ANADROMOUS FISH
Some fish spend part of their
lives in fresh water and part in salt water. Fish that hatch in
fresh water, spend part of their lives in salt water, then
return to fresh water to spawn are known as "anadromous"
species, and Washington has a variety of them.
Steelhead
Sea-going rainbow trout, known as steelhead, are one of our
better-known anadromous fish. Steelhead start their lives in
freshwater rivers and creeks, migrate to sea, then spend one to
six years in the Pacific before returning to their home streams
to repeat the cycle.
Most steelhead naturally
spawn from mid-winter to late-spring, but two different
runs--summer and winter--return to freshwater at different
times. Adult winter-run steelhead return to over 100 Washington
streams from November through April. Some of these streams have
wild steelhead runs that provide good fishing and a
self-sustaining population. But a loss of clean spawning gravel
and suitable rearing habitat, coupled with other problems, has
greatly depleted the wild steelhead runs in many river systems.
In terms of sport catch, the state's top winter steelhead waters
include the Cowlitz, Skykomish, Bogachiel/Quillayute, Snoqualmie
and East Fork Lewis rivers.
Summer-run steelhead return to freshwater from April to October,
and anglers catch these summer fish in good numbers from about
three dozen Washington rivers and creeks. Summer steelie streams
that treat anglers best include the Columbia below Bonneville,
portions of the Snake River, the Cowlitz, Little White Salmon
and Kalama rivers.
Most adult steelhead return from the Pacific after two or three
growing seasons, ranging from about 5 to 14 pounds. The true
trophies are fish that stay at sea four to six years, the 20-,
25-, even 30-pounders that an angler may get a shot at only once
in a lifetime. WDFW plants hatchery winter steelhead in some 75
streams to enhance angling opportunity, and about 45 streams
receive plants of summer-run steelhead.
Many fishing methods take steelhead, but drift-fishing is the
most popular. It involves casting upstream and letting the lure
sink to the bottom, where it drifts downstream with the current.
Standard baits and lures for steelhead drift-fishing include
clusters of fresh salmon or steelhead roe, live ghost shrimp,
brightly colored steelhead "bobbers" and tufts of fluorescent
nylon yarn. Casting wobbling spoons, spinner and artificial
flies also produces steelhead strikes, as does drifting a lead
head jig suspended beneath a bobber.
Anglers should be aware of special regulations in effect that
require wild steelhead to be released on many streams.
Chinook Salmon
Like steelhead, Pacific
salmon spend part of their life in fresh water and part in
saltwater. Unlike steelhead, adult salmon always die after
completing their spawning runs.
First and foremost among salmon-fishing trophies is, of course,
the Chinook. Chinook are the largest of the Pacific salmon,
occasionally growing to over 100 pounds, which is part of the
reason for their nickname, king salmon. They are also commonly
referred to as "black mouth," because of that black gum line
that anglers use to help identify them.
Although the biggest saltwater kings are caught in summer and
early fall when mature salmon move toward freshwater spawning
grounds, Washington offers saltwater Chinook fishing all year
long. Productive saltwater fishing techniques for Chinook
include trolling or mooching (drifting) with herring, jigging
with any of several baitfish-imitating metal jigs, or trolling
with plugs, spoons, plastic squid or other artificials. Fishing
near bottom is often the key to success.
Besides the well-known saltwater Chinook fisheries that exist on
the coast, in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the San Juan Islands
and Puget Sound, Chinook also provide some great freshwater
angling action. Spring-Chinook fisheries in the Cowlitz, Lewis
and other Washington rivers are very popular with anglers.
Freshwater Chinook-fishing techniques are similar to those used
for steelhead, except most anglers prefer heavier tackle for
these bruisers.
Although uncommon, "resident" Chinook may be found in some lake
systems that support runs of the anadromous form. Examples are
lakes Sammamish and Washington, where resident Chinook 12-15
inches long make up a small percentage of the catch. Inland fish
managers are also experimenting with Chinook as predators on
stunted perch or other over-abundant species in some lakes.
Chinook are also sometimes planted in landlocked lakes to
provide a freshwater fishery.
Coho Salmon
Coho salmon are smaller
than Chinook, but their relative abundance and unpredictable
fighting style make them a favorite among Washington anglers. A
typical adult Coho weighs four to 10 pounds, but specimens of
over 20 pounds have been caught from Evergreen State waters.
