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News › Weekender Update August 23 - September 5, 2006
 Weekender Update August 23 - September 5, 2006 Posted by glock on Tuesday, August 29, 2006 (18:00:34) (5284 reads)
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Check out fishing options but take precautions against wildfires.
Early September Is often a time of red-hot salmon fishing at Buoy 10 near the mouth of the lower Columbia River, new fisheries opening from the Puyallup River to the Yakima River and the end of the summer crabbing season in many areas of Puget Sound.
And, for anyone planning to spend time outdoors, it is also a time to be mindful of restrictions on open fires and possible access closures. With several major wildfires now burning around the state, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and many other public and private landowners have banned open fires on the lands they own or manage.
Salmon fishing has been slow at Buoy 10 near the mouth of the Columbia River, just as it was last year until the fourth week of August. Then, in just seven days of fishing, anglers caught 5,700 chinook. "The fishery could break loose at any time," said Joe Hymer, a WDFW fish biologist. See the regional reports below for other new fishing options opening Sept. 1, including those on the Stillaguamish, Snoqualmie, Skykomish, Skagit, Puyallup, Yakima and Snake rivers.
Recreational crabbers, meanwhile, should be aware that the summer fishery will close for a catch assessment in many areas of Puget Sound after the Labor Day weekend. Prior to the closure, the fishery will be open Sunday, Sept. 3 and Monday, Sept. 4 during the holiday weekend in eight marine areas where crabbing is usually restricted to Wednesdays through Saturdays.
Waters scheduled to close Sept. 4 at one hour past sunset include marine 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). In early October, WDFW will announce the reopening of waters where the catch has not met area quotas. Areas not affected by the closure include marine areas 4, 5 and 13 and the eastern and northern portions of Marine Area 7, where crabbing will continue on the summer schedule.
North Puget Sound
Fishing: The Lake Washington sockeye fishery wrapped up Sunday (Aug. 20) and anglers have turned their attention to saltwater, where coho and chinook catches continue to look good in parts of Puget Sound.
Anglers in Marine Area 10 (Seattle/Bremerton) are finding salmon outside of Inner Elliot Bay, which closed Sunday (Aug. 20). Creel checks at the Armeni boat ramp indicate 278 anglers hooked 117 chinook and 19 coho on Aug. 18, while 325 anglers were checked with 73 chinook and 20 coho the following day.
"It's not as hot as it was in June," said Steve Thiesfeld, WDFW fisheries biologist. "But anglers in Sinclair Inlet are pulling in some nice chinook and the resident coho catch at Jefferson Head continues to be decent."
In Marine Area 10, anglers fishing outside the boundaries of the Sinclair Inlet fishery have a daily limit of two salmon, with no minimum size limit, and must release chinook and chum salmon. Anglers fishing the Sinclair Inlet fishery also have a daily limit of two salmon and must release chum, but can keep chinook measuring at least 22 inches.
The chinook catch in Marine Area 7 (San Juan Islands) continues to be steady, Thiesfeld said. But marine areas 8-1 (Deception Pass, Hope Island and Skagit Bay), 8-2 (Port Susan and Port Gardner) and 9 (Admiralty Inlet) have all been slow for salmon. "Until we get a good push of fish into Puget Sound from the ocean, we will probably continue to see spotty fishing in marine areas 8-1, 8-2 and 9," he said.
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).
Recreational crabbers should be aware that the summer fishery will close for a catch assessment in many areas of Puget Sound after the Labor Day weekend. Prior to the closure, crab fishing will remain open Sunday, Sept. 3 and Monday, Sept. 4 during the holiday weekend in eight marine areas where crabbing is usually restricted to Wednesdays through Saturdays. Waters scheduled to close Sept. 4 at one hour past sunset include marine areas 6 (eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca), 7 South, 8-1, 8-2, 9, 10, 11 (Tacoma/Vashon) and 12 (Hood Canal).
The eastern and northern portions of Marine Area 7 remain open through Sept. 30. Those two portions of marine area 7 also are open Wednesday through Saturday each week, plus the entire Labor Day weekend. In early October, WDFW will announce the reopening of waters where the catch has not met area quotas. 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/.
Freshwater salmon anglers will have more opportunities beginning Sept. 1, when portions of the Stillaguamish, Snoqualmie, Skykomish and Skagit rivers open for salmon fishing.
"Anglers might be able to find some early coho in those rivers," said Chad Jackson, WDFW fish biologist. "But the coho fishery really doesn't start to heat up until around the end of September."
Salmon anglers planning to fish the Skykomish, Snoqualmie and Stillaguamish rivers will have a daily limit of two salmon measuring at least 12 inches and must release chinook and pink. Anglers fishing the Skagit River will be allowed three salmon daily measuring at least 12 inches, and must release chinook. Jackson reminds anglers to check WDFW's 2006/2007 Fishing in Washington pamphlet (http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regs/fishregs.htm) for more information on those and other river fisheries in the region.
