OLYMPIA, WA (WDFW)- After a bout of nasty weather, anglers are back on the water throughout western Washington, making the most of mid-summer fisheries for salmon, hatchery steelhead, trout and crab.  Pink salmon are moving into the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and anglers fishing off the coast are averaging nearly 1.5 salmon - mostly chinook and hatchery coho - per rod.

On the east side of the Cascades, bass and walleye fishing at the Potholes Reservoir has been nearly as hot as the midday sun.  But anglers casting for trout and other fish that prefer cooler waters will likely have better luck fishing in the early mornings and evenings so long as the summer heat continues.

Then again, "summer" is nearly over on the Columbia River, at least as far as fishing seasons are concerned.  Starting Aug. 1, several areas of the big river and its tributaries will reopen to salmon fishing, marking the beginning of fall season.

"Our fishing seasons are based on fish returns, rather than on the calendar," said Joe Hymer, a fish biologist for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).  "This is the time of year when we start seeing tagged fall chinook salmon enter the lower Columbia River - and the coho won't be far behind."

"Besides," he quipped, "I noticed some maple trees starting to turn color on my way to work."

With the start of the fall season, salmon fishing will open open Aug. 1 from the mouth of the Columbia River upstream to the Highway 395 bridge in Pasco.  Tributaries opening to salmon fishing that day include the Deep, Green, Toutle, Washougal, Cowlitz, Kalama, Lewis, Wind, White Salmon and Klickitat rivers plus Drano Lake.  More information on those fisheries is available in the Fishing in Washington rules pamphlet http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regs/fishregs.htm and in the Southwest Washington regional report below.

Hymer suggests anglers pay special attention to this year's chinook-retention rules for the popular Buoy 10 fishery, which extends from the mouth of the Columbia River upstream to the Rocky Point/Tongue Point line. 

Unlike past years, anglers will not be allowed to retain chinook salmon intercepted in the Buoy 10 fishery until Aug. 22.  That change, along with several others adopted this year, is designed to conserve wild "tule" populations of fall chinook salmon that spawn in tributaries below Bonneville Dam, said Cindy LeFleur, WDFW Columbia River Policy Coordinator.

"During the past year, the National Marine Fisheries Service directed us to reduce exploitation rates on tule stocks, which are listed for protection under the federal Endangered Species Act," LeFleur said.  "Delaying chinook retention in the Buoy 10 fishery is a step, along with changes in the ocean fishery, in our efforts to comply with that directive."

When the Buoy 10 fishery opens Aug. 1, anglers will still be allowed to catch two adult hatchery coho - along with two hatchery steelhead - per day.  Anglers will be allowed to retain one adult chinook per day from Aug. 22 to Sept. 3 and from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31.

Meanwhile, with several wildfires burning in eastern Washington, anglers and other outdoor enthusiasts planning a trip are advised to check public land closures at the National Fire News website http://www.nifc.gov/fire_info/nfn.htm .  Campers and other recreationists are reminded that no open fires are allowed on WDFW and most other public lands.  Everyone should be extremely careful with anything that could start a fire, from parking hot motor vehicles on dry grass to campstoves.

For additional information on fishing, hunting and wildlife viewing opportunities now available in Washington state, see the regional reports below.