said Tom Nelson of Salmon University. He said the reef in Suquamish Harbor also is putting out fish weighing in the low teens. Most anglers are using Coho Killers fished on the bottom.
North Sound: The blackmouth fishing has been fair in the Hat Island area. People are having success fishing Coho Killer, King Fisher or Coyote spoons behind green flashers. Run them close to bottom 80-120 feet deep.
South Sound: A few fish have been caught near Dolphin Point as well as in the flats east of the Slag Pile, said Tom Pollack at Sportco. The pressure has been very light in the Olympia area, but Devil’s Head remains the best option, said Mike Zittel at Zittel’s Marina.
jeff.mayor@thenewstribune.com 253-597-8640 blog.thenewstribune.com/adventure
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