Fishery managers from Washington and Oregon are meeting this morning in Portland to review salmon and steelhead stock status and consider non-Indian commercial and recreational fishing seasons in the Columbia River and select areas. The discussions will include the recreational spring salmon fisheries.
Rivers
Columbia: The best sturgeon action has been in the Bonneville Pool, where boat anglers averaged about a legal-size fish kept per every nine rods. Anglers in the lower river caught some sublegal-size fish. Boat anglers are catching some walleye in the John Day Pool.
Cowlitz: Steelhead fishing has been very slow. A state creel sample of 13 bank anglers showed no catch, and eight boat anglers kept just one steelhead. Thursday will be the last day to fish the lower end of Blue and Mill creeks in the current two-month season.
Klickitat: Thursday is the last day to fish for salmon until spring on the stretch from the Fisher Hill Bridge downstream.
Olympic Coast: Steelhead action has been spotty for the most part, but the fish being caught tend to be fairly large. The Sol Duc and the Hoh have been the most consistent producers. Fishing on Bogachiel has been best in the lower river.
Rocky Ford: Trout fishing on this small stream has been fair to good. People report success using beaded midges drifted under an indicator.
Skookumchuck: Steelhead action has been very slow.
Snoqualmie: People are still catching steelhead. The water color is a bit murky. Anglers are using orange/yellow jigs fished under a float.
Wallace: People fishing around the state Route 2 bridge are using worms to catch some hefty Dolly Varden — some weighing around 5 pounds.
Washougal: A state creel check showed 39 bank anglers who kept six steelhead and released one hatchery and two wild fish. Also, 23 boat anglers released eight hatchery and one wild steelhead.
Wynoochee: The river is in good shape, and the steelhead fishing has been fair to good for boat anglers. People are using pink jigs under a float or fishing with eggs.
Yakima: Streamers mimicking a sculpin are working well. Cast into deeper water on the inside of seams, let the fly sink and then begin stripping it in.
Salt water
North Sound: Salmon action has been a bit on the slow side overall, with the best action around the San Juan Islands.
South Sound: Salmon fishing below the Tacoma Narrows Bridges remains slow, in part because few people have been on the water. People are finding some fish off Point Gibson. Salmon fishing in Marine Area 11 reopens Friday; local docks are open to salmon fishing already.
Lakes
American: Power Eggs fished off the bottom, in green or yellow, continue to produce good catches of rainbow trout. Others report catching trout while trolling a flatfish.
Rattlesnake: People are catching some trout with flies fished close to the bottom near the shore. Try a black Woolly Bugger or a dark-colored baitfish pattern.
Roses: People wanting to do some ice fishing might want to make the trip to this Chelan County lake. People are catching some hefty trout using maggots on a jig. The fishing has been better later in the day.
Washington: Anglers are catching some cutthroat trout, but the action is far from hot. One angler reported success trolling about 25 feet down in water 45 feet deep. He was using a pink/green plug behind a yellow flasher with green highlights.
Contributors: State Department of Fish and Wildlife, washingtonlakes.com, Art Tachell at Point Defiance Boathouse, gamefishin.com, washingtonflyfishing.com, Waters West. Jeffrey P. Mayor: 253-597-8640 jeff.mayor@thenewstribune.com blog.thenewstribune.com/adventure
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