LAKES
Alder: The action for largemouth bass has been good, now that the water has warmed. Toss crankbaits among the stumps.
Chelan: The lake trout fishing has been very good to excellent. A fish caught last week topped 20 pounds. Troll in water 120-140 feet deep on the bar just out from the Mill Bay boat launch, said Anton Jones of Darrell and Dad’s Family Guide Service. Casting a Roostertail around the docks can produce cutthroat trout, smallmouth bass and northern pikeminnow.
Mayfield: The trout fishing was very good over the weekend, said John Keizer of Saltpatrol.com. He suggests going out in the evening, trolling a kokanee flasher and a pink wedding ring off a downrigger at 10 feet in 30-50 feet of water. He was tipping the hook with Pautzke’s Fire Corn.
Mineral: The trout fishing has been good. Most any bait will work, with Power Eggs, worms and marshmallows being the most popular, said Mike Gordon of Mineral Lake Resort. He said to use a 4- to 6-foot leader allowing your bait to float. Trolling using pop gear with anything green trailing has been effective for boat anglers.
Rattlesnake: This is a good lake to fish on these hot days. Fly anglers should fish chironomids deep, or leeches.
Spencer: This Mason County lake, and others in the area, is fishing very well, said Ron Adams at Verle’s Sports Center. Try using Power Bait and worms, or trolling wedding rings or pop gear with a Flatfish.
Tapps: Anglers are catching a good number of smallmouth bass. Look for the fish holding in water 10-15 deep. Try fishing plastic baits on the bottom. The tiger muskie action has been fair.
SALTWATER
Hood Canal: The crabbing has been very good to excellent. Adams said people are catching their limits pretty quickly.
South Sound: The salmon fishing has been slow, mainly because few people are chasing fish. The crabbing has been good, including lots of limits over the weekend, said a staffer at Zittels Marina.
Tacoma: Salmon fishing has been slow, said Art Tachell at Point Defiance Marina. The clay banks and Point Dalco have been producing the best catches. There are plenty of crabs in the area, but many are too small to be kept.
RIVERS
Cedar: There seems to be less pressure this year, but the fishing has been good. Try using size 8 brown stoneflies with a yellow sally nymph or prince nymph behind it, said Anil Srivastava at Puget Sound Fly Co.
Columbia: Summer chinook catch rates last week showed an increase from the previous week, according to a state report. Boat anglers in the gorge did very well last week. Sockeye catch rates declined everywhere with the exception of the Washington bank near Longview. The shad count was 24,972 Sunday, but fell to 12,635 Monday.
Cowlitz: The fishing has been fair to good for bank and boat anglers. Water levels are down and the visibility is very good, so you might want to try smaller gear.
Wynoochee: The river is producing some steelhead, including some fish topping 10 pounds. Try divers with coon shrimp.
Yakima: River levels have dropped back to 4,000 cfs and the fishing is good, said a staffer at Red’s Fly Shop. The lower canyon is producing bigger fish. Try smaller nymphs like a lightning bug dropped off a large dry fly.
