Weekender Update August 9 - 22, 2006
Thursday, August 10, 2006 (07:08:44)

Posted by glock

Sockeye salmon highlight current outdoor attractions

With summer nearing the halfway point, Washingtonians are scrambling to make the most of their time outdoors. For some, the choice about where to go and what to do is clear.

Thousands of anglers - many from the Seattle area - have descended on Lake Washington to fish for sockeye salmon within a few miles of the city center. The fishery is currently scheduled to continue through Sunday (Aug. 13).

Pacific coast: Most anglers fishing out of Ilwaco are catching their daily limit of salmon although the odds of landing a chinook are better farther north. Fishing in all ocean areas will be open seven days per week starting Aug. 11.

Columbia River: Salmon fishing remains slow at Buoy 10, although catch rates for hatchery steelhead are improving both above and below Bonneville Dam. The fall chinook fishery in the Hanford Reach near the Tri-Cities opens Aug. 16.

Puget Sound: One in two anglers have been taking home good-sized salmon from marine areas 10 and 11 in central Puget Sound. A 32-pound chinook recently took first prize in the Tacoma Salmon Derby.

Dungeness crab: Crab fisheries remain open in most areas of Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. See the regional reports below for details.

Freshwater fishing: Trout fishing is improving on a number of rivers and lakes in eastern Washington, where the bite is also on for perch and walleye. As the snow continues to recede, anglers are also gaining access to more high lakes, such as those in the William O. Douglas, Goat Rocks and Indian Heaven wilderness areas in southwest Washington.

North Puget Sound

Fishing: The hot spot in the region continues to be Lake Washington, where anglers can fish for sockeye salmon through Sunday, Aug. 13. State and tribal salmon co-managers recently updated the size of the Lake Washington sockeye run to about 466,000 salmon. That projected run, which includes expected returns through August, is well above the spawning escapement goal of 350,000 salmon, and provides a surplus of 57,000 sockeye each for tribal and non-tribal fisheries.
"This year's unexpectedly strong sockeye return has allowed us to provide anglers another fishing opportunity on Lake Washington while still remaining within our non-tribal share of fish," said Tim Flint, WDFW salmon resource manager.

Anglers caught about 28,700 sockeye during the first five days of fishing on Lake Washington this summer. Anglers averaged just above one sockeye per rod during the first two days of fishing, and slightly under one sockeye per rod during the last three days of fishing. "Overall, the catch rate continues to look good," Flint said.

Fishing will be allowed from one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset each day. The daily limit is two sockeye, measuring at least 15 inches. All other salmon must be immediately released unharmed. No fishing will be allowed within 100 yards of the floating bridges. Waters within 1,000 feet of the mouth of the Cedar River in Renton also will be closed to all fishing.

Anglers must carry a freshwater or combination fishing license and salmon catch record card. Any salmon that is not released must be immediately recorded on the catch record card. Under freshwater fishing rules, anglers may only fish with one rod and must stop fishing once they have reached their personal daily limit. More information on Lake Washington sockeye salmon can be found at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/sockeye/counts.htm.

On the saltwater, chinook and coho fishing continues to be good in Marine Area 10 (Seattle/Bremerton). Creel checks at the Armeni Boat ramp indicate 380 anglers hooked 148 chinook and 33 coho on Aug. 4, while 456 anglers were checked with 72 chinook and 45 coho the following day.

"Anglers fishing the Inner Elliot Bay fishery are really doing well, especially for chinook," said Steve Thiesfeld, Puget Sound recreational salmon manager for WDFW. "The catch per angler improved this past week, and this upcoming weekend (Aug. 12-13) is typically when we see the peak of the recreational harvest."

Anglers have through Aug. 20 to fish the Inner Elliot Bay fishery, which is open Friday through Sunday each week with a two-salmon daily limit. Chum salmon must be released. In Marine Area 10, anglers fishing outside of the Inner Elliott Bay fishery and the Sinclair Inlet fishery have a daily limit of two salmon, with no minimum size limit, and must release chinook and chum salmon.

The Tulalip Bay "bubble" salmon fishery remains slow. Checks at the Everett Ramp showed 66 anglers with only one chinook Aug. 3, and 193 anglers brought home six chinook the following day. The Tulalip bubble fishery is open each week from Friday through noon Monday and runs through Sept. 25. There is a two-salmon daily limit and anglers must release any chinook measuring less than 22 inches.

