Weekend Fishing Outlook -- Salmon Runs Late But Hot In Sound

Migrating summer king and coho salmon finally are appearing in open areas of central Puget Sound.

"This year's salmon runs are returning later than normal, but it was hot (yesterday) and good (Tuesday) for king fishing off Lincoln Park," said Keith Robbins, owner of Spot Tail Fishing Guide in Seattle.

A fair number of salmon also showed up off Alki Point, Southworth, Dolphin Point off Vashon Island and Saltwater State Park south of Des Moines.

Elliott Bay reopens for salmon fishing Saturday at 5 a.m. to Monday at 9 p.m., east of a line from Alki Point to Fourmile Rock below Magnolia Bluff to the First Avenue South Bridge.

"The preliminary estimates from last Saturday to Monday showed 1,477 boats with 3,105 anglers caught 631 chinook in the bay," said Dick Geist, a state Fish and Wildlife resource salmon manager.

Saturday, the best king bite was off Todd Shipyard, and in the east and west channel waterways. By Monday, fishing was better at Fourmile Rock and Alki Point, which indicates that another run of fish might have entered the bay.

The Seacrest Boathouse pier in West Seattle is open year-round for salmon fishing, with six to 15 kings caught daily. Also open are Pier 86 and the Elliott Bay public fishing pier.

Saturday and Sunday, from noon to 4 p.m., the Navy Blue Angels flight team will perform over Elliott Bay. Boaters must stay outside the closure zone.

Coast and Strait salmon fishing updates

State Fish and Wildlife officials are waiting for final approval to boost coastal and Strait of Juan de Fuca sport-catch quotas for coho salmon.

It's likely the coastal areas from Ilwaco to Neah Bay (Marine Areas 1 to 4) will get 8,000 coho added to their quota, and the Neah Bay (Marine Area 4B) inside fishery will get another 2,000 coho.

The Strait of Juan de Fuca (Marine Areas 5 and 6) will get 10,000 coho tacked on to their current quotas of 40,000. They should open Sept. 1, two days earlier than previously announced.

The Neah Bay coho season is expected to last through this weekend, with a catch quota of 5,800 fish. The daily limit is one coho per angler.

"Catch estimates show about 700 coho caught daily at Neah Bay, and the fish are averaging 4 pounds," said Doug Milward, a state Fish and Wildlife salmon resource manager.

At Ilwaco and Westport, charter and private boat anglers report good fishing for coho, averaging 5 pounds, with some to 10 pounds.

Through Sunday, 5,968 coho were caught at Westport (20,800 quota), and 7,000 were caught at Ilwaco (28,100). Angler turnout was low at La Push (1,500), but coho fishing is good. All three areas have a two-coho daily limit.

Hot spots of the week

1. Sockeye salmon fishing in Lake Washington: The season ends Sunday, and anglers at midweek averaged better than a fish per rod.

Through Monday, anglers caught more than 60,000 of the allowed 79,000 sport catch quota.

The best fishing is the south shoreline along Rainier Avenue. Other fair areas are the north and south sides of Mercer Island, east side of Seward Park, and south of the Evergreen Point Bridge.

The daily limit is two sockeye per angler. No fishing is allowed within 100 yards of the Evergreen Point or Mercer Island floating bridges, or within a 1,000-foot radius of the Cedar River mouth.

2. Albacore tuna fishing off Washington's coast: Two long-range sport fishing boats from Ocean Charters in Westport caught 310 albacore tuna, averaging 18 to 23 pounds, about 70 miles off the coast. For details on the two-day fishing trips, call Ocean Charters at (360) 268-9144, or Coho Charters at (800) 572-0177.

3. Steelhead fishing in the Cowlitz and Skykomish rivers: "Good number of steelhead in the Skykomish from Sultan to Reiter Ponds," said Mike Chamberlain at Ted's Sports Center in Lynnwood. Most are 4 to 7 pounds, with a few up to 20 pounds.

