The News Tribune

Those hoping to catch lingcod this week should be prepared to put in some time.

“The easy fish have been caught,” said Mike Chamberlain of Ted’s Sports Center in Lynnwood.

Most of the lingcod caught in Puget Sound of late seem to have been too small to legally keep, Chamberlain said. “And they’re working pretty hard to get those,” he said.

But there are still anglers catching legal lingcod. The Point Defiance Boathouse Marina reports that you simply have to be willing to put in the work.

RIVERS

Columbia: The mainstem, from the Rocky Point/Tongue Point line upstream to the Interstate 5 Bridge, opens today for hatchery steelhead, hatchery chinook jacks and sockeye. Shad fishing also opens today. But with only a half-dozen fish counted at Bonneville Dam as of Monday and fairly high water, anglers should expect fishing to be slow to begin the season. The number of sturgeon anglers is increasing on the mainstem Columbia. On Saturday, there were 119 boats and 56 bank anglers counted. Bank anglers are catching some legal-size fish in The Dalles Pool.

Cowlitz: Boat and bank fishermen are catching spring chinook. While there are not limits for everyone, the people putting in their time are hooking up, said Marshall Borsom at Fish Country. Boaters are running divers with eggs or shrimp, back bouncing eggs, plugs with herring or sardines. Bank anglers are using eggs with shrimp, corky and yarn, spoons or sand shrimp alone. A few summer-run steelhead are being hooked.

Kalama: Some spring chinook and steelhead are being caught.

Klickitat: More people have been seen fishing, and there are more fish being caught, said a state report. Bank anglers from Fish Hill Bridge downstream averaged an adult chinook per every three rods.

Lewis: Few people have been fishing, and as a result, the catches are light. Flows below Merwin Dam are currently 5,510 cfs, about half of what they were a week ago.

Wind: The effort and catches have been heavy, a state report said. Boat anglers at the mouth averaged better than an adult per every three rods. Some fish are also being caught in the gorge.

Yakima: Water levels have come down some, and the fish are starting to bite. Use caddis pupa patterns under a stonefly nymph, but be sure to fish the slower water, said a staffer at The Evening Hatch.

LAKES

Spanaway: Bud Herlitzka of the Spanaway Park Boat House said trollers using a wedding ring and worms or a fly trailing behind a wedding ring are catching their limit in an hour or two. For still fishing, use worm and marshmallow or Power Bait in the southeast corner of the lake, but Herlitzka said “it’s slow going.”

Stevens: The Lake Stevens Kokanee Derby is Saturday. For information, visit GregsCustomRods.com.

Skagit Valley: Chamberlain said Skagit County lakes such as Lake McMurray and Heart Lake are great places to fish for trout but aren’t getting a lot of pressure.

Sammamish: The bass fishing has been superb the past few weeks, Chamberlain said.

Chelan: The lake trout action has been goof for those people trolling the rocky ledges between Sunnybank and the Monument. Another productive spot is along the south shore of the lower basin, Anton Jones of Darrell and Dad’s Family Guide Service said. The kokanee fishing has been slow.

Drano: Boat anglers averaged an adult chinook kept or released per every four rods while bank anglers averaged one per every three rods, a state report said.

Mayfield: The lake is scheduled to be planted with 65,000 catchable-size rainbows through August, but the fishing remains on the slow side.

Riffe: Fishing is still good for landlocked silver salmon. Borsom said boat anglers fishing much deeper seem to be doing well. They are using the old standbys – cocktail shrimp, worms and white corn.

SALTWATER

South Sound: Salmon fishing is permitted only south of the Narrows Bridge. The action has been slow, said the Point Defiance Boathouse Marina staff. Try trolling with spoons in Wollochet Bay and near Green Point. Or try mooching or jigging on the outgoing tide near Point Gibson.

Fly fishing: Puget Sound cutthroat fishing has been good, according to the Gig Harbor Fly Shop. Cutthroat fishing is catch-and-release.

North Sound: Halibut fishing has been good, Chamberlain said.