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| July 12-25, 2000 |
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The Lake Washington sockeye fishery that helped light the fuse under the 2000 salmon season will close at noon on Sunday, but anglers can still look forward to plenty of fishing fireworks in coastal waters and throughout the state.
Coastal salmon fisheries off Westport and Ilwaco are especially hot, with a majority of anglers returning to port with their limit of two marked coho – and often, a legal-sized chinook. Marine areas 10 and 11 from north Seattle to the Tacoma Narrows bridge are also producing respectable catches, and Tulalip Bay north of Everett will open weekends for hatchery chinook July 14.
Crab pot fisheries are also set to open July 16 on Hood Canal, the Strait of Juan de Fuca and south Puget Sound for those who prefer their seafood with legs rather than fins.
After drawing thousands of anglers each day since the Fourth of July opener, the sport sockeye fishery in Lake Washington will close at noon Sunday (July 16) when the non-tribal share of 62,500 fish is expected to be reached. An estimated 9,600 anglers boated some 15,000 fish on the first day alone, and there have been more than 50,000 fishing trips logged on the lake in just over a week.
To spread angling opportunities through the coming weekend, Lake Washington sockeye fishing will be restricted to morning hours, from an hour before sunrise until noon, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday (July 14-16).
"It's great to be able to give people an opportunity to catch salmon in Lake Washington, but we also have to be careful to protect the run for future years," said Larry Peck, WDFW deputy director. "Of course, there are lots of other great fishing opportunities in our state right now."
Doug Simons, a WDFW shellfish manager, is one of thousands of anglers who can attest to that fact after joining three friends on a salmon trip out of Westport last weekend. All four anglers in his party caught their limit of two marked coho – most weighing between six and eight pounds – by 10 a.m. and were back at the dock by noon.
"I didn't even get to open my sack lunch," he said.
For more information about fishing opportunities on the coast and throughout the state, see the regional summaries below. Updated information is also available on WDFW's Fishing Hotline at (360) 902-2500 and on the agency's website under Fishing and Shellfishing Rules.
A couple of reminders before heading for the water or woods:
- An Access Stewardship decal is required on vehicles parked in WDFW water access sites and wildlife areas; the decal is $10 or free with a fishing or hunting license, and available at hundreds of dealers across the state.
- Be careful with campfires, smoking materials, and other potential starts for wildfires as vegetation is drying out with summer's advancing heat.
- Lake Washington sockeye action is wrapping up Sunday (July 16), but North Sound anglers won't have far to go for other salmon fishing opportunities. Head for Tulalip Bay north of Everett for weekend fishing on hatchery chinook, beginning Friday (July 14). Sport fishing there runs from 12:01 a.m. Fridays through 11:59 a.m. Mondays each weekend through Sept. 30. Anglers should check Marine Area 8-2 information in the WDFW "Fishing in Washington" rules pamphlet for details on the boundaries of the open area and other regulations. Meanwhile, crab fishers have new reasons to celebrate with the July 8 recreational pot opening in Marine Area 7 from Anacortes to Bellingham. The open section includes Bellingham Bay as well as Samish, Padilla and Fidalgo bays. The north sector of the area (Blaine and Birch Bay vicinity) is expected to remain closed until early August, says Norm Lemberg, regional shellfish manager. Shellfishers who focus on the inter-tidal zone should check for paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) closures before digging; current information is available from the state's Marine Toxin/PSP hotline at (800) 562-5632. Inland, cool temperatures at the end of June improved river conditions for steelhead fishers who were finding success recently on the Skykomish, Stillaguamish and Green rivers.
Olympic Peninsula/South Sound:
- WDFW salmon biologist Wendy Beeghley calls the salmon fishery off the Washington coast "the best I've seen in four or five years." Since July 3, when salmon season opened in Marine Area 2, most charter boats into Westport have hit the limit of two coho per angler. Independent boaters have been only slightly less successful, averaging one and a half fish per angler. Beeghley said about 65 percent of all coho caught in Area 2 last week were marked hatchery fish, their missing adipose fin indicating that they are legal to keep. Anglers can also keep one chinook over 24 inches, which Beeghly said have made up a quarter of the total catch. The Marine Area 1 fishery out of Ilwaco, which opened July 10, is also off to a fast start. In the first day of fishing, all charter boats returned to harbor with their limit of coho, weighing an average of five to six pounds. Further north, fishing in areas 3 and 4 has generally been slower, but Beeghly expects it to pick up toward the end of the month. "We generally see a concentration of fish off Neah Bay toward the end of July," she said. Fishing on north coast rivers for summer-run steelhead has also been slow because of low water, but halibut charters out of Ilwaco have been returning to port with their one-fish-per-angler limits on ice. Halibut fishing also continues on a Thursday-through-Monday schedule until July 27 in the Strait of Juan de Fuca (areas 5 and 6), the San Juans and Puget Sound. Crab pot fishing opens July 16 on Hood Canal, the Strait of Juan de Fuca and south Puget Sound, including marine areas 4, 5, 6, 11, 12 and 13. Check the Shellfish Hotline at (360) 796-3215 for updates throughout the season.
