It’s not often that state Department of Fish and Wildlife creel checkers come up with steelhead stats approaching one fish for every angler contacted, but that was the case recently on the Cowlitz, where checker Julie Henning reported 21 steelhead landed by 21 fishermen at Blue Creek. That’s good steelheading in anyone’s book, and the word is getting around that the Cowlitz and the North Fork Lewis are smokin’ hot for summer runs.
The run on both rivers, in fact, is expected by biologists to be so strong this summer that the limit has already been increased to three hatchery steelhead per day, effective now through Oct. 31. State biologist Joe Hymer in Vancouver said hatcheries on both streams expect no problem at all getting brood stock.
“By comparing the number of summer steelhead they have in hand at this point, vs. the number they had last year, they feel the run is four or five times stronger than in 2005,” Hymer said.
The one drawback – and perhaps part of the reason why the hatcheries already have their brood fish or nearly so – is that anglers’ day-to-day success rates have been bouncing around in concert with water levels on both rivers. Flows have been up and down with hot weather and snow melt, and fishing has reflected that.
“We’re seeing some very good days on both rivers, and some days that aren’t so good,” Hymer said. “But at least fishermen should know that the runs are strong and the fish are there.”
Columbia chinook: Another top fishery came on line July 1, with the opening of the central and upper Columbia for summer chinook. The run is not expected to be as strong as the past couple of seasons, but the first few days have looked pretty good.
“We had probably 75 boats on the river here in the Wenatchee area for the opener,” said Don Talbot at Hooked On Toys in Wenatchee (509-663-0740), “and checks showed about a fish per boat. That’s very good fishing for this area.”
Talbot said his boat landed five kings and lost five more, averaging 24 pounds and with a top of 31 pounds.
Another top spot for summer kings is below Wells Dam, upstream from Wenatchee, where fishing was also quite good.
Farther up, in the Brewster area, success rates were significantly lower. From reports, Talbot said there weren’t more than 30 fish taken, a relatively slow opener for that section of the river. “There aren’t enough fish in that stretch yet,” Talbot said. “It will take probably a couple of weeks for the fish we’re seeing here to show up off the mouth of the Okanogan.”
The hot new lure, Talbot said, is a plastic anchovy called a Superbait. It’s hollow, and the interior can be filled with sponge-and-scent, or pieces of shrimp, sardine, herring, or other baits. Brad’s Wiggler plugs took fish, particularly in red or lime/silver, and herring – either plug-cut or whole with a helmet – were also effective.
The Icicle River chinook fishery is now “old news,” according to Talbot, replaced by larger, fresher fish in the Columbia.
The San Juan Island chinook opener was not too bad, at most of the usually productive spots: Eagle Bluff, Point Lawrence, Obstruction and Thatcher passes. There was also a fairly strong rumor of a 52-pounder taken at the lime kiln. Checks at the Cornet Bay ramp on Saturday and Sunday showed 43 anglers with five kings. Knowledgeable anglers say the islands could be excellent this summer, because the Fraser River chinook run is predicted to be a good one, and some of those fish swing through the San Juans.
Sekiu’s four-year experiment with the clipped-chinook fishery continues, but started with mixed results. Checks at Olson’s Resort over the weekend showed 102 anglers with 10 chinook, 55 rockfish and four halibut.
The Tulalip Bubble was dismal over the holiday. State checks at the Port of Everett ramp showed 518 anglers with just four chinook, but many of those fishermen were probably doing more crabbing and sunning than serious bubble pounding. Some were definitely running down to Marine Area 10 for the catch and keep coho fishery there, as checks also showed 21 silvers in the catch.
Crab: Recreational crabbing opened July 1 on much of Puget Sound to decidedly mixed reviews. If you found a spot which hadn’t been pounded by commercial fishermen, you probably did fairly well, but reports ran heavily to less than limit action, or limits only after soaking and pulling pots for a full eight-hour day on the water.
Some spots along Saratoga Passage weren’t bad, but the Mission Bar/Jetty Island area was very slow, as predicted. Many San Juan Island recreational crabbers didn’t participate, opting to wait until the July 15 opener of the popular Marine Area 7 East, Samish Island and Padilla Bay. Access to that part of the islands is much easier for small-boaters.
Muskie tourney: There’s a moral here somewhere, when traditionally salmon, trout and steelhead-oriented Washington hosts its first tiger muskie tournament, but I think I’ll leave that one strictly alone. Suffice it to say that Lake Mayfield Resort &Marina will sponsor the premier event on September 16, for 20 two-person teams. Resort manager George Penzenik said he has room left for four teams, at an entry fee of $100 per team. Prizes will return 100 percent of fees, including $1,000 for first, $600 for second, and $400 for third, plus significant merchandise prizes.
The tournament will be catch-and-release, Penzenik said. Successful anglers will keep their fish in the water, in a cradle, until measurement and release by one of four judge boats on the lake. Prizes will be awarded on a length basis, rather than weight.
Mayfield holds the state record for the sterile cross between muskellunge and northern pike, at 31 pounds, 4 ounces.
Call Penzenik at 360-985-2357, or go online to www.lakemayfield.com.
There are now a couple of guides who will take clients on muskie trips, Penzenik said, available through the resort.
Good coho news?: Guide and Arlington resident Sam Ingram, a recreational fishing activist and a member of the state’s citizen Steelhead Policy Advisory Group, said a recent agency release may outline a much better than usual coho season in Western Washington this fall. The release, an installment of “Albacore News (number 0306 and dated June 30)” by state observers aboard commercial tuna trollers off the coast, had several encouraging things to say.
One was that despite the disappearance of the salmon-friendly cold water which has been lying off Washington for the past six months, plankton and other parts of the optimum food chain are still much in evidence. Coho have apparently been gorging themselves and the silvers are becoming real heavyweights.
“These observers say some of the coho caught incidentally by albacore trollers have been in the high teens already,” Ingram said, “and a couple have been verified at over 20 pounds. That’s huge for this time of year, and bodes well for north Puget Sound coho fisheries this year, for the Snohomish and Skagit river runs, for the Neah Bay/Sekiu fisheries, for buoy 10, and a number of others.”
There are a lot of salmon anglers who would rather catch large coho than almost anything else, and this bit of random information should at least raise some pulse rates.
Go to the agency Web site at www.wdfw.wa.gov.
Sockeye: The limited-area Baker River sockeye fishery opened July 1, and Kevin John at Holiday Market Sports in Burlington (360-757-4361) said the first few days have been pretty good for those willing to show up early in the morning to get one of the better spots where the Baker enters the Skagit at Concrete. Most anglers plunk a number 6 or 8 Spin N Glo in red or pink, with a sand shrimp, John said.
The first two weeks of the month-long season are usually the best, he said, but be sure to check the regulations for recreational closures to allow tribal netting.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
