Fishing Reports for October 26
Washington
Marine Area 1 (Ilwaco)
no report this week
Marine Area 2 (Westport)
no report this week
no report this week
Marine Area 4 (Neah Bay)
no report this week
Marine Area 5
no report this week
Marine Area 6
no report this week
Marine Area 7
Marine Area 8.1
no report this week
Marine Area 8.2
no report this week
Marine Area 9 (Admirality Inlet)
FINALLY! It has been a looooong Summer and a loooooong Fall but the Blackmouth fishing season is right around the corner for Areas 8 and 9.
It’s time to break out the tackle, sharpen those hooks and re-leader those flasher combos.
Early in the Season, try a variety of lures. There are a lot of squid out there right now, so make sure to try Ace-Hi Flies and Green/Yellow Hootchies. If you are pounding the mud at Possession or on the East side of Hat Island use a candle fish looking Coho Killer. Never forget to break out the 3.5 inch Cookies N Crème or Irish Flag spoons when the fish are 10 -20 feet off the deck searching for a Herring breakfast.
See you on the water … FINALLY! (and please sign up to fish the FRIDAY HARBOR CLASSIC in early December!)
Marine Area 10
no report this week
Marine Area 11
Bill Combs caught a 13 pound 13 ounce blackmouth salmon in Area 13 trolling 10 feet off the bottom with flasher and squid.
The salmon fishing is closed in Area 11 until Feb. 1st, 2017; however MA13 is open for hatchery chinook and has been opened to coho. Trolling flasher and spoons or artificial squid for immature chinook near Pt. Gibson, Green Pt. area or the mouth of Wollochet Bay can be productive. For Coho travel the shoreline when you find a school of Coho try casting Vibrax spinners or Buzz Bombs into the schools of Coho. Also trolling light weight and herring can be very good.
Point Defiance Marina has rental boats and motors and launch and overnight moorage facilities with pump out stations and shore power. In addition we have storage space for boats up to 17 feet as well as kayak storage. For more information call 253-591-5325
Basic Fishing Classes are offered throughout the year. 2 Hour classes are $15.00 and can be designed for youth and adults. Boat House Tackle Shop open 7 days a week.
Boat lifts open from 6 am to 8 pm. Tackle Shop hours are 6:30 am to 7:30 pm. For more information call 253-591-5325 Call 253-591-5325 or visit us on Facebook “Point Defiance Marina”
Report submitted by Point Defiance Marina. For more information contact: Art Tachell, Boathouse Marina Technician, 253.591.5325 art@tacomaparks.com www.pointdefiancemarina.com.
Marine Area 12 (Hood Canal)
no report this week
Marine Area 13
no report this week
Freshwater – Beaver Lake
Last Wednesday WDFW did its fall plant of large rainbow trout in Issaquah’s Beaver Lake. I thought being that it was Thursday morning, I’d have the place to myself. Not at all … I counted 13 different boats/watercraft on the lake. I figured most people were either trolling Wedding Rings or fishing Power Bait off the bottom. I tried something a little different that worked well last year. I trolled a small rainbow trout Rapala tipped with a piece of worm landed me 7 jumbo rainbows. I missed a few other take downs. Looking around me, it appeared that everyone was catching fish. Stringers leaving the lake were full and fishermen happy. I left mine in the lake for the next day. I’m sure there’s plenty still in there for the taking. By now, they have likely spread out around the lake. Most of the fish I was marking on my fish finder were within 5 feet of the surface, though a few were deeper in 15 to 20 feet.
Report submitted by Brad Hole of Kayak Fishing Washington. (also, on Facebook) The cover image of this week’s fishing reports was contributed by Brad.
Freshwater – Lake Chelan
Randy Anderson and Martin McKay of Lake Stevens with their morning catch of fish.
Continuing hot is our late fall pattern of trolling the Barrens and the Trench for Mackinaw on Lake Chelan. Also hot is trolling for Lahontan Cutthroat on Omak Lake.
We troll for lakers from 185 to 245 feet deep. Fish within 3 to 5 feet of the bottom and keep your speed around 1 mph. Jeff Drift’s with a piece of Northern Pikeminnow will keep you consistently into the fish.
Kevin Nadeau with his morning catch of Lake Chelan Mackinaw.
WDFW will soon make its annual fall Rainbow trout plant on Roses Lake. They will put in about 20,000 fish that are 2.5 fish to the pound. They can be caught by a variety of methods. Catch them from shoreline locations with Pautzke’s Firebait in American Wildfire using a 30” leader on a slip sinker rig. You can also catch them trolling using Mack’s Lure Mini Cha Cha Squidders behind a Mack’s Lure 0000 Double D Dodger. Bait those mini cha cha’s with a piece of worm or a small nugget of Pautzke’s Fire Bait.
