Puget Sound providing plenty of lingcod action
The toothy, wide-mouthed lingcod won't win any beauty contests, but anglers love them for their tasty filets, and right now fishing for them is very good.
"We did well for lingcod south of Alki Point, and we caught one that was 36 inches long, and the others measured 29 to 30 inches," said Terry J. Wiest, a member of South King County Puget Sound Anglers Club. "We used live flounder to catch them."
Other good Puget Sound areas for lingcod are Point Evans near the Narrows Bridge, Toliva Shoal off Steilacoom and Itsami Ledge off Henderson Inlet's north end.
Up north, anglers are reeling in some nice lingcod from Possession Bar to the San Juan Islands.
"Anglers are catching a fair number of lingcod off Possession Bar and the west side of Scatchet Head, and on the opener (May 1) there were 32 legal-sized lingcod caught off the Edmonds Pier," said Mike Chamberlain at Ted's Sports Center in Lynnwood. "For those looking to catch lingcod, target places around docks and breakwaters like at Shilshole Bay and near the Edmonds Marina."
Other productive areas are Utsalady Bay, the artificial reef off Edmonds, Burrows Island, Smith Island and Lopez Pass.
In the Strait of Juan de Fuca, there is good lingcod action west of Sekiu and Neah Bay off Waadah Island, and Seal and Sail rocks. On the coast, charter operators are having no problem getting limits of lingcod at Westport.
Top spots of the week
1. Trout and warmwater fish in statewide lakes: Trout fishing continues to dominate the fishing scene, and plenty of recently planted fish are on the bite.
West-side lakes worth trying are Langlois, Green, Howard (Snohomish County), Riffe, Padden, Mineral, Heart (Skagit), Tanwax, Clear (Pierce), Teal, Meridian, Wilderness, Rattlesnake and Pine. On the east side hit Badger, Clear, Fish and Williams in Spokane County, and Jameson, Warden, Marshall and Conconully.
"Smallmouth and largemouth bass fishing really picks up as the water begins to warm up," said Curt Kraemer, a state Fish and Wildlife biologist.
Recent angler reports found smallmouth bass catches in Lake Washington were good, including some in excess of 7-1/2 pounds. Perch are also done spawning and can be found along shorelines.
2. Halibut off the coast: "Halibut fishing is pretty good, and our charter went down (yesterday) to Umatilla Reef and had their limit by 9 a.m. with fish averaging 40 pounds," said Wendy Lawrence at Big Salmon Resort in Neah Bay. "Others are finding some fish at Swiftsure Bank and Blue Dot."
The Westport fishery is open Sunday to Thursday, and charters are doing well. La Push and Ilwaco are also producing a fair number of flatties.
Halibut fishing in Puget Sound gets underway today, and is open Thursday to Sunday in Marine Catch Areas 7 to 11.
3. Spring chinook and steelhead in Columbia River and other tributaries: "The Cowlitz River has 1,500 spring chinook back at the hatchery and the Lewis River hatchery has a good number of returning fish, and both rivers are off to a good start," said Joe Hymer, a state Fish and Wildlife biologist. "The Wind River has been offering a steady bite, but it isn't real hot fishing."
Other fair reports are coming from Lower Columbia River below the I-5 Bridge (open today to Saturday and May 14-15 only), Drano Lake, Kalama River, White Salmon River, John Day Pool, The Dalles Pool and the Klickitat River.
The mainstem Columbia from Tower Island power lines to McNary Dam is open for hatchery salmon and steelhead Wednesday to Saturday through May 15 only.
4. Spring chinook in Icicle Creek: "The spring chinook fishery opens on May 16, and should be decent if the water level isn't too high, but there is not a lot of bank access," Hymer said. "Some anglers use herring to catch them as well as prawns and sand shrimp."
The river is open from 500 feet downstream of the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery Rack down to the mouth. Daily limit is two salmon, minimum size is 12 inches. Night closure and non-buoyant lure restriction is in effect.
Other fishing spots
North-coastal rivers: Steelhead fishing is closed, but a steady bite for spring chinook in the Soleduck and Quillayute.
Southern Puget Sound: Areas south of Narrows Bridge are open for salmon fishing with a two salmon daily limit, but no more than one chinook.
Columbia River: Slow for sturgeon in the Lower Columbia, but fairly good in Bonneville Pool. Good for bass and walleye in The Dalles Pool and John Day Pool.
Mark Yuasa: 206-464-8780 or myuasa@seattletimes.com