The News Tribune

For sockeye salmon anglers, there is good news coming from the Columbia River.

The counts at Bonneville Dam are tracking as expected, said Joe Hymer, state fish biologist.

A record return of 462,000 fish is expected in the Columbia this year.

The daily count hit 22,164 fish Thursday. In the past five years, the run has peaked in the last weeks of June.

LAKES

Black: The lake has been producing some largemouth and rock bass, just not in great numbers. One angler wrote online that he was having some success with a maggot-tipped jig. Trout fishing has been good, especially for people trolling Smile-blade flies behind some split shot sinkers to get the gear down 6-10 feet.

Limerick: Trout fishing has been good to very good. Bank anglers are using dough bait or worms, and boaters are trolling Wedding Rings, Roostertails or pop gear, said Ron Adams at Verle’s Sports Center.

Mineral: The pressure has been light this week, but people are still catching plenty of trout, said Cal Upton at Mineral Lake Resort. People are using worms and marshmallows or dough baits. Boat anglers are trolling chartreuse, black or green woolly buggers in the northeast corner of the lake.

Offut: Fishing remains good, with lots of limits of trout being caught most days, said Becky Pogue at Offut Lake Resort. The fishing has been steady throughout the day. People are trolling with little spinners or fishing dough bait and worms off the bottom.

Stevens: The lake has been producing good catches of kokanee. They are holding deep, so get your gear down 55-70 feet deep, said Mike Chamberlain of Ted’s Sports Center in Lynnwood.

SALT WATER

North Sound: The Edmonds Pier is open for salmon fishing and some good-size chinook have been caught – up to 17 pounds. Try typical pier lures such as Point Wilson Darts.

Tacoma: The Point Defiance Boathouse Marina reports that fishing in the area is fair. Anglers need to put in some work to get salmon but are being rewarded with catches ranging from 6 to 30 pounds. Try mooching, jigging or trolling near the Clay Banks, Dalco and Point Evans.

South Sound: Mike Zittel of Zittel’s Johnson Point Marina says a few people are having success, with one recently catching his limit. Most catches are 8-12 pounds and are caught trolling. Herring has been the most popular form of bait, Zittel said. He said there isn’t one hot spot.

Sekiu: Olson’s Resort reports that bottom fishing has been good west of the Sekiu River. The resort will host a halibut derby this weekend. The halibut are biting between Eagle Point and the river.

RIVERS

Skagit River: A section of the river between Mount Vernon and Sedro-Woolley open for the first time is proving to be a great place to catch sockeye. “People have been wondering how good it was going to be,” Chamberlain said. “Hands down, it’s been great.” Chamberlain recommends using sand shrimp, but fishing the seams.

Yakima: Fishing has been good when flows are on the decline. The roller coaster of rising and falling water levels seems to be on a 24-hour cycle, said a staffer at The Evening Hatch. It was on the rise late Friday morning. When feeding, the trout are hitting small pale morning dun and caddis nymph and emerger patterns.

Wynoochee: It’s a question of timing when it comes to catching steelhead, Adams said. Some days the catching is very good; the next day you have to work hard to land one or two fish. People are using bobber and jigs or shrimp and eggs.