Another option for anglers is Marine Area 7 (San Juan Islands), where the chinook catch has been steady all summer, Thiesfeld said. Anglers have a daily limit of two salmon, must release wild coho and chum, and can only keep one chinook. Beginning Aug. 16, the Bellingham Bay fishery opens with a daily limit of four salmon, of which only two can be chinook.

Marine areas 8-1 (Deception Pass, Hope Island and Skagit Bay), 8-2 (Port Susan and Port Gardner) and 9 (Admiralty Inlet) also are open for salmon fishing.

Before heading out, anglers are encouraged to check out the regulations for each fishery in WDFW's 2006/2007 Fishing in Washington pamphlet (http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regs/fishregs.htm).

Crab fishing remains open in marine areas 8-1, 8-2, 9, 10 and the southern and eastern portions of Marine Area 7 Wednesday through Saturday each week. The northern portion of Marine Area 7 opens Aug. 16. See WDFW's sport-crabbing website (http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/shelfish/crab/) for more information.

To participate in the fishery, all crabbers age 15 or older must obtain and carry a current Washington fishing license. In addition, all crab fishers - regardless of age - must obtain and carry a catch record card and a crab licensing endorsement to fish for crab in Puget Sound. The crab endorsement costs $3 for crabbers age 15 and over, but is free to fishers under age 15.

The coonstripe and pink shrimp fishery also is open throughout the region, and shrimpers can drop a pot in marine areas 8-1, 8-2, the northern and central portions of area 7 and a portion of area 9. Details on the fishery are available on WDFW's website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/shelfish/crabreg/.

Trout at numerous lakes, rivers and streams also remain a possibility for anglers throughout the region. For more rules and details on the trout fishery and other freshwater fisheries, anglers should check WDFW's 2006/2007 Fishing in Washington pamphlet (http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regs/fishregs.htm).

South Sound/Olympic Peninsula

Fishing: Coastal salmon fishing expands to seven days a week Aug. 11 as anglers coastwide continue to reel in nice fish of above-average weight. Meanwhile, a new opportunity for catching coho opens up on the Quilcene River, as the steelhead fishing heats up on the Hoh.
Salmon fishing is still in full swing off the Pacific coast, where catch rates have been averaging just under one fish per angler, according to Wendy Beeghley, WDFW fish biologist. Many charters fishing out of Ilwaco (Marine Area 1) took their daily limits during the week of Aug. 7, reeling in two salmon per angler. Private boats scored about one fish per angler, mostly coho. In Westport (Marine Area 2), the count was about half a fish per angler, and half were chinook. Both areas are open on a Sunday-through-Thursday schedule until Aug. 11, when they switch to seven days per week.

It was a good week in LaPush (Marine Area 3) where anglers averaged more than a fish per rod, Beegley said. But Neah Bay (Marine Area 4) dropped off to about half a fish per person. Coho predominated in both places. Those areas will be open Tuesday through Saturday until Aug. 11, when the fishery opens seven days per week.

Beegley said she continues to be impressed by the quality of the salmon coastwide. "The average for coho is in the 9-pound range and I've seen several in the teens," she said. "That's a size you generally expect to see in late August." And the chinook are huge, she said, noting that one came in at 45 pounds and a number have been in the 30-pound range.

Starting Aug. 11, when the coastal salmon fishing opens seven days a week, anglers will be able to keep up to two chinook as part of the two-fish daily limit. Minimum size for chinook is 24 inches and hatchery coho must be at least 16 inches to keep. Wild coho must be released. Salmon fishing is scheduled to continue through Sept. 17 in marine areas 2, 3 and 4, and through Sept. 30 in Marine Area 1.

"Angler participation has been down along the coast and salmon fishing has started slower than expected in some areas," said Phil Anderson, a WDFW special assistant. "For that reason, we can provide anglers some additional fishing opportunities without exceeding this year's recreational harvest quotas."

Coastwide, more than 6,000 anglers caught nearly 4,000 chinook and 14,900 coho through July 30, reaching 20.4 percent of the quota for coho and 12.8 percent of the guideline for chinook.

Want a break from salmon? The Westport/Grayland Chamber of Commerce will host a beach perch fishing derby on Aug. 12. It starts at sunrise and ends at 4 p.m. in Westport. Entry fee is $20 and the biggest perch weighed in will get 25 percent of the total entry fees. Other cash prizes will also be awarded.

