North Puget Sound:

Fishing: Anglers who have been searching for trout in the region's rivers since the June 1 opener have had to pack plenty of patience along with their lures, landing nets and lunches, reports Curt Kraemer, WDFW regional freshwater fish program manager. Heavy rainfall in some watersheds pushed rivers out of shape, while low flows plagued other streams. Perhaps the most eagerly anticipated river opening in the region (if not the state) was King County's Cedar River, which had been off-limits to trout fishing since the mid-'90s, and opened to catch-and-release fishing this month. "The opener on the Cedar was very well attended," Kraemer said, noting that limited access led to nearly shoulder-to-shoulder fishing conditions on many of the river's accessible holes. Low flows in the river also made the fish spook easily. Still, anglers averaged about one trout for every two hours of fishing time, with some trout topping the 20-inch mark. The river is open under selective gear rules. For rivers where trout retention is allowed, the general rule is a daily limit of two fish with a minimum length of 14 inches. For information on a specific river's rules, check the 2004/05 "Fishing in Washington" sport fishing pamphlet. The pamphlet is available at hundreds of retail outlets, or on the Internet. Trout fishing continues on area lakes, including the recently opened Pine Lake, a popular destination in eastern King County. A construction project that blocked access to Pine Lake's only public boat launch resulted in a delayed opening of trout-fishing season there. Kraemer said anglers averaged just more than three nice trout per rod during opening weekend. There have been fresh plants of rainbow trout in a few lakes. Shady and Kathleen lakes in King County recently received plants of 2,000 catchable-sized rainbows, while Snohomish County's Goodwin Lake received a plant of more than 2,500 trout. Anglers going after trout might do best to fish early in the morning or late in the day when the fish are actively feeding higher in the water column. Look for trout in deeper water during the heat of the day. Fishing for bass, perch and crappie should be picking up as spring transitions into summer. Summer steelhead season is off to a slow start throughout the region's rivers. It's nearly time for chinook salmon fishing to return to the region's marine and freshwater areas. Pending final approval from federal fisheries managers, a stretch of the Skykomish River is scheduled to open June 16 to hatchery chinook fishing. Anglers will be able to keep two hatchery chinook a day (12-inch minimum length) from the Lewis Street bridge in Monroe upstream to the Skykomish's confluence with the Wallace River. WDFW will announce the status of all Puget Sound-region salmon fisheries as soon as the federal fisheries managers' review is completed. The same holds true for the catch-and-release salmon fishery in Marine Area 10, which is also scheduled to open June 16. The popular Tulalip "bubble" fishery, located just outside Tulalip Bay and north of Everett, is scheduled to begin its annual summer run June 18. The bubble is expected to open to fishing from 12:01 a.m. Friday through 11:59 a.m. Monday each week and runs through Sept. 27. There is a 22-inch minimum length for chinook and no minimum-size requirement for other salmon. The daily limit is a total of two salmon. Saltwater anglers targeting lingcod have been finding a few nice fish north of Whidbey Island and in various San Juan Islands waters. Ling fishing ends June 15. Halibut fishing has been slow. Crab fishing has been steady in opened areas, including marine areas 9, 10 and 11. Sport crabbers can soon add more areas to the "open" list. Recent shell hardness testing shows the crab molt is ending in the southern portion of Marine Area 8-1, so fishing for Dungeness and red rock crab will open there June 11. The area will be on the same Friday-through-Monday schedule as the rest of marine areas 8-1 and 8-2, which opened June 4. The southern portion of Marine Area 7 is scheduled to open to crabbing June 16. Check WDFW's website or rule change hotlines for more information. The finfish hotline is (360) 902-2500; for shellfish rule changes, call 1-866-880-5431. Anglers won't have to purchase a fishing license to pursue any of these opportunities June 12-13, because that's Free Fishing Weekend throughout the state. During those two days, no license will be required to fish or gather shellfish in open waters. Nor will a vehicle use permit be required to park at any of WDFW's 500 water-access sites. While licenses are not required on Free Fishing Weekend, all other rules such as size limits, bag limits and closures will remain in effect. Anglers will also be required to complete a catch record card for any salmon, steelhead, sturgeon, halibut and Dungeness crab they catch.

