It certainly is not a surprise, but on Monday fish biologists from Washington and Oregon said the spring chinook run in the Columbia River would not reach the preseason forecast of 314,200 fish.
The count at Bonneville Dam through Monday was 51,427 adult chinook, compared with last year’s count of 100,746 fish in the same period. The recent 10-year average is 103,070.
There was some good news. Monday’s count of 9,081 adults was a season high. Last year, the season high of 15,766 adults was counted May 1.
LAKES
American: Pink gear, from the dodger to the lure to the bait, was the key for one angler who had a successful day fishing for kokanee. Anglers also are catching some rainbow trout off the bottom with worms.
Chelan: In addition to lake trout being caught, anglers fishing from docks and the bank are catching smallmouth bass, cutthroat trout and rainbows. Finding pieces of structure to hit while casting is the key, said Anton Jones of Darrell and Dad’s Family Guide Service. He recommends casting Roostertail spinners in black and brown.
Riffe: Fishermen continue to catch good numbers of silvers near Mossyrock Dam and at the east end by the fishing bridge. People are using worms, cocktail shrimp and/or corn under a bobber and changing the depth until fish are found.
SALT WATER
North Sound: Halibut fishing has been good, especially in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Mutiny Bay, said Mike Chamberlain at Ted’s Sports Center. Fishing for lingcod has tailed off since the opener. Most of the fish being caught now are too small to be kept.
South Sound: The Point Defiance Boathouse will host its fourth annual Lingcod Derby on Saturday. The entry fee is $15 per angler. For information, call 253-591-5325. Lingcod fishing has been fair to good in recent days, said Art Tachell at Point Defiance Boathouse. Salmon fishing south of the Tacoma Narrows Bridges has been slow to fair. Point Gibson and Green Point are good places to try.
RIVERS
Columbia: Some legal-size sturgeon were caught in the Vancouver and Kalama areas. The lower river is scheduled to reopen May 16 for hatchery steelhead, hatchery chinook jacks, sockeye and shad.
Cowlitz: Fishing has been good the last few days. Boat anglers are doing well running divers with bait or back-bouncing eggs and sand shrimp. Bank fishermen also are picking up fish, mostly near Barrier Dam, using eggs, said Marshall Borsom at Fish Country.
Kalama: Anglers are catching some spring chinook and steelhead, said a state report.
Lewis: Some spring chinook and steelhead are being caught on the lower river, but effort and catch on the North Fork remains light. Some anglers, mainly in the mainstem from the railroad bridge to the mouth of the East Fork, are using the new two-pole endorsement, said a state report.
jeff.mayor@thenewstribune.com 253-597-8640 blog.thenewstribune.com/adventure
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