Fishing report: State OKs salmon fishing in the lower Green River

LAKES

Bradley: The state stocked the lake Monday with 700 half-pound rainbow trout. Another 600 similar-size trout were planted the week before.

Crescent (Pierce): People are managing to catch some bass while they are trolling for rainbow trout.

Harts: The crappie fishing remains consistently good, while the fishing for bass, trout and catfish has been on the slow side. Some of the fish are measuring up to 14 inches long.

Potholes: Anglers are catching some large yellow perch where Frenchman’s Wasteway enters the reservoir. Look for the fish in water about 15 feet deep. Crappie fishing has been good at the mouth of Winchester Wasteway. Using jigs around Goose Island has been attracting smallmouth bass and walleye.

Summit: The action for kokanee and rainbow trout has been slow in recent days. It is a similar story on Ward Lake.

Tapps: The smallmouth bass action has been fair, but no large fish. Look for fish holding along the points, and try fishing from shallow water to deeper. Some fish are in water about 15 feet deep.

Washington: Coho fishing on the lake opened Friday. The count of coho at the Ballard Locks was 12,443 as of Wednesday, well above the 10-year average of 6,658 and the preseason forecast of 4,414. The perch fishing has been good to very good. Look for schools in water 25-40 feet deep and near the edge of weed beds. Once you find a school on your electronics, anchor and use a worm to start with, then switch to perch meat. People are finding cutthroat trout holding close to the bottom in water 55-60 feet deep.

RIVERS

Carbon: There were online reports of anglers catching hatchery chinook, some weighing 10-15 pounds. Anglers using eggs have been having some success.

Columbia: The state has extended fishing for hatchery chinook in the river from Buoy 10 to Warrior Rock through Thursday. Harvest estimates and the latest run forecasts show there are a harvestable number of chinook still available.

Green: The state opened a portion of the river to fishing Friday. Anglers can fish for salmon, trout and other game fish through Oct. 31 — from the First Avenue South bridge in Seattle to Interstate 405. Salmon must be 12 inches long, the daily limit is two salmon and all chinook must be released.

Klickitat: The steelhead fishing has been difficult. Fly anglers are skating flies along the surface or using beads, but neither method produces consistent strikes.

Yakima: Flows are holding steady around 1,250 cubic feet per second. At that level, the trout are holding in the main channel. Nymphing with smaller flies is still the best option, especially during the day. Cranefly, October caddis and cahill patterns have been working lately.

SALTWATER

Fly fishing: Anglers hitting South Sound beaches have been having lots of success fishing for coastal cutthroat trout. Clouser minnows, stimulators and termite patterns have been effective. Forecasted winds for the weekend could making casting challenging.

North Sound: If you want to try salmon fishing, Marine Area 7 seems to be the best option. While the action is far from red hot, there are some bigger fish being caught in the waters around the San Juan Islands. The state has announced that hatchery coho can be kept by those fishing the Tulalip Bubble on Saturdays and Sundays through Sept. 25.

South Sound: Salmon fishing is closed in the waters off Tacoma and Olympia, but the Olympia area (Marine Area 13) will reopen on Oct. 1.

This story was originally published September 16, 2016 at 10:19 AM with the headline "Fishing report: State OKs salmon fishing in the lower Green River."