1. Local coho salmon
September is prime time for fall-running coho salmon, also called silvers, in local saltwater and certain rivers. Troll Possession Bar or the area due east called “The Shipwreck” for smaller resident fish, 3-5 pounds, and later in the month switch to the Port Townsend area and the west side of Whidbey Island for larger ocean silvers. A flasher/green squid combination works well, fished at fairly fast speed and not too deep — maybe 40 to 80 feet or so. Cast and retrieve pink or chartreuse Buzz Bombs, or jig-type spoons from the beach at Kayak Point, Picnic Point, West Beach (at Deception Pass), Point No Point, Fort Casey, Bush Point, Lagoon Point, at the Mukilteo lighthouse or off the Edmonds fishing pier. Drift and cast, or troll, 50-50 Dick Nite spoons in the Snohomish River, later in the fall, from the mouth of the Pilchuck River downstream to I-5.
2. Samish River
Hatchery Chinook to 40 pounds or larger are the target for bank fishermen on this small Skagit County river in early September, switching to coho later in the month and in October. The lower third of the river is where the action is, on the outgoing tide, casting spinners or leadhead jigs or drifting eggs under a float or with a little weight. Slots near the pilings are top spots, but you’ll have to get there early to find a place. Holiday Sports in Burlington is a good source of local information.
3. Pass Lake
Brown trout of up to 6 pounds or more and typically smaller rainbow trout are the prize in this fly-fishing-only lake in Skagit County about six miles from Anacortes. While the 98-acre lake is open year round, late September and October are often the best months. Big browns can be seen cruising the shorelines and pushing through the reeds after fathead minnows, which are abundant. That’s why the fish get so large. Fish streamer patterns that imitate this baitfish early and late in the day or all day during cloudy days. Boats or float tubes are needed to effectively fish this catch-and-release lake. Motors are prohibited.
4. Hanford Reach
Fishermen flock to this last free-flowing section of the Columbia, above the Tri-Cities, for a shot at hefty fall chinook. It’s mostly a boat show, back-trolling big Kwikfish plugs with an anchovy wrap, through the deeper holes and slots from Priest Rapids Dam downstream past the White Bluffs. Some drift and cast big spinners, or drift-fish eggs or shrimp, steelhead fashion, or jig the deepest holes with Buzz Bombs, Point Wilson darts, or similar weighted gear. Use the rough launch at the Vernita Bridge and stay above the bridge, if you’re inexperienced or don’t have a jet unit. It might be best to hire a guide your first time anyway, to learn the water. This is a big river and there are some mean spots.
5. Yakima River trout
The Yakima is Washington state’s blue-ribbon trout stream, with good fly fishing from Keechelus Dam to Rosa Dam. In early September, the irrigation water that fills the stream in summer gets turned off, making the Yakima more fishable, either by wading or from a boat or a float tube. If you’ve never floated the river before, it’s best to go with a friend who has or to hire a guide to learn the difficult spots. September is still a time for flies simulating grasshoppers, ants and other terrestrials. Caddis flies are also popular. In October and November, small olive mayflies can work on top and big streamers can pick up some large fish near the bottom.
6. Stillaguamish River sea-run cutthroat
With their emerald green backs, big black spots and slashes of red near their gills, cutthroat trout can be a beauty to behold. The version that goes into the saltwater to feed is typically an aggressive fish that’s popular with anglers. September and October are peak months for these fish to return to the rivers, generally following the salmon and eating their eggs before running up small creeks to do their own spawning. The sea-run fish in the Stillaguamish are a catch-and-release fishery, and anglers should use barbless hooks to make that job easier without harming these jewels. Sea-runs like flashy lures and flies. Spoons and spinners work, as do flies that look like a baitfish or that have bright colors: yellow, red and orange. Fishing is better early or late or on cloudy days. The fish are usually not in the fast current. They like slower pools and back eddies. Try near logs, rip-rap, overhanging brush and undercut banks. In September, fish the river’s main stem. Try the river’s North Fork in October.
7. Lake Washington perch
This is a fun, laid-back, late summer/early fall fishery aimed directly at supplying the raw ingredients for one of the best self-caught meals in the Northwest: deep-fried yellow perch fillets. You’ll need a boat, but a small rig will work fine if you use common sense and keep an eye on the weather. Launch at the great Magnuson Park facility at Sand Point, or at the Department of Fish and Wildlife access on the lower end of the Sammamish River, just above the north end of the lake, and start prospecting for bays, points, pilings or other structures, in 20 or 30 feet of water. The edges of weedy bays are prime spots to find perch schools with your worm-tipped mini-jig, or simple dropper of two hooks above a quarter-ounce bell sinker. Cast and retrieve slowly, and keep moving until you find fish, then anchor and work ‘em over. You’re looking for the meaty fish of 10 or 11 inches or larger.
8. Grande Ronde steelhead
The Grande Ronde is a heavily fished river that is popular because it usually sees large numbers of hatchery steelhead. They travel a fair distance along the Columbia and Snake rivers before entering the Ronde about 30 miles south of Clarkston. In Washington, much of the river winds through a canyon that is inaccessible without a boat. There is good fishing at the mouth, at an access called Shumakers, which allows camping, and at Bogan’s Oasis. October is typically the best time to find fish and decent weather. The fish often stay in the Snake until fall rains fill the Ronde and cool it down. Fly fishers can catch them with egg sucking leeches with sink-tip lines and also with dry lines and dry flies. Gear fishermen have great success with a bobber and jig. People who like to hunt can put together a good “cast and blast” trip for bird hunting and steelhead fishing.
9. Snohomish system chums
If there was a contest for ugliest salmon, chums would win hands down. They’re not the best tasting salmon either. But they are one of the best fighting salmon and are usually pretty abundant, something more and more anglers are learning about. The Snohomish and Skykomish rivers typically have good runs of chums starting in late October and continuing through November. Fishing the Skykomish in the Sultan and Monroe areas can be very successful. Chums like the color green or chartreuse, and also pink and purple. Fly fishers should fish at least a nine weight rod and marabou or bunny leeches. Gear fishers have luck with spinners and spoons and drift bobbers and yarn.
10. Potholes Reservoir walleye and smallmouth bass
Autumn is a great time of year in the Columbia Basin, and it provides a nice combination trip to Grant County’s Potholes Reservoir for fat walleye and scrappy smallmouth. The smallmouth — most around a pound or two but with the occasional much larger fish — can be had in the rocks along the face of O’Sullivan Dam either from a boat, or by walking the shoreline. Cast a small smoke or motor oil-colored curly-tail, leadhead jig into the rip-rap, let it drop until you figure it’s probably to the rocks, and jig it back. Drift nightcrawlers, cast and slowly retrieve a jig, or troll a deep-diving plug along the Crab Creek channel or around Goose Island for walleye. MarDon Resort’s tackle shop is the top source for local fishing information.
Mike Benbow and Wayne Kruse
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