Fishing | Ocean salmon still the hot item

Salmon fishing off the coast remains the top choice, and the pinks have finally arrived in Puget Sound, although not in huge numbers yet.

"We had weather issues that slowed down fishing coast-wide this past week, but it picked up again this week," said Wendy Beeghly, a state Fish and Wildlife biologist. "Ilwaco saw a 1.5-fish-per-person average this past week, and [Monday] we saw some charter boats back with limits fairly quick. They are mostly coho averaging 7 to 8 pounds."

Salmon fishing has been so good at Ilwaco that state Fish and Wildlife has decided to close the ocean fishery at Ilwaco after Saturday. Fishing in the ocean could re-open around Labor Day.

At Westport, anglers averaged 1.2 fish per rod, but catches have been up and down. It is mostly a coho show with just a few chinook appearing.

On the North Coast, La Push had a decent week with an average of 1.3 fish per person, and about three-tenths of that was chinook.

Neah Bay anglers averaged 0.8 fish per rod, but if you add pinks the catch rate is 1.2.

The coast also is seeing one of the best seasons for tuna, and most charter and private boats are heading anywhere from 20 to 40 miles offshore.

"They are still doing really well for tuna, and the private boats are averaging two to 10 fish per person, and the charters were getting 15 to 20 fish per person," Beeghly said. "At Westport, they're only going 20 miles out to find the tuna."

The Strait of Juan de Fuca from Sekiu to Port Angeles remains the hot spot for pinks and the coho being caught are getting larger.

"Fishing is fabulous, and there are still a lot of humpies [pink salmon] around, plus we're seeing some keeper [hatchery-marked] coho in the 8- to 9-pound range," said Gary Ryan, manager of Van Riper's Resort in Sekiu. "This is some of the best fishing I've seen in a while."

Other good places for pinks and early coho in the Strait include Port Angeles, Pillar Point and Freshwater Bay.

Salmon anglers in northern and central Puget Sound are finally seeing the big run of pinks to inside waterways, and resident coho continue to keep up the pace as well.

"The silvers [coho] are still here in good numbers, and some are getting up to 8 pounds off Kingston, Point Monroe and Jeff Head," said Gary Krein, owner of All-Star Charters in Everett. "We had some of the best humpie fishing [Tuesday], and some boats had limits by the middle of the morning from Mukilteo down to the Shipwreck [north of Meadowdale]."

Other choices for pinks and coho include Elliott Bay, West Point and Meadow Point near Shilshole Bay, in front of the Edmonds Marina, Humpy Hollow, Possession Bar, Point No Point, the west side of Whidbey Island and Midchannel Bank off Port Townsend.

Fairly good shore fishing can be had at the Seacrest Pier in West Seattle, Bush and Lagoon points on West Whidbey Island, Edmonds Pier, Point No Point and Point Wilson shoreline near Port Townsend.

Top spots of the week

1. Salmon in Hood Canal, southcentral and southern Puget Sound, and San Juan Islands: Tacoma remains a fair to good bet for hatchery chinook, as is south of the Southworth Ferry Landing, Dolphin Point, Des Moines area, Point Beal, Point Robinson, Three Tree Point and Point Dalco off Vashon Island.

In South Sound, look for kings at the mouth of Chambers Creek, the green buoy off the Nisqually Delta, Point Fosdick and Fox Island.

In Hood Canal, try for chinook north of Lilliwaup and for pinks off Hoodsport. The San Juan Islands are fair to good for kings at Cypress Island, Secret Harbor, Strawberry Island, Tide Point and Eagle Bluff.

2. Bass, trout and perch in westside lakes: "In Lake Washington, they are doing better for bass, but perch being caught are nice in size," said Jerry Beppu, owner of Linc's Tackle Shop in Seattle.

Also try for perch at Coulon Park in Renton, Mount Baker, Seward Park, Leschi, Madison Park, Kenmore and Sand Point. Mineral Lake in Lewis County is a good bet for trout. Bank anglers at Mayfield Lake are catching some rainbows. Riffe Lake has picked up for chinook, coho and steelhead. Lake Sawyer is good for crappie.

3. Steelhead and salmon in local rivers: "Some chinook are being caught at the barrier dam [on the Cowlitz River] while steelhead are being taken near Blue Creek," said Joe Hymer, a state Fish and Wildlife biologist.

It's been fair for steelhead, coho and chinook in the Lewis River near the mouth. Drano Lake and White Salmon River have been fair for steelhead. It's been decent for steelhead and chinook in the Lower Columbia River. On the coast, look for coho in the Soleduck River. It's slow for steelhead in the Skykomish and Snoqualmie; fair to good for kings in the Skokomish River. The Snohomish River is open for pinks and was good during the opener last week, but has slowed down since.

4. Salmon at Buoy 10 in Lower Columbia River: "It has been really slow at Buoy 10 for coho, but I heard on the Oregon side they were releasing a lot of chinook, which bodes well when it opens for [catch and keep, which it did Wednesday]," Beeghly said.

5. Sturgeon in the Lower Columbia River: Boat and bank anglers in the gorge averaged one legal sturgeon kept or released per every three rods. Anglers may keep sturgeon through next month.

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