JEFFREY P. MAYOR; jeff.mayor@thenewstribune.com Published: April 9th, 2008 01:00 AM
Recreational fishing for halibut in much of Puget Sound opens at 12:01 a.m. Thursday. The season in Marine Areas 6-11 and 13 will run through 11:59 p.m. June 13. Fishing is allowed Thursdays through Mondays.
There is a daily limit of one halibut per angler, with no minimum size. All catches must be recorded on a Department of Fish and Wildlife catch record card.
Before you get excited about landing "barn door-sized" halibut, heed this from Jerry Skeen, who runs Captain Jerry's Charters: "I have never talked with anyone who has ever caught a halibut in Marine Areas 10, 11 or 13."
Lakes
American: Anglers are catching a lot of the trout stocked recently, many around a foot in length. Some are catching limits with light-colored Power Bait with worms under a bobber, said David Anderson at Bill's Boathouse.
Chelan: The lower basin of Lake Chelan continues to produce 2- to 7-pound lake trout. Try trolling flatfish in either luminous chartreuse or purple glow. Also, try wide-bodied spoons like the Rushin' Salmon Wobblers by Critter Gitter. Keep that lure working close to the bottom to be effective.
Drano: Ten boats were counted last weekend. A couple spring chinook were reported Sunday.
Rufus Woods: Trolling is the best method for catching triploid rainbow trout. Anton Jones of Darrell & Dad's Family Guide Service said to troll flies slowly. If the trout nip, stop the boat then ease away slowly. Set the hook when you feel the weight.
Spanaway: Flies seem to be working best these days because the chironomid hatches have been strong. Slowly pull your fly through the top 10 feet of water. Still fishing off the south point is good with green Power Bait on an 18-inch leader. Dock fishing has been fair, said Bud Herlitzka at Spanaway Park Boathouse.
Tapps: The weather has made fishing difficult. It should improve with the weather later this week.
Rivers
Columbia: Below Bonneville Dam, the catch and effort remains higher than the past few years. For the first six days of April, the sampled 3,287 anglers had caught 723 adult, two jack spring chinook and three steelhead. Boat anglers averaged an adult chinook kept/released per every 4.2 rods while bank anglers averaged one per every 8.7 rods. Best success for both boat and bank anglers was just below Bonneville Dam. Sturgeon fishing remains slow.
Cowlitz: The fishing is picking up, with steelhead being caught throughout the river. In addition, some spring chinook are being caught around the trout hatchery. Last week, Tacoma Power recovered 92 winter-run steelhead adults at the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator during five days of operations.
Kalama: Despite few anglers hitting the river, some spring chinook are being caught.
Lewis: Some steelhead are being caught from the mainstem. There were few anglers trying the North Fork. The first two spring chinook of the year were found in the Merwin Dam trap last week.
Olympic Coast: The fishing has been OK. Rain over the weekend is helping bring some spring chinook into the rivers, said Bob Gooding at Olympic Sporting Goods. The best news is the success of the fund-raiser held for guide Gordon Gracey. Gooding said the turnout was great and people raised more than $50,000 to help Gracey with his medical bills following a hiking accident last summer.
Yakima: The action has been a bit slow because water conditions are low and clear. The staff at Red's Fly Shop recommends working the edges of deeper pools with small nymphs on light line.
Saltwater
Fly fishing: Our fly fishing blogger, Jon Aqui, writes that the searun cutthroat trout action has slowly been improving in Hood Canal and the South Sound. Check out Jon's reports at blogs.thenewstribune.com/fish.
South Sound: Gibson Point has been the most consistent spot for blackmouth, mostly small fish. Most anglers are trolling with frozen herring, said Becky Lee at Narrows Marina Bait & Tackle.
Tacoma: Based on creel checks, blackmouth action is slow. The state checked 27 anglers at Point Defiance and the Narrows Marina, and five fish were counted.
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