Fishing report for June 28

SALT WATER

Friday is the first day of coastal salmon fishing. Chinook salmon are forecast to return at a rate slightly above the 10-year average, said Wendy Beeghley, a state Department of Fish and Wildlife salmon manager.

“We expect a pretty good chinook fishery in the ocean this summer,” Beeghley said in a prepared statement. “However, we’ve put restrictions in place in an effort to protect coho, which are forecast to return in low numbers.”

Coho can be kept in Marine Area 1 (Ilwaco). Anglers in this area will have a daily limit of two salmon, only one of which can be a chinook. In Marina Area 2 (Wesport), anglers can keep one salmon per day. There is a two-salmon limit in Marine Areas 3 (La Push) and 4 (Neah Bay).

The recreational chinook catch quota this year is 35,000 fish, down from 64,000 in 2015.

In the water near Westport, anglers are also catching rockfish and lingcod, according to the Westport Charterboat Association.

South Sound: The Point Defiance Boathouse Marina staff reports salmon fishing has been fair since it reopened. Trolling the Clay Banks and mooching and jigging in the Dalco area have produced fish in the range of 6-8 pounds. Marine Area 13 (south of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge) is open five days per week for crabbing. Marine Area 11 (Tacoma-Vashon Island) is among several scheduled to open Friday for crabbing.

North Sound: Marine Area 10 (Seattle/Bremerton) opens to crabbing Friday. Marine Areas 5 (Sekiu), 12 (Hood Canal) and part of 9 (Admiralty Inlet) are open for crabbing.

LAKES

American: “It’s worth being out on the water,” said David Anderson of Bill’s Boathouse. Anglers are catching fish from the dock and trolling.

Mayfield: Tacoma Power released 4,000 rainbow trout here last week and plan to soon release 4,000 more.

Potholes: Walleye fishing is best at Crab Creek. Try the sand dunes for largemouth bass or the dam or Goose Island for smallmouth bass.

Summit: Artificial squid trolled behind a dodger seems to work for catching kokanee.

Tanwax: Trout fishing has slowed as temperatures have increased, according to the Rainbow Resort. However, anglers are catching crappie.

Washington: Open through Thursday, bass and perch fishing are expected to be good, said John Albertson of Ted’s Sports Center in Lynnwood.

RIVERS

Columbia: For the first time in 20 years, anglers will be allowed to keep sturgeon from Wanapum to Priest Rapids reservoirs starting Friday. An estimated 4,000 hatchery sturgeon are in the Wanapum, and 2,000 are in the Priest Rapids. Anglers can keep two sturgeon (38-72 inches) per day.

Cowlitz: Anglers have had luck catching steelhead. Last week, Tacoma Power recovered 229 spring chinook adults, 55 jacks, eight mini-jacks and 246 summer-run steelhead adults at the salmon hatchery separator. Workers released 46 spring chinook adults and 22 spring chinook jacks at Packwood’s Franklin Bridge.

Kalama: Steelhead are biting, Albertson said.

Skagit: Anglers are catching sockeye, Albertson said.

Skykomish: Steelhead are biting on the upper river, and kings are biting on the lower river.

This story was originally published June 28, 2016 at 11:57 AM with the headline "Fishing report for June 28."