Good weather and plenty of healthy trout in lakes around the state resulted in an excellent general fishing opener last weekend on both sides of the Cascades. The only shadow, if it can be called that, was a noticeable decline in fishing pressure on the popular waters of Snohomish and Skagit counties.
State biologist Curt Kraemer said the number of anglers on some lakes in the two counties was down as much as 20 to 30 percent from previous openers, and those of you who stayed home for the NFL draft know who you are.
Despite the competition from football, a razor clam dig, Little League baseball and other less important stuff, the local opener was a good one. Lake Ki was, for the second year in a row, the top trout producer in Snohomish County, putting out an average of 4.71 fish per rod for a large crowd. A step behind was Lake Armstrong, north of Arlington, at 4.07 trout per person, with a lot of fish being released.
Lake Riley, east of Arlington and off the Jim Creek Road, eased in with a 3.5-fish average, although a lot of anglers on the small lake took home limits. At Alderwood Manor’s Martha Lake, anglers scored at a better-than-average clip of 3.0 rainbows per person. The average on Lake Bosworth was 2.72 trout, about one-third of which were 13- to 14-inch carryovers, and on Lake Margaret, it was 2.21 rainbows. Storm Lake finished out the list of Snohomish County waters checked by state Department of Fish and Wildlife personnel, at an average of 2.05 trout per rod.
Up in Skagit County, where the number of anglers also declined, all the major lakes put out mostly limits. That included Erie, Heart, McMurray, and Sixteen, all at between 3.5 and 4.6 rainbows per rod. Deer Lake, on Whidbey Island, also produced well, at 3.3 trout per person.
East of the Cascades, the top dog in Chelan County, as it usually is, was Wapato Lake, where anglers scored at a 3.5-trout clip and a half dozen rainbows were checked between 2 and 4 pounds. Checks in Grant County showed averages of 4.1 and 4.5 fish for Park and Blue lakes, respectively, where yearling rainbows were going 11 or 12 inches and 5 percent of the catch was made up of carryovers to 20 inches. At Warden Lake, limits were the rule and 8 percent were carryovers to 17 inches.
Alta Lake was number one in Okanogan County, and carryovers were going 13 to 15 inches. Other Okanogan checks included Big Twin, where a winter kill was blamed for slow fishing (1.7 fish per rod); Conconully Reservoir, 4.0 fish per rod, carryovers to 22 inches; Leader, 2.7 fish, carryovers averaging 16 to 21 inches; Patterson, slow; Pearrygin, 4.0 per rod, yearlings going just 9 inches; Spectacle, 2.6 per rod, carryovers averaging 14 inches; and Wannacut, 2.8 per rod, primarily yearlings going 10 inches.
The Conconully Chamber of Commerce Derby was won by Corey Davis of Covington, with a rainbow that weighed 6 pounds, 5 ounces.
Jameson Lake in Douglas County, arguably the best single trout lake in the state, was excellent. Limits were the rule, to 13 inches, according to Brewster resident and avid outdoorsman Rod Hammons. There are new owners at the north end resort, Hammons said, and everyone was catching trout. Old standby baits such as marshmallows, corn, or worms seemed to be outfishing Power Bait, he added.
The kids free fishing day at Lake Tye on the edge of Monroe was again a huge event, pulling more than 1,500 kids according to estimates by members of the sponsoring Sky Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited. The largest trout caught by a youngster was a 13-pound, 15-ounce rainbow, banked by Michelle Cao, followed by a 4-pound, 14-ounce fish taken by Kely Grove. The adult derby and $250 was won by Alex Schmidt, at 4 pounds, 10 ounces.
Co-chair of the derby, Ron Lavigueure of Lavro Boats in Monroe, said the tagged trout worth $1,000 was not caught, and that the prize is now void. He also said that, except for Cao’s 13-pounder, none of the really big rainbows – some weighing 15 or 16 pounds – donated by TroutLodge Inc., were caught.
Remember the kids’ free fish-in Sunday, starting at 8 a.m. on north Gissberg Pond, adjacent to the west side of I-5 at Smokey Point. The event is sponsored by the Everett Steelhead and Salmon Club, the Snohomish Sportsmen’s Club and the state Fish and Wildlife Department. The pond goes permanently to juveniles-only (under 15 years) regulations on Saturday, and it will be stocked with plenty of fat rainbows, some in the multi-pound class, for the event. No prizes are offered, but club members will be on hand to help, and there will be a limited supply of loaner tackle available.
Take Exit 206, go west across the freeway and then turn left (south) on the first road past the business area there, and then left again.
Shrimp: Enough of the recreational shrimp quota remains in Marine Areas 8-1, 8-2 and 9 to reopen the now-closed season for one additional weekday on May 14, according to state shellfish manager Rich Childers at the Point Whitney lab. There is not enough quota left to open for a weekend day, Childers said.
Spring chinook: Fishing for spring kings at tributary points on the Columbia River above Bonneville Dam has picked up, but knowledgeable anglers are afraid the run size will be downgraded and the season closed before sport fishermen can catch their share.
“The commercials took theirs right off the top, from an estimate of a very large run,” said Lake Stevens resident and guide Tom Nelson (tom@fishskagit.com). “If they downsize the estimate and close the season, we’ll get the shaft again.”
The most recent state checks at Drano Lake showed 100 boats on the water Saturday, averaging a king for every 2.6 rods, and bank anglers averaging one per 5.7 rods. That’s not bad fishing, but probably not as hot as it should be at this point in what had been predicted to be a very good season.
At the Wind, 200 boats or better were counted Saturday, averaging a chinook per every 3.8 rods, and slow from the bank. Fishing on both the Cowlitz and Lewis rivers was characterized by state biologist Joe Hymer in Vancouver as fair for springers and a few summer steelhead.
Walleye: Guide Rod Hammons in Brewster (509-689-2849) said walleye in the upper Columbia pools are now entering the spawn and are getting tougher to catch. If you hit ‘em in the head with a jig, he said, there are still some nice fish to be caught. According to state creel checks, walleye fishermen in the Dalles and John Day pools averaged a walleye either kept or released per rod last week.
Turkey: Arlington resident and avid outdoorsman Sam Ingram got a nice 18-pound tom during the first week of the spring turkey season, in the Colville area, but said hens weren’t yet nesting and that competition for the attention of male birds was fierce.
“The last two weeks of the season, until it closes on May 15, could be excellent,” Ingram said. “The local store over there weighed as many birds on opening weekend as they did all of last season. There are plenty of toms around.”
Outdoor radio: Local guide and angler Tom Nelson has been appointed a permanent co-host of the popular “Call of the Wild” outdoor show on Sports Radio 950 KJR. The program airs from 6-8 a.m. on Saturdays on the AM dial.
Speakers in the future will include “the rod man,” Gary Loomis, and well-known bow hunter Willy Bloomquist.
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