Also, smokin’ hot, as usual is trolling for Lahontan Cutthroat. Jeff and his buddy Jim caught and released 227 Cutts in about 2.5 days of fishing. An unbaited Jeff drift was the most successful of the twenty some presentations that they caught fish with.
Your fishing tip of the week is to make a plan and WORK the plan. Making those changes when your first presentation or location doesn’t work is the hardest thing to do. You know, “it worked yesterday”… Maybe something changed. On Chelan, somewhere between 45 minutes and 1 hour and 15 minutes without a bite is my limit. Then you have to change something. Don’t cross over that line from being appropriately persistent to just stupid / stubborn.
A herd of Omak Lake Bighorn
The kid’s tip of the week is to get them to those shoreline locations on Roses Lake for those planter trout between school and dinner. You’ll make memories and stave off early cabin fever onset.
Your safety tip of the week is to take a minute and check your hose from the gasoline fill to your fuel tank. Over time it can develop cracks and allow gasoline to pour into your bilge. Not good… Enjoy the fall wildlife viewing opportunities in the valley this time of the year.
For more info call Anton & Sandra Jones of Darrell & Dad’s Family Guide Service;darrellanddads.com; antonj@aol.com or call (509)687-0709 or toll free at (866) 360-1523. The cover image of this week’s fishing reports, featuring Jeff with an Omak Lahontan caught with one of his drift rigs was also contributed by Jones.
Freshwater – Lake Sammamish
On Friday I had the opportunity to take out Robert Fields – Host of the web tv show YakFish TV. Robert hails from the Dallas, Texas area and has never targeted cutthroat trout. Our goal for the day was to see if we could get a few of these fish to smile for the camera.
We had the lake to ourselves peddling our Hobie kayaks down the lake on this rather calm day. We watched a few fish surface but didn’t start picking up fish until we reached about 90 feet of water. Letting out around 150 feet of lead core line to target fish 15 to 20 feet down. Green and Pink Wiggle Hoochies tipped with small worms produced several take downs and landed us a half dozen fish before the day ended. We released all of the fish except one that was gut hooked. I’ll be sure and post the episode when it airs in the next couple of months. Tight Lines!
Report submitted by Brad Hole of Kayak Fishing Washington. (also, on Facebook) The cover image of this week’s fishing reports was contributed by Brad.
Freshwater – Potholes Reservoir
So far the Walleye fishing at Potholes remains good. Yesterday I fished for three hours with Jeff Dillon. We boated four Walleye averaging 19-inches. We were asleep at the switch as we had several pickups to include a short battle with a large Walleye. We were fishing blade baits and over humps that were 17 feet deep and dropped down to 40 feet. We started fishing at 2 pm and quit at 5 pm so I consider it to be a fairly good time considering the time of day we did fish. On our first spot Jeff had a good battle with a larger Walleye that managed to escape before netting. As we were about to leave that location a fisherman in a smaller boat moved in on us and anchored. He had the day before fished the same location and caught 7 Walleye while using a 1/2 oz lead head jig baited with a nite crawler. About a hour later he called to us holding a Walleye that looked to be around 10 pounds. There were very few boats on the lake and with no wind it was a very good day of fishing.
Report submitted by Tom Pollack.
British Columbia
Vancouver
no report this week
Vancouver Island (Saltwater)
no report this week
Alberni Inlet, Barkley Sound, and Ucuelet
no report this week
Bamfield
no report this week
Becher Bay
Salmon fishing was SLOW this past week. Most of the fish at the marina have been halibut. The coho have been from 7 to 11 lbs with the odd “teener” being caught. Those who targeted coho were having their best success in water depths from 200-500 feet. As for chinooks, only small winter springs were caught this past week. Anglers using bait are finding anchovies in glow teaser heads have been working best. Also good are spoons, such as the G-Force and Skinny G, in Bon Chovy or Outfitters’ colours. For flashers, the Betsey, Lemon Lime and Green/Silver Hot Spot have been good.
Submitted by Tom Vaida, Island Outfitters, 3319 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC (250) 475-4969 info@fishingvictoria.com; www.fishingvictoria.com
Oak Bay
Salmon fishing was SLOW again this past week. There were some springs up to 8 lbs caught on the flats but not too many. Most of the springs are too small for retention. The coho haven’t been running strong in this area as well. Good trolling lures have been Coho Killers, Bon Chovi or Outfitters Skinny G spoons or AP Tackleworks needlefish spoons. Anglers jigging have been using Needlefish Darts, Point Wilson Darts or Deep Stingers.
