The News Tribune

There are some good fishing opportunities out there, it’s a question of the weather allowing people to get on the water. River anglers might want to make a trip to the Wind River (Skamania County), while tiger muskie fans should consider Mayfield Lake.

RIVERS

Columbia: Boat anglers in the Kalama area averaged nearly a dozen shad per rod. Bank anglers in the Camas/Washougal area were also catching shad. Bonneville Dam daily counts are more than 1,000 fish per day.

Cowlitz: Fishing overall is fair but varies from day to day. Anglers are catching more summer-run steelhead, just not in great numbers, said Marshall Borsom of Fish Country.

Kalama: Some spring chinook and steelhead are being caught, a state report said. Through Friday, just 16 adult spring chinook – including 10 unmarked fish – had returned to Kalama Falls Hatchery. Through the same time last year, only 11 fish had returned. The hatchery escapement goal is 390 adults.

Klickitat: Including fish released, bank anglers from the Fisher Hill Bridge downstream averaged a fish per every other rod. Some bright chinook are still being caught.

Lewis: Few people have been fishing the river. Is the catch down because of that, or because the fish aren’t biting? As of Friday, 141 adults, including four unmarked fish, had returned to the traps. There were 200-500 fish in the trap Monday. The hatchery escapement goal is 1,277 adults.

Rocky Ford: The spring creek is producing some large fish on small flies. Try using size 20 Olive Scuds or Zebra Midges, or a size 18 RS-2 Emerger, a report from Red’s Fly Shop said.

Wind: Boat anglers were doing about the same as the previous week, a little better than a fish per every three rods. Anglers in the gorge are also catching some fish, a state report said.

Yakima: The river is high, with flows topping 6,300 cubic feet per second (cfs) Tuesday morning, make fishing difficult.

LAKES

American: Kokanee fishing has slowed recently, according to online reports. People have been catching some rainbow trout and some bass.

Mayfield: Tiger muskies seem to be on the move and willing to bite. Todd Reis of Extreme Musky Guide Service said he and a friend caught and landed eight fish Saturday. The two biggest each measured 441/2 inches long.

Omak: Fishing for Lahontan cutthroat trout has been very good. Anton Jones of Darrell and Dad’s Family Guide Service said the fish were averaging about 20 inches. He said they were trolling around 2 mph with Silver Horde’s Kingfisher Lite spoons.

Riffe: The lake is still producing good catches of silver salmon. Try some spinners, worms, cocktail shrimp and white corn. The key is adjusting the depth until the fish are found.

St. Clair: The lake has been producing good catches of bluegill, with an occasional trout in the mix. Fishing with a worm under a bobber is the way to go.

Tanwax: Fishing has been very good. Most anglers are catching limits from the dock or boats. People are trolling with Wedding Rings and a worm, or fishing with worms or PowerBait, said Dave Potter at Rainbow RV Resort.

SALT WATER

North Sound: Lingcod fishing is fair, based on fish sampling at the Coronet Bay boat ramp.

South Sound: Lingcod fishing has been fair but slowed by the wind and rain early this week. Salmon fishing in Marine Area 13 has been on the slow side. Point Gibson and Green Point are your best bets.

Strait of Juan de Fuca: Halibut fishing has slowed some, according to state sampling reports. Some of the better action has been near Sequim.