Olympic Peninsula/South Sound:

Fishing: With the ocean salmon season set to begin June 27 in all four coastal areas, anglers may want to take a weekend off before then to pull their gear together. Ocean harvest ceilings of 44,500 chinook and 202,500 coho suggest another good season ahead. Then again, there's plenty to do in the next few weeks for anglers who already have their tackle boxes in order. For one thing, the second part of the recreational halibut fishery in marine areas 3 and 4 (La Push and Neah Bay) opens June 15-19, offering another opportunity to bring home a hefty flatfish. Anglers took some hundred-pounders there during the first opening in May, and the second opening also looks promising, said Michele Robinson, WDFW marine habitat policy coordinator. So is the ongoing halibut fishery in Marine Area 2 (Westport), where catch rates have picked up in recent days, Robinson said. Lingcod and rockfish are also available coastwide, although the lingcod fishery in marine areas 5 and 6 (Strait of Juan de Fuca) closes June 15. Meanwhile, crab fishers are taking limits in a variety of areas, including marine areas 4, 5, the southern portion of 8-1, and all of 8-2, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13. Marine Area 6 (Port Angeles) opens for crabbing June 16 and the northern portion of Marine Area 8-1 opens June 11, providing even more opportunities to fill a pot. Fishers can also expect the Port Angeles Shrimp District to remain open for spot shrimp until 3 p.m. June 13 and the Discovery Bay Shrimp District to remain open (Saturdays only) for several weeks beyond that, said Rich Childers, WDFW shellfish biologist. "Shrimp fishing has been fair in those areas, although we're still seeing a lot of limits," Childers said. "Now that the big tide changes are behind us, we're expecting to see even higher catch rates." Low water conditions have stalled fisheries for spring/summer chinook and summer steelhead on the Quillayute River system (which includes the Sol Duc, Calawah and Bogachiel rivers), although "a couple hundred" springers have returned to the WDFW hatchery, said Mike Gross, WDFW fish biologist. The Hoh River is probably a better bet right now, because glacial waters help maintain its flow, he said. Anglers are reminded that there is a moratorium on retaining wild, unclipped steelhead anywhere in the state. Prospective fishers do not need a fishing license to sample all these fisheries - and others open through the state - during Free Fishing Weekend, June 12-13. Trout fishing is the most popular attraction for those just starting out, said Bob Gibbons, WDFW manager for inland/anadromous species. Popular choices include American Lake in Pierce County, Lake Aberdeen in Grays Harbor County, Offut Lake in Thurston County, Phillips Lake in Mason County, Mission Lake in Kitsap County, Leland Lake in Jefferson County and Lake Sutherland in Clallam County.

Southwest Washington:

