Washington Fishing Update

Washington Fishing Update

SW Washington- SW Washington rivers enter a period of slow activity this time of year. There are some late coho still available on the Cowlitz River and to a lesser extent the Lewis River. These systems will enter a hiatus until the arrival of winter steelhead in just a few weeks.
Since Oct. 1, sturgeon retention has been allowed Thursday, Friday and Saturday each week from the Wauna power lines near Cathlamet to Bonneville Dam.

Casting for cutthroat? On Oct. 21, WDFW planted 872 cutts averaging 1.5 pounds in Battle Ground Lake. Goose Lake got 1,635 cutthroat of the same size during the last week of October.
NFLCC lure and tackle show, Red Lion Hotel, Kelso, Wa. Saturday, November 5th. Room trading the afternoon before. Open to the public, 8AM Saturday. Show chairman: Monte Martinsen, 360-274-8045. Over 50 tables expected from collectors all over the Northwest.

Eastern Washington: Snake River hatchery steelhead action is picking up, as usual at this time of year. WDFW enforcement officers report that virtually every stretch of the mainstem Snake and its tributaries is being heavily fished now. Trolling for Lake Roosevelt's big rainbow trout is improving with cooler, wetter weather.

North Central Washington: WDFW regional fish program manager Joe Miller of Ephrata reminds anglers who are fishing for steelhead on the Methow, Simalkameen, and Okanogan rivers that bait is prohibited and selective gear rules apply. Walleye fishing continues to be productive on Moses Lake, Potholes Reservoir, and Sprague Lake.

South Central Washington: The Columbia River from the Highway 395 Bridge upstream to the wooden power line towers at the old Hanford townsite remains open for the retention of hatchery steelhead through March 31, 2006. Beginning Nov. 1, any hatchery steelhead (instead of just those with both adipose and ventral fin clips) may be retained in this portion of the Columbia River.

North Puget Sound: North Sound salmon fishing has reached a crossroads as the coho season winds down and chum begin to enter the rivers. Puget Sound blackmouth fishing has been slow. A few bright spots were Oct. 29 when a creel check showed 28 anglers with six chinook at Oak Harbor Marina and Oct. 30 when 63 anglers at Seattle's Armeni Ramp were checked with seven blackmouth.

South Sound/Olympic Peninsula: Pro Guide Bob Barthlow (509.697.7125) tells TGF that fishing was pretty good for Coho on the Chehalis river over the weekend. They caught limits of chrome Coho below the mouth of the Satsop River on the Chehalis.

Thousands of people are expected to descend on coastal beaches for the second razor-clam dig of the fall. Much of the prime digging time will be during daylight hours. Low evening tide is at 3:27 p.m. on Nov. 12 (+0.8 feet), 4:20 p.m. on Nov. 13 (0.0 feet), 5:10 p.m. on Nov. 14 (-0.6 feet) and on 5:56 p.m. Nov. 15 (-1.0 feet).

http://www.TheGuidesForecast.com/
http://www.NorthwestGuides.com/oregonfishing/