Anglers continue to reel in high numbers of chinook in Marine Area 11 (Vashon Island to the Tacoma Narrows Bridge). At the Point Defiance Boathouse, WDFW checks counted one fish for every 1.6 rods on July 31 and one for every two rods on Aug. 6. Elsewhere, Solo Point anglers were hitting one chinook for about every three rods the weekend of Aug. 3-4. The fish have been good-sized as well. A Tacoma salmon derby winner pulled in a chinook weighing more than 32 pounds. The other five winners in the adult division all topped 20 pounds. Commencement Bay opens for salmon fishing on Aug. 12.

The salmon fishing in the Sekiu area is improving, according to Steve Thiesfeld, WDFW fish biologist. "Sources tell me the some chinook are coming in there now," he said. He said the fishing in Marine Area 13 (South Puget Sound) is also still doing well.

Salmon fishing is also open in marine areas 10 (Bremerton), 12 (Hood Canal, south of Ayock Point only), and 6 (eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca) on a daily basis, with a daily limit of two salmon. On Aug. 16, Quilcene Bay and a northern portion of Dabob Bay open for coho fishing. Fishing is open seven days a week through Oct. 15, with a daily limit of 4 coho; no minimum size.

Thiesfeld reminds anglers that chinook release is required in marine areas 5, 6, and 10, although marked, hatchery chinook may be retained west of Ediz Hook. Chinook also may be retained in Sinclair Inlet and the Inner Elliott Bay fishery when it is open.

Meanwhile, steelhead fishing on the Hoh River "is the best we've seen this time of year," according to David Low, WDFW fish biologist. Last week, 75 anglers reeled in 28 steelhead, along with four chinook and one coho. Also on the Peninsula, the Quilcene River opens for salmon fishing on Aug. 16 from Rodgers Street to the Highway 101 Bridge. This fishery is open seven days a week through Oct. 31. There's a daily limit of four coho only, with a minimum size of 12 inches. "Be careful of the summer chum in there," Low cautioned anglers, noting that all chum must be released. Only fish hooked inside the mouth may be kept.

Crab fishing is open seven days per week in marine areas 4 (Neah Bay east of the Bonilla-Tatoosh line), 5 (Sekiu) and 13 (south of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge) through Feb. 28. Most other areas of Puget Sound are open for crab fishing Wednesdays through Saturdays, including marine areas 6 (eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca), 9 (Admiralty Inlet), 11 (Tacoma/Vashon) and 12 (Hood Canal). In addition, these areas will be open the entire Labor Day weekend, Sept. 2-4, before closing for a catch assessment. Fishing will resume in areas where the catch quota has not been met, on dates to be announced by WDFW.

The daily catch limit in Puget Sound is five male Dungeness crab with a shell width measuring at least 6¼ inches, plus six red rock crab of either sex with a shell width of at least 5 inches. All undersized crab, female Dungeness crab and all softshell crab of either sex must be returned to the water.

To participate in the fishery, all crab fishers age 15 or older must obtain and carry a current Washington fishing license. In addition, all crabbers - regardless of age - must obtain and carry a catch record card and a crab licensing endorsement to fish for crab in Puget Sound.

Those fishing in Hood Canal are also asked to report any Dungeness crab bearing a bright green tag on the underside of their shell. Sport or tribal fishers who catch a crab bearing the distinctive green tag are asked to call the department toll free at 866-859-8439 and report the tag number along with the date, location, and depth of capture. More information on crab fishing is available on WDFW's website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/shelfish/crab/.

Southwest Washington:

Fishing: Catch rates for summer steelhead are climbing on the Columbia River and should stay on that trajectory through the middle of August, according to Joe Hymer, WDFW fish biologist. By then, the Buoy 10 salmon fishery should kick into gear, he said.
"Salmon fishing at Buoy 10 is still slow, but the summer steelhead fishery is really picking up - both above and below Bonneville Dam," Hymer said. "If past years are any indication, the early run should peak sometime around the middle of August."

Creel checks conducted below Bonneville Dam found that boat anglers averaged one hatchery steelhead for every three rods during the first week of August. Bank anglers averaged one fish for every five rods. Most of the boat effort is centered at the mouth of the Cowlitz River, where 60 watercraft were counted Aug. 5.