Fresh from the ocean, it's easy to understand why the Coho's
most common nickname is "silver" salmon. WDFW hatcheries produce
millions of Coho each year to supplement wild Coho runs, which
have succumbed to a wide range of habitat loss on many of the
state's river systems.
The same baits, lures and techniques that take Chinook will also
take Coho from Washington's marine waters, but remember that
these fish are usually found near the surface, in about the top
30 feet of water. Like Chinook, Coho are also a favorite of
freshwater anglers when the adult salmon return to their home
streams to spawn. Flashy spinners, wobbling spoons, diving plugs
and a well-fished cluster of fresh roe will take them when they
hit fresh water.
Several of our lakes, including Riffe Lake and Merwin Reservoir
in Western Washington, are stocked with landlocked Coho salmon.
Like kokanee, these fish are sometimes incorrectly called
"silver trout." They grow to 20 inches or so and provide
excellent sport and table fare.
Pink Salmon
Pink salmon are a common catch for Washington anglers on
odd-numbered years. With a two-year life cycle, shorter than the
other salmon, they don't get as big, averaging 3 or 4 pounds at
maturity and seldom topping the 10-pound mark.
Pink salmon are commonly called "humpies," because of the large
hump on the back of mature males. Both males and females can be
identified by the large, oblong or oval spots on both the upper
and lower portion of their tail and by their very small scales.
Trolling with herring or any of the standard salmon offerings
will take pinks from salt water, but hot colors tend to work
best. The same general rule seems to apply when fishing for
pinks in fresh water.
Chum Salmon
The chum salmon's nickname "dog salmon" is not deserved,
especially when you consider its fighting ability. It's a tough
customer for both salt and freshwater anglers. Chum are the
second-largest of the Pacific salmon, and Washington anglers
catch many of them in the high-teens and low-20-pound range.
They are the last of the salmon to return each fall, usually
arriving at their stream of origin from November to January.
Sockeye Salmon
Sockeye are considered by many to be the best-eating of all
salmon, but anglers catch relatively few of them on
hook-and-line. The state's most notable sport fishery on
sockeyes occurs in Lake Wenatchee and some years in Lake
Washington. A fishery on Fraser River stocks is growing in the
San Juan Islands.
Shad
American shad are a large member of the herring family. Their
life cycle is like Pacific salmon in that they hatch in
freshwater, migrate to sea, then return to freshwater to spawn
when they reach adulthood. Shad are not a Washington native,
having been imported to this part of the country from the East
Coast in the late 19th century.
Washington's most important shad run and shad fishery occurs in
the Columbia River, but smaller runs enter a few other streams.
In recent years, the Columbia has seen record runs, with annual
returns numbering in the millions. The height of the run is from
mid-May to mid-June.
Adult shad range in size from males averaging about 1½ or 2
pounds to females that weigh 4 pounds or more. All are tough
fighters and make a strong showing for anglers using light
tackle. There is no daily catch limit on shad, and although they
are "bony," the flesh had good flavor, especially when smoked.
The roe is considered a delicacy by many shad anglers.
Brightly colored mini-jigs, spinners, even a couple of red beads
above a bare hook will take shad. There are several good places
to fish for them between Bonneville Dam and the town of Camas on
the lower Columbia.
Smelts
Smelts comprise a family
of schooling fishes with marine, anadromous and freshwater
members.
Eulachon, an anadromous smelt, are one of the most popular
species, and they're most often taken in long-handled dip nets.
Southwest Washington's Cowlitz River is usually the site of most
eulachon-dipping action. Some years, though, other lower
Columbia tributaries receive smelt runs, and some years they
bypass the lower Columbia tributaries and show up in other
western Washington rivers.
Surf and long fin smelt are the most popular marine species, and
are one of the most common fish of the near-shore community
inside Puget Sound, along the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the
Washington coast. Fisheries occur on both spawning and
non-spawning congregations of adults and juveniles. Spawning
fish are best harvested from shore on early morning or late
evening high slack tides using a dip bag or smelt rake.
Non-spawning fish are most commonly taken with jig gear in
deeper water from piers or boats. A popular surf smelt fishery
occurs at LaConner, where they have a smelt-jigging festival
every year the first week of February.