Submitted by Tom Vaida, Island Outfitters, 3319 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC (250) 475-4969 info@fishingvictoria.com; www.fishingvictoria.com
Pedder Bay
Salmon fishing was SLOW this past week. The coho fishing is best out at water depths of 450 feet or more in the shipping lanes rather than in close. Most of the coho have been from 6 to 9 lbs. The best depths for coho were from 90 to 120 feet on the downrigger. Small spoons with green color have been the best lure to use. The chinook fishing has definitely slowed down in Pedder Bay. Most of the springs being caught are small feeder springs .Hootchies and squirts with a green and glow color combination have been good plastic baits to use, especially with a 28” to 32” leader. Anchovies were still working this past week. Good choices for teaser head colors are UV Green, Chartreuse, Bloody Nose and Purple Haze. Flashers that are popular include the Betsey, Lemon-Lime and Madi.
Submitted by Tom Vaida, Island Outfitters, 3319 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC (250) 475-4969 info@fishingvictoria.com; www.fishingvictoria.com
Sidney
Salmon fishing was VERY SLOW this past week. The Pender Bluffs produced very few coho and the occasional chum salmon. The coho were in 40 – 120 feet depths. We did hear of small winter (feeder) springs caught by the south end of James Island. Anglers using spoons found Coho Killers, Gibbs Needle G and AP Tackleworks needlefish spoons the most successful spoons this past year.
Submitted by Tom Vaida, Island Outfitters, 3319 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC (250) 475-4969 info@fishingvictoria.com; www.fishingvictoria.com
Sooke
The salmon fishing was VERY SLOW for coho, even if you could find them. The hatchery fish were running from 7–15 lbs and some of the wild, unmarked coho were even heavier. The unclipped fish once again greatly outnumbered the clipped fish this past. The coho have been found most often in 400 to 600 feet of water and at depths from 50 to 120 feet. The best bet is to fish the tide lines with spoons and plastics the most popular lure choices. Anchovies are still a good choice for bait and good choices for teaser head colors are UV Green, Chartreuse, Bloody Nose and Purple Haze.The top spoons for Sooke anglers have lots of green and glow/white has been working well. For flashers, you can’t go wrong with a Super Betsey, Madi or Bon Chovi Flasher. Hootchies in White, Glow/Green and Purple Haze have been effective recently.
Submitted by Tom Vaida, Island Outfitters, 3319 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC (250) 475-4969 info@fishingvictoria.com; www.fishingvictoria.com.
Victoria
Fishing for salmon was SLOW this past week. The best fishing has been out at Constance Bank where there are some feeder springs up to 7 lbs. However, most of the springs there are around the minimum size (45 cm) for retention or smaller. Very few coho are getting caught there. Spoons have been very successful in getting hook ups but you have to check you line every 10 minutes for shakers. Green Spatter Back UV Coho Killers, 3.5” Cop Car spoons or AP Tackleworks needlefish spoons have brought good results at Constance Bank.
Submitted by Tom Vaida, Island Outfitters, 3319 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC (250) 475-4969 info@fishingvictoria.com; www.fishingvictoria.com
Lakes
Trout fishing is GOOD on most lakes in the South Island area. The Vancouver Island Fish hatchery has started the fall stocking program of catchable triploid rainbow trout. On October 6th Prospect Lake received 2,000 trout, Glen Lake 500, and Durrance Lake 1,500 trout averaging 181.15 grams in size. On October 5th Elk Lake received 2,000 trout, Kemp Lake 750, and Matheson Lake 500 trout averaging 202.5 grams in size. On October 4th, Thetis Lake received 1,000 trout averaging 203.65 grams in size and Langford Lake received 2,000 catchable rainbow trout averaging 203.65 grams in size and 188 rainbows averaging 744.12 grams in size. On September 29th, Langford Lake received 600 trout averaging 744.12 grams in size.
Shore anglers are catching trout on Powerbait, Gulp Eggs, or worms while fishing close to the bottom. Chartreuse and Fluorescent Yellow have been good choices recently for Powerbait. Fly anglers are fishing Pumpkinheads, Wooly Buggers, Leeches and Micro Leech patterns on full sink fly lines. Trollers are catching trout with Gibbs Gang Trolls and Gibbs Wedding Bands. 2” Tomic Plugs have also been working well for Trout.
Submitted by Tom Vaida, Island Outfitters, 3319 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC (250) 475-4969 info@fishingvictoria.com; www.fishingvictoria.com
Idaho
no report this week
Oregon
Tillamook Bay
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) reports that fishing on the bay is fair. Fall Chinook are being caught throughout the bay. Success rates are varying greatly from day to day but there are definitely some fish around. There are also decent reports of hatchery coho being caught. ODFW conducted creel interviews at Memaloose on the upper bay last Friday and saw a harvest rate of 0.2 fish per rod for Chinook. Anglers are reminded that there is no retention of wild coho in the bay this year, so all coho kept must be adipose fin clipped.
Due to a wetland restoration project between the tidewaters of the Trask and Wilson Rivers, public access to the Wilson River tidewater from the end of Goodspeed road, and to the Hospital Hole on Trask tidewater, are currently unavailable.
Great Lakes
Lake Michigan
no report this week
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