LAKES
Chelan: Anglers are catching a pretty decent number of lake trout one day and struggling the next. The area above the Yacht Club and in the flat below Wapato Point have been the best locations. Trolling at 1.2-1.7 mph down within 5 feet of the bottom triggered the bite.
Roses: Ice anglers should look for another option. The lake has water on top of the ice as well as many fissures. It is not recommend getting out on it.
Rufus Woods: People who are still fishing are eking out a few fish, but the action can be very tough. Try using a dough bait such as Pautzke’s Fire Bait in American Wildfire.
Washington: The south end of Mercer Island is producing some cutthroat trout. People are trolling with herring behind a silver-colored dodger, or a chartreuse Ace Hi fly.
RIVERS
Columbia: Last week the state sampled its first spring chinook and summer-run steelhead of the year. During an observation flight Saturday, 48 boats and about 100 bank anglers were counted. Sturgeon fishing has been slow in the lower river and John Day Pool. Starting Friday, through May 15, the mainstem river will be open for retention of shad only during days and in areas open for retention of adipose fin-clipped spring chinook.
Cowlitz: Fishing has been slow. The state did limited sampling last week and there were few to no anglers on the upper river. Last week, Tacoma Power recovered 16 winter-run steelhead, three coho adults and one coho jack during four days of operations at the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator.
methow: The river will open Friday to fishing for steelhead and whitefish. The river will open one hour before sunrise from the mouth to the confluence with the Chewuch River in Winthrop. Fishing from a floating device is prohibited from the second powerline crossing (1 mile upstream from the mouth) to the first state Route 153 bridge (4 miles upstream from the mouth).
Olympic Coast: Steelhead fishing has picked up with the recent rain. The Hoh, Calawah and Sol Duc are good options right now, and river conditions are very good after being blown out over the weekend.
Skookumchuck: Steelhead fishing has improved in the past week. While not great, people are hooking fish with eggs, and drifting jigs tipped with shrimp under a float.
Washougal: A state creel sample of 30 bank anglers showed they released two wild steelhead, while 14 boat anglers kept one hatchery steelhead and released six wild fish.
Wynoochee: People are catching steelhead on most trips. They are drifting eggs or pulling plugs in the runs where they’re seeing fish rolling on the surface.
Yakima: Trout action has been fair to good, with people catching a good number of rainbows in the 17-to-20-inch range. The best action has been mid-day using nymphs like a 20-incher stonefly or a peacock Jimmy legs stone.
SALT WATER
Fly-fishing: There is still some good action for resident coho off Titlow Beach. Fishing for sea-run cutthroat trout has been fair to good. The coho seem to be focusing on euphausiids while cutthroat are hitting baitfish patterns.
South Sound: Salmon fishing has been slow, with the weather hampering the effort. A few fish have been caught off Point Dalco, Quartermaster Harbor area and the slag pile. Try trolling a flasher and spoon 10 feet off the bottom in water 120-150 feet deep.
Contributors: Anton Jones at Darrell and Dad’s Family Guide Service, state Department of Fish and Wildlife, washingtonlakes.com, Joe Rotter at Red’s Fly Shop, Art Tachell at Point Defiance Boathouse, Joe Pombrio at Puget Sound Fly Co. and gamefishin.com. Jeffrey P. Mayor: 253-597-8640 jeff.mayor@thenewstribune.com blog.thenewstribune.com/adventure
JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here
We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.