Hatchery steelhead should improve for this weekend

Celebrate the holidays by heading to your favorite local river for what should be the peak of the hatchery winter steelhead season or ring in the New Year with coastal razor clams.

The timing of dropping water levels and improved river conditions after the recent rainfall should equate to decent hatchery steelhead fishing in the coming days.

By far the hottest reports are coming from the Olympic Peninsula region, where anglers report the best fishing seen in some time.

"The hatchery steelhead fishing season has been pretty good in the Bogachiel and Calawah compared to the last couple of years, and all the rivers should be in good shape by Christmas Eve," said Bob Gooding, owner of Olympic Sporting Goods in Forks.

Coastal checks: 153 Bogachiel anglers Dec. 18-20 kept 153 hatchery fish, and released 16; 12 Calawah anglers kept eight hatchery fish and released one; six Sol Duc anglers got skunked; and 14 Lower Hoh anglers kept three hatchery fish.

"We've seen better steelhead fishing, and there was a decent bite in the Upper Skykomish last Sunday [and Friday and Saturday]," said Mike Chamberlain at Ted's Sports Center in Lynnwood, who expects the next 10 days will be the peak of the hatchery run. "It looks like with all the high water [from the recent heavy rains] the fish are shooting straight up to the hatcheries and into the terminal fishery areas."

Not all terminal areas are receiving their share of fish, including the Cascade River, and a portion of the North Fork Stillaguamish River near the Whitehorse Hatchery and Fortson Hole, which are closed until hatcheries meet their spawning escapement goals.

Also try Snoqualmie in the Tokul Creek area or the mouth of the Tolt River. Anglers recently floating the Skykomish from the High Bridge down to Sultan weren't having as much luck as those higher upstream.

The Skagit from Marblemount to Concrete has been fair for steelhead boat anglers. Plunkers on the Wynoochee at Black Creek report some steelhead caught.

A few steelhead were being hooked in the marine area off the west side of Whidbey Island at Lagoon Point.

In Eastern Washington, the Upper Columbia is seeing some of the best steelhead fishing seen in many years.

Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis, Mocrocks and Kalaloch beaches will be open for razor clam digging Dec. 31 and Jan. 1. All of those beaches except Kalaloch will be open Jan. 2, and Twin Harbors only will be open Jan. 3. Digging will be allowed between noon and midnight each day.

Low tides: Dec. 31, minus-1.1 feet at 6:16 p.m.; Jan. 1, -1.8 at 7:01 p.m.; Jan. 2, -1.6 at 7:45 p.m.; and Jan. 3, -1.2 at 8:29 p.m.

More digging dates will likely follow next month.

Another worthwhile venture over the holiday weekend is squid and smelt jigging.

The Cornet Bay Pier on North Whidbey Island has been very good for smelt jigging on the flood tide, and a creel check Dec. 18 showed seven pier anglers with 296 smelt.

Squid jigging continues to improve at the Des Moines Pier, Seacrest Boathouse Pier in West Seattle, Pier 86 off Elliott Avenue and Illahee State Park Pier in Bremerton.

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