Salmon fishing is going strong off the coast, bright coho are moving into the Columbia River behind hefty chinook, and pink salmon are striking lures throughout Puget Sound.
Those are just a few of the attractions awaiting anglers in the days leading up to the Labor Day weekend. Meanwhile, bowhunters are preparing for the deer and elk archery seasons that start in early September, when hunting seasons for upland birds also get under way in western Washington.
Salmon anglers fishing near Ilwaco and Westport continue to enjoy a “phenomenal” season, said Wendy Beeghley, a fish biologist for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). “This is one of the most successful fishing seasons I can remember,” she said. “We’ve had good weather, great turnouts and some of the best catch rates we’ve seen in years.”
Catch rates are also picking up fast on the lower Columbia River, where a strong run of coho salmon is now moving into the river behind an initial surge of chinook and a record-breaking wave of summer steelhead. Pink salmon rule from the Strait of Juan de Fuca to southern Puget Sound, but coho are expected to make up an increasing share of the catch by the time Labor Day arrives.
Anglers should be aware that fishing rules change Sept. 1 on a number of waters around the state. For details, see the Fishing in Washington rule pamphlet at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regs/fishregs.htm on the WDFW website.
Recreational crabbers are also advised that the summer Dungeness crab fishery will close for a catch assessment in several areas of Puget Sound after the Labor Day weekend. Six areas will close Sept. 7 one hour after sunset, including marine areas 6 (eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca), 8-1 (Deception Pass to East Point). 8-2 (East Point to Possession Point), 9 (Admiralty Inlet), 10 (Seattle/Bremerton) and 11 (Tacoma/Vashon). Crabbing will be open over Labor Day weekend, Sept. 5-7.
Crabbers are reminded that their summer catch record cards are due to WDFW by Sept. 15 and must be returned whether or not the cardholder caught or fished for crab during the season. Completed cards can be mailed in or recorded online.
For more information about fishing, hunting and wildlife-viewing opportunities available around the state, see the regional reports below: [more]
Southwest Washington
Fishing: Hefty chinook salmon that recently lit up the Buoy 10 fishery near the mouth of the Columbia River are now biting from Longview upstream as strong tides push increasing numbers of coho in from the ocean. Meanwhile, summer steelhead broke the single-day record at Bonneville Dam several days in a row and bolstered catch rates for hatchery fish above and below the dam.
“Anglers are reeling in chinook salmon, hatchery coho and hatchery steelhead in good numbers, depending on what part of the river they’re fishing,” said Joe Hymer, WDFW fish biologist. “Steelhead are leading the charge up the river, but chinook and coho are moving up right behind them.”
Fishing has also been good for hatchery steelhead at the mouths of several area tributaries, including the Cowlitz, Lewis and White Salmon rivers, plus Drano Lake, Hymer said. Boat anglers fishing at Drano Lake averaged 1.2 steelhead per rod and retained just over half of them, according to a creel survey conducted the second week of August.
At Buoy 10, anglers averaged a salmon for every one to two rods that same week. About one-third of those fish were chinook salmon, some weighing 40-plus pounds, but the tides literally shifted the following week, increasing the percentage of hatchery coho in the catch, Hymer said.
“A series of strong tides has brought more coho into the river,” he said. “We could see another big surge of chinook, but these coho aren’t exactly shakers. A growing number of these fish are running 14 to 16 pounds.”
Through August, the daily catch limit in the Buoy 10 fishery is two salmon (but only one chinook) or hatchery steelhead or one of each. Minimum size limits are 24 inches for chinook and 16 inches for hatchery coho. All salmon other than chinook and adipose-fin-clipped hatchery coho must be released. Barbed hooks are allowed. Daily creel counts are available on the WDFW website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regions/reg5/buoy10.htm .
Starting Sept. 1, anglers must release chinook salmon at Buoy 10, but the combined limit for hatchery coho and hatchery steelhead will rise to three fish (including no more than two hatchery steelhead).
The north jetty is open for fishing seven days per week when the Buoy 10 area or Marine Area 1 (Ilwaco) are open for salmon fishing. The daily limit and minimum size limits for the north jetty follow the most liberal regulations of either area.
Upriver from the Rocky Point/Tongue Point line, hatchery steelhead have been keeping anglers busy from Longview to the Bonneville Pool. (The all-time daily steelhead count at Bonneville – 34,053 – was set on Aug. 13.) But recent reports of anglers catching chinook between Longview and Vancouver suggests heavier gear may be in order, Hymer said.
“The chinook fishery above Rocky Point can ramp up quickly,” he said. “Anglers may want to think about switching from spinners and bait to wobblers – and fishing deep – if they want to pick up some chinook.”
