Lowland lake fishing opener a week from tomorrow

The main fishing opener in the Columbia Basin will open a week from tomorrow. Called the lowland lake fishing opener will include lakes such as Blue, Park, Deep, Warden and many more. Look for the Spring Hook & Bullet, which will highlight the prospects for the opener, to be published in the Herald in the next few days.

For other fishing action around Washington State, read on.

More salmon fishing on lower Columbia

Spring chinook season extended through May 1 above Bonneville Dam

The fishery for hatchery-reared spring chinook salmon has been extended through May 1 on a section of the Columbia River stretching 163.5 miles above Bonneville Dam.

Fishery managers from Washington and Oregon agreed Wednesday to extend the fishery, previously scheduled through April 24, citing poor fishing conditions that also curbed catch rates on the lower Columbia River.

Test fisheries have found relatively high concentrations of spring chinook salmon moving toward Bonneville Dam, but turbid water conditions have made them hard to catch with a hook and line and delayed their passage over the dam.

Approval for the fishing extension above the dam came just one day after a 12-day extension in the lower river came to an end.

Above Bonneville Dam, fishing for hatchery-reared spring chinook salmon remains open to boat and bank anglers seven days a week between the Tower Island powerlines below The Dalles Dam and the Washington/Oregon state line, 17 miles upriver from McNary Dam. Bank fishing is also allowed from Bonneville Dam upriver to the powerlines located about six miles below The Dalles Dam.

Anglers fishing above Bonneville Dam can retain up to two marked, hatchery-reared adult chinook salmon or hatchery steelhead as part of their daily limit. All wild salmon and wild steelhead must be released unharmed.

Harvest guidelines for spring chinook fisheries above and below Bonneville Dam are based on a projected return of 198,400 upriver fish, minus a 30 percent buffer to guard against overestimating the run. Additional fishing time may be allowed in both areas if a run update in May shows that returns will reach or exceed the pre-season forecast.

Fort Flagler State Park sport clam and oyster season opens early

The sport clam and oyster fishing season at Fort Flagler State Park will open today, April 15.

The Fish and Wildlife Commission has approved a clam and oyster season at this beach from April 15 through July 31, but, as always, there is a "or until further notice" clause always attached. Surveys indicate that clam populations have increased, and will support a fishery that is one month longer than in 2010.

Fort Flagler State Park is located in Jefferson County near Port Townsend.

More halibut this year for sport anglers

This year's recreational halibut seasons will be similar to 2010 in Puget Sound, but may allow for more days of fishing off the coast under new catch quotas adopted by the International Pacific Halibut Commission.

This year's quota for Washington, Oregon and California is 910,000 pounds, up 12 percent from 2010. In Washington, sport anglers will be allowed to catch 216,489 pounds of the big flatfish compared to 192,699 pounds last year.

In Puget Sound, where the sport catch has exceeded area harvest guidelines for the past two years, this year's higher sub-quota also helped to avert further cutbacks in fishing opportunities.

This year's catch quota for Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca is 58,155 pounds, up from 50,542 pounds in 2010. Like last year, most areas of the Sound will be open for halibut fishing three days a week, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with exceptions. See the fishing regulations for specifics.

This year's coastal quotas are up by more than 17,000 pounds. Depending on catch rates during the course of the season, that could translate to extra time on the water in some areas.

All areas open to fishing have a one-fish daily catch limit, with no minimum size, a possession limit of one fish while on the vessel and a possession limit of two fish in any form once the angler is on the shore.