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Kenai River Fishing (0) | | Wednesday, August 29 |
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Pacific Ocean and Buoy 10 Coho and Chinook Salmon Fishing (0) | | Tuesday, August 21 |
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Alaska Salmon Fishing Charters (1) | | Tuesday, August 07 |
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The great Fishingnw.com T-Shirt Logo Contest (0) | | Friday, August 03 |
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Summer fishing heats up across state; 'fall season' starts Aug. 1 on the Columbi (1) | | Tuesday, July 24 |
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Ocean salmon season starts with a bang as other fisheries heat up around state (1) | | Tuesday, July 24 |
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Anglers fishing portions of Puget Sound reminded to properly release wild chinoo (1) | | Sunday, July 08 |
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North Western Rivers (1) | | Monday, June 04 |
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Catch trout, salmon, sturgeon on Free Fishing Weekend (1) | | Tuesday, March 13 |
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Fishing improves with the change of season (0) | | Monday, February 26 |
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Head to eastside lakes for trout, Puget Sound for blackmouth (0) | | Thursday, February 22 |
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Wynoochee January 2007 Hot and Cold (0) | | Monday, January 22 |
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Western rivers (0) | | Monday, January 22 |
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Members Map updated (0) | | Monday, December 04 |
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Weekender Update November 29 - December 12, 2006 (0) | | Tuesday, November 21 |
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Weekender Update November 15 - 28, 2006 (1) | | Wednesday, November 01 |
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stillguamish (0) | | Monday, October 23 |
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Steelhead Anglers Report in (0) | | Thursday, September 21 |
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Weekender Update September 20 - October 3, 2006 (0) | | Tuesday, September 19 |
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2006 Yakima River / Hanford Reach Salmon Reports and Ringold Steelhead Reports (0) | | Monday, September 18 |
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INVENTORY BLOWOUT SALE (0) | | Tuesday, September 12 |
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Lake Washington sockeye catch largest in a decade (1) | | Thursday, September 07 |
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Weekender Update September 6-19, 2006 (0) | | Tuesday, August 29 |
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Weekender Update August 23 - September 5, 2006 (0) | | Sunday, August 20 |
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How to Catch Salmon - Marine Areas (0) | | Sunday, August 20 |
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Slam'n Salmon Ocean Derby in Brookings, Oregon (0) | | Thursday, August 10 |
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Weekender Update August 9 - 22, 2006 (0) | | Thursday, July 27 |
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Weekender Update July 26 - August 8, 2006 (0) | | Saturday, July 22 |
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Brewster Salmon Derby (0) |
Older Articles
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News- Page 4
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Weekender Update July 12-25, 2006
Posted by glock on Thursday, July 13, 2006 (07:03:32) (3735 reads)
Summer fishing seasons in full swing, but make sure to follow the rules
With summer fishing seasons now in full swing, anglers in Washington state have plenty of options about how to spend their free time. Salmon, steelhead, trout, crab and sturgeon are all available to sportfishers in waters specified under state fishing rules.
Hoping to land a salmon or two? The salmon fishery off the Pacific coast got off to a fairly slow start, although anglers have been catching some nice chinook averaging 15 to 20 pounds from Ilwaco to Neah Bay. Salmon fisheries are also under way in several areas of Puget Sound and on the Columbia River, where anglers have been catching good numbers of hefty chinook from Woodland to Brewster.
For hatchery steelhead, the obvious hot spot has been the Cowlitz River, where two out of three anglers have been taking home legal-sized fish. Steelhead fishing in the lower Columbia River is also expected to pick up now that more fish are being counted at Bonneville Dam.
Rather head for the high country? With the snow receding, dozens of high-mountain lakes have become accessible to anglers casting for rainbow trout, cutthroat and other species. As noted in the Southwest Washington report below, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) recently planted two alpine lakes on the western slope of Mount Adams with 4,000 rainbows each.
Most areas of Puget Sound are also now open for Dungeness crab, as outlined on WDFW's sport-fishing website (http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/shelfish/crab/). Coming up, the southern portion of Marine Area 7 opens July 15 on a Wednesday-through-Saturday schedule.
With the exception of emergency rules, fishing regulations are outlined in WDFW's Fishing in Washington pamphlet, available wherever fishing licenses are sold and posted on the department's website (http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regs/fishregs.htm). Emergency rules are recorded on WDFW's Fishing Hotline (360-902-2500) and Shellfish Hotline (866-880-5431), and are posted on the department's website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regs/fishregs.htm.
With so many fisheries now open around the state, anglers need to make sure they know the rules for specific waters before they cast a line or drop a crab pot, said Bruce Bjork, chief of WDFW's enforcement division.
"Our goal isn't to issue citations," Bjork said. "Our job is to make sure everybody follows the rules, both to preserve the resource and in fairness to other fishers. We urge anglers to read the regulations before they leave home and follow them once they get to the fishing grounds."
