RIVERS
Columbia: The steelhead fishing has been fair to good in the John Day Arm. The catch-and-release fishing for white sturgeon has been fair at best.
Green: Anglers are reporting plenty of chum and coho in the river. Effective methods for catching them have been drifting shrimp on a pink jig. Action seems to be best in the upper river, above the state Route 18 bridge.
Kennedy: The chum action is heating up, with more fish entering the creek and drawing a crowd. Many of the fish are already dark. Green is a good color to start with, but it seems that getting your gear in front of the fish is the most important factor.
Olympic Coast: People are catching a mix of early winter-run steelhead, coho and chinook salmon. Flows were on the rise Tuesday afternoon, which could slow the action if they get too high.
Puyallup: People are reporting that the chum salmon are starting to make their way into the river, but we haven’t reached the peak yet. The fish that are biting are hitting anything in green.
Skokomish: The river is full of chum, according to multiple reports. Try fishing with a green or pink jig tipped with a prawn under a bobber. People also are reporting landing some bright coho.
LAKES
Chelan: Trolling Worden Lures T4 Purple Glow Flatfish has been productive for lake trout, as has Mack’s Lures Cha Cha Squidder. Trolling off the yacht club at speeds of 1.2-1.6 mph is working.
Offut: People are catching plenty of rainbow trout, with some fish topping 18 inches. The majority of people are taking home limits. Most people are using pink or green Power Eggs, sometimes tipped with a worm.
Omak: Action for Lahontan cutthroat trout has been fair to good. Try the north end of the lake. Silver Horde Kingfisher Lite spoons in cookies and cream and chartreuse Silver Horde plugs are effective. The fish have varied from 12 inches to 5 pounds.
Washington: Trolling a white shrimp fly in water 40-60 feet deep is producing some decent catches of cutthroat trout. In recent days, the action has been best off the Interstate 90 bridge.
SALTWATER
Beaches: Digging for razor clams continues. Here are the openings and times for low tide: today, 6:41 p.m., -1.9 feet, Twin Harbors; Thursday, 7:29 p.m., -1.9 feet, Long Beach and Twin Harbors; Friday, 8:18 p.m., -1.6 feet, Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis and Mocrocks; and Saturday, 9:09 p.m., -1.1 feet, Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis and Mocrocks.
Fly fishing: The beach action has been pretty good for searun cutthroat trout. People also are still catching some resident coho in the Tacoma Narrows. Baitfish patterns in olive over white are working for both species.
Hoodsport: Creek samples by the state show people are averaging more than a chum per person, and two fish on some days.
South Sound: Salmon fishing has been fair to good, with most boats bringing in blackmouth. They have been trolling live bait close to the bottom off the slag pile, clay banks and Owen Beach. The action for squid has been very good at local docks, especially around 6 p.m.
Jeffrey P. Mayor: 253-597-8640 jeff.mayor@thenewstribune.com blog.thenewstribune.com/adventure Contributing to this report: Anton Jones at Darrell and Dad’s Family Guide Service, state Department of Fish and Wildlife, gamefishin.com, washingtonlakes.com, Point Defiance Boathouse, Jim Kerr of Rain Coast Guides, Anil Srivastava at Puget Sound Fly Co., and Becky Pogue at Offut Lake Resort.
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