Fishing report for June 24

It’s official: Salmon fishing season in Puget Sound is open. The state made the announcement Friday morning. Check the regulations to make sure your target waters are open. Note that new fishing regulations will take effect July 1.

LAKES

American: Boat anglers are catching mostly rainbow trout, although some kokanee are being put on stringers. An orange artificial squid, tipped with corn, trolled behind a swing blade, has been working, according to reports.

Clear (Pierce): Trout have been hitting spinner blades, tipped with corn, pulled behind a dodger. Green and pink have been the most effective colors.

Lost: Look for the fish moving to deeper water as the water temperatures warms. Worms and Power Eggs are the best baits. Nahwatzel and Limerick also are fishing well.

Mineral: Dock and boat anglers are catching plenty of rainbows measuring 12-14 inches long. Many people are using Power Eggs and worms, fished off the bottom on a 3.5-foot leader.

Potholes: The reservoir level continues to drop, which should improve the fishing. Crab Creek is the place to fish for walleye. Look for fish holding close to structure 4-6 feet down that’s near the main creek channel 10-30 feet deep. The sand dunes are the hot spot for largemouth bass, while the rocky face of the dam and Goose Island are places to find smallmouth bass.

Riffe: Although many of the fish have been on the small side, people are having a lot of success catching smallmouth bass along the north bank of the lake. Roostertail spinners have been working well.

Silver: People have been catching limits of rainbow trout in fairly quick manner this week. Power Eggs in chartreuse or green, fished off the bottom on a 5-foot leader, have been the most effective bait. Most of the fish were measuring 10-13 inches long.

Summit: People are having good luck fishing for kokanee, with some landing their limits. Artificial squid trolled behind a dodger seems to be the best setup.

RIVERS

Columbia: The number of chinook and sockeye salmon passing through Bonneville Dam remains strong. Wednesday’s count included 3,392 chinook and 17,352 sockeye. The number of shad passing through the dam also remains strong, with 83,666 fish counted on Wednesday. Beginning July 1, recreational anglers will be able to harvest hatchery sturgeon from Wanapum and Priest Rapids reservoirs.

Yakima: The river flow has been inching closer to normal summertime levels. Wade anglers should fish with small nymphs under an indicator in the morning, then switch to small dry flies in the afternoon.

SALT WATER

North Sound: People are catching plenty of spot shrimp in the San Juan Islands. The limit is 160 shrimp per person.

South Sound: Crabbing in Marine Area 13 has been fair, and it will open July 1 in Marine Area 11 (Tacoma). People fishing in the Tacoma area have been bringing in good catches of flounder and sole.

Westport: The deep-water ling cod fishing has been good, while plenty of black rockfish are being caught each day. There are reports of tuna already being found off the coast. Salmon fishing will open July 1.

This story was originally published June 24, 2016 at 10:50 AM with the headline "Fishing report for June 24."