Hanford Reach steelhead fishing gets under way

BOB BROWN, FOR THE OLYMPIAN

Originally published November 9, 2001

The Hanford Reach area of the Columbia and Okanogan rivers is open to hatchery steelhead fishing through March 31.

On Nov. 15, the Similkameen River also will open to the taking of marked hatchery steelhead.

More than 630,000 steelhead were counted at Bonneville Dam. The run is among the highest ever recorded.

State fish managers estimate that up to 11,000 marked, hatchery steelhead will return to the Hanford Reach. Up to 5,000 marked steelhead are expected to return to the Okanogan and Similkameen rivers.

The limit will be two marked hatchery steelhead per day. Hatchery steelhead have a healed scar where either their adipose or ventral fin has been removed. All unmarked wild steelhead must be released.

Areas that will open to hatchery steelhead fishing through March 31 include:

The Hanford Reach of the Columbia River from the Highway 395 Bridge at Pasco to the old Hanford town site power poles just upstream of the Ringold Hatchery.

The Okanogan River, except from Zosel Dam downstream to a quarter-mile below the railway trestle, will remain closed to steelhead fishing, and from the Highway 97 bridge at Omak to a line across the river 500 feet above the mouth of Omak Creek, will close Feb. 16.

The Similkameen River from the river mouth to a line 400 feet below Enloe Dam.

In addition to wild steelhead release, any fish containing a radio-tag wire protruding from the mouth, or containing a disk tag attached near the dorsal, must be released immediately unharmed.

Rivers

- COWLITZ: Salmon fishing continues to be outstanding from the mouth of the Toutle upstream on the Cowlitz.

The water level in the Cowlitz has been raised to a flow rate of 3,750 cubic feet per second and the fish are pouring in, said Don Glazer of Barrier Dam Campground.

Silvers being caught above the Toutle are weighing in the upper teens with the occasional fish exceeding 20 pounds.

It has been a 50-50 split between shrimp and eggs for bait anglers. Blue Fox Spinners and Castmasters have been the lures of choice.

The bite at night has been terrific, Glazer said, but angler pressure has been extremely heavy.

- CHEHALIS: Some salmon anglers are catching fish, said Ray Dean of Monte Square Food Mart in Montesano.

Silvers are being caught as well as a few kings, but success has depended on angler skill.

The river has been in excellent shape, Dean said.

- LEWIS: Bank angling pressure has been heavy, but the success rate has slowed. A creel check Oct 20-Nov. 4 counted 117 bank anglers with 38 adult coho and one jack salmon. Among the 38 boat fishers checked, the anglers had 14 adult coho and one adult chinook .

- KALAMA: The average last week was about one adult coho per every 10 rods.

- KLICKITAT: Fishing has slowed somewhat at the mouth of the river, but boat anglers still averaged about one-half fish per rod last week.

- SATSOP: The river is fishing well and some nice coho are being caught, said Walt Harvey of Verle's Sports in Shelton.

- KENNEDY CREEK: Anglers report the creek is a chum haven. There are lots of fish and lots of fishers.

- COAST: Lots of salmon and a few winter-run steelhead are in Olympic Peninsula rivers, said Bob Gooding of Olympic Sporting Goods in Forks. All the peninsula rivers are producing, but the Sol Duc and Hoh have been especially good.

A Quick Fish wrapped with a sardine has been good for bait fishers, while Blue Fox Spinners have been productive, too.

Sturgeon

Columbia River sturgeon fishing is steadily improving, said Joe Hymer, a biologist with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife's Vancouver office.

Last week the largest effort was between Longview and Portland and the best catches were near Vancouver. Anglers there averaged about one-half legal-sized sturgeon per boat.

Fishing was better just below Bonneville Dam, where boaters averaged about 1.3 legals per boat. A creel check last Saturday counted 37 boats with 39 legals kept and 10 released.

Bank anglers below Bonneville also caught some legals, but bank angling was slow in Longview.

Saltwater

- TACOMA: Fishing was fair around Point Defiance last week, said Tom Tolmie of Point Defiance Boathouse and Marina.

Blackmouth are being caught near the clay banks and chum salmon are being taken by trollers using Atomic plugs along the Vashon Island shoreline. Angler pressure has been light.

- SOUTH SOUND: Fishing continues to be slow around South Sound, but results have been good for chum salmon around the Hoodsport Hatchery, said Vicki Setera of Cushman Boats in Hoodsport.

Setera also said tribal fishers will be netting in front of the hatchery Tuesdays and Thursdays through November.

Fly fishing

- SOUTH SOUND: Chum salmon have been providing good fishing in the estuaries, said Greg Edwards of the Streamside Anglers store in Tumwater.

Kennedy Creek has large numbers of fish moving in. The outgoing tide seems to offer the best bite. Chum Candy is being used to catch some of the larger fish.

- RIVERS: Sea-run cutthroat are biting in the Deschutes. Try orange Stimulators with a bead-head nymph dropper. Blue wing olive patterns are also recommended for the next three weeks.

Green Skunks, pink egg sucking leeches and Woolly Worms are working well for coho and steelhead in the Cowlitz, Cispus and Tilton rivers.

Lakes

- PIERCE COUNTY: Anglers working the shoreline with small Blue Fox lures and Roostertails are catching limits of rainbow trout at Spanaway Lake, said Bud Herlitzka of Spanaway Boathouse.

Boaters trolling the top two feet of water are catching limits of rainbows up to 12 inches long, along with some silver salmon.

Wedding ring-worm combinations have been the most productive for boaters trolling the lake.

- THURSTON COUNTY: Fishing has been good at Offut Lake near Tenino. Some rainbows up to 18 inches are being caught by both bank and boat fishers, said Laura Patterson of Offut Lake Resort.

Pink and yellow Power Eggs tipped with a worm have been good, Patterson said.

- MASON COUNTY: Most year-round lakes reportedly offer fair-to-good fishing, but angler pressure has been light.

Bob Brown is a correspondent for The Olympian. He can be reached at 754-5432.

The Olympian Copyright 2001

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