Fishing Report: Many eager to get claws on crabs

Salmon fishing is taking the limelight this week, but there are other wonderful options:

Top spots of the week

1. Crab in Puget Sound and Hood Canal: Bust out the crab gear as the season gets under way in most parts of Puget Sound on Saturday.

For those who can't wait, crabbing is currently open daily off Neah Bay (Marine Area 4); Sekiu (5); and South Sound (Area 13).

Places opening Saturday are eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca (6); southern San Juan Islands (7 South); Deception Pass to East Point (8-1); East Point to Possession Point (8-2), North Sound-Admiralty Inlet (9); Central Sound (10); south-central Sound (11); and Hood Canal (12).

Crab fishing in those areas will be limited to Wednesdays to Saturdays, with these exceptions: Areas 6, 7 South, 9, 10, 11 and 12 will be open daily from Saturday to July 8. Areas 8-1 and 8-2 will be open Saturday and Sunday, then closed July 3-4, and then resume a Wednesday-to-Saturday schedule.

2. Summer steelhead or chinook in Western Washington rivers: "The Reiter Pond opening [on Skykomish River last Saturday] was exceptionally good for steelhead, and it is continuing into this week," said Mike Chamberlain at Ted's Sports Center in Lynnwood. "There is also an odd king caught in the Skykomish, and a few in the Skagit, but overall it is slim pickings."

Others worth a try are the Snoqualmie, Green, North Fork Stillaguamish, Bogachiel, Calawah, Soleduck and Hoh. The Wynoochee, Humptulips and Chehalis are hit and miss.

3. Shad, chinook, sturgeon and steelhead in the Columbia River and tributaries: "Fishing for summer-run steelhead is good in the Blue Creek and Mission Bar areas," said Joe Hymer, a state Fish and Wildlife biologist. "Some sea-run cutthroat are also being caught."

Chinook fishing is fair in the Lower Columbia, and bank angling was best below Bonneville. Good for steelhead from Longview downstream.

Shad fishing is very good below Bonneville Dam and at Steamboat Landing area. Sturgeon is good in the estuary. Other rivers giving up fish are the Lewis and Kalama. The Icicle River is open for spring chinook.

4. Trout and other game fish in statewide lakes: Kokanee fishing at Lake Stevens is decent, and they're also finding them at Keechelus, Kachess, Chelan, Meridian, American and Summit lakes.

Perch and bass fishing in Lake Washington is good. Still some trout around in Mayfield, Riffe, Jameson, Goose, Sprague, Spanaway, Mineral, Shady, Pine, Green and Desire.

5. Salmon off Puget Sound piers: "King fishing off the Edmonds pier has been decent, and there has been a few days where they've landed over 10 fish," Chamberlain said.

Dock anglers can also cast off the Terminal 86 in Elliott Bay, Seacrest, Waterman, Bremerton Boardwalk, Illahee State Park, Les Davis, Dash Point, Des Moines, Redondo and Point Defiance Park piers.

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