There are positive reports from around the region, whether you prefer to fish for salmon or trout. Among the hot spots are Neah Bay, Riffe Lake for landlocked silver salmon, and the lower Columbia River for steelhead.
RIVERS
Columbia: Steelhead fishing in the lower river has been better than that for chinook. Last week the state sampled 2,039 anglers who had 37 adult and three jack summer chinook, 681 summer-run steelhead and 23 sockeye. Sturgeon fishing has been best from Vancouver downstream to Longview.
Cowlitz: Fishing has been fair to good, with more fish being caught up to Barrier Dam, including steelhead and spring chinook. Some of the springers are getting a little color, but anglers are catching some bright fish, said Marshall Borsom at Fish Country. People are using eggs and sand shrimp, as well as corkies and yarn, spoons and jigs with a bobber. The return of hatchery steelhead was at 2,733 fish as of Monday, up from 1,756 fish at the same time last year.
Skykomish: Hatchery chinook fishing has been fair to good since it opened Saturday, said Mike Chamberlain at Ted’s Sports Center. Boaters are having more success because they can cover more water. People also are catching summer-run steelhead.
Yakima: A mudslide on the Teanaway River had muddied the lower river, but that has cleared up, said a staffer at Red’s Fly Shop. Look to use large dry flies, like a hopper or Chubby Chernobyl, then switch to caddis flies in the evening.
LAKES
Black: Trout fishing has been good in the last week. Fly anglers are doing well pulling dark-colored Woolly Buggers, while trollers are using Wedding Rings.
Clear (Pierce): The lake has been producing some good catches of kokanee. Try trolling a Wedding Ring-style lure behind a pink-colored dodger. Anglers have been baiting their lures with corn or maggots.
Mayfield: Trout fishing is still pretty slow, with only a few boaters catching fish now and then.
Riffe: Silver salmon action remains very good. People are catching fish on just about anything right now – Kastmasters, Super Dupers, Roostertails, worms, corn or cocktail shrimp.
Tapps: Anglers have been hooking some smaller smallmouth bass and tiger muskies, but are having a hard time getting the big fish to bite.
SALT WATER
Ocean: Some of the best action has been out of Neah Bay, where anglers were averaging more than a fish person. The catch is almost evenly split between chinook and coho. At Westport, chinook action has slowed a bit but remains very good.
South Sound: Salmon fishing has been very slow, based on creel sample reports from the state. A check of anglers at two locations – Zittel’s Marina and the Harstine Island ramp – showed the few anglers who went out over the weekend came back empty-handed.
Strait of Juan de Fuca: Waters off Sekiu and Port Angeles seem to be the most productive right now, with good catches of chinook and coho.
Tacoma: Fishing for chinook remains fairly good. People are trolling with spoons in light colors trailing behind a flasher in glow green off Owen Beach and the clay banks. Sometimes it helps to put a piece of herring on the spoon, one angler reported.
jeff.mayor@thenewstribune.com 253-597-8640 blog.thenewstribune.com/adventure
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