Fishing report: Samish River among best spots for landing chinook

LAKES

American: The fishing has been fair to good, with people catching kokanee and rainbow trout. A pink hoochie trolled behind a pink dodger has been producing strikes. Look for fish 20-30 feet deep. Some anglers are finding schools of yellow perch about 30 feet down as well.

Mineral: Anglers fishing from the dock have been catching limits of rainbow trout. Try using chartreuse Power Eggs on a 2-foot leader. Boat anglers are having success still fishing at the north end of the lake. They have been using worms with a Power Egg fished off the bottom.

Potholes: While higher than normal, the reservoir level is dropping. Perch and crappie fishing has been good just off the sand dunes, while the largemouth bass action remains fair to good in the dunes. Smallmouth bass can be found among the rocks at Goose Island, the dam face and in the Lind Coulee arm. Look for walleye moving out of the dunes.

Sammamish: Anglers making the drive will find some willing largemouth and smallmouth bass. Recent reports indicate the midlake area has been productive. A drop-shot rig with plastic baits has been very effective.

Silver (Pierce): People are catching rainbow trout, using Power Bait fished about 4 feet off the bottom. Bass anglers are landing plenty of largemouth, including some weighing more than 5 pounds. Rubber tubs and jigs fished around docks, and plastic worms fished among the lily pads, have been producing strikes.

Ward: Anglers have been catching a mix of rainbow trout, coastal cutthroat trout and kokanee. The fish have been holding 20-30 feet deep. A Rapala-style lure trolled behind a dodger has been effective. Orange and pink hoochies have been working.

Wenatchee: The sockeye salmon fishery will close one hour after official sunset on Monday. Most of the fish will have moved into spawning grounds in the White and Little Wenatchee rivers.

RIVERS

Columbia: The state is extending the Buoy 10 fishery, allowing anglers to catch and keep chinook from Tuesday through Sept. 14. The extension covers the mainstem from Buoy 10 upstream to the Tongue Point-Rocky Point line. A lower-than-expected catch rate led the state to grant the extension.

Nisqually: The river closed to salmon fishing Wednesday.

Samish: A good return of chinook to the state hatchery is attracting lots of anglers to the river the locals call “The Ditch.” This is shoulder-to-shoulder fishing, but there are fish to be caught.

Tilton: The river is closed to all fishing from markers 25 feet upstream to 25 feet downstream of the fish-release site at Gus Backstrom Park in Morton. The state wants to protect recently released coho and chinook salmon, which tend to congregate in that area before moving elsewhere. This will help reduce attempts to snag fish.

Yakima: The trout action has improved with the cooler weather. As the river flows drop, the trout are moving away from the banks and spreading out into the channel.

SALTWATER

South Sound: Salmon fishing closed Wednesday in Marine Area 13 (Olympia), but will reopen Oct. 1 for hatchery chinook. Marine Area 11 (Tacoma/Vashon Island) will remain closed until Feb. 1. Crabbing in Areas 11 and 13 is open through Monday. People are catching squid while fishing off area docks.

Westport: Boats making the run are finding tuna 30-65 miles out. Plugs have been working, and then live anchovies.

This story was originally published September 2, 2016 at 10:09 AM with the headline "Fishing report: Samish River among best spots for landing chinook."