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Finding a river in optimal fishing condition is not going to be an easy task this week. Recipients of heavy downpours, the majority of rivers and streams west of the Cascades are running high and turbid.
Anglers looking for some fast and sometimes furious action should consider fishing Kennedy Creek and in front of the Hoodsport Hatchery.
Last week, 13,556 coho returned to the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery which is nearly 1,500 more fish than the previous week’s return. Through the end of October, more than 50,000 coho had returned to the hatchery, the best return since at least 1990.
Heavy rains earlier this week have raised water levels and flows in a number of rivers this side of the Cascades. Some of those rivers are blown out, but many are fishable and producing respectable catches of salmon.
River fishing wasn’t exactly spectacular on the west side of the state last week, but it wasn’t too bad. On several rivers, action was pretty good and catching was about the same.
The number of migrating coho and chinook returning to the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery was phenomenal last week (7,266 coho, 470 jacks; 1,461 chinook, 300 jacks) and the migration has been even better this week. Tacoma Power reported 10,260 coho and 910 jacks, 1,354 chinook and 290 jacks had returned to the hatchery. Given those numbers the probability of fishing success looks good, but there are no guarantees.
Fishing possibilities continue to be good for anglers this week. The Strait of Juan de Fuca has been producing excellent catches of coho, and fishing has been decent from Whidbey Island to Seattle. In the Tacoma area, coho catches are leaning out but blackmouth are on the bite. Angler activity continues to be light in Hood Canal and south of the Narrows Bridge.
For the past couple of weeks, coho have been providing a lot of angling excitement for coastal and shore-bound anglers and it hasn’t changed this week. In the Sekui area, anglers have been averaging a coho per rod and fishing has been about the same in the Everett area.
Saltwater fishing has been outstanding for coho in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Marine Areas 8-2 (Port Susan and Port Gardner) and 9 (Admiralty Inlet). Freshwater fishing for coho also has been good with several Washington rivers producing excellent catches. Most notable are the Cowlitz, Kalama, Lewis, Chehalis, Carbon and lower Columbia.
Last week, Marine Area 1 (Ilwaco) anglers averaged 1.1 salmon per rod. Almost all of the catch was coho.