Fishing Report
Sponsored by
Whatcom
Counties Fishing PRO Shop.
Freshwater Fishing Saltwater BC, Canada
FISHING REPORT
May 25, 2011
By Ken Shagren, Fishing Pro Staff, Dave's Sports Shop
"Remember to check the official WDFW regulations before going out!"
Welcome to the Dave’s Sports Shop fishing report. Check in with us as we attempt to keep you informed on where the fish are biting and what is working to catch them. We will try to keep the information current so that we can help you decide where the best opportunity for success will be located.
Many Whatcom and Skagit county lakes have now settled into steady action
after a relatively hot first couple of weeks. Limits are not
necessarily a guarantee at Lake Padden and Toad Lake as was the case
for many anglers in the early days of the season. However, that
doesn’t mean you can’t have success at those lakes, but it does mean
you might have to work a little harder to coax a bite. Silver Lake
has been good for those who find the fish. Trout are now in
different parts of the lake and at different depths with the warming
water. Look for them to be deeper than they were two weeks ago and
more cutthroat should be showing up in Silver Lake catches. Power
Bait rigged on a sliding weight system is still the choice of bank
anglers with rainbow paste or nuggets being a common choice. Also
fishing a couple of Power Bait Eggs fished together in reds, greens
or white and mixing the colors to provide contrast can sometimes
make a big difference. Floating a night crawler either with a
marshmallow or injecting it with air is another good choice for bank
fishermen. Those who choose to troll are still having success in
local lakes with Wooly Buggers, Pistol Petes (prop flies), Spratleys,
small spoons and spinners, or wedding ring spinners tipped with a
worm.
Reports are filtering into Dave’s Sport Shop of consistent catches
of kokanee from Lake Stevens in Snohomish county and Lake Samish in
Whatcom county. Kokanee are land locked Sockeye salmon and are
excellent table fare. Fishers have reported using small 4/0 UV
flashers with a wedding ring spinner, pink mini squid, or pink flies
with a bit of flash. One of the key factors is to troll slowly at
between 1 and 1.5 mph. Kokanee can also be found in Lake Whatcom,
Lake Padden, and Toad lake and the action is warming up with the
weather.
Bass fishing at Lake Terrell has been improving with our warmer
weather as well. Afternoons have provided the best bite as fish move
into the shallows looking for a good spawning bed. These fish will
take a rubber worm, jig or combination of the two. Spinner baits and
shallow running plugs such as a Rapala will also get these
territorial fish to strike. Dark colors work best for pre-spawn
bass. Look for fishing to improve at Wiser and Fazon lakes also.
Dave’s Sport Shop wants to thank Nick Petosa of Petosa Guide Service
for a great seminar concentrating on rigging for Skagit River spring
kings that will be opening up on June 1 between the Highway 530
bridge at Rockport to the Cascade River Road bridge at Marblemount.
Nick shared some valuable information for catching Skagit kings and
for river fishing in general. Plus, he had some great giveaways too.
While opportunities to fish for halibut in Marine Area 7 will be coming to a close after a four day opening from May 26 (Thursday) to May 29 (Sunday), ling cod will remain open until June 15. There is no minimum size for halibut, but anglers must remember that there is a slot size limit for lings between 26” and 36” and there is a one fish limit. It appears that the last spot shrimp opening will be May 28, but check with the WDFW for a possible extension if quotas are not met. The next big date to look forward to in Marine Area 7 is the salmon opening on July1.
FRESHWATER
The Fraser River is running quite high and fast
and it is likely to get higher and faster with lots of debris
floating downriver as a fairly deep interior snow pack begins to
melt and head downstream. Sturgeon fishing had been good, but high
water will make it increasingly difficult and a bit dangerous with
the debris coming downriver. Water conditions have all but shut down
cutthroat fishing on the Fraser with Harrison Bay being the only
possibility left to explore. It will likely be July before the
Fraser opens to Kings.
Most Fraser Valley Interior and Kamloops area lakes are now ice free
and most have completed turning over. Higher elevation lakes may be
in the process of turnover as we post this report. Generally
speaking, B.C. interior lakes are 2 to 3 weeks behind due to colder
than normal spring conditions. Reports from Kamloops area lakes have
been very good. Chironomids, micro leaches, and shrimp patterns are
the choice of fly fishers in this area and wedding band spinners,
small spoons or flatfish type lures are the choice of trollers.
SALTWATER
There have been mixed reports from the west coast of Vancouver Island lately. Charters out of Bamfield and Ucluelet report migratory kings moving inshore for a few days and then disappearing just as fast. A Zabollos area resort reported more migratory offshore kings than normal for this time of year. Anchovies in chartreuse or green teaser heads, half and half silver and brass four inch spoons, and neon Coyote or Silver Horde spoons (specifically the “cop car” and “army truck” finishes) behind red and green glow flashers have been the common choices. Weather is always a major factor here at this time of year. Expect the migratory push of large four and five year fish to begin in June and continue through August. If early success is any indication, this should be a good year on Vancouver Island.
This Fishing Report is Sponsored by Dave's Sports Shop in Lynden. Check them out for all of your fishing and hunting needs. www.DavesSports.com
Post your own reports and read other users Fishing Trip Reports and discussions - visit the Fish Whatcom FORUM