RIVERS
Columbia: Overall, the fishing has been very slow. Boat anglers are catching some steelhead in the John Day Pool. Sturgeon fishing below Bonneville Dam has been poor, while it has been a little better in the Bonneville Pool.
Cowlitz: State creel samples show the action has been pretty slow. There were 14 bank anglers checked and they had kept one steelhead, while seven boat anglers also kept just one steelhead. Last week, Tacoma Power employees recovered 24 winter-run steelhead, 43 coho adults and eight jacks during five days of operations at the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator.
North Sound: River levels have come up a bit, but are still on the low side. The best steelhead action has been at the terminal fisheries such as Reiter Ponds on the Skykomish, Tokul Creek on the Snoqualmie and Cascade River on the Skagit.
Olympic Coast: The steelhead action has been OK in recent days. River levels are still on the low side, after a slight increase Wednesday into Thursday.
Washougal: The river has been low and clear and the fishing very slow.
Wynoochee: The action has finally slowed down, and it’s mostly smaller fish. The water is still low and clear. It’s a similar story on the Satsop.
Yakima: Casting streamers, especially sculpin patterns or a light-colored muddler, along inside seams has been producing consistent catches of rainbow trout.
SALTWATER
Beaches: The current razor clam dig continues today and Sunday. No digging is allowed at any beach before noon. The schedule for the upcoming dig and evening low tides are: today, 6:18 p.m., -0.2 feet, Twin Harbors, Long Beach, Copalis, Mocrocks; Sunday, 6:50 p.m., -0.2 feet, Twin Harbors, Long Beach.
Fly fishing: The action remains pretty good for resident coho, with most of the fish measuring 12-15 inches. Titlow Beach has been a good place to try. Gray over white Clouser minnows have been working well.
North Sound: The San Juan Islands remain the place to fish, with some wild fish topping 25 pounds. The action in Marine Area 9 has been fair, with fish reaching 10 pounds. There have been good reports from Skunk Bay, Elger Bay and Point No Point. The pressure has been very light. Cornet Bay and Oak Harbor are the places to find smelt.
South Sound: Salmon fishing south of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge has been slow, with fish being caught in scattered areas. Some of the best action has been around Anderson Island. Salmon fishing in Marine Area 11 will reopen Friday.
LAKES
Goodwin: The lake has been producing plenty of rainbow trout measuring 12-14 inches. Most anglers are trolling needlefish spoons or still fishing with dough baits or marshmallows with Power Eggs or worms. If you make the trip, you might have the lake to yourself.
Offut: Not everyone is catching trout, but the fish being caught are mostly measuring 14-19 inches. Most people are fishing off the bottom with dough bait or Power Eggs in yellow or pink.
Spencer: This lake always fishes well for rainbow trout in the winter. Try trolling dark-colored woolly buggers or Carey Specials slow and close to the bottom.
Spanaway: Dock anglers are catching a few brown and rainbow trout, some reaching 20 inches. Worm with a marshmallow has been working best. The best action has been during the afternoon. The lake was recently stocked with 1,450 rainbow trout, with 21/2 fish per pound.
Contributors: State Department of Fish and Wildlife, Mike Chamberlain at Ted’s Sports Center, Art Tachell at Point Defiance Boathouse, salmonuniversity.com, Ron Adams at Verle’s Sports Center, The Evening Hatch, Puget Sound Fly Co., Bud Herlitzka at Spanaway Lake Boathouse and Becky Pogue at Offut Lake Resort. Jeffrey P. Mayor: 253-597-8640 jeff.mayor@thenewstribune.com blog.thenewstribune.com/adventure