- While the coastal salmon fishery is a big draw, a lot of anglers are opting to take advantage of the strong return of summer steelhead to the Columbia River and its tributaries. WDFW biologist Joe Hymer calls the return to the Cowlitz River the "best in a decade," and more than 1,000 hatchery steelhead have been taken from the Washougal River where WDFW is recycling fish from the Skamania Hatchery. For those who like to take it easy while angling, try dangling a lure, salmon eggs or sand shrimp off of one of the lower Columbia sand bars. Some fine fish are being caught at Willow Grove, County Line Park and Sunny Sands (on Puget Island) as the summer steelhead returns continue to build. The daily limit is two hatchery fish, identifiable by their clipped adipose fins. Sturgeon anglers have also been doing well in the area between Deep River and Ilwaco, averaging one to two legal-size fish per boat. Tiger muskies have also been giving anglers a thrill at Merwin and Mayfield lakes, where one beast pulled from the latter lake last week weighed in at 25.7 pounds. Both ends of Riffe Lake are coming on strong for landlocked coho, and both Merwin and Yale lakes are becoming increasingly reliable for kokanee. For those who don't mind hiking for their fish, highland lakes in the Trapper Creek, Tatoosh, and William O. Douglas wilderness areas are becoming increasingly fishable as the snow recedes. "The farther you hike, the better the fishing," is the general rule, but make sure you take mosquito repellant.
- Smallmouth bass and trout are doing well in Lake Roosevelt, and most fishing reports have been average. Recent surveys at Liberty Lake show that walleye stocked four years ago are now averaging 18 to 20 inches. These fish are now above the 18-inch minimum size and should provide some angling for harvestable-size fish. For those Spokane area anglers who were disappointed at losing smallmouth bass at Badger Lake a few years ago, Deer Lake may provide a similar close-to-town opportunity. Deer Lake has catchable numbers of smallmouth bass that are likely overlooked. Fishtrap Lake has rainbows averaging 13 inches. The narrows seems to be a hot spot; try trolling here at a good depth. Fishing for rainbow and cutthroat trout is good at Badger Lake. Boat fishermen seem to be faring well at West Medical Lake, mostly with rainbows but there are some German brown trout as well. Crab Creek has rainbow and brown trout averaging 10-12 inches, with some over 20 inches in length. Try using yellow stimulators, hopper patterns, caddis, or midge patterns. The Tucannon and Touchet Rivers also offer some good rainbow fishing. This is the time of year to catch a glimpse of some of the less common shorebirds as they head back through our region after nesting in the arctic. Yellowlegs, sandpipers, and certain species of phalaropes can be spotted in and around mudflats. Good places to look are Reardan Ponds, Swanson Lakes, Dodson Road (South of I-90), and the Potholes Reservoir. For a twist on wildlife watching, consider taking a canoe down the Little Spokane River, where birds, ducks, deer, and moose may be visible.
- Bass and walleye fishing are steady at Banks Lake. Sprague Lake has good walleye fishing. Many high mountain lakes are open and should provide some good fishing, especially for nice-sized rainbow trout. Check with the local Forest Service office regarding trail conditions, and be armed with repellant to battle the mosquitoes. Wildlife viewing on Lake Chelan is still very good for mountain goats and bighorn sheep. Keep your eyes open for mountain goats in the rocky areas between Safety Harbor and Canoe Creek. Twin Harbors and the area south of Domke Falls are also good bets for mountain goats. Bighorn sheep can be seen in the area between Mitchell Creek and Safety Harbor, especially in the Grade Creek and Deer Point areas. A good pair of binoculars and a map of the lake's shoreline will greatly assist you. Harper Island on Sprague Lake should have good wildlife viewing opportunities as well. Although the island is private property, many species of wildlife can be viewed from a boat. Caspian terns, ring-billed gulls, and California gulls should be visible. While viewing is encouraged, disturbances should be kept to a minimum.
- Anglers fishing for hatchery steelhead on the mainstem Columbia River from the Highway 395 bridge downstream to the Rocky Point/Tongue Point line, are allowed to keep adult sockeye and chinook jacks through the end of the month. The catch rate for sockeye in the mainstem of the Columbia has been slow. However, it may be that anglers aren't using the right gear or fishing the right area. A dodger and bare hook setup, which is effective on sockeye in lakes, may be worth a try, but no word yet if it has been successful on the Columbia. Anglers will want to target shallow water, where the fish are normally found swimming in the mid water column. Probably the best area to fish for sockeye in the mainstem Columbia is where the highest dam counts are occurring. Sturgeon fishing continues on portions of the Columbia River. Anglers are allowed to retain one sturgeon per day caught from John Day Dam upstream to McNary Dam, including tributaries. For those looking for a way to beat the heat, a trip to the high country should do the trick. In addition to the wildflowers still blooming at higher elevations keep an eye out for marmots and pikas.
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