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Free Fishing Weekend Hits Lakes, Rivers, Ocean by Mark Yuasa Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, June 9, 2016

This is Free Fishing Weekend -- a time when no license is required to fish or gather shellfish -- and there are plenty of springtime choices.

Statewide, there are thousands of lakes, rivers and marine waterways that offer decent fishing and shellfish gathering.

Good fishing options right now include trout, lingcod, shad, chinook, steelhead, Dungeness crabs, bass and walleye, just to name some on the "to do list" in the days ahead.

Anglers are required to obtain a catch-record card to catch some species like salmon, steelhead, sturgeon, halibut and crab.

Down on the Columbia River, the shad bank fishery is creating quite a buzz with the shad migrating in by the thousands.

The single-day count at Bonneville Dam topped 98,565 shad on Tuesday, and the season count is up to a whopping 478,592.

"We are seeing strong numbers of shad at Bonneville, and we are still behind the cumulative count from last year but catching up fast," said Joe Hymer, a state Fish and Wildlife biologist.

On the Lower Columbia just below Bonneville, state fish checkers sampled 397 anglers with 969 shad kept and 30 released.

Shad numbers are also rising farther up the Columbia, with 22,120 counted at McNary Dam on Wednesday, with 1,715 at Ice Harbor.

Spring chinook and steelhead fishing are other options on the Lower Columbia and Cowlitz rivers. Some early summer-run chinook have also started to appear in Lower Columbia catches.

"Some of the action for both chinook and steelhead is from Longview downstream," Hymer said. "Some of the steelhead are large (in the 13- to 14-pound range), and if you catch one there is a pretty good chance it will be a keeper hatchery fish."

Sockeye counts at John Day and McNary dams were 954 and 595, respectively, on Wednesday, while 38 steelhead were counted at John Day, seven at McNary, and year-to-date totals at 1,381 for Ice Harbor, 1,453 at Lower Monumental, 3,417 at Little Goose and 5,477 at Lower Granite Dam.

Those willing to hop on a charter boat should head to Westport and other coastal ports, where lingcod and black rockfish fishing has been stellar.

Trout fishing continues to be good in many local lakes, with many of them already planted.

Fishing reports have very good luck for smallmouth bass in the Yakima River, and catfish action has also improved.

All rules still apply on Free Fishing Weekend when fishing, including daily limits, lure and bait restrictions and size limits of fish.

Anglers are required to obtain a catch-record card to catch some species like salmon, steelhead, sturgeon, halibut and crab.

If you aren't sure on regulations, go to the state fisheries website.