Elsewhere, Lake Sammamish recently opened for salmon fishing, with 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.
South Sound/Olympic Peninsula
Fishing: While ocean salmon fishing has been hit or miss, several rivers around the area open for salmon angling Sept. 1, providing a range of new fishing options. Meanwhile, recreational crabbers should bear in mind that in many areas of Puget Sound will close to crab fishing after the Labor Day weekend.
Salmon fishing off the Pacific coast has been up and down the past two weeks, according to Wendy Beeghley, WDFW fish biologist. "It's been day by day and unpredictable," she said. "One day will be good, another not so."
Ilwaco (Marine Area 1) continued to have the coast's highest catch rates during the week of Aug. 13-19, averaging about one fish per angler, mostly coho. In Westport (Marine Area 2), the count was about three-quarters of a fish per angler. Two coho were caught for every one chinook.
In LaPush (Marine Area 3) anglers averaged nearly a fish per rod; about half were chinook. But Neah Bay (Marine Area 4) saw only one-third fish per person. Almost all were coho.
Salmon fishing is open seven days a week on the coast, where anglers may keep up to two chinook as part of the two-fish daily limit. Minimum size is 24 inches for chinook and 16 inches for hatchery coho. 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.
The chinook fishery closed Aug. 21 in Marine Area 5 and the western portion of Marine Area 6 in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. With that closure in effect, anglers must now release all chinook, wild coho and chum they catch anywhere in marine areas 5 and 6.
On the other hand, several rivers around the region will open to salmon fishing beginning Sept. 1. One of the most popular is likely to be the Puyuallup River in Pierce County, according the Hal Michael, WDFW fish biologist. "There's a lot of anticipation because they're catching fish in Commencement Bay and those should be heading into the river," he said. The daily limit is six fish; no more than two adults may be kept. All wild adult chinook must be released.
Other rivers opening Sept. 1 include the Carbon River in Pierce County; Copalis River, Van Winkle Creek and Joe Creek in Grays Harbor County; and Niawiakum River in Pacific County. Regulations vary, so check the Fishing in Washington pamphlet (http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regs/fishregs.htm) for those that apply to specific streams.
Salmon fishing has been open since July 1 on the Quillayute and Hoh River systems where all wild chinook and coho must be released. Beginning Sept. 1, however, anglers can keep wild fish as part of their daily limit. In the Quillayute system (which includes the Bogachiel, Sol Duc, Calawah and Dickey rivers), anglers can keep two wild coho or chinook as part of their limit of three adult fish, including jacks. The total limit is six fish. On the Hoh, there is also a six-fish limit, but only two can be adults. Beginning Sept. 1, those can be either hatchery or wild.
Meanwhile, steelhead fishing on the Hoh has been fair, according to David Low, WDFW fish biologist. For the last two weeks, 126 anglers reeled in 79 fish.
Fly fishing sound like fun? That option continues to be popular with trout anglers on the Deschutes River in Thurston County, according to Hal Michaels. The preferred location is downstream from Pioneer Park and the Henderson Boulevard Bridge, he said.
There's lots of fishing on the Skokomish River in Mason County as well, where the chinook season runs from Aug. 1 through Sept. 13, said Michaels. Anglers fishing the Skokomish River are reminded that terminal gear (hooks, weights, lures or baits) and lines must not come within 25 feet of tribal gillnets. The new rule is designed to keep recreational fishing gear from getting hung up in tribal nets on the Skokomish River.
Anglers continue to find chinook in Marine Area 11 (Vashon Island to the Tacoma Narrows Bridge). For instance, at the Point Defiance Boat Ramp, 36 anglers pulled in 25 chinook on Aug. 14. Salmon fishing is also open in marine areas 12 (Hood Canal), 13 (South Puget Sound) and 10 (Bremerton), with a daily limit of two salmon. A hotspot has been the Port Orchard Ramp, where 13 anglers brought in 22 chinook Aug. 18.
Salmon fishing opens north of Ayock Point in Hood Canal on Sept. 1 with a daily limit of four coho only. Dabob Bay and Quilcene Bay, also part of Marine Area 12 opened for salmon fishing on Aug. 16. "Dabob should be turning on for good fishing any moment," according to Steve Thiesfeld, WDFW fish biologist.
Recreational crabbers should be aware that the summer fishery will close for a catch assessment in many areas of Puget Sound after the Labor Day weekend. Prior to the closure, crab fishing will remain open Sunday, Sept. 3 and Monday, Sept. 4 during the holiday weekend in eight marine areas where crabbing is usually restricted to Wednesdays through Saturdays. Waters scheduled to close Sept. 4 at one hour past sunset include marine 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). In early October, WDFW will announce the reopening of waters where the catch has not met area quotas.
