Fishing report for Feb. 2

SALT WATER

Razor clams: More than a month of digging starts Thursday afternoon in Long Beach. The dig runs through March 10. No digging is allowed before noon. Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife coastal shellfish manger recommends going when tides are less than one foot. Tides for the first week are as follows: Thursday, 3:41 p.m., 0.8 feet; Friday, 4:28 p.m., 0.2 feet; Saturday, 5:11 p.m., -0.3 feet; Sunday, 5:52 p.m., -0.7 feet; Monday, 6:32 p.m., -1.0 feet; Feb. 9, 7:12 p.m., -0.9 feet; and Feb. 10, 7:52 p.m., -0.7 feet.

South Sound: Salmon fishing in Tacoma waters north of the Narrows opened Monday. Anglers have been catching fish south of the Narrows bridges trolling with a flasher and spoon according to the staff at the Point Defiance Boathouse Marina. Squid action is slow.

North Sound: Fishing has been slow in Marina Area 9 (Admiralty Inlet), said Mike Chamberlain of Ted’s Sports Center in Lynnwood. “Squidding is on its last hurrah,” he said.

LAKES

Offut: Becky Pogue of Offut Lake Resort says fewer anglers are catching their limits, but the fish are a nice size. She says most are in the 2-4 pound range. She suggests using orange Power Bait with garlic scent.

Cowlitz County: Lake Sacajawea and Silver Lake near Toutle were stocked with 2,600 and 3,000 trout, respectively, on Jan. 20, but there have been no reports of angling success according to the WDFW..

Scanewa: Tacoma Power released six coho adults, two jacks and seven winter-run steelhead last week near Cowlitz Falls Dam.

Chelan: Kokanee fishing continues to be strong according to Chamberlain.

Fish: Ice fishing has been good here. Most anglers are fishing for perch but trout are biting too.

RIVERS

Columbia: Bonneville Pool has produced some steelhead, while few fishermen have been working The Dalles and John Day pools. Steelhead returns on the lower river hatcheries are behind last year’s numbers, according to a state report. Sturgeon may be retained in the Bonneville Pool through Sunday. The state reported productive walleye fishing at The Dalles and John Day pools.

Cowlitz: Steelhead fishing is improving, according to a recent state report. A Department of Fish and Wildlife survey last week found that 18 bank anglers kept five hatchery winter-run steelhead and four boat anglers kept one. Fish were caught throughout the river. Last week, Tacoma Power recovered 37 coho adults, three jacks, and 54 winter-run steelhead and cutthroat. On Saturday, smelt fishing will be allowed from 7 a.m.-1 p.m. No dipping is allowed from boats and each dip-netter has a 10-pound limit. A recent state report said, “Prospects look good for the Cowlitz sport fishery this Saturday.” Good numbers of smelt were reportedly caught in the commercial fishery Monday near Longview.

Skykomish: Action is slow, but Reiter Pond has worked for some fishermen.

Tilton: Tacoma Power released 29 coho adults, a jack, 29 winter-run steelhead adults and a pair of cutthroats at Morton’s Gust Backstrom Park.

Washington coast: Chamberlain says river fishing is slow most places, so most anglers are heading to the streams around Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay.

This story was originally published February 2, 2016 at 4:27 AM with the headline "Fishing report for Feb. 2."