Three big channel catfish caught this week at Harts Lake

By Bob Brown | For The Olympian • Published July 24, 2008

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Big catfish are coming out of Harts Lake these days.

While catches of warm water species have been very good, on Sunday evening, Tacoma anglers Clyde Littlejohn and Eddie Edmonds were slowly trolling the lake using worms when they hooked into a 25-pound channel catfish, which immediately started fighting the hook.

In it's determination to shake the hook, the channel cat began pulling the boat around the lake. Unable to net the fish because the net was too small, Littlejohn and Edmonds fought the fish for about 20 minutes before finally managing to pull the fish into the boat.

On Tuesday night, two more big catfish were caught in the same lake from shore. Graham angler Larry Young caught a 27.3-pound catfish from the bank using worms. Another large catfish estimated at 18 pounds was caught by a bank angler using worms.

Elsewhere, steelhead fishing slowed in a number of Western Washington rivers this week and, although not quite as good as it has been, catches of steelhead haven't been too bad.

Both ends of the Cowlitz have been producing steelhead, and some steelhead are being caught at the mouth of the Lewis. Low, clear water has dampened fishing in the Kalama and the story is the same for the Olympic Peninsula.

King County's Green River continues to produce steelhead with most of the action being had from Flaming Geyser State Park upriver to Palmer. And steelhead fishing has been good in the Columbia below Bonneville Dam.

Sturgeon fishing also has been good and so has the pikeminnow reward fishery. No angler effort has been observed for shad or walleye. Trout fishing has been slow in area lakes, but good for warm-water species.

Effective Aug. 1, only hatchery coho and hatchery chinook jacks may be retained on the Cowlitz, Toutle (including mainstem), North Fork and Green rivers. Restrictions were initiated because hatchery escapement goals for adult fall chinook might not be met on the Cowlitz and Toutle rivers.

However, 2-year-old mass-marked (adipose fin clipped) fall chinook jacks will be return this year. Anglers may retain hatchery steelhead caught in both the Cowlitz and Toutle rivers.