Areas not affected by the closure include marine areas 4, 5 and 13, where crabbing will continue seven days per week through Feb. 28.
It's a tradition-the Kids Fishing Catch and Release Pond will be back at the Puyallup Fair this year. Look for it all three weekends, Fri.-Sun., beginning Sept. 8. The pond will be open from noon to 6 p.m. Kids 12 and under can drop a line for catchable-sized rainbow trout provided by the Puyallup hatchery.
Southwest Washington:
Fishing: Catch rates for summer steelhead continued to rise on the Columbia River and several tributaries through the third week in August, while salmon fishing remained slow at Buoy 10. Anglers picked up a few dozen chinook on the Columbia from Longview to Vancouver that week, but those fishing below the Rocky Point/Tongue Point line averaged just one chinook for every 17.5 rods and one coho for every 21.5 rods.
But those numbers could improve any day now, said Joe Hymer, WDFW fish biologist, who noted that last year's fishery at Buoy 10 was slow up until the last week in August. Then, anglers caught 5,700 chinook in just seven days of fishing.
"The fish often arrive with a big push," Hymer said. "The fishery could break loose any time."
Sampling results for this year's Buoy 10 fishery can be found on WDFW's website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regions/reg5/buoy10.htm.
Of course, some chinook are already moving up the Columbia River. Near Kalama, 142 boat anglers caught 22 adult chinook during the third week in August. Off the mouth of the Cowlitz River, 181 boat anglers took 13 adult chinook during the same period. Overall, boat anglers fishing downriver from Bonneville Dam averaged an adult chinook for every 10.4 rods, while bank anglers averaged one for every 65.5 rods. Several fish sampled by creel checkers weighed nearly 40 pounds.
While chinook fishing is on the rise, hatchery steelhead made up the bulk of the catch on the lower Columbia and several tributaries during the third week of August. The clear hotspot was the Cowlitz River, where 46 boat anglers were checked with 42 hatchery steelhead from the Kelso Bridge downstream. At Drano Lake, 145 anglers caught 51 steelhead - and released 21 others - during the same week. Eighteen anglers landed 10 steelies and released five others on the White Salmon River. As usual, anglers are required to release any steelhead with an intact adipose fin, identifying them as a wild fish.
On the Columbia mainstem, bank anglers fishing just below Bonneville Dam had the highest success rate for hatchery steelhead, averaging one fish for every two rods. Overall, bank anglers fishing in the lower river averaged one steelhead for every 4.3 rods while boat anglers average a fish for every 8.2 rods. Of the nearly 300 boats counted fishing salmon and steelhead Saturday, Aug. 19, the highest concentration was at the mouth of the Cowlitz River.
Starting Sept. 1, the Elochoman River opens to fishing for fall chinook and hatchery coho. The Grays River - including the west fork - also opens to fishing for hatchery coho that day. Coho counts at Bonneville Dam broke the 100-fish mark Aug. 21, but Hymer recommends waiting until the fall rains arrive for best results on the Elochoman and Grays rivers.
Meanwhile, all fishing will close in the lower portion of four creeks - Mill, Abernathy, Germany and Coal - near Longview from Sept. 1 through Oct. 31 to protect spawning fall chinook. See the Fishing in Washington rules pamphlet (http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regs/fishregs.htm) for details.
As of Aug. 20, steelhead were still the most common sight through the viewing windows at Bonneville Dam. Nearly 5,000 were counted that day as they passed up the fish ladder on the Washington side, easily outnumbering adult chinook (977), coho (84) and shad (96). But those proportions will change soon, if last year's returns are any indication. Starting Sept. 2, 2005, chinook returns jumped up to 23,215 fish per day and coho to 2,208 as steelhead counts dropped off. To watch this year's returns first-hand, take Washington State Highway 14 east to Milepost 40 (about 5 miles from Stevenson) and turn into the Bonneville Dam visitor center. The visitor center is the glass building at the end of the powerhouse.
Eastern Washington:
Fishing: Big water is the ticket for these warm but waning days of summer, and the biggest in the eastern region is the Columbia River reservoir off Grand Coulee Dam - Lake Franklin Delano Roosevelt. FDR is producing kokanee and nice-sized rainbow trout, and recent reports from anglers indicate the fish have moved deeper. Use downriggers to fish the 40- to 65-foot depth. Roosevelt's smallmouth bass are very active and relatively easy to catch with some in the 14- to 15-inch range.
"The action at many of our trout lakes throughout the region should start picking up when summer winds down with lower air and water temperatures," said WDFW District Fish Biologist Chris Donley. "Actually some, like Badger, West Medical, Williams and Fishtrap in Spokane County, have remained pretty good throughout the summer for anglers out really early and late in the day or evening."
