Fishing | Winter steelhead show up early

Winter steelhead fishing usually begins in earnest around Thanksgiving, but it appears they've ignored tradition and have arrived early and in good numbers.

"There are a bunch of early winter steelhead that showed up in the Bogachiel and Calawah, and it looks like we are off to a good start," said Bob Gooding, owner of Olympic Sporting Goods in Forks on the North Olympic Coast. "They're also catching some salmon in the Sol Duc and Quillayute."

Other coastal choices for early winter steelhead are Sooes, Quinault and Clearwater.

"We definitely know there are some hatchery winter steelhead in the Grays Harbor area like the Wynoochee, Satsop and the Humptulips Hatchery at Stevens Creek," said Bill Freymond, a state Fish and Wildlife biologist. "It also sounds like a few were in the Queets, and fish are certainly being taken in the tribal fisheries off the coast."

Freymond says while the complete harvest plans for sport and tribal haven't been determined they are getting close to finishing them.

"We have a forecast of 3,600 wild fish in the Hoh, but the issue remains on how to divide those up," Freymond said. "The Queets preliminary forecast is 8,000 wild fish. We don't have anything solid yet in the Quillayute, but it is looking like 11,000 to 12,000 wild fish."

Locally, Puget Sound rivers were decent for winter steelhead and it is still fair for chum.

"There are some nice hatchery fish around at places like Tokul Creek [on Snoqualmie River] and Reiter Ponds [on Skykomish River]," said Bryan Nelson at Three Rivers Marine and Tackle in Woodinville. "Even the plunkers on the Snohomish caught steelhead."

The Cascade and Skagit were generating early winter fish. While the chum run is waning in most rivers fishing was fair in the Skykomish.

Many winter steelhead aficionados are wondering if this is just an early push of fish or maybe for once it will turn out to be an exceptionally good run. Only time will tell.

Chinook action on the saltwater has picked up in some areas of Puget Sound.

"In the past four days I've been out this week we landed 17 legal-size fish up to 11 pounds, and found them in Shilshole Bay, and off West Point and Meadow Point," said Gary Krein, owner of All-Star Charters in Everett.

Other places producing some chinook are Jefferson Head, Sekiu and Midchannel Bank off Port Townsend.

"We got two keepers [chinook over the 22-inch minimum size limit] on the west side of Possession Bar [yesterday], and missed a couple of other fish," said Pete Sergeef, who was aboard the state Fish and Wildlife test fishery boat.

The Tengu Derby was slow last Sunday in Elliott Bay, but Benny Wong managed to catch an 11 pound-1 ounce chinook off Todd Shipyards. The derby is 7 a.m. every Sunday through Dec. 21 at the Seacrest Boathouse. Details: Linc's Tackle Shop in Seattle (206-324-7600).

A few chinook were also caught at Browns Bay, Southworth, Manchester and the Tacoma area.

Fair chum fishing at Hoodsport in Hood Canal, but tribes are netting Tuesdays and Thursdays. Estuaries of Kennedy Creek in Totten Inlet, Chico Creek, Whatcom Creek, and Johns Creek in Oakland Bay slowed, but still some glory moments.

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