Fall ushers in great salmon and steelhead fishing

On the east side of the Cascades, a selective fishery for hatchery steelhead will get under way Oct. 6 on the upper Columbia River from Wells Dam upstream to the Highway 17 Bridge at Bridgeport, and on portions of the Methow and Okanogan rivers. On Oct. 22, hatchery steelhead fisheries also will open on the mainstem Columbia River from the Rock Island Dam to Wells Dam, as well as a 20-mile stretch of the Wenatchee River.

In all those areas, anglers are required to release any steelhead they encounter with an intact adipose fin, and those bearing an anchor tag. For more information, see the regional report for North Central Washington below.


"This is a reproduction of a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife document and is not the official document or regulations of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. The accuracy of the reproduction cannot be guaranteed by WDFW."

Meanwhile, coho salmon are moving into a number of rivers and streams in Western Washington, providing a range of fishing opportunities in the weeks ahead. Nearly a thousand late-run coho returned to the Cowlitz River Hatchery during the last week of September, and thousands more are on the way, said Joe Hymer, a WDFW fish biologist in the southwest region of the state.

Hymer noted that a "bonus bag" limit is in effect on the Cowlitz River, allowing anglers to catch and keep up to six hatchery-reared coho per day. "We want to give anglers every opportunity to catch those hatchery fish," he said, adding that coho with an intact adipose fin must be released.





North Puget Sound

Fishing: The coho salmon catch has improved this year in Puget Sound, and saltwater anglers fishing for silvers should continue to do well over the next couple weeks as the run pushes into the region's rivers and streams.
"We normally start to transition in the marine areas from coho to blackmouth and chum salmon about mid-October," said Steve Thiesfeld, a fish biologist with WDFW. "So saltwater anglers should still have a shot at catching some nice silvers in the next couple of weeks."

Anglers who took part in the recent Everett Coho Derby benefited from a better bite this fall. A record catch of 1,166 coho was weighed in during the two-day event. That's well above last year's total of 410 silvers. Adam Dierck turned out to be the derby's big winner. Dierck hauled in a 17.11-pound coho, taking home the $2,500 first prize in the adult division. Larry Munson, who weighed in a 15.98-pound coho, finished second and pocketed $1,500, while Marcella Rockenbach's 15.79-pound silver was good enough for third place and $1,000. In the kids' division, Jason Nemnich took first with a 13.07-pound coho.

Anglers looking to get an early start on the region's blackmouth season can head to Marine Area 7 (San Juan Islands), where they can keep one chinook as part of a two-salmon daily limit. Blackmouth fishing opportunities will expand Oct. 16, when anglers in Marine Area 10 (Seattle/Bremerton) also will be allowed to keep one chinook as part of that area's daily limit of two salmon.

In the freshwater, several rivers are open for salmon, including portions of the Stillaguamish and Skagit. Anglers fishing the Stillaguamish have a daily limit of two salmon, plus two additional pink salmon, but must release chinook. Anglers on the Skagit River are allowed two salmon daily, but must release chinook and pink salmon.

Elsewhere, anglers fishing on Lake Sammamish have a daily limit of two salmon measuring at least 12 inches. All sockeye must be released, and salmon fishing is closed within 100 yards of the mouth of Issaquah Creek. Lake Washington also is open for salmon. Anglers have a daily limit of two coho per day (minimum size 12 inches) from waters north of the Highway 520 Bridge and east of the Montlake Bridge. Chinook salmon must be released.

Before heading out, anglers should check the rules and regulations for all freshwater and saltwater fisheries in WDFW's Fishing in Washington pamphlet (http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regs/fishregs.htm).

South Sound/Olympic Peninsula


Fishing: With salmon moving from the coast to area bays and rivers, anglers have a number of new fishing areas to consider, ranging from the Strait of Juan de Fuca to southern Puget Sound. On the other hand, those still hoping to catch some ocean salmon can do so off La Push, where the late-season fishery continues through Oct. 7.
Steve Thiesfeld, WDFW fish biologist, is encouraging anglers to take advantage of a new fishery that opened Oct. 1 in Marine Area 6 (Port Angeles). "The entire area's open for fishing and people can keep wild or hatchery coho and blackmouth," he said. "We've had a great season this year and folks should get out there before it closes in November." The daily combined limit is two and anglers can keep one chinook.

