Weather conditions are not making it easy to get out fishing

Lakes

American: Stocked last week with more than 4,900 rainbow trout, each weighing a little more than one-third of a pound.

Eastside lakes: Lenice is ice free and has been fishing well when the winds haven’t been too brisk. Anglers report catching 20 trout a day, with most measuring 14-18 inches long. Nunnally is now free of ice and might be worth a try this weekend. Lenore is still mostly iced over as is Quincy.

Harts: Some crappie are being caught these days, when the weather allows people out on the water. Yellow and white jigs have been working best.

Merwin: Anglers are reporting decent catches of kokanee. The fish have been found about 10-15 feet deep. A Wedding Ring-type lure trolled behind a dodger has been working well.

Rattlesnake: The state planted the lake with 3,000 rainbow trout, all weighing a little more than one-third of a pound.

Spanaway: People fishing off the dock have been catching a few rainbow trout. The wind has kept the boat traffic to a minimum.

Washington: People have been finding good schools of perch north of the Seahawks practice facility in Renton. Worms fished close to the bottom or a small spinner trolled very slowly have been the most effective ways of catching the perch.

Rivers

Columbia: The second spring chinook adult to pass through Bonneville Dam was counted on Wednesday. The state also sampled Wednesday the second spring chinook caught in the mainstem below the dam.

Methow: The state has shut down the whitefish fishery here and on several other rivers as the allowable impacts to list steelhead have been reached. The closure began Friday on the Methow from Gold Creek to the falls above Brush Creek. Other rivers with closures are the Entiat, Similkameen and Chewuch.

Olympic Coast: River levels Friday were already reaching the point of being unfishable and there is rain in the forecast well into next week.

Yakima: The fishing has been good to very good, if you’re willing to fly-fish with nymphs and streamers. Pat’s stonefly nymphs and San Juan worms have been consistently producing strikes. Sculpins in black or olive have been the best streamer option.

Salt water

Clams: The current razor clam dig will conclude at Mocrocks on March 11 and Copalis on March 12. The low tide times are 5:54 p.m. March 11 (-0.3 feet) and 7:31 p.m. March 12 (-0.1 feet). The next dig is scheduled for Mocrocks on March 24 and 26 and Copalis on March 25.

Fly-fishing: Some fly anglers have been catching a few resident coho. A black muddler minnow has been an effective pattern. Chum fry seem to be making their way into Puget Sound, but the coastal cutthroat aren’t keying in on them yet.

South Sound: A few salmon are being caught in front of the Point Defiance Boathouse about 10 feet off the bottom in water 140-150 feet deep. Fox Island has another spot where some salmon are being caught as well.

This story was originally published March 10, 2017 at 11:03 AM with the headline "Weather conditions are not making it easy to get out fishing."