Lake Washington opens for coho salmon fishing

A stronger-than-expected return of coho salmon to the Lake Washington system will allow for a recreational fishery for coho in the northern portion of the lake beginning Thursday, Oct. 4, through Oct. 31, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced today.

More than 30,000 coho have cleared the fish ladders at the Army Corps of Engineers' Chittenden Locks in Ballard, leading fisheries managers to open Lake Washington to coho fishing for the second year in a row.

In the fishery that begins Thursday, anglers can take two coho per day with a minimum length of 12 inches. Only the portion of Lake Washington north of the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge (State Route 520) will be open to coho fishing, except within 100 yards of the bridge. All chinook and sockeye salmon must be released unharmed.

"Closing the southern half of Lake Washington helps protect wild chinook returning to the Cedar River, and the majority of the returning coho are concentrated in the north end of the lake," said Chuck Phillips, WDFW regional fish program manager.

"The extensive surveys that we've done of the spawning grounds in Bear Creek indicate that many chinook have already migrated from Lake Washington into northern tributaries to spawn," he said.

Puget Sound chinook, including those spawning in the Lake Washington system, are protected under the federal Endangered Species Act.

For more information on fishing rules and license requirements, check the WDFW's 2001/2002 Sport Fishing Rules pamphlet.


FISH ON!!!

hellooooooow 8 ft about its about time was beggining to think there wasn:t going to be one well i'm going friday, good luck doug

Please post your results so I know where to go Saturday!

Fished Yarrow Bay in Kirkland out on Lake Washington this afternoon. Got out on the water at 4:30 and had a limit shortly thereafter. My boat took #17,#14,#12 &#12.

There were 9 other boats present. 1 other boat had 2 fish, that was all.

Just like last year, you've got the hot boat and technique. Don't know how much details you'd like to share but send em over to WashingtonLakes.com if you do!

eight-foot,

Were you the guy using the bare red hooks or the guy with the coyote spoons?

THEY ARE KILLING THEM WITH THE GREEN-GLO
COYOTE SIZE 3.5 NUMBER 188. NO FLASHER, JUST
SPOON, 40 TO 70 FEET DEEP.

CIGAR

My bad, should have posted right away what I was using.

Steelie wiggle-warts w/extra wide lip for deep diving and depth control tabs in tiger brown, flame orange and yellow fished off the rigger apprx 15 ft above the fish. Oh yeah with a rattle.

Not sure if they still produce that model with the depth control tabs, but it sure helps to have the tabs to control lure action. Lure action is the key. Gotta piss em off to produce strikes!

Theres also a trolling technique that applies to Silvers. It requires constant attention to the depth finder. The way you trigger Silvers to strike is the direction you troll through their schools. Not the right direction and all your doing is enjoying the afternoon out on the water. Troll the right way and its Fish on!

My trolling technique on silvers is based on my river techniques. Troll through shallow areas where fish are holding, lure them into deeper water by speeding up the troll ( Silvers like to follow fast objects, now whether they bite thats a different story), then slow down once your in deeper water so your lure is wobbling deadly slow. Usually you'll entice a strike then, if not speed up again, and make sure your drag is loose because Silvers can hit hard when they see what appeared to be an injured bait try to haul arse away.

In Yarrow bay if you have a good fish finder you'll know right away if you pay attention to it where to fish. Theres a few drop offs in the bay that have deep channels, troll over the shallow areas into the deep channels. The silvers are holding along the top of those drop offs.

This year the silvers are BIG! I suggest you come prepared with some stout line.

Goodluck and FISH-ON!!!

Wow! Sounds like you really know what yer doin. I think it's fantastic that ya share yer techniques with the rest of us. I always try to do so in detail unfortunately I'm just a novice in most methods so don't get a chance to help people out as often as I like. Anyway thanx for the tech tips, they're great!

Sincerely,
Roger

I have been trolling near St Edwards park with some success. Tried it again yesterday only to discover lots of tribal gillnets north & south of the area. No fish for me this time. Most of the fish that our "co-managers" are netting are ugly rotten colored. So I assume they are just stripping the eggs from the hens. Their ancestors would be ashamed. I guess this effectively ends the sport coho fishing.

Yes I also fished there yesterday only to find it was dead after they netted all night.When they tied the net boat's up they only took off egg's, no fish, so they must have dumped them back in the water. Sure would like to get a picture, proof of that B S!!!