South Puget Sound fishing report for Sept. 27

SALT WATER

South Sound: Salmon fishing returns Saturday with the opening of Marine Area 13, the waters south of the Tacoma Narrows Bridges. The staff at the Point Defiance Boathouse Marina recommends trying Fox Island, Point Gibson and Wollochet Bay. The Tacoma area waters won’t reopen for salmon fishing until Feb. 1, but squidding has been good and only expected to improve as the peak months, November and December, draw near.

Hood Canal: The waters south of the bridge are open to salmon fishing.

North Sound: The San Juan Islands have yielded some salmon for anglers.

Clams: Unsafe levels of domoic acid in clams are forcing the delay of the start of clamming season at Long Beach. Digging is planned for Oct. 14-19 at Twin Harbors and Oct. 14-16 at Copalis and Mocrocks.

Crabbing: Summer catch reports are due Saturday. Those who miss the deadline are subject to a $10 fine when they purchase a 2017 Puget Sound crab endorsement.

LAKES

Offut: Bass and perch continue to bite, but the trout action is sporadic, said Becky Pogue of Offut Lake Resort. Anglers are doing better trolling with a spinner and nightcrawler than they are from the dock.

Spanaway: Bud Herlitzka of the Spanaway Lake Boathouse says trolling has been slow, but anglers are catching trout while still fishing. He suggests using a worm and marshmallow a few feet off the bottom. Fly fishing has been fair for those using a chironomid pattern. Worm and bobber works for perch at the southeast section of the lake and for perch and rock bass on the shoreline.

Tanwax: The Rainbow Resort staff reports that cooling temperatures has brought improved trout fishing. Anglers caught 2- and 3-pounders last week. Crappie are also biting.

Eastern Washington: At Lake Chelan, the action is good for those trolling the Barrens and the Trench, Anton Jones of Darrell and Dad’s Family Guide Service said . He suggests hitting the water early in the morning and looking for fish at a depth of 130-185 feet, then go deeper later in the day. At Potholes Reservoir, walleye and bass have been biting near the dunes. Bass are also being caught on the Lind Coulee arm.

RIVERS

Carbon: Anglers are catching some chinook.

Cispus: Last week, Tacoma Power released nine spring chinook adults, 66 coho adults and 33 coho jacks near the mouth of Yellow Jacket Creek.

Columbia: Anglers were catching sturgeon last week but not walleye below Bonneville Dam. Anglers can try for hatchery chinook between Buoy 10 and Warrior Rock through Friday.

Cowlitz: A state Department of Fish and Wildlife sample last week showed that 166 boat anglers kept six adult fall chinook, 12 adult and three jack coho and seven steelhead and released 17 adult and one jack fall chinook and 10 coho. Meanwhile, 235 bank anglers kept nine adult fall chinook, nine adult and one jack coho and nine steelhead and released 36 adult and five jack chinook and five coho. Last week at the salmon hatchery separator, Tacoma Power recovered 951 coho adults, 587 jacks, 750 fall chinook adults, 37 jacks, 190 summer-run steelhead, 23 spring chinook adults and 33 cutthroat. The agency released 92 coho adults, 90 coho jacks and 14 spring chinook at Packwood’s Franklin Bridge.

Green/Duwamish: Recent rule changes on the lower river allow anglers to keep six salmon (three adults) and two trout per day. Salmon must be at least 12 inches and trout must be at least 14. Chinook and steelhead must be released. These same limits and size requirements will be in effect on the section between Interstate 405 and the Auburn-Black Diamond Road Bridge Oct. 16-31.

Kalama: Steelhead and chinook fishing were slow last week according to state reports.

Lewis: State reports show that last week 10 bank anglers on the East Fork had no catches. On the North Fork, 57 bank anglers kept three coho, two steelhead and released a sockeye.

Satsop: The river is open to salmon fishing.

Tilton: Last week, Tacoma Power released 434 fall chinook adults, 22 jacks, 690 coho adults, 456 coho jacks and 10 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 27, 2016 at 10:31 AM with the headline "South Puget Sound fishing report for Sept. 27."