RIVERS
Columbia: Last week anglers on the lower river made 19,259 trips and kept 5,261 adult fall chinook, 186 adipose fin-clipped steelhead, and 198 adipose fin-clipped coho. The total kept catch for Aug. 1-Sept. 18 is 23,758 adult fall chinook, 11,635 steelhead and 1,055 coho from 128,410 trips. The number of trips is a record for the fall, and the chinook catch is already the second-highest.
Nisqually: Fishing has been very good recently, with people catching some chinook, coho and pink salmon.
Puyallup: People are catching mostly coho right now, with some late pinks as well. Corkies and yarn seem to be working best. River flows went up about 1,000 cubic feet per second from Monday to almost 2,600 cfs late Tuesday morning.
Skokomish: The river is blown out after heavy rains Monday, said Walt Harvey at Verle’s Sports Center in Shelton.
SALT WATER
North Sound: There were 673 fish weighed during the 18th annual Everett Coho Derby over the weekend, including 497 fish weighed Saturday. Among the 1,700-plus adult ticket holders, there were seven fish over 15 pounds and 109 over 10 pounds, said Mike Chamberlain at Ted’s Sports Center in Lynnwood. Mike Fure took the $3,000 first prize with a 16.55-pound coho.
Tacoma: Fishing has been mainly slow, but a few fish are being caught, said Art Tachell at Point Defiance Boathouse. There were 117 anglers checked Saturday at Point Defiance, and they had one chinook, nine coho and three pinks. Try trolling flashers with a hoochie or herring from the slag pile to clay banks and the Gig Harbor shoreline. The coho are 30-60 feet deep, and the chinook 90-120 feet down.
Westport: A derby will be held Saturday and Sunday for multi-generational families. Fishing will take place in the Westport boat basin, and prizes will be awarded for the three largest fish entered. Teams must be at least two related individuals of different generations. Register for the free event at Windermere Real Estate, 2521 Westhaven Drive, Westport from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. both days.
LAKES
American: While fishing has cooled somewhat, people are still catching kokanee. Most are trolling Wedding Rings tipped with corn. Best success has come early in the day.
Mineral: Pressure has been light, but people are still catching rainbows, said a staffer at Mineral Lake Resort. Most people are using worms and marshmallows. The lake closes Friday.
Jeffrey P. Mayor, staff writer blog.thenewstribune.com/adventure