A non-selective blackmouth fishery also opened Oct. 1 in Marine Area 11 (Vashon Island to the Tacoma Narrows Bridge), where anglers will be allowed to retain wild chinook. Anglers in Marine Area 13 may also retain wild chinook, but must release all wild coho through Oct. 31. Other fishing opportunities coming up in Puget Sound include chum and blackmouth retention in all of Hood Canal beginning Oct. 16.

More area rivers also open for fall fishing Oct. 16. A portion of the Dungeness River in Clallam County opens for trout and coho only. A section of the Hoh River from Willoughby Creek to Morgan's Crossing boat launch also opens for salmon fishing Oct. 16. In Pacific County, anglers can start fishing for salmon in the Willapa River from the Highway 6 Bridge to Fork Creek. Anglers are advised to check WDFW's 2006/2007 Fishing in Washington pamphlet (http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regs/fishregs.htm) for details before fishing these waters.

Meanwhile, many anglers showed up Oct. 1 for river openings in Grays Harbor County but left empty-handed, said Scott Barbour, WDFW fish biologist. "It could be the weather," he said. "We've had some heavy rains and the rivers were blown out. When that happens the fish have a tendency to move and don't bite much."

Even though anglers were posted all along the Chehalis and at least 100 boats dotted John's River, only about 20 chinook were taken on opening day, said Barbour. Anglers didn't fair any better in Grays Harbor either where the effort was high, but the catch was low. "It can only get better," he said.

Farther north, the recent rain along the north coast is bringing salmon into the Quillayute system, said Mike Gross, WDFW fish biologist. But it's a mixed blessing. "The area finally got some much-needed rain, but too much makes the water murky and fishing becomes difficult," Gross said. Still, the fish are showing up, especially in the Sol Duc where anglers are mainly finding coho.

Gross reminds those fishing the Quillayute system that new selective gear rules are in effect through Oct. 31 and that all wild coho must be released. Before heading out, check WDFW's 2006/2007 Fishing in Washington pamphlet (http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regs/fishregs.htm) for details.

Southwest Washington:


Fishing: Anglers can again retain chinook salmon they catch in the mainstem Columbia River, although they should also be aware that late-run hatchery coho are moving into the Cowlitz River and other tributaries in increasing numbers. Sturgeon fishing, meanwhile, continues to be productive from the Wauna power lines upstream to Bonneville Dam, where the fishery is now scheduled to remain open seven days per week through the end of the year.
After closing for several days late last month, the retention fishery for chinook was reopened to Columbia River anglers from Buoy 10 at the river mouth up to the Highway 395 Bridge in Pasco. A late surge of upper river brights past Bonneville Dam immediately following the closure boosted the projected run size, allowing fishery managers to reopen the catch-and-keep sport fishery for chinook, said Cindy LeFleur, Columbia River policy advisor for WDFW.

"At the lower run size, the commercial fishery still had some chinook salmon available under its allocation, but the recreational fishery had already taken its share," LeFleur said. "But with more fish coming in, both sectors will be able to keep fishing for chinook."

While catch rates for chinook have been fairly low in the lower river, the fishery is still going strong in the Bonneville Pool. During the sampling period ending Sept. 30, a total of 41 boat anglers were interviewed with 24 adult chinook, 16 jacks, six hatchery coho and six hatchery steelhead. Anglers have also been catching some chinook and coho on the Klickitat River, which remains open to chinook under permanent rules.

Unlike the Klickitat River, nine tributaries to the lower Columbia River have been closed to chinook retention in an effort to protect wild "tule" stocks, listed for protection under the federal Endangered Species Act. Those rivers include the Cowlitz, Lewis, North Fork Lewis, Elochoman, Toutle, North Fork Toutle, Green (in Cowlitz County), Kalama and Washougal, including Camas Slough.

But fishing for hatchery coho is far from over on several of those rivers, said Joe Hymer, a WDFW fish biologist. Returns of late-run coho are on the rise, and are expected to peak in mid-to-late October in the Cowlitz, Lewis, Elochoman, Kalama and Washougal rivers, as well as the Klickitat River, he said. In addition, recent rains now have early-run coho on the move in the Grays, Elochoman, Kalama, and Toutle rivers.