Steelhead fishing was also good at Drano Lake, where 107 boat anglers landed 35 steelhead and released 21 others during the same week. Twelve boat anglers and 25 bank anglers landed eight fish and released three others on the White Salmon River while five boat anglers pulled two hatchery fish from the Klickitat River that week.

Hymer noted that rising catch rates for hatchery steelhead correspond to a major increase in the number of fish passing over Bonneville Dam in recent days. After lagging behind the 10-year average, daily fish counts jumped to more than 4,000 - then nearly 6,000 - helping to close the gap.

"The daily dam counts indicate that we're nearing the peak of the early run," Hymer said. Those fish, ranging from 4-6 pounds are part of the so-called "A Run," bound for the upper Columbia and lower Snake rivers, he said. The "B Run," typically larger fish that return to the Salmon and Clearwater rivers in Idaho, arrives later and peaks in September.

As always, anglers must release any steelhead with an intact adipose fin. Night closures and non-buoyant lure restrictions are in effect on the Columbia mainstem from Bonneville Dam to The Dalles Dam; non-buoyant lure restrictions are also in place on the Wind, White Salmon and Klickitat rivers, as well as Drano Lake. For a river-by-river listing of other regulations, anglers should consult the Fishing in Washington rule pamphlet (http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regs/fishregs.htm).

Hymer said anglers are still picking up a few summer chinook salmon in or near the Bonneville Pool tributaries. But as of Aug. 6, anglers had intercepted only a handful of fall chinook in the Buoy 10 fishery. Coho were also hard to find in the estuary, although a few had been tallied at Bonneville Dam.

"Right now, the action is still out in the ocean," Hymer said. "But catch rates should start picking up soon at Buoy 10, which usually really fires up around the third week of August. Just 31 boats were counted at Buoy 10 last Saturday, but that should change quickly when the bite improves."

Sturgeon fisheries are still drawing a few anglers, although all areas of the Columbia River below McNary Dam are now catch-and-release. A good bet for trout is Mayfield Lake, which was planted with 2,222 half-pound rainbows July 1. Riffe Lake is producing a mixture of landlocked coho, steelhead, chinook salmon and cutthroat trout, while Swofford Pond remains good for bluegill and bass.

Eastern Washington:

Fishing: Warm weather usually means good fishing for warmwater fish species such as yellow perch. WDFW central district fish biologist Chris Donley of Spokane says perch are abundant and cooperative at many waters throughout the region. Downs Lake in southwest Spokane County is a good perch fishery, he noted. So is the Spokane River reservoir of Long Lake and Deer and Waitts lakes in Stevens County. "But fish deep for them at this time of year," Donley said. "They're not along the shorelines like they were during spring spawning. You have to jig for them to 25 feet or more."
Donley also recommends trout fishing during early morning hours or at night at virtually any trout water in the region. "Rainbows are really active now at night," he said. "Lake Roosevelt continues to produce them, and a lot of the smaller lakes up north and around Spokane are still a good bet." The upper Spokane River has nice rainbows, while the lower river has both rainbows and also browns. Donley reminds river anglers to mind the catch and gear restrictions listed in the fishing rules pamphlet.

Nighttime fishing for kokanee at Loon Lake in Stevens County is very good, mostly for boat fishers trolling small baits with spinners or flashers.

The Pend Oreille River continues to produce good catches of large northern pike. The river is also a good bet for largemouth bass, especially from Ione to Box Canyon Dam, and smallmouth bass in the Metaline Falls area.

Fishing and hunting-license holders can catch something extra Aug. 20 at "Fish & Wildlife Night" at the Spokane Indians baseball game at Avista Stadium in Spokane. License holders get game ticket discounts that night, which also features fish casting and elk bugling contests on centerfield during the seventh-inning stretch and fish and wildlife displays and information booths throughout the evening. The game starts at 6:30 p.m. Discounted tickets can be purchased with presentation of a valid fishing license at the stadium's ticket office, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., or online at http://www.spokaneindiansbaseball.com.

North Central Washington:

Fishing: Trout fishing on the Methow River in Okanogan County has started to pick up, reports WDFW district fish biologist Bob Jateff of Omak. "River water levels are dropping into good shape and fishing should be good this month and next," he said. Jateff reminds anglers to check the regulations for the Methow and tributaries closely as some areas will be closing Aug. 15 to protect spawning spring chinook salmon.
Jateff says chinook salmon fishing in the Brewster/Bridgeport area on the Columbia River has been spotty. "But the fish being taken there have been large," he said, "20 pounds and more." Recent cooler temperatures in the Okanogan River have allowed some salmon to move upstream, he noted. "Some fish are as far up as the Similkameen," he said, "so I'd encourage anglers to give the upper fishing areas some effort."

