A number of years ago, when walleye – some big walleye – started showing up in the Columbia River, there were experienced Midwest natives dismayed at the lack of interest among trout- and salmon-oriented Northwesterners.
“Someday,” the Midwest natives said, “the U.S. record is going to be caught in the Columbia.”
It hasn’t happened yet, but we’re getting closer.
Mike Hepper, a veteran angler from Richland, set the state walleye record with a 19.3-pound hog he took from the Columbia above McNary Dam on Feb. 5. He used a spinner/worm combo. The fish beat the old record of 18.9 pounds caught in 2002 in the John Day Pool, downriver.
Hepper’s record fish was weighed on certified scales in Pasco and verified by Paul Hoffarth, a state Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist. It was 33.7 inches long and had a girth of 22.24 inches, Hoffarth said.
“The mid-Columbia is widely recognized as one of the best places in the nation to catch walleye, said Keith Underwood, the state’s gamefish records coordinator.
Hepper, a retired high school teacher, has been fishing most of his life, specializing in walleye for nearly 40 years. “It’s great to get the record, but I know there’s a bigger one out there,” the 64-year-old said.
Tennessee holds the world walleye record, a 25-pounder caught in 1960.
The area both above and below McNary has been very productive, Hoffarth said, with several walleye of 10-plus pounds taken recently.
This is “trophy walleye” time on the Columbia River as spawning fish become vulnerable. Many fishermen advocate returning the big females to the water, as does guide and Brewster resident Rod Hammons (509-689-2849). A Hammons client nailed a 14-pound, 12-ounce fish a week ago in Lake Pataeros that was released.
“I thought the guy was going to cry when that fish went back in the river,” Hammons said. “He was from back east, just moved out here, and he’d never seen a walleye that big in his life.”
It was caught on a half-ounce curly-tail “motor oil” jig, tipped with a nightcrawler, Hammons said. He likes browns, greens, chartreuse, white/chartreuse or red/white combinations.
Hammons said this trophy period doesn’t last long – maybe through mid-March or a little later. He’s seeing males and the occasional big female fish moving up onto the spawning beds now, and he said the bulk of the females won’t be far behind. Water temperature is running about 37 degrees, he said.
Walleye fishing also is heating up farther down the Columbia. Checks last week on the John Day and Bonneville pools showed an average of about five fish per rod.
Blackmouth: Charters are taking quick limits and private boaters are doing almost as well in Marine Areas 7 and 9 (see map) since they opened two weeks ago. Because many of the huge number of shakers that were being hooked in October and November are now legal or almost so, the fishery should hold up well into the near future.
“Most of the fish we’re boating are from just legal up to 6 or 7 pounds,” said All Star Charters owner/skipper Gary Krein in Everett (425-252-4188), “and fish that size tend to not want to move out of the area too quickly. I look for top fishing for at least a month, maybe longer.”
Krein said Possession Bar, in Marine Area 9, is probably the best bet currently, but that Point No Point, Double Bluff and Useless Bay are all putting out fish.
Krein works the outer bar at Possession, the west edge on an incoming tide and the east side of the ledge on the ebb. He pulls a frog racer or yellowtail Coyote spoon behind a green flasher, but may change to a Tomic plug when there’s a lot of bait in the area.
Up in the San Juan Islands, salmon fishermen are scoring at Lopez flats, Fishermans Bay, Spring Pass, Point Thompson/Parker Reef and Eagle Bluff. Several fish in the teens have come from Eagle Bluff, said Bob Ferber at Holiday Market Sports in Burlington (360-757-4361).
Creel checks at the Port of Everett ramp over the weekend tallied a crowd of 279 anglers with 66 blackmouth. At the Washington Park ramp, west of Anacortes, it was 138 with 31, and at Camano State Park, 18 with three.
The Roche Harbor Derby, held Feb 8-10, hit it lucky this year, both with good numbers of chinook and calm, sunny weather. A total of 98 boats with 326 anglers weighed in 89 salmon, topped by the first-place fish of 21 pounds, 3 ounces, caught by Mike Simms of Woodinville. Simms took home a check for $10,000.
In second place, at 20.05 pounds, was Andy Holman of Friday Harbor ($5,000); in third, at 19.03 pounds, was Dave Reep of Mount Vernon ($1,500); and in fourth, at 18.05 pounds, was Bobby Collins of Arlington ($1,000). Best boat total weight and $1,500 went to Dale Nelson, Paul McAbee and Jed Buchholz, with 59 pounds, 9 ounces of chinook.
Steelhead: The Cowlitz has been slow for a couple of weeks, probably because of cold water temperatures, but with the late-run hatchery stock due soon, action should pick up both there and on the Kalama.
“The early run was fairly strong,” said state biologist Joe Hymer in Vancouver, “and there’s no reason to believe the late run won’t be too.”
On the Peninsula, the Wynoochee has been hot for a couple of weeks, and a little rain should jack up fishing on the Satsop and Humptulips. On the north coast, checks on the Sol Duc and Hoh continue to run between one-half and one fish per rod.
The Skagit is putting out a mixture of native and hatchery fish all the way from the plunking bars at Mount Vernon and Burlington, up to and above Rockport. Grandy Creek and the area around Concrete have been good, as has the Sauk when water conditions are right. The South Fork Nooksack and the Samish also are worth a shot.
East of the Cascades, the Grande Ronde has been good; the Walla Walla and mainstem Snake slower.
Ice fishing: This has been a good ice fishing winter, and while temperatures have been moderating in the Columbia Basin, there’s probably still time – if you’re very cautious – to take a few trout or perch in several spots.
Fish Lake, in the Leavenworth area, is always a good ice fishing bet and this winter is no exception. The lake puts out both nice-sized rainbows and some good yellow perch, depending on where and how you fish it. Roses Lake, near Chelan, is another popular winter lake, and is probably still fishable for rainbows in the 10- to 12-inch range. Anton Jones of Darrell and Dad’s Family Guide Service (866-360-1523) said Power Bait in chartreuse, orange or rainbow, fished 1 to 2 feet off bottom, is the way to go.
At one point, Banks Lake had a foot of ice, and at least parts of the big lake are probably still fishable. It’s a good bet for perch, walleye and trout.
Other ice fishing possibilities on the eastside include Rat Lake near Brewster, and Green Lake near Omak, both good for foot-long rainbows; Davis Lake near Winthrop; and Patterson Lake (trout and perch).
And just so you’ll know: The U.S. Olympic Committee has ordered Anthony’s Restaurant to “… refrain from featuring Olympic terminology in the name of your annual oyster event.”
Really.
So say goodbye to the Oyster Olympics and its 17-year history of fun, food, and raising money for the Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, a well-known clean water advocacy group.
However, Anthony’s marketing director, Lane Hoss, said The Event Formerly Known As The Oyster Ol****cs will be held March 27 at Anthony’s Homeport at Shilshole Bay in Seattle
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