RIVERS
Columbia: A few anglers have been out fishing for spring chinook, but have failed to land any, according to a state report. Anglers are catching some steelhead in the Dalles Pool. Steelhead fishing on the upper river continues to roll on, said Anton Jones of Darrell and Dad’s Family Guide Service. He said to fish shallower if the river is moving fast and go deeper if there is less current flow. Sturgeon action has been best in the Bonneville Pool. Boat anglers there averaged just over a legal kept/released per boat. Bank anglers averaged a legal per about every 13 rods, said a state report.
Cowlitz: The river remains high and turbid. State creel checks indicate the few anglers out there were having a tough time. At Blue Creek, 27 bank anglers kept just two steelhead and released one. Boat anglers at the barrier dam are catching a few steelhead. River flows at Mayfield Dam were about 17,200 cubic feet per second Monday and visibility was 2 feet.
Olympic Coast: All the rivers are in nice shape for both swinging and nymphing with flies, or using gear. The Sol Duc and Bogachiel have been the rivers to hit first in recent days, said Jim Kerr of Rain Coast Guides. The upper Hoh and Calawah also are worth visiting.
Satsop: The upper river is fishable, and drew a crowd over the weekend, but wasn’t too productive, according to online reports.
Yakima: The river is slowly coming back into fishing shape, with flows just above 2,700 cfs Tuesday morning. Boat anglers are having success nymphing in the lower canyon right now, said a report from The Evening Hatch.
LAKES
American: There are reports of people catching rainbow trout and some kokanee near Little American Lake.
Chelan: Anglers are finding lake trout above the Chelan Yacht Club or out in the Trench. Try using Silver Horde’s Kingfisher Lite spoons in chartreuse splatterback glow, Jones said.
Kapowsin: An angler on Washingtonlakes.com reported catching perch with small jigs on a recent trip. He found the fish holding close to the bottom in water around 20 feet deep. The fish were 7-9 inches long and very plump.
Mayfield: Worms and Power Eggs are effective for rainbow trout. The fishing has been fair in recent days.
Munn: The lake is fishing well for trout. Fishing leeches slowly on full sinking lines is the best way to go. Anglers preferring chironomids could start to see some action.
Riffe: The lake has produced some decent catches of coho. People are having luck on both the dam side and the Mossyrock side. Worms and cocktail shrimp seem to be the ticket, said Marshall Borsom at Fish Country.
SALTWATER
Fly fishing: The beach fishing for searun cutthroat trout has been picking up, thanks to the warmer weather, said Anil Srivastava at Puget Sound Fly Co. The resident silvers seem to have moved north or south of Tacoma.
Tacoma: Salmon fishing reopened Tuesday under good conditions, said Art Tachell at Point Defiance Boathouse Marina. Jigging for squid has tailed off. Creel checks of anglers south of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge shows the action has been very slow. Jeffrey P. Mayor: 253-597-8640 Jeff.mayor@thenewstribune.com blog.thenewstribune.com/adventure