With that in mind, the reports below provide a summary of fishing options - and other recreational opportunities - now available in each region of the state.
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Weekender Update June 28 - July 11, 2006
Posted by glock on Thursday, June 29, 2006 (18:28:58) (3451 reads)
Celebrate Fourth of July weekend with salmon and crab fishing
As Independence Day approaches, salmon and crab fisheries kick into high gear with seasons opening along the coast and in Puget Sound.
The ocean salmon fishery gets under way June 30 when waters off La Push (Marine Area 3) and Neah Bay (Marine Area 4) open for fishing Tuesdays through Saturdays. Coastal fisheries off Ilwaco (Marine Area 1) and Westport (Marine Area 2) will open July 3 on a Sunday-through-Thursday schedule.
Meanwhile, several marine areas in Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca will open July 1 for salmon fishing seven days a week. Those waters include marine areas 5 (Sekiu/Pillar Point), 6 (eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca), 7 (San Juan Islands), 10 (Seattle-Bremerton), 12 (Hood Canal) and 13 (southern Puget Sound).
"We're expecting a good season in the ocean and Puget Sound, and we're hoping it will start of with a bang," said Steve Thiesfeld, recreational salmon fisheries manager for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). "But we won't know for sure until those fisheries open and anglers get out on the water."
Anglers are advised to check WDFW's 2006-07 Fishing in Washington rules pamphlet (http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regs/fishregs.htm) for daily catch limits and other fishing regulations for each area before heading out.
July 1 also marks the start of crab fishing in eight areas of Puget Sound. Those marine areas include areas 6 (eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca), 7 South (San Juan Islands), 8-1 (Deception Pass to East Point), 8-2 (East Point to Possession Point), 9 (Admiralty Inlet), 10 (Seattle/Bremerton), 11 (Tacoma/Vashon) and 12 (Hood Canal).
Crab fishing in those areas generally will be open Wednesdays through Saturdays through Sept. 4, before closing for a catch assessment. However, there are some exceptions:
Marine areas 6, 7 South, 9, 10, 11 and 12 will be open to crab fishing every day from July 1-8, before switching to the Wednesday-through-Saturday schedule.
Marine areas 8-1 and 8-2 will be open July 1-2, close July 3-4, and then resume on a Wednesday-through-Saturday schedule.
All eight areas with a July 1 starting date will be open for crab fishing 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 extra fishing days in July were approved by the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission after the fishing pamphlet was published, said Morris Barker, marine resources manager for WDFW.
Not affected by those changes are crab fisheries that opened on June 18 in marine areas 4 (Neah Bay east of the Bonilla-Tatoosh line), 5 (Sekiu) and 13 (south of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge). All three areas are open to crab fishing seven days per week through Feb. 28.
Like last year, the daily catch limit in Puget Sound is five male Dungeness crab with a shell width of 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.
For more information on these fisheries and other opportunities to enjoy the outdoors, see the regional reports below:
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Weekender Update June 14-27, 2006
Posted by glock on Sunday, June 18, 2006 (08:54:13) (3788 reads)
Upcoming crab, salmon fisheries mark the change of season
As summer approaches, new fishing opportunities herald the change of season. Summer chinook salmon and steelhead are now upstaging spring chinook on the lower Columbia River. Summer Puget Sound crab fishing will get under way June 18 in three marine areas - marine areas 4 (Neah Bay east of the Bonilla-Tatoosh line), 5 (Sekiu) and 13 (south of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge). Eight other areas of the Sound will open to crab fishing July 1.
Meanwhile, halibut fishing ends June 18 in most areas of Puget Sound, although anglers will get two more days - June 22 and 24 - to fish for halibut off the north coast. The lingcod fishery in the Sound wraps up June 15, but anglers can still catch the toothy critters off the Pacific coast through mid-October.
"As the seasons change, so do fishing opportunities," said Morris Barker, marine resources manager for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). "It's important that fishers keep track of these opening and closing dates as we move from spring to summer fisheries."
Salmon anglers preparing for this year's season off the coast and in inside waters actually have several dates to remember in the next few weeks. Starting June 30, marine areas 3 (LaPush) and 4 (Neah Bay) will be open to salmon fishing Tuesdays through Saturdays. Salmon fisheries then open July 1 on a daily basis in marine areas 5 (Eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca), 6 (Western Strait), 7 (San Juan Islands), 10 (Seattle/Bremerton) and 12 (Hood Canal). The last two ocean areas - marine areas 1 (Ilwaco) and 2 (Westport) - open for salmon fishing on a Sunday-through-Thursday schedule July 3.
Anglers are advised to check WDFW's 2006-07 Fishing in Washington rules pamphlet (http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regs/fishregs.htm) for daily catch limits and other fishing regulations for each area before heading out.
