Some of the best fishing has been in the Strait of Juan de Fuca off Sekiu, where anglers are catching plenty of chinook and coho. Trout fishing is improving in some places, but it’s slowing down in shallower lakes that are warming up.
RIVERS
Columbia (below Bonneville Dam): A check last week of 2,691 anglers showed a catch of 885 steelhead, 15 adult and seven jack summer chinook, and two sockeye. The greatest concentration of anglers was off the Washington bank with 635 anglers counted Saturday. The best sturgeon fishing was in the stretch from the Wauna powerlines to Marker 82, where 282 sturgeon anglers kept 43 legal-size fish.
Columbia (Brewster Pool): Sockeye salmon continue to be caught, although the action is up one day and down the next. Try using a big Mack’s Lures Double D Dodger with a Mack’s Mini Cha Cha Squidder in pink-and-white on a 12-inch leader. Bait the hooks with chunks of cured shrimp.
Cowlitz: The fishing has been good in recent days. Bank anglers near Barrier Dam are doing fairly well for steelhead, said Marshall Borsom of Fish Country. The fish are weighing 6-8 pounds and are hitting sand shrimp, shrimp with eggs, jig and bobber and spoons. Boat anglers are not doing as well.
South Fork Toutle: A state check of about a dozen anglers showed no steelhead had been caught. The fishing is reported to be much better on the Green.
Wynoochee: People are catching a steelhead here and there, said Ron Adams at Verle’s Sports Center. Most people are using a bobber and jig in a nightmare pattern.
Yakima: The best fishing has been in the morning and evening. The trout look for large stoneflies on the surface. Use purple or black dry flies. Some grasshoppers are showing up along the banks.
LAKES
Mayfield: Trout fishing is finally starting to pick up, with the best action in the Tilton Arm. Boaters are trolling Wedding Rings and pop gear, tipped with worm or corn. From the bank, try dough bait with worm.
Merwin: The lake is fishing well for tiger muskies. The fish are holding amid the growing weed beds and among fallen trees along the shore, said Todd Reis of Reis’ Extreme Musky Guide Service. He has been landing fish measuring around 40 inches using 6-inch jointed swimbaits.
Riffe: The lake is still producing silver salmon for just about everyone. They are biting just about anything right now, including cocktail shrimp, worms, corn and any kind of spinner, Borsom said.
Summit: The lake is producing some decent catches of kokanee along with some rainbow trout. Try trolling a silver dodger trailed by a light-colored Wedding Ring.
SALT WATER
Hood Canal: A few chinook are being caught, but the action is far from hot, Adams said.
Sekiu: The salmon fishing has been good, with anglers catching mostly chinook but also a fair number of coho. There were 281 anglers checked by the state at Sekiu docks Saturday, and their catch included 111 chinook and 66 coho.
South Sound: Salmon fishing has been on the slow side; only a handful of chinook have been brought back to local docks, based on state sampling reports. At the Point Defiance public ramp on Saturday, for example, 193 anglers were checked and they brought in eight chinook and one coho. A few chinook are being caught in the Nisqually area.
jeff.mayor@thenewstribune.com 253-597-8640 blog.thenewstribune.com/adventure
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