Fishing notebook: Chum returns far off forecasts

Chum salmon are beginning to migrate into Puget Sound, and while preseason forecasts looked rosy, the updated returns for South Sound are down significantly.

The South Sound updated run size for chum is 375,000, down from the preseason forecast of 650,000, said Kyle Adicks, a state Fish and Wildlife chum biologist.

"A lot of salmon runs have been lower than expected or late in getting back, which makes it hard to judge in season," he said. "I know guys at Kennedy Creek [in Totten Inlet] have caught a few chums, and it's just starting to heat up. In November, fishing should really pick up."

A creel check at Kennedy Creek on Saturday showed 14 bank anglers with 16 chum.

Fly- and spinning-gear anglers at the Johns Creek estuary in Oakland Bay reported some decent fishing last weekend.

The preseason forecast for Hood Canal calls for about 655,000 chum, and fishing last Sunday at Hoodsport just north of Potlatch showed 27 bank anglers with 51 chum.

Many Hood Canal anglers will fish south of Potlatch State Park and public-access shores off Highway 101 from Eldon to Hoodsport.

In the Puget Sound region, the Snohomish river system forecast is 149,000 chum, and the Stillaguamish River is expecting 76,000.

"The Skagit [river system] was the only one below the escapement goal, which was 26,000," Adicks said.

Other estuarial spots are Perry Creek in Eld Inlet, Chico Creek in Bremerton, McLane Creek and Eagle Creek.

Some of the best chum catches are in Whatcom Creek and the Nisqually, Skagit and Skykomish rivers. Other good choices are the Chehalis, Satsop, Nooksack, Quilcene, Skokomish and Green.

Top spots of the week

1. Coho in Chehalis, Satsop, Wynoochee and Humptulips rivers: "The bank anglers are hammering the coho in the Wynoochee and Chehalis around Morrison Park [in Aberdeen]," said Wendy Beeghly, a state Fish and Wildlife biologist. "We're also starting to see bigger coho, and some big waves of chum are showing up."

Fishing is pretty much done in the Johns River and Westport areas.

Catches this past week: 24 anglers Sunday at Cosmopolis had 17 coho, and 41 Saturday had 13; 155 Saturday at Montesano had 45; 21 Sunday at Friends Landing had six; and 96 last week at Fuller Bridge had 36.

The Humptulips River has been hit and miss for coho, but Kent Alger of Three Rivers Marine and Tackle hooked and released two 40-pound kings and one king about 50 pounds this week. Anglers must release chinook in the Humptulips.

2. Salmon in Puget Sound: "We [fished] Saratoga Passage [Wednesday] and hooked four and got three fin-clipped chinook, but fishing has been inconsistent," said Gary Krein, owner of All-Star Charters in Everett. "We are getting anywhere from two to five hits per day, mainly around the racetrack [near Hat Island] and up into Saratoga Passage. There is a lot of bait in the area."

The Tengu Blackmouth Derby was Sunday in Elliott Bay, and 47 anglers caught only one coho.

"Fishing could hardly get any worse than this past Sunday, and the lone silver [a 2-pound, 6-ounce fish caught by Ed Toyoji] was taken off Harbor Island," said Doug Hanada, president of the Tengu Club.

The derby is held at 7 a.m. every Sunday through Dec. 18 at the Seacrest Boathouse in West Seattle. Details: 206-324-7600.

Other places worth trying for chinook are Kingston, Jefferson Head, Point Monroe, Allen Bank off Blake Island, Manchester area, Colvos Passage, West Point south of Shilshole Bay and Yeomalt Point.

Chinook fishing reopens Tuesday in the Strait from Sekiu to Port Angeles.

3. Coho and chum in Western Washington rivers: "The Snohomish is still quite good for coho, and there has been a good showing of chums," said Bryan Nelson at Three Rivers Marine and Tackle. "The Skykomish at Sultan and Monroe is a good place for chums and coho, and we're hearing of a few early-winter steelhead in coastal rivers."

The Skagit improved for coho, and the Stillaguamish and Green are fair. Slow in the Puyallup for coho.

Other fishing spots

Squid in Elliott Bay and Puget Sound: Fair to good jigging in Elliott Bay at Piers 86 and 54, and the Seacrest Boathouse in West Seattle. Also try the Des Moines and Edmonds piers.

Lake Washington: "Bass is good in the lake, and I know a person who caught and released a 2 ½-pound bass," said Jerry Beppu, owner of Linc's Tackle Shop in Seattle.

Good for perch along the shores of Leschi, Mount Baker and Seward Park. Some cutthroat caught along the I-90 bridge by trollers.

Southcentral Puget Sound: Slow for chinook and coho off Tacoma.

Cowlitz River: Slow for coho.

Kalama River: Slow for coho.

Columbia River: Fair for chinook in the Gorge. Fair for chinook in Hanford Reach, but high water is still hampering fishing. Fair to good for steelhead and chinook at Ringold. Good for sturgeon below Bonneville.

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