Fishing report for Nov. 24

LAKES

American: Some of the recently planted rainbow trout are being caught.

Chelan: Despite cold weather and the first snow of the season, fishing for lake trout remains fair to good. Look for fish holding 3-5 feet from the bottom in water 220-245 feet deep. Trolling with glow-in-the-dark Smile Blades has been effective.

Pass: The action has not been great, but consistent for fly-anglers. Look for trout holding in and around the weed beds. The most consistent hits have come while trolling.

Swift: The reservoir will be open to fishing for hatchery rainbow trout and landlocked coho and chinook salmon during December. The fishery was scheduled to close Monday. The state announced the opening because fishing pressure this summer was so light due to low water levels. The state wants to give anglers a chance to catch some of the 52,000 catchable-size rainbows that were stocked in May.

Washington: People are catching some cutthroat trout by trolling off the south end of Mercer Island. Green Wiggle Hoochies, tipped with herring, have been effective. Anglers also are catching plenty of yellow perch.

RIVERS

Cowlitz: Bank anglers fishing at the hatcheries are catching a mix of fall chinook, coho, summer-run steelhead and sea-run cutthroat trout. Last week, Tacoma Power recovered 1,346 coho adults, 751 jacks, 164 fall chinook adults, eight jacks, 89 summer-run steelhead and 18 cutthroat during five days of operations at the Cowlitz hatchery separator.

Lewis: People fishing the East Fork are catching some steelhead and coho, but all salmon must be released.

Olympic Coast: Anglers are still catching bright coho, and some of the first winter-run steelhead are starting to show up on the end of people’s lines. The Hoh river outside Olympic National Park is closed from Tuesday (Nov. 24) to Monday to protect the low return of wild coho. It will reopen for steelhead and other game fish Dec. 1.

Puyallup: People are catching some chum salmon. With visibility in the water low, many people are using scented corkies and yarn. When the water clears, many people will switch to jigs under a float.

Yakima: After the river level has dropped 4 feet in about a week, trout fishing should improve. Start by swinging streamers and drifting nymphs. Watch for blue wing olive hatches in the afternoon.

SALT WATER

Hoodsport: Based on various reports, chum action has been hit and miss. On Saturday, a state creel check of 25 anglers showed they caught 41 fish. People fishing from shore are using herring under a float. On other days, the catch has been much lower.

North Sound: This is the time of year when returning hatchery steelhead start to pass Whideby Island. Many people will cast with a Spin-N-Glow trailed by a hoochie skirt. Some blackmouth are being caught in the waters around Camano Island.

South Sound: Salmon fishing has been very slow.

This story was originally published November 24, 2015 at 12:43 AM with the headline "Fishing report for Nov. 24."