Kokanee are a favorite with many northwest Washington anglers, and the popular landlocked sockeye are starting to come on in several waters.
Bob Ferber at Holiday Market Sports in Burlington (360-757-4361) said both Baker Lake and Lake Samish are popping and that the fish may be a little larger than usual this year.
Anglers on Baker fishing near the boat launch at Anderson Creek have been finding fish deeper than normal and usually productive spots up-lake have been better producers than those closer to the launch, Ferber said.
Arlington resident and fishing activist Sam Ingram (360-435-9311) has done well recently on Lake Stevens. He said both the number of fish being taken and the average size (12 to 17 inches) are very good this year and they make a great table fish. Ingram said the kokanee are relatively shallow this early in the season – at 15 to 30 feet – which means downriggers are useful, but not absolutely mandatory.
Trolling is the primary system on Lake Stevens, using a small dodger and a lure such as the Wedding Ring, Dick Nite or Kokanee Killer, often tipped with a maggot or piece of white corn. Traditional Lake Stevens fishermen often prefer to use leaded line.
“This is a relatively sophisticated fishery,” Ingram said, “which takes some learning. A local expert, happy to give advice, is Greg at Greg’s Custom Rods in Lake Stevens, phone number 425-335-1391.”
Ferber also fishes kokanee in Lake Stevens and has had good luck recently on fish averaging 14 inches. He warned, however, that the fish are stratified (20 feet deep on his last trip) and once you find the right depth, five feet shallower or deeper will make you think there isn’t a kokanee within three blocks.
Ferber said kokes are skittish fish and an electric trolling motor seems to spook them less than a gas kicker. For the same reason, he runs his gear a good 40 feet behind his downrigger pin. Double hooks tied mooching style an inch or two apart, a rubber snubber in front of the 3/0 or 4/0 dodger, and sensitive, soft-action rods all help to bring the notoriously soft-mouthed fish to the boat, he said.
Ferber said the big state plant of 1- to 2-pound triploid rainbows in Clear Lake in Skagit County has acclimated now and anglers are starting to score. Standard gear and bait of all types will work. Fly fishermen are doing well on dry lines and soft-hackle nymphs.
Ingram said Lake McMurray is a good bet for trout fishermen now that the crowds are gone, and that the $50 fish is apparently still on the loose in Lake Tye, at the west edge of Monroe. The lake was planted heavily for a kids’ fish-in earlier this year, including the special dorsal-fin-tagged 6-pounder, and Ingram said fishing continues good for big rainbows.
Kids’ derby: The annual Everett Eagles Sportsmen’s Club Kids’ Trout Derby is scheduled for May 15 at Silver Lake in cooperation with Everett Parks and Recreation. The prize list is worth $500. The derby takes place at Silver Beach Resort and all participants must have their own tackle and a flotation vest or jacket. Hot dogs and hot chocolate will be served. Club secretary Pete Ensign said youngsters must get an application form at the Everett Parks office in Forest Park. Call 425-257-8300 for more information.
Lingcod: A good, but crowded season for lingcod continues in Puget Sound, drawing unexpectedly large numbers of anglers to some of the better spots. Possession Bar looked like the start of salmon season on the May 1 lingcod opener, with between 100 and 200 boats counted that morning. Anthon Steen at Holiday Sports said launches accessing the San Juans were jammed by daylight – even though the tides weren’t all that great – and that neither Cornet Bay (at Deception Pass) nor Washington Park (west of Anacortes) had sufficient parking space to hold everyone. Many vehicles were ticketed for parking in unauthorized spaces, he said.
State Fish and Wildlife Department checks over the weekend showed good success rates, particularly in the islands and out in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Tallies at the Cornet Bay public ramp Saturday and Sunday showed 119 anglers with 27 lings, 13 rockfish, 27 greenling and one halibut. At the Bellingham ramp on Sunday, it was 37 anglers with 12 lings and two cabezon.
At the Port of Everett ramp on Sunday, checkers counted 46 anglers with 10 lings. Some 29 fishermen checked at the Edmonds fishing pier on Saturday had two lings.
Checks at Olson’s Resort in Sekiu on Saturday showed seven anglers with seven lings.
Lingcod fishing also continues good out of Westport, usually in combination with charter trips for black rockfish.
Halibut: Most knowledgeable halibut anglers – but not all – say this season’s early opening has resulted in more fish for more fishermen on inside Puget Sound waters.
Ferber is one who agrees with that assessment. He said that while Mutiny Bay is starting to fade, it had a good couple of weeks. Also showing above average halibut action, he said, were several of the banks accessible out of Cornet Bay and Anacortes, most notably Hein, Eastern and Partridge.
Checks at Ediz Hook in Port Angeles over the weekend showed a total of 185 anglers with 31 halibut.
Shrimp: Spot shrimp drew big-time crowds to the saltchuck on Saturday as recreational shrimping opened statewide (a departure from previous seasons’ piecemeal openings). Marine Area 11 (Vashon Island to the Tacoma Narrows bridge) was hurriedly shut down by the state after only one day of fishing there harvested more than three times the sport allocation of 600 pounds and also exceeded the 1,500-pound sport and commercial allocation combined.
Fish and Wildlife personnel counted 454 pot buoys in the area, compared to 86 last year.
“Up until this year, Area 11 wasn’t really considered a hot spot for recreational shrimp fishing,” state shellfish biologist Rich Childers said. “Obviously, that has changed.”
Hood Canal, as usual, was the state’s most popular shrimping hole, drawing an estimated 1,650 boats for the opener and a harvest of 20,000 pounds.
As of Tuesday, Hood Canal and all other areas except 11 remained open on their published fishing schedules.
Spring chinook: Success rates on the Cowlitz River are low despite high numbers of springers returning to the hatchery. On the Kalama, boat anglers last week averaged one fish for every 2.5 rods, and bankies averaged one for every 12 rods. On the Lewis, it was one fish for every three boaters and one for every four bankies.
Drano Lake was the top spot on the Columbia for springers, putting out a fish for every three boaters and one for every six bank fishermen. At the mouth of the Wind, boaters averaged a fish for every 5.7 rods last week.
Others: The first shad have been counted over Bonneville Dam, but there have been only a few.
Lake Chelan has been spotty for lake trout because of storm fronts moving through but prime for kokanee and smallmouth bass. Contact Anton Jones at 509-687-0709.
On the upper Columbia, walleye fishing has slowed at Seaton’s Grove, but the lower Okanogan should come on soon as fish move up from the big river. Guide and Brewster resident Rod Hammons (509-689-2849) said the Okanogan fishery is mostly a spinner or crank bait show.
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