RIVERS
Columbia: The Bonneville Pool has been the best spot for sturgeon. Boat anglers averaged a legal-size fish kept per every four rods, and bank anglers averaged one per every 22 rods, said a state report. Bank and boat anglers are catching some steelhead in The Dalles Pool.
Cowlitz: Fishing has picked up some from last week, helped by river flows holding at 6,660 cfs. Blue Creek remains the spot for steelhead, said Marshall Borsom of Fish Country. Bank anglers are using everything – sand shrimp, worms, corky and yarn, jig and bobber, Spin-N-Glos and Kwikfish. So far this winter, 1,540 hatchery winter steelhead have returned, compared with 1,150 fish last year.
Deschutes: The river is producing some cutthroat trout. It could improve as flows continue to drop.
Green: The river is producing some steelhead. Try corkies and yarn or spoons in the stretch below Flaming Geyser State Park.
Lewis: The hatchery steelhead return is 968 fish so far, down from 1,891 fish last year.
Nisqually: Fishing has been dismal in recent days. Many people are pointing to the large congregation of sea lions that have taken up temporary residence near the river mouth.
North Sound: The North Fork Stillaguamish and the Reiter Ponds area of the Skykomish have been producing some limits of steelhead, said Mike Chamberlain of Ted’s Sports Center.
Olympic Coast: The rivers have dropped back into shape, so the steelhead action should improve.
Tilton: Last week, Tacoma Power employees released 149 coho adults and nine winter-run steelhead into the river at Gust Backstrom Park in Morton.
Yakima: If you’re going to try the river, fish streamers in the morning if the evening was fairly warm or in the afternoon if the night was cold, said a staffer at Red’s Fly Shop.
LAKES
American: The lake has been extremely slow.
Mayfield: The lake is producing a few trout here and there, but nothing great. Try near the hatchery for trout with chartreuse Power Bait and worms.
Riffe: The action is picking up. Several people last weekend said they did well on the dam side for the silvers using cocktail shrimp and/or worms, Borsom said.
Washington: The waters south of Mercer Island are producing some catches of cutthroat trout. One online report said the fish were holding in water 80 feet deep.
SALT WATER
South Sound: The salmon fishing has been poor, based on state creel samples in the last week.
Jeffrey P. Mayor jeff.mayor@thenewstribune.com