Fishing deep isn’t a bad idea in any case, said Hymer, noting that the weather forecast calls for another hot spell. Under those conditions, he recommends fishing to a depth of 50 feet and looking for fish at the mouths of tributaries, where the water is cooler.
“We’re also expecting a return to low-water conditions, so boaters need to be especially cautious around sandbars and rocks,” he said. “We’ve already seen at least one boat stranded on a sand bar this season.”
Anglers fishing on tributaries to the Columbia River should also be aware of new rules adopted to protect wild salmon while providing greater access to hatchery fish:
- Bonus hatchery coho retention: Anglers may retain up to six hatchery adult coho on all lower Columbia tributaries with hatchery programs, including the Cowlitz, Deep, Elochoman, Grays (including West Fork), Kalama, Klickitat, Lewis (including North Fork), Toutle (including Green and North Fork) and Washougal rivers. Last year, the Cowlitz River was the only system with a daily limit of six hatchery adult coho.
- Release all wild chinook: Anglers must release all wild chinook (adults and jacks) on the Elochoman and Kalama rivers, where mass-marked fall chinook that are two, three and four years old will be returning this year. Very few five and six year-olds are expected, so this regulation provides additional protection for wild chinook adults with a minimal loss of sportfishing opportunity for older unmarked hatchery fish.
- Release wild chinook jacks: This rule will be in effect on the Cowlitz, Toutle (including Green and North Fork), Washougal, Wind and White Salmon rivers, plus Drano Lake. Two and three year-old mass-marked fall chinook will be returning to the Cowlitz, Toutle and Washougal rivers, while two, three, and four year-olds will return to the Little White Salmon National Fish Hatchery. Some strays from various hatcheries also can be found in the Washington tributaries above Bonneville Dam.
- Hatchery chinook strays on the Lewis River: Anglers may retain stray hatchery chinook on the Lewis River and North Fork Lewis through September. While no fall chinook are released from Lewis River hatcheries, some stray tules are found in the system.
- Boat angling restriction on the North Fork Lewis River: This regulation, which applies to the Cedar Creek area, will be delayed until October to give anglers greater access to the large number of hatchery coho expected to return to the river. The restriction on boats will still take effect in time to protect wild fall chinook, which are expected to return in improved numbers but just above the minimum escapement goal.
- Grays and Elochoman rivers opened Aug. 1: The starting date for fall salmon fisheries was moved up to allow anglers to catch early arriving fish, particularly Select Area Bright fall chinook that stray into the Grays River.
Anglers looking for a different kind of fishing experience may want to consider a trip to an alpine lake. Tips on fishing the state’s “high lakes” and recommendations of good places to go are available at http://wdfw.wa.gov/outreach/fishing/highlake.htm .
“Fishing one of the region’s high lakes can be a terrific experience, and a great way to beat the heat,” Hymer said. “Two words of caution: In the Indian Heaven Wilderness lakes, the daily limit for trout is three fish. Secondly, don’t forget the mosquito repellent.”
Hunting: The bear hunting season is open statewide, and several other hunts are just around the corner. The general hunting season for cougar will start with a statewide archery-only season Sept. 1-25, followed by a muzzleloader-only season Sept. 26-Oct. 16. Beginning Oct. 17, hunters may use any legal weapon to target cougars in most areas of the state.
Early archery seasons for deer and elk also are set to begin in select western Washington Game Management Units. The early deer season runs Sept. 1-25, while the elk season runs Sept. 8-20.
Also opening Sept. 1 are the statewide forest grouse and dove hunting seasons. Those openings are followed by an early Canada goose hunt that runs Sept. 10-15 in Game Management Units 2A and 3. Before heading out, hunters should check the Big Game Hunting pamphlet ( http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/game/hunter/hunter.htm ) and the Waterfowl and Upland Game pamphlet ( http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/game/water/water.htm ) for details.
Wildlife viewing: With migrating steelhead setting new records on a daily basis, there’s never been better time to watch the procession of fish passing by the fish windows at Bonneville Dam. The latest record – 34,053 – was set on Aug. 13, but will it last? Meanwhile, chinook salmon counts continue to grow day by day.
To reach the Washington Shore Visitor Complex, take Washington State Highway 14 east to Milepost 40 (about 5 miles from Stevenson) and turn into the Bonneville Dam visitor center. The visitor center is the glass building at the end of the powerhouse.
Fish aren’t the only migrants moving through the Columbia River gorge right now. On a recent day, a birder reported sighting western tanagers, Wilson’s warblers, warbling vireo and orange-crowned warblers on the wing. Other birds spotted that day include willow flycatchers, purple martins, western wood-pewee, black-headed grosbeak and Swanson’s thrush .
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