FISHING REPORT

SALT WATER

Fly fishing: There are still a lot of coho in the South Sound and Hood Canal. The next three weeks or so should also see some very good sea-run cutthroat trout fishing. Chum salmon have started to return to Hood Canal and can be found north of the Tacoma Narrows Bridges as well. The chum returning to Gig Harbor and Key Peninsula creeks won’t start to show until around Veterans Day.

South Sound: The wind and rain has kept just about everyone off the water. On Sunday, for example, there were just 17 anglers checked during state sampling at five area boat ramps. They had caught three chinook and one coho.

Strait of Juan de Fuca: The number of anglers and fish caught were down over the weekend, but the catch average remains very good. At Sekiu and Port Angeles, the average was more than one coho per person. A few chinook and chum also were caught.

RIVERS

Carbon: The catch numbers improved last week, making the action as good as it has been all year. Eggs fished under a bobber seem to be working best.

Columbia: Salmon fishing below Bonneville Dam has been very slow. Boat anglers off the mouth of the Klickitat are catching fall chinook and an increasing number of coho. In The Dalles Pool, boat anglers are catching some legal-size sturgeon.

Cowlitz: Boat anglers in the lower river are catching a few adult hatchery coho. Flows below Mayfield Dam are about 4,800 cubic feet per second and should remain steady for at least the next week.

Klickitat: Boat and bank anglers on the lower river are catching adult and jack fall chinook.

Lewis: On the lower mainstem, boat anglers are catching some adult hatchery coho, while most of the catch in the North Fork are adult and jack fall chinook. Some steelhead also are being caught on the North Fork.

Methow: The river opened Tuesday for steelhead fishing. It and the Wenatchee River, which also opened Tuesday, should fish well for the next couple of months. The daily limit is two adipose-fin-clipped hatchery steelhead, which must be at least 20 inches. Steelhead with an intact adipose fin must be immediately released unharmed without being removed from the water.

Nisqually: Fishing is slow, with only a handful of coho being caught.

Puyallup: The fishing is poor at best.

Snohomish: The lower river continues to put out some coho, and the fishery should be good for the next few weeks. With little bank access, this is mainly a boat fishery. Most people are trolling plugs.

Yakima: The trout fishing has been fair to good. Dry fly anglers should try size 18 baetis or size 16 mahogany duns. Nymphing remains productive using size 16-20 flashback pheasant tails, Lightning bugs or WD-40s.

LAKES

American: Reports are the action for rainbow trout has been very good. Try fishing dough bait off the bottom. Yellow has been an effective color. One angler reported landing a 25-inch trout.

Mayfield: Trout fishing has been fair to good, with the fish holding in shallower water. Try fishing Power Eggs under a bobber.

Nahwatzel: Trout action has been very good in recent days. Try trolling a pink Wedding Ring tipped with a worm.

Summit: Trout fishing has been fair to good. Try trolling a fly such as a dark-colored woolly bugger.

PLAN YOUR 2012 CLAM DIGS

Clam diggers can get out their calendars and plan their next trip to the beach. The state Department of Fish and Wildlife has released the dates for proposed razor clam digs through the end of the year.

The announcement comes as the first dig of the season winds down today and Thursday at Twin Harbors.

Starting Oct. 27, Twin Harbors will be open for four consecutive evening digs if marine toxin tests show the clams are safe to eat. Three other beaches – Long Beach, Copalis and Mocrocks – also are scheduled to open for digging Oct. 27-28 if test results are favorable.

All razor clam digs proposed through the end of the year are scheduled on low evening tides; no digging is allowed before noon on any day. Additional digs will be announced for 2013 early in the new year.

The proposed digs through Dec. 31:

Oct. 27: 5:57 p.m., +0.2 feet, Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis, Mocrocks.

Oct. 28: 6:36 p.m., -0.1 feet, Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis, Mocrocks.

Oct. 29: 7:12 p.m., -0.3 feet, Twin Harbors.

Oct. 30: 7:46 p.m., -0.4 feet, Twin Harbors.

Nov. 13: 5:54 p.m., -1.6 feet, Twin Harbors.

Nov. 14: 6:41 p.m., -1.9 feet, Twin Harbors.

Nov. 15: 7:29 p.m., -1.9 feet, Long Beach, Twin Harbors.

Nov. 16: 8:18 p.m., -1.6 feet, Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis, Mocrocks.

Nov. 17: 9:09 p.m., -1.1 feet, Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis, Mocrocks.

Nov. 26: 5:16 p.m., -0.1 feet, Twin Harbors.

Nov. 27: 5:52 p.m., -0.3 feet, Twin Harbors.

Nov. 28: 6:27 p.m., -0.4 feet, Twin Harbors.

Nov. 29: 7:01 p.m., -0.4 feet, Long Beach, Twin Harbors.

Nov. 30: 7:35 p.m., -0.3 feet, Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis, Mocrocks.

Dec. 1: 8:10 p.m., -0.1 feet, Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis, Mocrocks.

Dec. 11: 4:51 p.m., -1.1 feet, Twin Harbors.

Dec. 12: 5:40 p.m., -1.6 feet, Twin Harbors.

Dec. 13: 6:29 p.m., -1.9 feet, Twin Harbors.

Dec. 14: 7:15 p.m., -1.8 feet, Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis, Mocrocks.

Dec. 15: 8:01 p.m., -1.6 feet, Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis, Mocrocks.

Dec. 16: 8:47 p.m., -1.0 feet, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks.

Dec. 28: 6:42 p.m., -0.3 feet, Twin Harbors.

Dec. 29: 7:15 p.m., -0.3 feet, Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks.

Dec. 30: 7:47 p.m., -0.2 feet, Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis, Mocrocks.

Dec. 31: 8:20 p.m., 0.0, Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis, Mocrocks.

Jeffrey P. Mayor: 253-597-8640 jeff.mayor@ thenewstribune.com blog.thenewstribune.com/adventure Contributing to this report: Blake Merwin of Gig Harbor Fly Shop, state Department of Fish and Wildlife, Mike Chamberlain at Ted’s Sports Center, washingtonlakes.com, gamefishin.com, Verle’s Sports Center, Big J’s Outdoors Store, Wholesale Sports (Lacey). Staff report