Fishing in north Puget Sound

While there have been a few reports of anglers hauling in some nice blackmouth, salmon fishing in Puget Sound continues to be slow.

“To have any success in northern Puget Sound, anglers really need to put in some time on the water,” said Steve Thiesfeld, WDFW fish biologist.

A two-salmon daily limit applies to anglers fishing marine areas 7 (San Juan Islands), 8-1 (Deception Pass, Hope Island and Skagit Bay), 8-2 (Port Susan and Port Gardner) and 9 (Admiralty Inlet), but wild chinook must be released.

Marine Area 10 (Seattle/ Bremerton) is closed to salmon fishing.

Thiesfeld said anglers might want to consider heading to the Strait of Juan de Fuca, where salmon fishing continues to be good.

Marine areas 5 and 6 have been the hotspots, he said.

In Sekiu, 23 anglers in eight boats landed 17 blackmouth during the last day in February. Anglers have also been landing good numbers of fish at the Ediz Hook ramp in Port Angeles.

“The season started strong in the strait and it’s stayed that way,” said Thiesfeld. “It’s definitely the best bet for blackmouth right now.”

Meanwhile, numerous rivers are closed to steelhead fishing, including the Skagit, Sauk and Samish.

The three rivers usually open in March closed early to protect wild steelhead that are listed as “threatened” under the federal Endangered Species Act.

The closures include:

• The Skagit River, from the mouth upstream to Highway 536 (Memorial Highway Bridge) at Mount Vernon, through April 30; and from Highway 536 (Memorial Highway Bridge) at Mount Vernon upstream to the Gorge Powerhouse through May 31.

• The Sauk River, from the mouth upstream to the Whitechuck River through June 4.

• The Samish River, from the mouth to the Hickson Bridge, through June 4.

Before heading out, anglers should check the current regulations for all fisheries in WDFW’s Fishing in Washington pamphlet or on the Web at wdfw.wa.gov/ fish/regs/fishregs.

Provided by the Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife.