The second razor-clam dig of the season will get under way at four ocean beaches Saturday. The state Department of Fish and Wildlife approved the dig after marine toxin tests confirmed the clams are safe to eat.
Twin Harbors beach will open for digging at noon Saturday through Tuesday. The other beaches – Long Beach, Copalis and Mocrocks – will open for digging Saturday and Sunday.
Digging days and evening low tides for beaches scheduled to open are:
Saturday: 5:57 p.m., plus-0.2 feet, Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis, Mocrocks
Sunday: 6:36 p.m., minus-0.1 feet, Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis, Mocrocks
Monday: 7:12 p.m., minus-0.3 feet, Twin Harbors
Tuesday: 7:46 p.m., minus-0.4 feet, Twin Harbors
LAKES
Chelan: The best lake trout action has been trolling early in the morning near the Yacht Club in water 120-140 feet deep. As the sun gets higher during the day, move to water that is more than 200 feet deep. Try using Worden’s Lures T4 purple glow flatfish. Or use Mack’s Lures Cha Cha Squidders or Silver Horde’s Ace Hi Flies off a downrigger.
Dry Falls: Trout fishing has been good, with some fishing reaching 18 inches. Dark leeches and callibaetis nymphs are working well.
Rufus Woods: Black marabou jigs have been effective as of late. If the triploid rainbow trout won’t hit your artificial offerings, try a slip-sinker rig with Pautzke’s Firebait in American Wildfire. Remember, the heavier the current, the longer your leader needs to be.
RIVERS
Carbon: Fishing has been mixed in recent days, with the action hot one day and slow the next. Corkies and yarn in red or pink is the way to start.
Columbia: Fishing below Bonneville Dam remains slow. Last week the state sampled 228 anglers with a result of two adult and two jack fall chinook, two steelhead and seven adult and two jack coho. Bank anglers are catching some legal-size sturgeon in The Dalles Pool.
Cowlitz: A mixture of fall chinook, coho, summer-run steelhead and sea-run cutthroat trout is being caught. Last week, Tacoma Power recovered 2,773 coho adults, 928 jacks, 983 fall chinook adults, 79 jacks, 128 summer-run steelhead and 44 cutthroat trout during seven days of operations at the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator.
Humptulips: Fishing has been fair to good. Anglers are catching chum and a few chinook. It’s the best action in the area, as reports from the Satsop and Wynoochee indicate fishing is slow.
Kennedy: A creel sample Friday counted 15 chum salmon caught by the 17 anglers checked.
Lewis: Boat anglers in the mainstem are catching some coho and steelhead while fall chinook are the dominant catch in the North Fork.
Tilton: Last week, Tacoma Power employees released 1,082 coho adults, 157 jacks, 344 fall chinook adults, 34 jacks and 12 cutthroat trout into the river at Gust Backstrom Park in Morton.
Yakima: Trout fishing has been good. Nymphing with Baetis patterns throughout the day has been productive. Try a Red Attacker or a beadhead Pheasant tail in sizes 14-18. Smaller stonefly nymphs also have produced some trout.
SALT WATER
Hood Canal: Chum salmon are starting to show up at the Hoodsport hatchery. A check of 17 anglers Sunday showed they had five chum and one coho.
South Sound: The action over the weekend was very slow. Creel samples at boat ramps over the weekend in Tacoma and Olympia showed less than a handful of chinook and coho had been caught.
Contributors: Anton Jones at Darrell and Dad’s Family Guide Service, state Department of Fish and Wildlife, washingtonlakes.com, washingtonflyfishing.com. Jeffrey P. Mayor: 253-597-8640 jeff.mayor@thenewstribune.com blog.thenewstribune.com/adventure
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