Jateff also recommended that anglers be prepared for some smoky air conditions and possible road closures in Okanogan County as wildfires have been burning in the national forest around Winthrop for the past month. Check current conditions at the Okanogan National Forest website, http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/oka/.

WDFW enforcement officers on patrol report good yellow perch and bass fishing on Patterson Lake in Okanogan County.

South Central Washington:

Fishing: The fall chinook salmon fishery on the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River near the Tri-Cities opens August 16. WDFW fish biologist Paul Hoffarth says a strong return of fall chinook is expected this year. The daily catch limit is six salmon, retaining no more than two adults of 24 inches or more. All areas of the Hanford Reach are closed to angling for steelhead, hatchery or wild.
Hoffarth also noted walleye fishing has been good in most areas of the Columbia River from Boardman to McNary. " Fishing should improve below McNary as flows decline," he said.

Other southcentral region rivers and streams have great trout fishing now, too. said "There are excellent opportunities at some of the smaller rivers and streams for cutthroat, rainbow and occasional eastern brook trout," said Jim Cummins, a WDFW fish biologist. He recommends the Naches River, Rattlesnake Creek, Little Naches River, and Bumping River in Yakima County, and the upper reaches of Taneum Creek, Naneum Creek, Manastash Creek, and the Forks of the Teanaway in Kittitas County. "Many other small streams are good bets, too, especially for those who like to hike into rarely fished reaches."

Cummins noted most rivers and creeks have selective gear rules that prohibit bait. Most also have statewide daily catch limits of two trout with an 8-inch minimum size. Rattlesnake Creek and the Naches River from Tieton River to Rattlesnake Creek are catch-and-release only. Those sections of the Naches that are not catch-and-release have a two trout, 12-inch minimum size catch limit. Anglers should check the regulation pamphlet for all details.

Cummins noted that WDFW conducted an intensive creel census from 2002 through 2004 on two sections of the Naches River to compare fisheries in a catch-and-release reach and a reach where harvest is legal. "Anglers voluntarily released about 90 percent of the legal-sized trout they caught in the reach where fish could be legally harvested," he said. "We estimated that the highest harvest was 53 trout in a 10-mile reach of the river upstream of Rattlesnake Creek in 2003, and less in 2002 and 2004. We also found that most anglers fished with flies, fishing effort was light to moderate, fishing success was good for most anglers, and rainbow trout from nine to 11 inches were the most often caught fish."

Cummins reported the survey showed cutthroat trout of the same size made up about 30 percent of the catch, and although rare, a few rainbow and cutthroat up to 20 inches were caught. More than 10 percent of the trout caught and released from 2002-2004 were reported to be greater than 12 inches in length. The percentage of larger fish was much higher some years in some reaches, but there was no consistent pattern. "We also learned that about 40 percent of the anglers who fish the Naches live outside of the region," he said, "which may be why many were not familiar with all of the fishing regulations."

Cummins said bull trout, which are protected and illegal to target in many waters in the region, are beginning to move upriver prior to moving into spawning tributaries. "Sometimes these fish are very visible, which seems to tempt some people to harass them," he said. "We ask that people please let them spawn and produce future generations of fish." Cummins also noted "recreational dams" often block upstream passage for bull trout. "Please do not build dams or other structures in streams," he asked. "It hurts the fish and it can bring a citation, since both intentional and unintentional attempts to catch, snag or harass these fish is illegal." Cummins said there have been recent reports of anglers illegally targeting bull trout at Bumping Reservoir. The North Fork of the Tieton River, between Rimrock Lake and Clear Lake, will close to all fishing August 15 to protect bull trout and spawning kokanee.

Bumping and Rimrock may be most productive of the Yakima Basin reservoirs for kokanee fishing. Most kokanee caught have been in the 8-10 inch range. Although fishing is generally slow, Lake Cle Elum is the region's only opportunity to catch lake trout, also known as mackinaw.

"High lake trout fishing is also a good bet now," said Cummins. "There are lots of mosquitoes this year, but by the end of the month they should become less of a problem."