There are plenty of good options these days. The ocean salmon fishing continues to be consistent. Rivers such as the Skykomish are producing good catches of chinook while the upper Columbia River at Brewster is the place to go for sockeye.
RIVERS
Columbia: Steelhead fishing in the lower river remains good. Last week, the state sampled 2,845 anglers who had 970 steelhead, 32 adult and eight jack summer chinook, and three sockeye. Sturgeon fishing has been best between Woodland and Longview. In the upper river, the sockeye are arriving at the mouth of the Okanagon River.
Try fishing the edge of the old channel just above the depth they show on your sonar, said Anton Jones of Darrell and Dad’s Family Guide Service. He recommends using big chrome dodgers with a large Mack’s Lures Wedding Ring baited with a piece of cured shrimp.
Cowlitz: The steelhead fishing has been fair to good. A state check showed 99 bank anglers kept 60 steelhead, while 159 bank anglers kept eight adult chinook and 30 steelhead.
Klickitat: The steelhead fishing has improved, along with the water conditions. Early in the day or into the evening are the best times to fish, said a report from Red’s Fly Shop.
Lewis: Fishing on the mainstem has been slow. On the North Fork, 47 bank anglers kept five steelhead and released one.
Skykomish: Chinook fishing is good. Anglers are having luck with small spinners.
White Salmon: Pressure has been low, but a state check showed 12 bank anglers kept eight steelhead. Fish were caught equally in the Husum area and at the mouth.
Yakima: Try using a golden stonefly dry followed by a small X-caddis during the evening hatch, said a report from The Evening Hatch. Try the Golden Chubby Chernoble. Nymphing with a size 8 or 10 Pat’s stonefly tight to rock banks has been productive during the day.
LAKES
Chelan: The big lake trout have been biting in the morning just below Wapato Point. Anglers are trolling Worden Lures T4 purple glow flatfish on the Bar in the morning. Look for groups of fish in the trench by about 9 a.m. or so.
Offut: Limits of trout are being caught in fairly short order, according to online reports. Try using dough baits off the bottom.
Summit (Thurston): The kokanee fishing has been good, but not red hot. Pink seems to be the hot color for gear and the fish are holding about 50 feet down.
Swift: People looking for big fish might want to make this trip. The reservoir last week was planted with 1,275 rainbows averaging 6 pounds and 2,605 averaging 11/2 pounds.
Tapps: More tiger muskies are being caught, but not the big fish. Try using red-and-white spoons around the near-shore weed beds.
SALTWATER
South Sound: The salmon fishing has been on the slow side in recent days, based on state sampling reports. The lone bright spot was Sunday when 14 anglers checked at Narrows Marina had eight chinook. The handful of anglers checked at Olympia ramps were empty-handed.
Westport: Reports indicate the tuna are within 40 miles of the coast. Salmon anglers have been catching more coho lately, although the fishing remains good. Look for the salmon west by northwest of the harbor in about 300 feet.
jeff.mayor@thenewstribune.com
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