"The fishery for the early-run stocks won't last long, but could be good if anglers hit it right," Hymer said. "Meanwhile, fishing for the late-run fish should keep getting better over the next few weeks. Last week, nearly a thousand late-run coho returned to the Cowlitz Hatchery, indicating that we're moving into prime time for late coho fishing."

Fishery managers are expecting returns of about 20,000 late-run coho to the Cowlitz River, 8,000 to the Lewis, 2,000 to the Kalama and 1,000 to the Elochoman - all somewhat lower than last year, Hymer said. But "bonus bags" will be in effect, allowing anglers to keep up to four adult hatchery coho per day on most tributaries to the lower Columbia - and six on the Cowlitz River, he said.

"We want to give anglers every opportunity to catch those fish," Hymer said. "This year's returns could easily be higher than expected and it could turn into quite a fishery."

Meanwhile, sturgeon anglers continue to fish seven days per week between Bonneville Dam and the Wauna power lines under a new rule approved by fishery managers from Washington and Oregon late last month. At the time, only 8,400 of the 14,500 white sturgeon available for harvest in that area had been taken, allowing the two states to forgo a previously scheduled shift to a four-day-per-week fishery Oct. 1.

During the weeklong sampling period ending Sept. 30, anglers fishing below Bonneville Dam added 42 legal-size sturgeon to the running catch total and those fishing near Longview added five more. "This is usually the time of year we see the catch start to pick up," said Brad James, another WDFW fish biologist.

Walleye anyone? Four boat anglers fishing off Washougal had 11 on their stringer during a creel check late last month. Trout anglers, on the other hand, might want to try dropping a line in Goose Lake. It was planted with nearly 1,600 one-pound cutthroats Sept. 26.


Eastern Washington:


Fishing: October can be one of the best times to fish for trout in the region's many lakes that remain open through the month. "Water temperatures have dropped with air temperatures and recent rain, and fish are more actively biting than they were last month," said Curt Vail, WDFW northeast district fish biologist of Colville. "Our cutthroat waters are especially good now."
Good bets for cutthroat right now are Browns, Frater, Halfmoon, Marshall, Muskegon, Mystic, No-Name, Petit and Yocum lakes in Pend Oreille County; Deep Lake in Stevens County; and Davis and Long lakes in Ferry County. Some have special rules - Brown Lake is restricted to fly fishing and no motor boats. Muskegon Lake has selective gear rules and two-trout catch limit. So Vail advised reading the regulations pamphlet carefully before fishing.

"McDowell Lake should also be good for rainbows now, since we rehabilitated it last year to get rid of tench," Vail said. "And Starvation Lake's triploid rainbow fry plants should be of good size now." McDowell is on the Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge just east of Colville and Starvation is near the refuge, southeast of Colville. McDowell is fly-fishing-only and catch-and-release with no motorized boats. Starvation has been catch-and-release since June and also has selective gear rules.

The best steelhead catch rates recently measured on the Snake River drainage in the southeast district are in the stretches of the mainstem river from Lower Granite Dam to above the Interstate bridge at Clarkston. There, anglers were spending from a little over six to almost nine hours per steelhead caught. The stretches between Lower Monumental to Little Goose dams and from the Oregon state line to the mouth of the Walla Walla River were averaging between 17 and 18 hours of angling effort per steelhead caught. The complete creel summary through Sept. 30 is available on the Eastern Region webpage at wdfw.wa.gov/fish/creel...index.htm.


North Central Washington:


Fishing: Hatchery steelhead fisheries will open this month on portions of the upper Columbia River and several tributaries, including the first steelhead fishery on the Wenatchee River in 10 years. Starting Oct. 6, anglers will be allowed to fish for hatchery steelhead on the upper Columbia River mainstem - from Wells Dam upstream to 400 feet below Chief Joseph Dam - and on portions of the Methow and Okanogan rivers.
Several other hatchery steelhead fisheries also will open Oct. 22 on the upper Columbia River mainstem, from Rock Island Dam upstream to Wells Dam, as well as a 20-mile stretch of the Wenatchee River. In all fisheries anglers will have a daily limit of two adipose-fin-clipped hatchery steelhead. Steelhead with an intact adipose fin, and those bearing an anchor tag, must be immediately released unharmed without being removed from the water.

