Area rivers show solid numbers of coho, chinook catches

By Bob Brown | For The Olympian • Published September 04, 2008

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Coho catches have been very good at the lower end of the Puyallup River and anglers have been catching decent numbers of chinook in the Carbon.

Fishing in the Nisqually has been an on-and-off affair. Limits of coho are coming by boat anglers fishing the lower end of the Cowlitz from the mouth of the Toutle to the mouth of the Cowlitz. Bank fishing also has been pretty good with near limits coming.

Fishing has been fair on the Olympic Peninsula with the Sol Duc the best prospect for coho and cutthroat. Salmon fishing has been good in the Columbia above the Rocky Point/Tongue Point line.

The pikeminnow fishery continues to be a barn burner.

Sturgeon fishing has been slow in the lower Columbia and so have walleye and bass fishing.

Salmon fishing has been very good in Marine Area 2 (Westport-Ocean Shores) and good in Marine Area 5 (Sekiu and Pillar Point). Salmon fishing continues to be dismal in waters around Tacoma; slow in Hood Canal and just a shade better in South Sound.

Recreational crab fishing closed on Monday in eight areas of Puget Sound. Everyone licensed to fish for crab in the Sound are reminded they have until Sept. 15 to submit their summer catch cards whether or not they fished or were successful in catching Dungeness crab. Sport crabbers who file their catch reports by the deadline will be entered in a drawing for one of 10 free 2009 combination fishing licenses.

Trout fishing is starting to rebound in area lakes, but still has a way to go before being good. Warm water species continue to dominate most of the action.

RIVERS

NISQUALLY: Fishing has been a mixture of slow, fair and a few periods of what could be classified as being good in the lower river from the school house hole to the Mount Road Bridge and from the bridge to the handicap area. Chinook from 15 to 25 pounds plus a number of jacks have been caught.

Tribal fishers report their catches have been good. Anglers have been using a mixture of colored corkies/yarn, eggs and a variety of spinners. A few anglers have been using jigs and bobbers with mixed results. Water conditions are good with about 2-feet visibility.