Nighttime kokanee fishing remains good at Loon Lake in southern Stevens County. In the same area, Waitts Lake continues to be a good evening spot to catch rainbows and brown trout, plus some largemouth bass and yellow perch.
The steelhead season on the Snake River system in the south end of the region opens Sept. 1 with a daily catch limit of three hatchery steelhead (rainbow trout over 20 inches marked with a clipped adipose fin). WDFW District Fish Biologist Glen Mendel of Dayton says the best catches usually come later in the season. He reminds anglers to be sure to release any wild (unmarked) steelhead, and be able to identify fall chinook and coho salmon, which are also in the area and cannot be retained.
With dry conditions throughout the region, open fires are currently prohibited on all WDFW owned and managed water access sites. Anglers are urged to be extra careful with anything that could start a fire.
North Central Washington:
Fishing: Chinook salmon fishing has slowed down a bit on the Columbia River near the Brewster/Bridgeport area, said Bob Jateff, WDFW district fish biologist. "But the fish that have been caught are still in good shape and running 15 to 20 pounds," he said. "Farther up the Okanogan and Similkameen rivers, fishermen are starting to pick up a few chinook with lures and bait." Jateff reminds anglers that a non-buoyant lure restriction is in effect for the Okanogan and Similkameen rivers during the salmon season.
"The Methow River is producing some good cutthroat trout for fly fishermen," Jateff said. Selective gear rules are in effect for this fishery, which closes Sept. 30. Be prepared for smoky conditions on the river due to wildfires north of Winthrop.
Jateff also noted that Campbell and Cougar lakes in Okanogan County are scheduled to open for a catch-and-keep season on Sept. 1, but due to the fires in the Methow Valley area, road closures are in effect. Contact the U.S. Forest Service Methow Ranger District at 509-996-4000 for further information about access to these fishing lakes.
"Bluegills are still being caught in Leader Lake in the Omak area and yellow perch up to 10 inches are numerous in Patterson Lake in the Winthrop area," Jateff said. "Rainbow trout fishing in Big Twin Lake should pick up as the month of September approaches and lake water temperatures start to drop." Big Twin is a selective gear lake with a one fish daily limit.
In the region's Columbia Basin, WDFW District Fish Biologist Jeff Korth said water temperatures are cooling. "I have not heard much yet about angling success on Basin waterways, but things will be cranking up soon for those who want to be the first in line for some good early fall fishing," he said. Walleye at Moses Lake and Potholes Reservoir are traditionally good fall fisheries, along with smallmouth and largemouth bass.
With dry conditions throughout the region, open fires are currently prohibited on all WDFW owned and managed water access sites. Anglers are urged to be extra careful with anything that could start a fire.
South Central Washington:
Fishing: The Yakima River salmon fishery opens Sept.1 from the Highway 240 bridge upstream to 400 feet below Prosser Dam and from the Highway 223 bridge at Granger upstream to Sunnyside (Parker) Dam. Daily limit is six salmon, but no more than two adults (24 inches or more if chinook, 20 inches or more if coho) may be retained. All areas of the Yakima River are closed to angling for steelhead, hatchery or wild. Most of the salmon catch will occur later in September, says WDFW Fish Biologist Jim Cummins.
"The same goes for the Hanford Reach," he said, referring to that portion of the Columbia River near the Tri-Cities that opened for salmon fishing Aug.16. "The salmon really don't start biting there until late September."
Meanwhile anglers are picking up a little bit of everything else on the Columbia, including bass, pikeminnow, sturgeon and walleye.
Other southcentral region rivers and streams continue to provide good trout fishing. The Yakima River heads the list, Cummins said, but the Naches, Little Naches, and Bumping rivers in Yakima County, and the upper reaches of Taneum Creek, Naneum Creek, Manastash Creek, and the Forks of the Teanaway in Kittitas County are good bets. Cummins noted most rivers and creeks have special regulations like selective gear rules that prohibit bait. Most also have statewide trout catch limits of two trout with an 8-inch minimum size. Anglers should check the regulation pamphlet for all details.
"We have received reports that anglers are illegally targeting bull trout at Bumping Reservoir," Cummins said. "Bumping and other waters are closed to fishing for bull trout, which will start spawning the last several days of August in several creeks and will be spawning into October in the north half of the region." Some streams and small creeks also have seasonal or year-round closures to protect bull trout, including part of North Fork Ahtanum Creek, all of Shellneck Creek, lower reaches of South Fork Tieton River, Bear and Indian creeks (Rimrock Lake tributaries), lower Box Canyon Creek (Kachess Lake tributary) , the lower reaches of Deep Creek (Bumping Lake tributary), Gold Creek (Keechelus Lake tributary) and lower Union Creek (American River tributary).
With dry conditions throughout the region, open fires are currently prohibited on all WDFW owned and managed water access sites. Anglers are urged to be extra careful with anything that could start a fire.
"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."
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