Fishing: On the Columbia River "we've still got shad coming out of our ears," says Joe Hymer, regional WDFW fish biologist. Just how many shad would that be? Two million have been counted at both Bonneville and The Dalles dams through June 8. On June 3 the tally reached 250,000 fish at Bonneville Dam alone, the fifth-highest daily count on record there. In the Camas-Washougal area during the first week of June a check of boat anglers' completed trips showed average catches of nearly 16 shad per rod, while bank fishers in the Columbia Gorge to Washougal area - checked before their fishing trips were complete - were averaging five to six fish per rod. "We're probably just past the peak of the run but fishing should still be good for most of June," Hymer said. Good sturgeon fishing is expected to continue in the Columbia River estuary. Private boat anglers checked during the first week of June averaged one legal-size fish (45-60 inches) per boat while 90 percent of the charter-boat anglers sampled had landed a keeper. On the horizon, summer chinook fishing opens June 16 from the Rocky Point -Tongue Point line upstream for retention of adult fish. Up to the Highway 395 Bridge in Pasco, anglers are restricted to hatchery fish only (marked by a clipped adipose fin); from the bridge upstream to the Priest Rapids Dam any chinook may be retained. Some bright chinook remain in the Klickitat River, and spring chinook action is wrapping up in the Wind, Cowlitz, Kalama and Lewis rivers. Hatchery steelhead catches were good in the mainstem Columbia River in early June, with boat anglers from Longview downstream averaging one fish per 3.5 rods and bank fishers reeling in steelhead at the rate of one fish for every six rods, including released fish. Steelhead fishing was good on the Cowlitz River between the I-5 Bridge and Blue Creek as well, with anglers there averaging half a fish per rod during the first week of June. Some steelhead are also available in the Kalama, Lewis, and Washougal rivers, Hymer added. With Free Fishing Weekend coming up June 12-13, some area waters recently have been stocked with extra catchable-size rainbow trout, including Clark County's Klineline Pond (1,700 fish) and Battleground Lake (2,100 trout), and Klickitat County's Rowland Lake (2,200 fish), Spearfish Lake (2,300 fish) and Horsethief Lake (4,000 fish), says John Weinheimer, regional fish biologist. For young anglers, June 12 kids' events sponsored with the U.S. Forest Service offer extra opportunities to catch a fish at Trout Lake (Klickitat County) and Merwin Reservoir (on the Clark-Cowlitz county line); check the Forest Service website at www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/ for details or call Ross Bluestone at the Mount Adams Ranger District, (509) 395-3400 for the Trout Lake event or Daryl Hodges at Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument (360) 449-7833 regarding the Merwin Lake activities. Meanwhile, anglers don't have to wait for the weekend to find trout at Mayfield Lake and Lake Scanewa, and Riffe Lake is putting out landlocked coho and steelhead. Some bass and walleye fishing opportunity remains in the pools between Bonneville and McNary dams, although the walleye action has slowed some recently, Hymer reports. And anglers who'd like to get paid to go fishing should take note of a recent increase in the reward for harvesting northern pikeminnow. As of May 31 the Bonneville Power Administration is paying $5 per fish for the first 100 northern pikeminnow (up from $4 each); $6 each for 101 to 400 pikeminnow (up from $5 each); and $8 each for pikeminnow in excess of 400 fish (up from $6 each). Northern pikeminnow marked with "spaghetti" monitoring tags behind the dorsal fin will now be worth $500 (up from $100). For details on the Northern Pikeminnow Sport-Reward Fishery Program call 1-800-858-9015, or visit the program's web site on the Internet.

Eastern Washington:

Fishing: : WDFW central district fish biologist Chris Donley says that with warmer weather comes fishing for the warmwater species that start spawning at this time in lakes throughout the region. Largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, and yellow perch are hitting at Spokane County's Bonnie, Chapman, Clear, Downs, Eloika, Long, Newman and Silver lakes. Sprague Lake, on the Lincoln-Adams county line, is also a good bet for a mixed bag of warmwater species and rainbow trout. Whitman County's Gilchrist Pond has been stocked with extra catchable-size rainbow trout for a kids' fishing clinic on June 12. Contact Whitman County 4-H at 509-397-6290 for more information on that event. At Lake Roosevelt, the annual Washington Governors Cup Walleye Tournament based out of Kettle Falls is coming up June 26-27. Contact Marv Sandow at 509-935-4148 or msandow @ theofficenet.comfor registration and other information.

North Central Washington:

Fishing: With recent rains and cool weather, water levels are high in the Columbia Basin, particularly at Potholes Reservoir. But as weather warms and summer advances, fishing will be hot for several warmwater species and trout. The MarDon resort dock on Potholes is seeing action on nice-size smallmouth bass, walleye and rainbow trout up to six pounds. One advantage of the high water levels is that any boat can easily navigate the sand dunes portion of the reservoir, where some big walleye are caught, most recently and notably a 5-pound, 11-ounce fish. The Lind Coulee area of the reservoir offers some wind protection and safety for smaller boats, plus some respectable walleye catches. Nearby Soda Lake recently produced a nine-pound walleye and Canal Lake has been yielding up to five-pound rainbows.

South Central Washington:

Fishing: Starting June 16, wild summer chinook salmon can be retained on the Columbia River's Hanford Reach (the stretch from the Hwy. 395 bridge at Pasco to Priest Rapids Dam). Recreational harvest will be allowed this year because these fish are not listed under the Endangered Species Act and because the return of wild summer chinook above Priest Rapids is expected to be strong this year. Minimum size is 12 inches and the daily catch limit is six salmon, which may include no more than two adults. All sockeye salmon and steelhead must be released unharmed.

"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."