The fishery at Blue Creek on the Cowlitz is peaking, with an average of one steelhead caught for every other boat angler.

4. Dungeness crabs in Hood Canal and Puget Sound: Excellent in the Hood for large-sized crabs averaging 7 inches in Quilcene Bay, Annas Bay and near the mouths of rivers or creeks. In Puget Sound try the Anacortes area, Samish Bay, Utsalady Bay, North Beach to Richmond Beach, and off the Shilshole jetty.

5. King salmon fishing off Edmonds Marina pier: About a dozen kings caught daily, ranging 13 to 24 pounds. Try casting a 2 1/4-ounce Point Wilson candlefish jig in a pearl-green color pattern.

Fishing tip of the week: Beach anglers using the slip bobber technique can find decent coho fishing off the Possession Point Bait House on Whidbey Island. Place a stopper bead 10 feet up the main line and insert the bobber tied to a 3-to-5 ounce weight, and swivel. On the swivel, tie a 6-to-10 foot leader with a cut-plug or live herring on the hook. Cast your bobber about 30 yards from shore and let it drift with the current.

Fishing spots

-- Hein Bank - "Rough water the past few days, but there were some nice 20-plus pound kings caught last week," said Wayne King, owner of King Hydraulic in Discovery Bay.

-- San Juan Islands - Slow to fair for kings off Waldron Island, Guemes Island, Cypress Island, Orcas Island's north shore, Point Lawrence and San Juan Island's west side.

-- Tulalip Bay special fishery - Fair for kings, 12 to 13 pounds, with a few up to 20. Most anglers are trolling a hot-spot flasher with a green glow-in-the-dark 140 or 142 hoochie.

-- Port Gardner area - Fair to good for coho, 2 to 5 pounds, returning to net pens off southwest side of Whidbey Island near Possession Point. Also try from Mukilteo State Park to Everett, near the Shipwreck, Gedney Island and Camano Head. Two coho per angler daily limit. All chinook must be released.

-- Rich Passage and Restoration Point - Slow, but a few kings caught during the morning hours off Restoration Point. A few blackmouth caught by trollers in Rich Passage east of the net pens.

-- Blake Island - Slow for kings and blackmouth off Allen Bank, but the northwest side is worth a try.

-- South Puget Sound areas - Slow for kings off Anderson Island, but jigging anglers have caught a few salmon and plenty of dogfish. Try the mouth of Chambers Creek and McAllister Creek for early kings.

-- Coastal rivers - "Lots of coho in the Soleduck, and steelhead fishing is better in the Calawah, Bogachiel and Hoh rivers," said Bob Gooding, owner of Olympic Sporting Goods in Forks.

-- Skagit River - Fair for cutthroat in the lower river. Slow for steelhead. -- Stillaguamish River - Slow to fair for steelhead above Deer Creek to Fortson. Fair for cutthroat in the lower river.

-- Green River - Slow to fair for steelhead in Flaming Geyser Park.

-- Puyallup River - Water is silted with snow-melt runoff, and it's slow for steelhead and chinook. -- Lewis River - Fair for steelhead in both forks.

-- Kalama River - Fair for steelhead in fly fishing-only section above Summer Creek Bridge. Salmon fishing is open below upper fish hatchery. -- Columbia River - Fair to good for sturgeon in the estuary and Gorge. Fair bank and boat fishing for steelhead from Trojan Nuclear Plant to Longview. Fair to good for walleye in the Gorge.

-- Freshwater fishing - Lake fishing for trout slowed down throughout the region, but spiny ray and kokanee fishing is good. Lake Stevens (east of Everett) and Baker Lake (near Concrete) are hot spots for kokanee. Lake Goodwin (northwest of Marysville) is good for perch and bluegill. Good bass fishing at Clear Lake (south of Sedro-Woolley) and Big Lake (south of Mount Vernon). Good at Riffe Lake (Lewis County) for trout and kokanee.