Notebook: Monster-sized coho could've been a record

The state coho record is safe for now, but a dead, monster-sized, spawned-out fish was recently found along the Lewis River shoreline.

Last week, state fisheries biologists conducting spawning surveys on the Lewis River's North Fork came across what would have been a world-record coho.

"We figured out the wild coho's length from its head to the fork of the tail was 38 inches, and we measured one side of it, which was 20 inches, so the girth was about 38 to 40 inches," said Joe Hymer, a state Fish and Wildlife biologist.

"Formulas for figuring out the exact weight vary, but we estimated the coho was well over 30 pounds, and may have been as large as 40 pounds," Hymer said.

According to the International Game Fish Association the world record coho was caught last year in Lake Ontario by Stephen Sheets of Woolrich, Pa., and weighed 33 pounds, 7.2 ounces.

The saltwater state record coho was caught at Sekiu on Sept. 28, 2001, by Martin Cooper of Port Orchard, and weighed 25.34 pounds and was 35.75 inches long with a 24.75 inch girth.

The freshwater state-record coho was caught in the Quinault River on Nov. 11, 2001, by Brad Wilson of Union, and weighed 25.27 pounds and was 32.28 inches long with a 24.21 inch girth.

The Great White mystery

Reports of a great white shark hooked Dec. 6 by Bob Salatino around Point Defiance in Tacoma spread like wildfire this week.

But there is some doubt to what really happened to Salatino, a retired 20-year animal curator with the Point Defiance Park and Aquarium.

Salatino was fishing alone in the Tacoma area when he said a great white shark about 18- to 20-feet long struck his line a few feet below the surface. Salatino struggled to reel in the shark, but near the surface it rolled over and snapped the line out of its mouth.

"We haven't documented a great white shark ever being caught or seen in Puget Sound," said Wayne Palsson, a state Fish and Wildlife fish manager.

Palsson said in the 1990s someone claimed to have seen a great white surface in the Edmonds area, so sightings aren't unprecedented.

"But, until we get some hard evidence like a tooth fragment, tissue or even a photo we really can't justify that great whites do actually exist in Puget Sound," Palsson said.

In recent days Salatino has refused to talk to the media, because he said if he did nobody would believe his UFO-type fish story.

Six gill, basking and salmon sharks have been caught in Puget Sound, and documented by state Fish and Wildlife. However, these sharks never get as large as a great white. Great whites have been know to lurk around the Washington coast and as far up as the Gulf of Alaska feeding on fish, sea lions and seals.

"He (Salatino) is an expert on area fish species, so whatever that fish was, if he saw it and it was a great white then it probably was, but I doubt it very, very much," said Tony Floor, a state Fish and Wildlife spokesman.

Top spots of the week

1. Steelhead in the Cowlitz River: "Fishing in the Blue Creek area is pretty good with boat anglers taking more than a fish per rod," Hymer said. "Water conditions are good, and the water flow was down around 3,000 (cubic feet per second), which is pretty low."

2. Squid off Puget Sound piers: "The best bet around town is squid jigging (in Elliott Bay) off piers 62 and 86," said Jerry Beppu, owner of Linc Tackle Shop in Seattle. "The Des Moines Pier is good, but I heard it is crowded because they shut off part of the pier to fishing. The Edmonds Marina Pier is also producing some squid, too."

3. Trout in westside lakes: "I had some customers who are catching some cutthroat trolling Jack Lloyd behind a wedding ring or a three-inch needlefish, and they are very good eating type fish," Beppu said.

Pass Lake near Deception Pass is keeping the fly anglers for trout, and another winter trout favorite is Lone Lake on Whidbey Island.

Lakes recently planted with trout are Kress, Icehouse, Little Ash, Kidney, Klineline, Lacamas and Battleground.

4. Steelhead in coastal rivers: "Fair for steelhead, but there is a lot of water from all the rainfall," said Bob Gooding, owner of Olympic Sporting Goods in Forks. "The Calawah and Bogachiel were fishable, the Soleduck remains awfully high and it will take the Hoh another few days before it is fishable."

Other rivers worth a try are the Humptulips, Wynoochee, Satsop, Wishkah, Queets, Lower Quinault (tribal guided only), Pysht, Lyre and Hoko.

5. Steelhead in Puget Sound rivers: "The (Skagit) River is starting to drop, and there was some early fish caught last week and the recent rain should have pushed more upstream," said Kim Weymouth at Skagit Fly Anglers in Mount Vernon. "The Stilly (Stillaguamish River) is giving up some steelhead as well as the Nooksack River."

"I fished the Skykomish near the hatchery (at Reiter Ponds), and while we managed to catch a few it should have been limits for everyone," said Bryan Nelson at Three Rivers Marine and Tackle Shop in Woodinville. "I'm not too worried yet, since a lot of times the run is simply just late in getting here."

Other rivers where steelhead are trickling in are Snoqualmie, Snohomish and Green.

Other fishing spots

Everett pier: Good for herring.

Cornet Bay pier on North Whidbey Island: Fair to good jigging during the flood tide for smelt.

Central Puget Sound: Reopened for salmon on Monday, but no recent reports. In between wind storms try Jefferson Head, Yeomalt Point, West Point south of Shilshole Bay, Allen Bank off Blake Island and Southworth.

Southcentral Puget Sound: Fair to good for blackmouth off the Clay Banks last weekend.

Hood Canal: Slow to fair for blackmouth off Misery Point.

West Whidbey Island: Really slow for steelhead off Bush and Lagoon points.

Puget Sound and Hood Canal estuaries and rivers: It's just about over for chum in the Skykomish, Skokomish, Skagit, Snoqualmie, Snohomish and Green. Same goes for estuarial areas like the beaches just south of Potlatch State Park, Hoodsport, and Chico, Kennedy, Perry and Johns creeks.

Kalama River: Fair for steelhead, but marginal fishing conditions.

Washougal River: Fair for steelhead, but light angler pressure.

Columbia River: Fair for sturgeon below Bonneville Dam.

Mark Yuasa: 206-464-8780 or myuasa@seattletimes.com.