The rules pamphlet does not, however, contain all the information crabbers might want to know about eight areas of Puget Sound opening to crab fishing July 1. Those areas include areas 6 (eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca), 7 South (San Juan Islands), 8-1 (Deception Pass to East Point), 8-2 (East Point to Possession Point), 9 (Admiralty Inlet), 10 (Seattle/Bremerton), 11 (Tacoma/Vashon) and 12 (Hood Canal).
Crab fishing in those areas generally will be open Wednesdays through Saturdays through Sept. 4, before closing for a catch assessment. However, there are some exceptions:
Marine areas 6, 7 South, 9, 10, 11 and 12 will be open to crab fishing every day from July 1-8, before switching to the Wednesday-through-Saturday schedule.
Marine areas 8-1 and 8-2 will be open July 1-2, close July 3-4, then resume on a Wednesday-through-Saturday schedule.
All eight areas with a July 1 starting date will be open for crab fishing 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 extra fishing days in July were approved by the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission after the pamphlet was published, Barker said.
"Commissioners heard from a lot of crab fishers that they want to be able to fish those days leading up to and including the Fourth of July," said Ron Ozment, commission chair. "We agreed that made sense in most areas, so long as everyone understands that it could reduce crabbing opportunities later in the year."
Not affected by those changes are crab fisheries opening June 18 in marine areas 4 (Neah Bay east of the Bonilla-Tatoosh line), 5 (Sekiu) and 13 (south of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge). All three areas will be open to crab fishing seven days per week through Feb. 28.
Like last year, the daily catch limit in Puget Sound is five male Dungeness crab with a shell width of 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.
For more information on these fisheries and other opportunities to enjoy the outdoors, see the regional reports below:
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Weekender Update May 31-June 13, 2006
Posted by glock on Wednesday, June 07, 2006 (18:17:35) (2263 reads)
Anglers can fish for free June 10-11; options range from trout to sturgeon
Thousands of rivers throughout the state will open to trout fishing June 1, when new fisheries will also get under way in some waters for hatchery steelhead and spring chinook salmon. Meanwhile, catch rates for sturgeon have been picking up in the lower Columbia River while anglers in Eastern Washington are reeling in an increasing number of bass, walleye and other warmwater fish.
Sound like fun? Washingtonians who are interested in fishing but haven't actually given it a try have a perfect chance to do so during Free Fishing Weekend, scheduled June 10-11.
During those two days, no license will be required to fish or gather shellfish in any waters open to fishing in Washington state. Also, no vehicle use permit will be required during Free Fishing Weekend to park at any of the 500 water-access sites maintained by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).
"Free Fishing Weekend is a great time to revive an old hobby or to introduce friends and family to fishing," said Ross Fuller, manager of the WDFW Fish Management Division. "Adults can introduce kids to fishing on a wide variety of waters around the state."
While no licenses are required on Free Fishing Weekend, other rules such as size limits, bag limits and closures will still be in effect. Anglers will also be required to complete a catch record card for any salmon, steelhead, sturgeon or halibut they catch.
Catch record cards and WDFW's Fishing in Washington rules pamphlet are available free at hundreds of sporting goods stores and other license dealers throughout the state. The rules pamphlet is also available online at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regs/fishregs.htm.
Of course, fishing opportunities don't begin or end with Free Fishing Weekend. Those with a fishing license might want to consider heading to the north coast for the halibut opening June 22 and 24. Others can look forward to the first round of crab openings, set for June 18 in marine areas 4 (Neah Bay), 5 (Sekiu) and 13 (south Puget Sound).
These and other fishing opportunities are discussed in the regional reports that follow.
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Weekender Update May 17 - May 30th, 2006
Posted by glock on Tuesday, May 23, 2006 (19:07:19) (2239 reads)
Fishing opportunities abound as Memorial Day weekend nears.
With the sun shining and the Memorial Day weekend coming up at the end of the month, tens of thousands of Washingtonians are making plans to spend some quality time outdoors. Those who like to fish have a number of great options, including: [/list]
[*]Spring chinook salmon: After a long delay, fish are now moving in large numbers up the Columbia River, make this prime time to catch a “springer.” Fishing reopens today (May 17) below Bonneville Dam, and reopened last week in the upper Bonneville Pool. Spring chinook fisheries also open today on a portion of the Snake River in Eastern Washington and on the Hoh River on the Olympic Peninsula.
[*]Trout: Hatchery crews for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) continue to plant more trout – including 1.5-pound triploids – in lakes around the state. In addition, hundreds of rivers will open to fishing June 1.
[*]Saltwater fisheries: Fishing seasons are now in full swing for shrimp, halibut, lingcod and rockfish. However, fisheries in some areas have already reached annual quotas and closed for the season. For that reason, fishers are advised to check WDFW’s website (http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regs/fishregs.htm) for updates if they’re planning a saltwater excursion. [/list]
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