Trout Fishing Tips

While many Washington anglers will be out fishing this Memorial Day weekend, some have chosen to wait until June 1st - when rivers and streams generally open for trout fishing.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife generally waits until spawning season is over before opening many rivers and streams for trout fishing. This is part of an ongoing effort to protect wild trout.

Cedar River will be among the rivers open June 1 for trout fishing. The fishery has selective gear rules, and is catch and release only.

Other rivers to try on the June 1 opener for steelhead are the Stillaguamish North Fork (fly-fishing only), Snoqualmie (no bait allowed), Soleduck, Hoh, Bogachiel, Green, Skykomish, Satsop, Elochoman, Skagit, Calawah and Chehalis.

You might want to keep in mind that you're not allowed to keep and possess bull trout on the Skagit river.

Also until further notice the Cowlitz River is closed to all fishing. This closure will assist the Cowlitz Trout Hatchery which serves to release large numbers of hatchery smolts and also traps hatchery adult broodstock.

The fly fishermen at Lone and Pass lakes are doing quite well on trout. Other trout lakes worth checking out are Meridian, Jameson, Warden, Cassidy, Roesiger, Green, Martha, Pine, Lone, Cottage, Mayfield, Rattlesnake, Langlois, McMurray, Wilderness, Bosworth, Spanaway, Angle, Wapato, Spectacle, Deer and Tanwax.

If you don't have a fishing license yet, you might want to mark June 9th and 10th on your calendar! These days have been designated free fishing days (meaning, that no license is required for residents or non-residents). However, a catch record card is still required to fish for or retain Dungeness crab, steelhead, salmon, sturgeon and halibut in most waters.

Want to know which trout streams are under fished in Washington? Click here.

Good luck!

Labels: bull trout, Cowlitz River, Skagit River, Steelhead, Trout Fishing in Washington

Few trout anglers can enjoy the experience of catching a Bull trout. That's because they only exist in 5 U.S. States (in the northwest) and two Canadian provinces.

Oregon is one of the states where you can catch bull trout. And if your catch is at least 24 inches, you can even keep it (one per day).

In Oregon, Lake Billy Chinook is a favorite hot spot for bull trout. Mid-March through April is the best time to fish for bull trout. After April, the weather is warm enough for water enthusiasts which tends to scare the fish away.

Lake Billy Chinook is famous for it's trophy size trout. The Metolius Arm is the preferred area of the lake for catching large bull trout. The Deschutes and Crooked River Arms of the reservoir are also popular spots for bull trout.

The best time to fish for bull trout in Spring is between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Fish finders are really helpful in finding them. But they are usually found with one or two other fish. Here's a trout tip - Bull trout prey on kokanee, so find the kokanee and you may find bull trout feeding on them.

As with other larger trout, you'll need some heavier test line to catch them. Try using 10 or 12 lb test. Trolling and casting Rapala lures produce the best results when fishing for bull trout in Oregon.

Some bull trout are tagged by the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (ODFW). So be sure to note the number on the tag before releasing the fish and then report it to the ODFW. If you're keeping the fish (assuming it meets the minimum size restriction), then remove the tag and turn it in to ODFW. This information helps them keep track of the bull trout population.

Have any other bull trout fishing tips for Oregon?

Labels: bull trout, Lake Billy Chinook, Oregon Trout Fishing

Although Puget Sound is not known for trout fishing, there is an on-going ecological problem that you may find interesting. Rapid growth and development along areas of the Puget Sound have resulted in water pollution which is now threatening native fish.

This problem was first reported in 2002 and has only gotten worse. In September 2006, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife took their cameras underwater in Hood Canal to help expose the problem.

While the Puget Sound problem is not affecting trout, it does show what can happen if trout habitats are not watched carefully. There are three trout species (Apache, Gila and Bull) that are currently listed as "threatened" on the Federal Endangered list due to similar problems.

Sediment running into nearby streams, rivers and lakes, can reduce oxygen levels in the water (a problem currently threatening Bull trout).

In my eBook, "Trout Fishing Tips", I explain in detail how oxygen levels affect trout metabolism and their ability to survive - and how this in turn affects trout fishing. But in short, trout suffocate without oxygen (very much like the Puget Sound fish).