For the fisheries in the Columbia River mainstem, statewide freshwater rules apply. In the Okanogan, Methow and Wenatchee rivers, selective gear rules apply. A night closure is in effect for all these open areas.

Approved by NOAA Fisheries, the hatchery steelhead fisheries target an abundant return of hatchery fish that exceeds the number needed to meet spawning goals. Wild steelhead returns to the region are also up this year. The fisheries will not impede recovery of wild steelhead listed for protection under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA), said WDFW Director Jeff Koenings.

"Anglers need to do their part and follow the rules if these selective fishing opportunities are going to continue into the future," Koenings said.

Areas that will open to fishing for hatchery steelhead Oct. 6 include:

Mainstem Columbia River: From Wells Dam upstream to 400 feet below Chief Joseph Dam.

Methow River: From the Highway 97 Bridge in Pateros upstream to the second powerline crossing, and from the first Highway 153 Bridge north of Pateros to the confluence with the Chewuch River in Winthrop. The second powerline crossing upstream to the first Highway 153 Bridge is closed to fishing.

Okanogan River: From the mouth upstream except closed waters from the Lake Osoyoos Control Dam (Zosel Dam) downstream to a quarter mile below the railroad trestle. The area from 500 feet below the Highway 155 Bridge (Central Street) at Omak to a line across the river 500 feet above the mouth of Omak Creek will close March 1, 2008.
Areas opening to fishing for hatchery steelhead Oct. 22 include:

Mainstem Columbia River: From Rock Island Dam upstream to Wells Dam.

Wenatchee River: From the mouth upstream to the Icicle Road Bridge at the west end of Leavenworth.
In addition, the Similkameen River also will open to hatchery steelhead retention later this year. Beginning Nov. 15, anglers can fish for hatchery steelhead from the mouth to the Railroad Trestle Bridge. Additional regulations for the fisheries are available on WDFW's website at wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regs/fishregs.htm.

WDFW district fish biologist Bob Jateff of Omak reports anglers are still catching summer chinook salmon on the Columbia River near the state park in Bridgeport. Chinook fishing within the area above Wells Dam on the Columbia will continue until Oct.15.

Jameson Lake in Douglas County, which has been closed since July 4, just re-opened Oct.1 for a month of rainbow trout fishing. Jateff says prospects are good for rainbows in two age classes - this year's plants up to 11 inches and winter carryovers to 15 inches.

WDFW enforcement officers recently cited some anglers for not playing by the rules at Rat Lake near Brewster in Okanogan County. The 63-acre rainbow and brown trout lake is currently under a catch-and-release season with selective gear rules. WDFW sergeant Jim Brown says anglers were warned during a routine patrol not to use bait or retain fish, but a second check of the lake just two hours later revealed 25 dead rainbows and the use of barbed hooks with bait and multiple lines. Rat Lake shifts to a catch-and-keep season with standard gear on Dec. 1.


South Central Washington:


Fishing: WDFW fish biologist Paul Hoffarth reports salmon angling effort on the Yakima River is picking up. WDFW fish creel staff recently interviewed 118 anglers with an estimated 39 adult salmon and 36 jacks. Anglers interviewed, who represented 22 percent of all those on the water, averaged 18.5 hours per fish caught.
"Yakima River anglers are catching a high percentage of jacks," Hoffarth said. "As of Sept. 30, a total of 49 adult salmon and 51 jacks were harvested."

Salmon fishing on the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River near the Tri-Cities recently jumped, likely due in part to a fishing derby. The last creel check (through Sept. 30) week counted 265 adult chinook and 97 jacks caught compared to 204 adult and 21 jacks at this time last year. Anglers averaged one fish for every two rods, or one fish for every 13.4 pole hours of effort.

Hoffarth said cooler weather and stable water flows may also have contributed to the higher catch rates on the Hanford Reach. Fish condition, with the cooler water temperatures in the low 60s, has been great, he said.

"This is a reproduction of a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife document and is not the official document or regulations of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. The accuracy of the reproduction cannot be guaranteed by WDFW."