South Puget Sound fishing report for Sept. 20

SALT WATER

South Sound: Closed to salmon fishing until Marine Area 13 (Olympia) reopens Oct. 1. The Point Defiance Boathouse Marina staff reports squid fishing off local docks is picking up and should continue to improve.

North Sound: On Saturday and Sunday two hatchery coho per day can be kept in the Tulalip Bubble fishery. The state defines this area as “the waters west of Tulalip Bay and within 2,000 feet of shore from the pilings at Old Bower’s Resort, to a fishing boundary marker approximately 1.4 miles northwest of Hermosa Point.” Wild chinook and coho must be released. The San Juan Islands and Bellingham areas are open for crabbing through the end of the month.

Hood Canal: The waters south of the Hood Canal Bridge is one of the few areas of Puget Sound open to salmon fishing.

LAKES

American: David Anderson of Bill’s Boathouse says the action remains slow.

Harts: Crappie have been biting.

Offut: Becky Pogue of Offut Lake Resort said, “It’s a fun time of year for fishing on the lake.” Bass and perch fishing are slowing down a bit, but with temperatures cooling down, trout fishing is picking up again. “It’s the best of both worlds,” Pogue said. She said anglers are having luck with a wide variety of approaches including fishing with nightcrawlers and flies.

Spanaway: Fishing is good and fly fishing is excellent, said Bud Herlitzka of the Spanaway Lake Boathouse. A fly fisherman who frequents the lake is having luck catching browns and rainbows using a chironomid pattern. Trolling has been inconsistent, but anglers are catching browns at the south end of the lake. Perch and rock bass continue to bite.

Tanwax: The Rainbow Resort staff says crappie, bluegill, perch and even a few catfish and trout are biting. Crappie jigs and worms working for some anglers.

RIVERS

Cispus: Last week, Tacoma Power released 52 spring chinook adults, eight spring chinook jacks, eight coho adults and one coho jack upstream of Yellow Jacket Creek.

Columbia: Through Thursday, anglers can keep hatchery chinook (with clipped adipose fin or clipped left ventral fin) between Warrior Rock and Buoy 10. The daily limit is two fish, one of which can be a chinook.

Cowlitz: Last week at the hatchery separator, Tacoma Power recovered 371 fall chinook adults, 24 jacks, 215 summer-run steelhead adults, 105 spring chinook adults, 13 jacks, 12 mini-jacks, 83 coho adults, 36 jacks and seven cutthroat. The agency released 41 spring chinook adults, five spring chinook jacks and four coho adults at Packwood’s Franklin Bridge.

Green: The section of the river from the First Avenue South bridge to Interstate 405 is open to fishing through Oct. 31 with a daily limit of two salmon. The salmon must be at least 12 inches long. Chinook must be released. Early reports have been mixed, with some people catching their limits and others going home empty handed.

Satsop: The river opened last week for salmon fishing.

Tilton: Last week, Tacoma released 250 fall chinook adults, 19 jacks, seven coho adults, 27 coho jacks and five cutthroat trout at Morton’s Gust Backstrom Park. Fishing is not allowed within 25 feet of the release site.

This story was originally published September 20, 2016 at 8:24 AM with the headline "South Puget Sound fishing report for Sept. 20."