Many different factors can affect oxygen levels in the water, including:

1. Water temperature
   
2. Sediment and other pollutants
   
3. Aquatic Plants
4. Seasonal changes

For those of us living in warmer climates, trout fishing in the summertime can be challenging. Warmer water temperatures remove oxygen from the water. This poses a problem for trout. Survivability becomes more important than feeding, and trout begin searching for more oxygenated water.

The WDFW video offers a unique glimpse into this underwater problem. While it is difficult to watch, it shows you exactly what happens when oxygen levels are low in the water. For more information, visit the Puget Sound Action Team web.

Labels: bull trout, low oxygen levels, oxygenation, puget sound

In my previous post, I mentioned that Bull trout are sometimes called Dolly Varden. Many people use these two terms interchangeably. At one time, Bull trout and Dolly Varden were thought to be the same species. They have similar coloring and markings.


But in a taxonomic report published in 1978, it was determined that Bull trout and Dolly Varden are really two distinct species. The American Fisheries Society accepted this report in 1980.

But a lot of anglers still haven't accepted this fact or still don't know about the report. Here's your chance to show off your knowledge of Bull trout and Dolly Varden.

Labels: bull trout, Dolly Varden

This week a survey of selected streams in northwest Montana near Glacier National Park reported an increase in Bull trout spawning beds (also called redds). Although the data is still being studied, this is encouraging news.

Bull trout (also known as Dolly Varden) are a threatened species which have been on the Endangered list since 1998. Today, they survive in only five states (Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Idaho, and in Montana west of the Continental Divide). They also survive in two Canadian provinces (Alberta and British Columbia). Bull trout were also found in Northern California at one time, but are now extinct there.

Bull trout spawn in September and early October. Adfluvial Bull trout are thought to spawn about every other year, perhaps because they need a year of rest after such a long migration journey. Most Bull trout spawners are 5 - 9 years old. The eggs hatch in the winter, and in spring the young fry emerge. Young Bull trout live among the streambed rocks for 1 - 3 years where they eat small aquatic insects, before migrating downstream to larger streams and lakes. Bull trout are predators and primarily eat other fish when adults.

These trout require very cold (usually less than 60 degrees Fahrenheit) and clean water to survive. Over the years, damaged habitat, over-fishing and the introduction of non-native fish have threatened the survival of Bull trout.

Industry is primarily blamed for damaging Bull trout habitats. Logging causes runoff into streams and rivers, sharply raising sediment levels and thus water temperature, leaving waters both too warm and too "dirty" for the fish. Sediment clogs pores in the gravel, reducing the flow of oxygen to eggs, preventing fry from emerging from the gravel.

Dams and improper culvert placement have also contributed to reducing Bull trout populations by cutting them off from reaching their natural spawning grounds.

Another threat to Bull trout are other species of fish, which compete for food and space. Young Brook and Lake trout can push out young Bull trout. Lake trout, a voracious predator, can prey on Bull trout. Brown trout, Pike, and Bass can also compete with or prey on Bull trout.

Brook trout can interbreed with Bull trout, creating mostly sterile hybrids. This interbreeding saps reproductive energy from the Bull trout population. Hybridization is also threatening the Apache and Gila trout (also on the Endangered list).

And if these weren't enough challenges for Bull trout, anglers are also a threat.

Bull trout are part of the "char" family which includes Brook and Lake trout. Bull trout look very similar to Brook trout and the two species are often confused. Anglers are responsible for being able to identify different trout species and for knowing the rules.

In Montana, it's illegal to even fish for Bull trout, let alone catch and keep one. The exception to this rule is Swan Lake. In Nevada and Idaho, you can catch Bull trout, but not keep them. They must be released back into the water immediately.

The rules are pretty similar in other states as well. Since Bull trout are often confused with other species of trout, it's important to be able to identify them. Here are some tips to help:

• Bull trout do not have black spots on their dorsal fins
• Bull trout do not have black lines following the white line on their pelvic, pectoral, or anal fins
• Remember, "No black, put it back"

When in doubt, it's better to release the fish then get caught possessing a Bull trout!

Just in case you were wondering, the recognized world record for Bull trout is 32 pounds. It was caught in Idaho's Lake Pend Oreille.

Test your knowledge of Bull trout by taking this online quiz!

Labels: bull trout, Bull Trout Fishing, Dolly Varden